Summary
There is no denying thatDestiny 2’s options for making different builds for each given class or subclass increased dramatically over the years, to the point that the game went from featuring very few variations in terms of perks and stats to dedicated buildcrafting and loadouts. This is an incredible upgrade because it makes the overall gameplay experience more unique and personalized, and players have agency over what their characters do and why they should use them over others in given activities, from base playlists to the endgame.Destiny 2’s Strandis the latest tool to be provided by Bungie, and while at first it was mostly praised for its grapple grenades, new Aspects went as far as making “impossible” playstyles a reality.
In Bungie’s design philosophy for each of the three classes and each of the now five elements available, there wasn’t always a lot of wiggle room to add new features or unlock new roles. Hunters were designed with damage and mobility as their focus, often dabbling into PvP better than the other two classes, whereas Warlocks were on the opposite side of the spectrum with more options for support roles in PvE activities. Titans were always in the middle, offering the best of both worlds, but with a few restraints. However, anew Strand Aspect inDestiny 2changed all this.
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Destiny 2’s Banner of War Strand Aspect Makes Titans Support Tanks
Upon Lightfall’s launch, Bungie stated that every new season in Year 6 would have added a Strand Aspect for each class, andDestiny 2’s Season of the Witchbrought that total to four Aspects available for all of them. Hunters received an Aspect called Whirling Maelstrom that makes Strand Tangles become damaging, moving whirlwinds that Unravel enemies caught in their wake. Warlocks got Weavewalk, an Aspect that was disabled soon into the new season due to how imbalanced it was in PvP, creating scenarios where players could theoretically survive anything.
Titans received a new tool called Banner of War that allows finishers, melee final blows, and sword final blows to generate stacks of a new buff with the same name, increasing players' damage with swords and melee hits as well as creating an area around them that heals whoever is in it. This is an impressive step forward for the class, as for the first time in the series, players can truly embrace the support tank role.Destiny 2’s Ward of Dawn for Void Titansused to achieve something similar before its nerfs, but it was limited to a long cooldown and didn’t provide healing.
Healing is arguably one of the most valuable mechanics inDestiny 2, be it solo or in group play, and the reason is that players now have many tools to reduce incoming damage. As such, having ways to heal oneself will most likely mean more staying power, allowing players to be on the battlefield for as long as needed, dishing out damage, and tanking some. The role fits Titans perfectly, and it can also lead to particularly good combos.
An example is theDestiny 2Strand Titan buildthat uses a sword, the Stronghold Exotic gauntlets, and the Banner of War Aspect to essentially tank any form of damage while providing allies with a safe space to heal and shoot. On the other end of the spectrum is the Synthoceps Banner of War build that is being used to delete bosses in Crota’s End inDestiny 2while healing allies, now that it’s been reprised. As such, futureDestiny 2Exotics, Aspects, and buildcrafting tools should be as game-changing as Banner of War, challenging the status quo of what a given class is supposed to achieve.
Destiny 2is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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