by Owl Guy

February 16, 2022

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Overview

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TAKE BACK the LIGHT and what you’ll get in the new year of Destiny 2.

We all know already that very soon, on February 22, 2022, the next year in Destiny 2 begins. Season 16, Season of the Risen, promise us to bring a ton of new content: new destination, new story missions, new activities, new raid, new legendary and exotic loot. But what do we know exactly about the Witch Queen?

Short list

• Void 3.0
• New weapon archetype
• New crafting system
• New Combatants
• Destiny Content Vault

Let’s talk in a bit more detail about each.

Void 3.0

Starting with a change, that will happen to our light subclass Void. It kind of falls in line with Savathûn stealing the Light from us, right? Those changes will be free for all players and there are many of them, do key points only:

Aspects and Fragments

Same, as we got in Stasis, this system will offer more versatility in battles.

• Aspects are class-specific items that players can choose when using their revamped Void abilities.
• Fragments are non-class specific perks that are there as additional enhancements to how gameplay feels.

Titans

Ward of Dawn (The Dome) can now be almost completely instantly activated while also becoming the fastest Super cooldown. It really going to be a much better reactionary defensive tool now.

Sentinel Shield (you know, that when you’re practically Cpt. America) will still let Titans thrown shields providing ranged damage as a Shield Bash grants a full overshield.

Titan Aspects include Controlled Demolition, Bastion, and Offensive Bulwark.

• Controlled Demolition: Hitting a target with a Void ability or volatile detonation will make them volatile.
• Bastion: Casting Barricade generates overshield for yourself and nearby allies. Those bunkering behind the shield will regenerate overshield over time and extend the overshield’s duration.
• Offensive Bulwark: While you have overshield or are inside the Ward of Dawn, grenades charge significantly faster and you have increased melee damage. You also gain an additional shield throw for your Sentinel Shield Super.

Warlocks

Now let’s take a look at the changes that await our scholars and researchers, space mages, and warriors Warlocks.

The infamous Nova Warp is changed (again? again!). The Super with the Vortex Super enhancements allows players to teleport efficiently to unleash the ultimate Void attack while drawing enemies in and trapping them within a web of damage.

Old, familiar Nova Bomb with the Cataclysm enhancement allows for more control when Warlocks are on the hunt for enemies to take out, particularly in PvP instances, and detonations will disperse into smaller tracking-tracking projectiles. Shoot the Nova Bomb, and it’ll also detonate early.

Void 3.0 melee with Pocket Singularity unleashes Void that detonates when near foes, making them volatile while controlling their position in relation to the blast zone.

Warlock Aspects include Chaos Accelerant, Feed the Void, and Child of the Old Gods.

• Chaos Accelerant: Hold down the grenade button to overcharge your Vortex, Axion Bolt, Scatter, and Magnetic grenades. Magnetic grenades overcharge into Handheld Supernova.
• Feed the Void: Defeat an enemy with a Void ability to activate devour.
• Child of the Old Gods: Cast your Rift to summon a Void Soul. When you damage an enemy with your weapon, your Void Soul will launch itself towards them and detonate nearby, attaching draining tendrils which deal damage and weaken the target. When your Void Soul deals damage, it restores either melee and grenade energy (if running Healing Rift), or health (if running Empowering Rift) back to you. Defeating an enemy who is being drained grants Rift energy.

Hunters

Void Hunters, Nightstalkers, will still be the epitome of stealth, Bungie promises us, now with even more control over what the enemies see (or don’t see).

Favorite for many, Moebius Quiver changes will fire off a volley of three arrows that can track targets and make them volatile when tethered.

Deadfall will see the Void anchors pull in enemies to a desired location from surface and target impact.

Snare Bomb melee will also do more to weaken opponents, especially in PvP when it removes an enemy player’s HUD and obstructs their in-game view.

Hunter Aspects include Trapper’s Ambush, Vanishing Step, and Stylish Executioner.

• Trapper’s Ambush: Player can activate Quickfall to spend their melee charge and dive to the ground, creating a smoke cloud upon impact. Enemies caught in the cloud are weakened and allies become invisible. In addition, Snare Bombs, upon attaching to surfaces or enemies, cause nearby allies to become invisible.
• Vanishing Step: Dodging makes the Hunter invisible.
• Stylish Executioner: Defeating a Void-debuffed target (weakened, suppressed, or volatile) grants invisibility and Truesight. While invisible and after a Stylish Execution, your next melee attack weakens enemies.

What about new players? New Lights will be able to earn their first Aspects and Fragments during the New Light campaign. Moreover, all classes will now start with Void subclass abilities designed to be more pleasant and attractive to new players.

For the full breakdown on Void 3.0 from Bungie Dev Team follow this link.

New weapon archetype The Relic and the Glaive

The Glaive is a new energy weapon archetype. And according to Bungie’s earlier teasers, it looks like Glaive combines both Swords and Guns traits: while being a melee weapon, it is also will able to fire mid-ranged projectiles and has defensive capabilities.

Interestingly enough, as an energy weapon, the Glaives will be more versatile than Swords with their limitation as a heavy weapon.

You will be able to shape your first Glaive at the beginning of your introductory quest for the new crafting system. Most likely, the first glaive that we’ll acquire, will be class-specific variant with unique attacks. Most likely, the first glaive that we’ll acquire will be a class-specific variant with unique attacks.

