Introduction to Destiny Rising Best Ikora Build

Ikora specializes in Void offense in Destiny Rising. Discover her top builds, weapons, and artifacts for both PVP and PvE here on this Destiny Rising Best Ikora Build. Aside from that, you’ll also find strong alternatives and the best teammates to pair with her.
PVP Defense
Recommended Weapons
| Primary Weapon | Heavy Weapon |
![]() Present Fleet | ![]() Two-Tailed Fox |
Recommended Artifacts
| Slot 1 | ![]() Unrelenting Shell |
| Slot 2 | ![]() Bloodthirsty Shell |
| Slot 3 | ![]() Scattering Shell |
| Slot 4 | ![]() Explosive Shell |
In PVP, she relies heavily on her weapons since landing abilities against skilled opponents can be quite hard. Also, she’s fragile so trying to stack durability won’t be really effective. Focusing on maximizing her weapon damage is a much better apporach.
PVE Defense
Recommended Weapons
| Primary Weapon | Heavy Weapon |
![]() Present Fleet | ![]() Two-Tailed Fox |
Recommended Artifacts
| Slot 1 | ![]() Unrelenting Shell |
| Slot 2 | ![]() Bloodthirsty Shell |
| Slot 3 | ![]() Scattering Shell |
| Slot 4 | ![]() Explosive Shell |
She already excels at wiping out waves of enemies with her skills, so boosting her weapon damage is a much better choice. That said, if you prefer you can still run an ability focused artifact set and lean further into her power kit.
PvP Weapons
Recommended
![]() Present Fleet | This is easy to use especially with handy quality of life perks, tis is currently the only high tier light grenade launcher and can be acquired for free through the main story. |
Recommended
![]() Two-Tailed Fox | With this weapons auto tracking, it’s easy to land hits, and its void rockets come with an innate suppression, which is a huge advantage! That said, its smaller blast radius means you’ll need to aim more carefully than with most rocket launchers. |
Alternative
![]() HON2 Tutum’Alik | This weapon is well balanced and easy to use, though its range buff isn’t very impactful on rocket launchers. To help it out and make it truly shine, you’ll have to rely on having strong traits. |
Sworn Oath stands out as her best Primary in PvP thanks to its consistency and lack of the spin up drawback that sweet business has. For the Heavy slot, Nobunaga is the top choice as its heavy attack dash makes closing gaps much easier whereas most other swords struggle to get in range against skilled opponents. That said, if you can stay alive long enough to build momentum, sweet business can still be a powerful primary option once it reaches full spin up.
PvE Weapons
Recommended
![]() Present Fleet | This is easy to use especially with handy quality of life perks, tis is currently the only high tier light grenade launcher and can be acquired for free through the main story. |
Recommended
![]() Two-Tailed Fox | With this weapons auto tracking, it’s easy to land hits, and its void rockets come with an innate suppression, which is a huge advantage! That said, its smaller blast radius means you’ll need to aim more carefully than with most rocket launchers. |
Alternative
![]() HON2 Tutum’Alik | This weapon is well balanced and easy to use, though its range buff isn’t very impactful on rocket launchers. To help it out and make it truly shine, you’ll have to rely on having strong traits. |
Similar to PvP, her build on PvE centers around on present fleet and two tailed fox due to her limited options. Fortunately, both are strong choices on their own, and present fleet is even obtained for free through the story.
PvP Artifacts
Best Artifact
![]() Unrelenting Shell |
Alternate Options
![]() Abundant Planetesimal |
Best Artifact
![]() Bloodthirsty Shell | This is an easy way to sustain HP during combat making it reliable for solo encounters or prolonged fights. Its impact is reduced in PVP where your opponents tend to spread out, and it’s less useful in team scenarios or situations where you can already stay safe without the extra sustain. |
Alternate Options
![]() Binging Planetesimal | This works especially well for melee casters who put themselves at risk when diving into combat. It enhances survivability and boosts overall damage output. To get the most value it will require careful cooldown management ensuring that its defensive and offensive benefits are always available when needed. |
Best Artifact
![]() Scattering Shell | This makes it easier to clear mobs and land hits on enemy players, offering strong value once you secure the initial hit. Maintaining the buff becomes simpler afterward. However, positioning is important. Be mindful not to hit yourself in the process. |
Alternate Options
![]() Courageous Planetesimal | This is amazing for buff casers who frequently spam abilities, greatly enhancing their overall performance. To maximize its effectiveness, proper cooldown management is needed, and it’s best to cast non damaging or weak abilities first if he buff isn’t active, ensuring that your stronger abilities fully benefit. |
Best Artifact
![]() Explosive Shell | This excels at mobbing, especially in situations with large groups of clustered enemies. Try aiming at the center of the group to ensure the highest number of targets hit. That said, it’s less effective in PvP where skilled players are harder to hit directly and rarely stay grouped. |
Alternate Options
![]() Bellicose Planetesimal | This boosts damage output for ability focused characters, making it especially effective for playstyles that rely on skills. To get the most out of it, proper cooldown and ammo management is needed, and accuracy is key. Missing sots will waste the buff and reduce its overall value. |
Since she already excels at eliminating enemies with her abilities, it is generally recommended to use her artifact set to boost weapon damage for better overall balance. Still, an ability focused set still remains a solid alternative if you prefer leaning into her strength of spamming abilities rather than relying on weapons.
