Hey Doobedeedo, There's some great advice in this thread, but I have a few more things to throw into the thick of it just from my time as a defender. There are a few ways to run a defender, but there are two major ways that I tend to stick to: 1. Team Bard (Works with any weapon set but I recommend having a team that can hear you and/or playing an objective game type) Suppressor Grenade - Disorients enemies and prevents them from using their powers. This will knock both Bladedancers and Sunsingers out of their supers. It is extremely effective during control games when enemies will be clustered in specific areas. Increased Height - Get to anything you can see that doesn't have an invisible wall. The increased height and mobility means that you can escape firefights by moving vertically to cover, or take an advantageous position above enemy line of sight. Armor of Light - Granting yourself and your allies overshields, while not quite as potent the damage resistance perk, means that your team can remain mobile and have a slight advantage in firefights that they would not ordinarily win. You and your allies can still take cover in the bubble, but an enemy that tries to super his or her way in will have a nasty surprise if your team is mobile and prepared. Gift of Light - Your melee is best when used in tandem with your grenades. The lowered HP, lack of powers, and disorientation of enemies makes them exceedingly easy to punch to death in most cases. With your newly acquired overshield, it is pretty easy to punch a room into submission and generate orbs of light for your team mates. Titan Codex l - This codex maximizes on your ability to survive interactions that you shouldn't. It can make the difference in a hectic interaction. Gift of the Void - In exchange for extra duration, you grant your allies their supers. It's more than a fair trade and with the extra armor and super energy, your team can steamroll your opponents because of your small sacrifice of super duration. Titan Codex V - Recovery is extremely important for the team bard. You won't necessarily be the player dealing the most damage or getting the most kills, but your presence in major fights really helps the team move forward because of your constant disruption of the enemy and support of your team through orbs and shields. Iron Harvest / Illuminated - This one is totally up to you. I think either are effective but it really comes down to whether or not you get enough kills with heavy weapons to justify Iron Harvest. 2. Rolling Tanky Death Tank (Works best with shotgun and/or handcannon) Magnetic Grenade - Just like the Halo sticky grenade but a little better. It is a one hit kill and is super easy to use once you get the hang of it. Catapault - Makes you ludicrously fast and helps you bound across the map. Armor of Light - This is a little mean, but you are going to want to drop your bubble in random locations and dance or sit down. This is infuriating to enemies and there is almost no lag when going from a taunt to firing a shotgun. Your damage resistance in the bubble will get you through any non-super onslaught by a single player. Unbreakable - Your melee will allow you to tear through large groups of enemies if used correctly. Then the shield will regenerate while you run to your next encounter. Titan Codex 2 - You want high armor and high speed to disorient and dodge your enemies. Recovery is nice, but if you are low on health just stop running for a moment and crouch to heal. Relentless - Makes your shield better and last longer. This is a must have for a Defender on the warpath. Titan Codex lV or Vl - I would recommend testing both to see which suits your playstyle better. Untouchable - Being able to super all of the time is nice when you spend most of the game behind enemy lines I hope this has been at least somewhat helpful. I got the Helm of Saint 14 on the first nightfall strike, and that has been an awesome experience. If the leaks end up being true, Xur should be selling it in the coming weeks. Have fun #TitanMasterClass

It doesn't happen often, but when you are in a bubble on a control point and the enemy keeps flowing in to try and non super kill you its the most fun in the game.