Destiny 2 fans have less than a month to go until the release of Lightfall, but Bungie continues to show off some of the upcoming additions to the game to keep the excitement flowing. The developer gave guardians a taste of the upcoming Exotics in today’s trailer, showing off some weapons and armor coming with the expansion—and how they will interact with the Light, the Darkness, and Strand.
The weapons trailer showed off six Exotics: three weapons and three armor pieces, one for each class. The Exotics include a machine gun and a sidearm, but the most surprising addition is likely the highly requested Stasis glaive. Since The Witch Queen introduced glaives with multiple elements, fans have been asking for a Stasis glaive, and Bungie has finally answered—even if this one takes up your Exotic slot.
The Final Warning Strand sidearm “shoots tracking rounds that seek out nearby enemies,” according to a press kit, though it seems to have a charging mechanic akin to Devil’s Ruin or possibly the Stasis-aligned Cryosthesia 77K. Neither the trailer nor the press kit shed some light on the criteria for it, though, meaning it could be as simple as holding a button (like Devil’s Ruin) or it could require a trigger, like Cryosthesia.
The trailer also teased the “rhythmic” Void-aligned Deterministic Chaos machine gun, which weakens enemies on every fourth hit and makes them Volatile on each sixteenth hit. It’s a unique weapon, especially thanks to its ability to weaken targets quickly. While Fourth Time’s the Charm would be a perfect catalyst, this weapon could be good enough on its own.
The Winterbite Stasis glaive turns the trio of Light-based glaives into a foursome by finally giving fans a Stasis-aligned glaive. It “freezes enemies on impact with frost orbs, leaving them vulnerable to a follow-up attack,” based on its description, though based on the other Exotic glaives, it may also require you to spend some charge to trigger its Exotic perk.
Bungie also showed one Exotic armor piece for each class. Hunters are getting the Cyrtarachne’s Façade helmet, which grants them the Woven Mail buff after using the Strand grapple. According to a press release, it gives the user “armor and flinch resistance,” though the trailer only mentions the latter. This seems to be a grapple-based version of Dragon’s Shadow, but it’s unclear if Woven Mail will also give any other effects.
The Exotics for Warlocks and Titans also lean into some Strand-aligned keywords shown in the trailer. Strand-aligned Tangles “can be used by players using Strand to weave objects and creatures, or for other purposes tied to weapons,” based on the press release. The upcoming Quicksilver Storm catalyst will generate Tangles on grenade kills, and players can throw those Tangles at enemies, similar to a Ruinous Effigy sphere—though it’s unclear if players can do the same with other Tangles.
Additionally, Warlocks can create minion-like Threadlings, and the Titan Exotic shows off the Lash mechanic. These are bound to be general Strand keywords, but the Exotics seem to lean on it even more, favoring Strand builds.
Warlocks can use the new Swarmers boots to create Threadlings to “infest and attack enemies” once they destroy a Tangle, according to the press release. The Threadlings could be Strand-aligned versions of the Iceflare bolts, though they deal damage instead of freezing enemies.
Titans can use their barricade to create Strand Lashes that “suspend enemies and gives armor to its wielder” if they have the new Abeyant Leap Exotic boots—another Exotic that leans into the Strand potential.
Players can check out all the Exotics and new weapons when Lightfall launches on Feb. 28.
Published: Jan 31, 2023 10:50 am