Destiny 2 – Warlock Shadebinder Stasis subclass including customisation with aspects and fragments
Bungie just dropped some more info regarding Stasis, as this week we’re getting a more in-depth look into each of the classes with Shadebinder Warlocks, Behemoth Titans and finally Revenant Hunters. We also get a closer look at the new levels of customisation with Aspects and Fragments, which is going to offer us more flexibility with our Guardians. The following is a closer look at Stasis, starting off with the Warlock Shadebinder.
Following on from last week’s stasis reveal trailer, Bungie promised a more in-depth look for each class and today we’re starting off with the Warlocks. The article is available on Bungie’s website, but let’s go through the details now.
Welcome to the first in a series of Stasis spotlight articles, where we’ll be taking a look at Stasis via each of the three Guardian classes in Destiny 2. Stasis is the first new elemental power to Destiny since the original trio of Arc, Solar, and Void, and its introduction in Beyond Light will have ramifications for players across all aspects of the game, from narrative to combat , to the way in which players will customize their Guardians.
Each Guardian class will feature a new Stasis subclass with Beyond Light and, as you might expect, each class will use Stasis in a unique way. Stasis is the domain of control; an elemental power that is less about outright aggression and more about careful control of enemy combatants and space — sometimes even using the powers of Stasis in a defensive way. Hunters zipping by in the blink of an eye while slowing down opponents in Stasis fields. Titans smashing their fists to the ground, launching jagged eruptions of Stasis crystals from the earth.
No matter which class you prefer, Stasis will change the way you play Destiny 2.
By commanding Stasis in Beyond Light, players will have access to new powers that change their approach to a fight. In combat, Stasis can manifest in multiple ways, including freezing or slowing opponents, creating crystalline Stasis structures, and even shattering frozen combatants. This range of options gives players more ability to control large-scale fights than ever before.
No class embodies the concept of “freezing” better than the Warlock Shadebinder. Imbued by Stasis energy, the Shadebinder can summon a Stasis staff that fires projectiles which can freeze opponents, immediately rendering them immobile. The Shadebinder’s Penumbral Blast melee attack is a quick burst of Stasis energy that erupts from the staff and instantly freezes anyone it hits. From there, the Warlock can either deal with the frozen foes, or leave them be and move on to other more immediate threats.
If you’re looking to combine freezing with destruction, look no further than the Shadebinder’s Super: Winter’s Wrath. Here, the Shadebinder summons their Stasis staff and fires projectiles that instantly freeze opponents. The second stage begins (and the fight ends) when the Guardian raises the staff, detonates its Stasis crystal and sends a devastating Shatter Shockwave that disintegrates nearby frozen opponents.
We’ve seen Warlocks working with other Guardians in the trailers put out so far. First of all using the Winter’s Wrath to shoot projectiles to freeze and then using the Shatter Shockwave to detonate the frozen enemies around them. In the latest footage we see the Warlocks run in there in PVP after a Titan has used the ground slam to freeze opponents and then shatter opposing Guardians with a quick blast.
For me, the most exciting part of the deep-dive is up next.
CUSTOMIZING STASIS
If you’ve played Destiny for long enough, you know that choosing the right subclass for each situation can be crucial to the outcome of a fight. Titans have their bubbles, Warlocks have their Wells; skilled Guardians know how important those abilities can be in a pinch. With Beyond Light and Stasis, we’re giving you even more flexibility to customize your subclass to your style of play.
Each Stasis subclass in Beyond Light will give players the ability to customize abilities like grenades, movement modes, class abilities, and so on with. In addition, we’ve added new layers of customization with the addition of Aspects and Fragments.
Aspects manifest as physical items in the world (such as a crystallized Vex conflux or a robotic Fallen arm, for example). When slotted in, Aspects will offer players new abilities, among other effects. These abilities can be mixed and matched freely by the player. Many Aspects will have space for Fragments to be slotted in. Fragments are also physical items you can discover in the world that, when applied to Aspects, offer additional passive perks such as stat bonuses that may come with penalties. Aspect upgrades are unique to each Stasis subclass, while Fragment slots are class agnostic; how players combine these two different types of upgrades will lead to a range of customization options.
For example, a Warlock finds a Frostpulse Aspect in the world and equips it. This Aspect augments their Rift ability, which now freezes any enemies caught in the field. The Frostpulse Aspect also has a Fragment slot available, allowing further customization. This Warlock decides to slot in the Whisper of Refraction Fragment that replenishes some of their class ability energy upon shattering enemies. They have now set themselves up with a nice 1-2 punch and, if played skillfully, can use this combo frequently.
With its focus on freezing and shattering, the Shadebinder subclass promises to give Guardians yet another reason to love their floaty, book-loving Warlocks. But no matter what class you like, all players will be able to take advantage of Aspects and Fragments that unlock even more ways to make your Guardian yours.
In our next article, coming this Thursday, we’ll be pointing the Stasis spotlight at the class that loves to punch first and ask questions later: the Titan Behemoth.
The subclass menu looks great. Rather than having the existing 3 skill trees or nodes, we’re getting much more flexibility to mix and match to suit our play style. I like the fact the Aspects and Fragments are items that we have to find out there in the world, that’s going to give us much more to chase. They give the example of a Vex conflux or a Fallen Robotic Arm, which makes it sound like we’re going to be collecting parts of our enemies and using them to super charge our stasis subclass abilities, which is a very cool prospect. If this is the case, then I hope we get to see these items on our Guardian – like collecting the trophies of our enemies and showing them off (similar to Monster Hunter).
The fragments sound similar to some mods, for example in the image shown off we have the Whipser of Bonds, where defeating frozen targets provides super energy. It’ll be interesting to see how this mixes and matches with our existing mods and if they are going to change also. There looks like there’s going to be plenty of slots for the Aspects and Fragments, so in terms of cutomisation this is going to be much more flexible than what we have now and the potential for creating unique builds is a very exciting prospect indeed.
Let me know what you think of this reveal down in the comments. What do you think of the Aspects and Fragments idea and what kind of bonuses do you want to see?
That’s it for this closer look at Stasis and the Warlock Shadebinder. For more Destiny 2 content like this check out the Shadowkeep Guide or check out the YouTube Channel.