Skating is the flashiest way to get around in Destiny 2, but there are many misconceptions about it. Many believe the technique is hard to pull off, but I’m confident I can teach you how to do it. Here’s how to Shatter Skate, Well Skate, and Bubble Skate in Destiny 2.
What is Skating in Destiny 2?
Skating is a form of advanced movement that catapults Guardians across the map at extremely high speeds. You move so fast that you’ll take damage if you splat into a wall and can traverse gaps that are clearly unintended. Â
The technique has a reputation for being difficult to execute. While it’s not easy, I think this misconception comes from poor instructions, which I aim to fix today. Every class can Skate, but it’s the easiest with the Hunter, so I’ll explain that technique first. Even if you’re not a Hunter main, I recommend starting with that class if available, as the timing for Skating is more lenient.
What do I need to start Skating in Destiny 2?
The prerequisites are pretty light for Skating, but it can be a pain if you don’t have the required items. All classes need a Sword with the Eager Edge trait. You can get this Perk on Swords from the Dares of Eternity, albeit at a low drop rate.
The easiest place to get a Sword with Eager Edge is Onslaught. The Falling Guillotine can roll with the required perk, and you can attune to the weapon in the Hall of Champions to increase the drop rate.
The only other prerequisite is for Hunters specifically, as they require the Stasis subclass to be unlocked.
How to Shatter Skate in Destiny 2
Shatter Skating is the most accessible form of Skating in Destiny 2 and can be performed consistently once you master it. Before we do anything, open the Controls menu in Settings and navigate to Button Layout. Change Air Dive Ability from “Long Press to Press.”
This change in the control scheme is essential, and where I think most people get stuck with Skating. While Skating is technically possible without it, It’s far more complex.
Once you’ve tweaked your controls, change your subclass to Stasis and ensure one of your Aspects is Shatterdive. If you hover over the skill with your new control settings, you’ll see it says “Binds to Press.”
My complete skill and ability loadout are visible in the image above, but you only need Shatterdive. Now, equip your Eager Edge Sword, and you’ll be ready to learn how to skate.
The only limitation of Skating is that you need a ledge to jump off. I usually practice at the Dreaming City near the Divalian Mists Landing Zone, as cliffs are everywhere.
How to input the Shatter Skate command
The Technique is simple. Swap to your Sword, which triggers Eager Edge. Press and hold Heavy Attack to lunge (R2/RT on a controller), and the moment you lunge, press Jump (X/A) followed by Crouch (Circle/B).
You can hold the Heavy Attack button through the entire technique but must input all three commands quickly. I find Shatter Skating the easiest when I slide my thumb from Jump to Crouch as the commands must be entered so fast. The input is pretty strict, but as long as you’re fast, the technique will click in no time.
Shatter Skating is excellent as you can do it whenever you like as a Hunter. Titans and Warlocks spend their Super Abilities to Skate, while the Hunter can Shatterdive every few seconds. Once you’ve mastered Shatter Skating, you can even Shatterdive again mid-skate to immediately stop. While the Technique is fun with every class, the Hunter is the only one who can realistically weave Skating into general gameplay.
Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can practice in Strikes and show the technique off to your friends.
How to Well Skate in Destiny 2
If you’re a Warlock player, you can Well Skate, and it’s very similar to the Hunter’s Shatter Skate. Even if you’re not a Hunter player, I recommend reading the Shatter Skate guide above as I explain the technique in depth.
To Well Skate, you must switch to the Solar Subclass and ensure your Super Ability is the Well of Radiance (pictured above). Once you’re comfortable with the technique, you can also use the Icarus Dash Aspect to increase the distance you’ll travel. Equip it if you’re making a specialized loadout for Skating.
As with the Hunter, an Eager Edge Sword is essential, so equip that as well. The Warlock requires a Super Ability to Well Skate which would usually make practicing difficult, but there’s a way around that.
Select “Crucible” on the Star Map and then ‘Private Match” in the bottom right corner. If you choose the Mayhem game mode, you can set the Super Charge Rate to three Seconds.
To Well Skate, swap to your Sword to trigger Eager Edge, then Heavy Attack (R2/RB on a controller) to Lunge. The moment after you Lunge, press Jump (X/A) and then Super (L1+R1/LB+RB). You can hold the Heavy Attack button through the entire technique, but the difficulty comes from how fast you have to input the Jump and Super abilities.
If you find you’re dropping to the ground, it means you’ve not activated your Super ability fast enough. Well Skating is tricky because you can’t slide your thumb from Jump to Super like you can with the Hunter’s Jump to Shatterdive. You can bind your Super attack to a single button to practice the timing.
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t do this right away. The timing is far stricter as a Warlock than a Hunter, and the technique is far less useful.
How to Bubble Skate in Destiny 2
If you’re a Titan, I’ve got some bad news. Bubble Skating has the strictest timing of all the Skating techniques. As a Titan main myself, it sucks, but I recommend learning how to Shatter Skate with the Hunter first to familiarize yourself with the technique, as it’s fundamentally identical.
I’ve put more time into learning Bubble Skating than any other Skating technique, and I still fail most of the time. If you still want to try it, here’s what to do.
First, you need a sword with Eager Edge, which is used to perform the initial lunge. You must also use the Void Subclass with the Ward of Dawn Super ability. Like all other Skating techniques, this must be done off a ledge, although you don’t need much elevation for it to work.
To Bubble Skate, quickly Swap to your Sword to trigger Eager Edge, then Heavy Attack (R2/RB) to Lunge. The moment you Lunge, press Jump (X/A) and then Super (L1+R1/LB+RB). You can hold the Heavy Attack button throughout, but the hard part is the timing. As long as you enter Jump and Super as fast as possible, the technique should work, although it’s extremely inconsistent.
You can practice in a Private Mayhem Crucible match with the Super Recharge Rate turned down, but the technique has limited uses. Bubble Skating is fun in a controlled environment and to show your friends, but it’s hard to put into practice elsewhere.
Skating feels like Super Jumping in the old Halo games and is a flashy technique with limited uses beyond style points. Still, once you’ve mastered it, why not try adding Mountaintop Skating to throw yourself even further?
