So here's the deal. You enter Crucible to play some Control. You've got your favorite loadout and you're ready to go off. Thirty seconds in and a flying Titan with glowing purple jelly arms hits you in the mouth with a Universal Remote slug. He skates away, glowing purple with even more health. You roll your eyes and wonder, "do Defenders even use any other loadouts?!" The answer is no, not really. But I'm trying to change that. I have mained a Defender since year one. After a while playing a Hunter in The Dark Below, I realized that swapping classes really annoyed me. I could not build any type of consistency in PvP with changing game mechanics between classes. So I made a decision: I was only going to play Defender. Nothing else. And for about a year and a half, that's all I've done. I'm not saying this is the right choice for everyone. The opposite is probably true, actually. But for me, it has given massive insight into a single, underrated subclass and its highly complicated mechanics. I just wanted to share my experience. Here are a few Defender PvP loadouts I use on the regular, utilizing each of the Defender's Ward buffs: Armor, Blessing, and Weapons of Light. Quick write-ups. I could talk all day... ________________ [b]Go-To Loadout[/b] Suppressors Armor of Light (Primary of choice) Last Ditch Armamentarium This is a pick-up-and-go lodout. Shotgun paired with Armor of Light is a classic combo. I use this loadout for Clash, Control, 3v3s, etc. It's a highly versatile loadout. The goal here is to suppress enemies strategically. Use your first grenade to get kills; keep the second in your pocket to take down supers. Roaming supers should be your number one target to maximize the Defender kit's utility. If you see a Stormcaller, Bladedancer, or Sunsinger, chuck a suppressor. Take their super. Feel like God. Use your bubble to control areas of the map strategically. Tips: 1) Multiple Guardians in your bubble can kill you easily. Move in/out of your bubble to immediately refresh your Armor buff. Mastering this and being able to execute it while fighting two Guardians is incredibly useful and impressive. 2) Throw your bubble where you cannot get jumped from behind. It's hard to protect 360°. If you cannot, then sit/dance to get a good 360° view. [b]Sky Sniper[/b] Suppressors Weapons of Light (Primary of choice) LDR 5001 Empyrean Bellicose This is a super fun loadout. Toss on your favorite gear and go to town. Throw your bubble, buff with WoL, and go sky-sniping. I've gotten ridiculous clips by body-shotting people like this. Here's where this loadout gets fun. You can substitute your high-impact sniper for a fusion rifle. Plan C is best. If you see a shotgunner on your radar, use your Bellicose perk, hover, and land your surprise fusion rifle shot from a safe distance. Buffed with WoL, this can be absurdly powerful. Tips: 1) Throw your bubble as far away from enemies as possible. Keep your distance and go vertical! 2) Empyrean Bellicose will give you just enough hangtime to get a three-headshot kill with MIDA buffed with WoL. 3) Falling to the ground after going maximum height will take health on impact. Stay high enough to see people but low enough to drop quickly if you get challenged. There's an art to it. [b]Rift Buffer[/b] Suppressors Blessing of Light (Primary of choice) Bitter Edge (god roll) Glasshouse This is a support-oriented loadout. You must use many aspects of the Defender kit successfully for this to work. Definitely for the experienced Defender. I had a LOT of fun using this loadout last week for Iron Banner Rift. Keep and eye on the charging Spark and communicate with your team. Throw your bubble while it's charging (either near or on the spark, depending on map control), make sure your entire team gets buffed, and push as a coordinated unit. You have 15 seconds. Make use. Tips: 1) Bubble placement is more important than ever. Rift maps tend to be symmetrical. Throw your bubble near the "50 yard line" but on your team's side, more like your "40 yard line". This positions your bubble where your team can grab the buff easily while rushing mid-map but also can be offensive/rush quickly after buffing. 2) If your team is moving a spark while you have a bubble, try to lead the pack. Throw your bubble where your runner can get the Blessing buff just before rushing the rift. This can make all the difference.