New Craft

Crafting is something that many players desperately wanted in Destiny for quite some time now. It’ll be possible not only to test your luck but your skill (in scavenging resources from various sources, probably).

As you begin to fight the Witch Queen’s brood, you’ll discover the Enclave. This will be the place for crafting your weapons.

As you’ll begin to fight the Witch Queen’s brood, you’ll discover the Enclave. That will be the place for crafting your weapons.
Crafting a Legendary weapon would not be a simple matter. You’ll need to find Patterns (like weapon blueprints), collect materials, and only then build your weapon. But after crafting your gun, you’ll have to shape your weapon, to calibrate it.

Road to Craft

Early in The Witch Queen campaign, you’ll have a quest to complete that will guide you through the art of crafting, much like with the Armor Synthesis (transmog system). At the beginning of The Witch Queen campaign, Guardians will uncover the Deepsight ability and be introduced to the Enclave.

All of the necessary materials will be provided for your first crafted weapon, and you’ll get a short tutorial on how to find those materials for future crafting. A subset of weapons and archetypes will be craftable from the start, but more will be added in the future.

New Combatants

Savathûn has gifted her soldiers with the powers of the Light. As the Knight you’ve struck down rises from the dead for the second time, a feeling of betrayal washes over you and you can’t help but wonder: When the Light offers no shelter – no solace – where will you turn?

Yet again, our enemies come close to one of the most sacred things Humanity has left: Traveler’s Light. But now it was not an attempt to conquer like Dominus Ghaul (Gary! or Gil? Glen? Something with a G.) Once again, we will fight to show that it’s more than the power that makes one a Guardian.

Destiny Content Vault

Now to the sad news. Bungie will remove some of the content into the Destiny Content Vault. The Forsaken DLC content is going to be vaulted, which means the Tangled Shore will be removed from the game, including all of its Lost Sectors and activities, except one Strike, the Warden of Nothing. It will be moved to the Legends section of the in-game destinations, where players can currently access the Vault of Glass Raid. Along with the Tangled Shore, the Cabal Carrier Glykon, while maybe not be a part of the Shore, but saying near it, and subsequently, the Presage mission will be vaulted as well.

All other seasonal activities and locations are also being vaulted, which means that everything from Season of the Hunt, Season of the Chosen, Season of the Splicer, and Season of the Lost will be gone. This includes:

• Wrathborn Hunts
• Override Offensive missions
• The Harbinger mission
• Expunge missions
• The Eliksni and Awoken wings in the H.E.L.M.
• Astral Alignment
• Shattered Realm

There is a possibility that the exclusive gear might still be available in-game through other vendors or as a part of other quests, but it could be vaulted as well. Battlegrounds from Season of the Chosen will not be removed from the game, and instead, they will be added to the Strike playlist, which will go by the name of Vanguard Operations onwards.

Most of the Forsaken content will be vaulted, which means that items connected to it will become unobtainable as a result, including emblems and other drops:

• Mindbearer’s Ambition legendary shotgun — A random drop from The Hollowed Lair Strike
• Cayde-6’s Sparrow, The Gambler’s Palm — Rare drop from Spider Bounties, The Hollowed Lair, and bosses in the Forsaken campaign
• The Great Beyond Legendary ship — Random drop upon killing any Baron during the Forsaken campaign
• Lord of Wolves exotic shotgun — Obtained through Wanted Bounties from Spider

Other seasonal items that will be vaulted include the Wings of Light emblem, which can be obtained by completing the Hunter Killer Triumph, which requires completing Harbinger in 15 minutes or less, The Next Chapter emblem, which can be obtained by completing the Presage mission flawlessly on Master difficulty, and list of Exotic Cosmetics:

• The Fourth Mark Exotic ship — Rare drop from the Coup de Grace mission from Wrathborn Hunts
• Radiant Accipiter Exotic ship — Available from an Exotic quest given by Crow, called Bird of Prey
• Shell of Gilgamesh Exotic Ghost Shell — Obtained with the All the Scattered Pieces Triumph, which requires collecting all clues on board the Glykon during Presage
• Forbidden Memory Exotic ship — Obtained upon completing the Path of the Splicer quest
• Eternal Recurrence Exotic Sparrow — Obtained upon completing the Wayfinder’s Voyage quest
• High Gravitas Exotic Ship — Obtained when reaching Rank 21 at the War Table
• Zeroneiro Exotic Ghost Shell — Obtained upon completing the Unpredictable Triumph, which requires to finish Expunge: Delphi without dying
• Reefborn Warbird Exotic Ship — Obtained upon completing the Devotee’s Remnant Triumph, which requires acquiring and completing Ager’s Scepter’s Exotic catalyst

Some quests will also be vaulted, and their rewards might either be vaulted as well or become available from other sources. The list is as follows:

• Wish-Ender quest, with the Wish-Ender Exotic bow
• Holliday Family History quest, with the Chaperone Exotic shotgun (which will be available with quests from Shaw Han)
• As the Crow Flies quest, with the Hawkmoon Exotic hand cannon
• Bird of Prey quest
• The Voice on the Other Side quest, with the Dead Man’s Tale Exotic scout rifle
• Path of the Splicer quest
• Tracing the Stars quest, with the Ager’s Scepter Exotic trace rifle
• Wayfinder’s Voyage

With this said, take your last chance to get whatever you can until the Downtime for the new season rolling over on all platforms. It begins on February 21 at 7 PM PT (0300 UTC).

Huckleberry out (gone grinding).