The Lightfall expansion for Destiny 2 grows closer each day, and we learned a metric ton of new details about the upcoming Strand subclass in a recent blog post from Bungie. There was a lot to unpack, from Aspects and Fragments to grappling information, a new trailer, and a few developer insights. We’ll be discussing a few smaller details today: buffs, debuffs, and the origin of Strand.
Building Strand, Destroying Enemies
Image via Bungie
Initially called “Damage type 5,” Strand started as an ephemeral concept of “something astral,” and it also fit “the fantasy of [Lightfall]: the 80s action hero.” The design and narrative teams continued collaborating to land something satisfying to both parties until their concept became “dark telekinesis,” which evolved into Strand.
With the overall concept settled and many of the names and verbiage that would define it for players, the design continued to come together. Now there are, like the other 3.0 class updates, a trio of keywords that acts as some of the core interactions between player and enemy.
On the player side, we have “weaving,” which is the creation of objects with Strand. Defeating an enemy with Strand “unravels” them, which creates a “tangle.” Tangles left behind will explode when shot and can also be picked up and thrown.
Enemies can also be affected by three different keywords, which change how they interact with Strand when damaged or defeated by it.
- Suspend: A suspended PvE enemy is lifted off the ground for a brief duration and is essentially disabled. In PvP, suspended players are lifted off the ground but can still move (albeit slowly) and fire their weapon to fight back.
- Unravel: Attacking an unraveled enemy will cause threads to burst out of the target and attack other nearby targets. Once hit, that target will also become unraveled.
- Sever: A severed enemy is less capable of affecting the material world, reducing their damage output as a result.
Finally, Guardians can be clad in Woven Mail, a special Strand armor that reduces incoming damage and flinch, though, in PvP, that reduction is only for the body. Both headshots and melee attacks are exempt when damaged by other Guardians.
For more about the Strand update, check out our guide to all the new subclass abilities and our analysis of the Strand trailer. For more on Destiny 2, see our guides hub.
Featured image via Bungie
