February 22, 2023

Destiny 2: Developer Insights on Lightfall Subclass Strand

Bungie has recently revealed a video giving players a deeper insight into the latest Lightfall Strand subclass. The video features eight developers, including Senior producer Bonnie Burton. Senior design lead Tomonori Kinoshita and design lead Eric Smith were also present. They were joined by lead VFX artist Dave Samuel, lead concept artist Gabriel “Gabo” Garza, and concept artist Tobias Kwan. And last but not least, senior sound designers Paxson Helgesen and Juan Pablo Uribe. Together, they lifted the veil to uncover the development of Strand.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Strand can take many forms. It’s the network of metaphysical connections
Objects, people, past, present, future, and so on are the Weave
Guardians are able to reveal and reach into the Strand to manipulate it into powerful weapons. Thus, all the Supers were created to reflect that idea
The developers expressed their enthusiasm for the color green in the context of the latest subclass. They deliberately designed the subclass with the idea of ropes and strings that illuminate the world, creating a unique and distinctive visual language that sets it apart from other damage types
When a Guardian enters their Super state, the elements of the Strand become more visible and dynamic. The connections between them start appearing from above. Everything they create is constantly revealing the world of Strand around them
Many changes were implemented to the game following the playtests. One of which was to make the Titan’s Super a long-ranged attack. Titans are now able to close up the distance between them and the enemies easier
They explained how Suspend works. It immobilizes targets in the air by tying them to invisible Strand webs. Thus, provide players and their teams to set up combos or simply take a breath from all the chaotic combat
The sound designers worked to bring the sound of the “cosmic web” to life. They experimented with various materials and techniques to evoke a sense of tension and pulling

Bungie’s creativeprocess begins with an initial idea for a new concept, which is then brought to life through the collaborative efforts of the entire studio. Their hard work and dedication to their craft will soon be on display, with the release of Lightfall coming in less than a week.