PvE Artifacts
Best Artifact
![]() Unrelenting Shell | This will work best with weapons that have low magazine size, but its 3 second window feels short unless you’re reloading constantly. The damage resistance isn’t essential either if you can play it safe. |
Alternate Options
![]() Unrelenting Subgravity | Damage reduction is always good to have but this perk requires constant jumping to keep the buff active. That can feel awkward especially if you’re using a melee character who usually prefer staying grounded. |
Best Artifact
![]() Bloodthirsty Shell | This provides a straightforward way to sustain your HP while you’re in combat, making it useful for solo encounters or prolonged fights. However, its effectiveness drops in PvP since opponents can easily spread out reducing its impact. Also, it becomes less valuable in coordinated team play or scenarios where you can already stay safe without relying on the healing effect. |
Alternate Options
![]() Binging Planetesimal | This works especially well for melee casters who put themselves at risk when diving into combat. It enhances survivability and boosts overall damage output. To get the most value it will require careful cooldown management ensuring that its defensive and offensive benefits are always available when needed. |
Best Artifact
![]() Scattering Shell | This makes it easier to clear mobs and land hits on enemy players, offering strong value once you secure the initial hit. Maintaining the buff becomes simpler afterward. However, positioning is important. Be mindful not to hit yourself in the process. |
Alternate Options
![]() Valiant Subgravity | Unlike other subgravity artifacts, this doesn’t require constant jumping to stay effective, making it much easier to use in most situations. However, it can also be countered by crowd control that restrict movement, and it’s less useful in teams or setups that prefer to remain stationary. |
Best Artifact
![]() Explosive Shell | This excels at mobbing, especially in situations with large groups of clustered enemies. Try aiming at the center of the group to ensure the highest number of targets hit. That said, it’s less effective in PvP where skilled players are harder to hit directly and rarely stay grouped. |
Alternate Options
![]() Bellicose Subgravity | This helps boost damage output for characters that rely heavily on abilities, making it a strong pick for ability focused playstyles. To make the most of it, you’ll need a solid cooldown and ammo management as we as consistent accuracy. Missing shots will waste the buff and reduce its overall value. |
Since Ikora excels at defeating enemies with her abilities, we recommend equipping her an artifact set that enhances weapon damage for better balance. That said, an ability focused set is still a strong choice if you’d rather lean into her playstyle of spamming abilities instead of relying on weapons.
Recommended Teammates
PVP
Gwynn | She pairs well with Ikora by using her Signature 2 to set up Ikora’s abilities, creating strong follow up opportunities. Also, she can chase down enemies that survive Ikora’s attacks ensuring kills don’t slip away. However, depending on your other allies, this combination can cause the team to lean too heavliy into raw damage leaving gaps in utility or survivability. |
Attal Tan-2 | Depending on your skill level, Ikora may need support to help keep her alive during fights. Your team can also help pick off enemies who survives your AoE damage. The ideal Support often depend on the artifact set being used, as Tan-2 has a hard time healing if you’re Airborne. |
These characters pair well with Ikora in PvP, enhancing her strengths and covering her weaknesses. That said, their synergy is specific to Ikora. Other teammates may be a better fir depending on your team’s overall composition and strategy.
PVE
Gwynn | She pairs well with Ikora by using her Signature 2 to set up Ikora’s abilities, creating strong follow up opportunities. Also, she can chase down enemies that survive Ikora’s attacks ensuring kills don’t slip away. However, depending on your other allies, this combination can cause the team to lean too heavliy into raw damage leaving gaps in utility or survivability. |
Tan-2 | A healer is always useful to keep Ikora alive, and his super can boost her damage further. Since PvE Ikoras are usually more stationary, he is generally better than Attal. |
Kabr Jolder | They pair well since a barrier lets Ikora play safely while adding strong single target damage to cover her weaknesses. Jolder excels at drawing aggro, while kabr offers a much more frequent barrier thanks to his lower cooldown. |
Conclusion
Overall, she’s a powerful character who shines when her strengths are properly supported. Building around her with the right artifact set and teammates can make her even more effective, whether it’s in PvE or PvP. Just remember that her partners and builds depends on the situation, so adapting your setup to the mission or match will ensure you get the most out of her.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)
❓ Is Ikora better with an ability-focused or weapon-focused Artifact set?
Since she already excels at defeating her enemies with abilities, a weapon focused artifact set is usually recommended. That said, an ability-focused set is still great if you prefer spamming abilities.
❓ Who are the best teammates for Ikora in PvP?
Characters like Gwynn and other supports pair well with her by setting up kills, keeping her alive, or finishing off survivors, etc. The best picks depend on your team’s overall composition.
❓ Who are the best teammates for Ikora in PvE?
Supportive characters like Tan-2, Jolder, or Kabr are strong options. They help her stay alive and/or cover her weakness in single target damage.
Effectiveness may vary depending on the mission.
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