Destiny 2’s The Witch Queen expansion is bringing the new Glaive weapon archetype to the game, and this handy tool has a few different utilities to help take down Savathûn’s Lucent Hive. The weapon can shoot projectiles, slash enemies, and even briefly create a protective shield. But to charge it up, you’ll need to deal damage with your Glaive.
Fans got a glimpse of the Glaive in The Witch Queen’s gameplay trailer last August, showing a shield mechanic that let guardians defend themselves briefly with the weapon. Though the existence of the mechanic isn’t entirely new, Bungie developers broke down how the upcoming weapon works in a press conference last week.
The Glaive is a hybrid weapon that can shoot fairly slow-moving projectiles (using Special ammo) and stab enemies. The new shield mechanic, however, lets players balance offense and defense. Guardians can use the shield mechanic to block enemy attacks or even create some cover while they revive allies. But it comes with a slight catch.
The Glaive’s shield comes with an energy gauge, as demonstrated by Bungie in a hands-off gameplay session for press and content creators. This means players can’t have the shield up indefinitely and must deal damage to charge it up.
The shield mechanic can be particularly useful in The Witch Queen’s Legendary difficulty, where enemies hit harder than usual. This also means that players may have a harder time charging it up, however, due to the higher damage enemies deal—and how dangerous some enemies or bosses can be up close.
In addition to shooting, the Glaive functions as a hybrid between a melee weapon and a gun. It can slash or stab enemies, but it also fires projectiles at the expense of Special ammo. Unlike swords and other melee weapons in Destiny 2, however, the Glaives retain the characters’ first-person perspective, a first for the game.
Glaives will arrive in Destiny 2 as part of The Witch Queen expansion, which launches on Feb. 22.
