Destiny 2 is about to drop an amazing new season starting the 28th of February; I haven't been this excited since they released Season of The Witch Queen (amazing if you haven't played). The story was getting a little dull up until The Witch, and as of late it just started to get dry again. With these new trailers, pics, and more info spoiled weekly about the Strand subclass and new season, my child-like wonderment is in full "go" mode. Below you'll find a couple trailers, as well as a brief overview of what is to come regarding the new subclass.

Not only did Bungie drop the new trailer showcasing the subclass's new abilities but they also provided a blog for our reading enjoyment, chock full of details on the different aspects of Strand. Check out the blog: Inside Strand Blog, here you will find the full rundown as well as future updates. The Strand spoiler trailer is sweet and totally worth the click, fan or not - great music and amazing visuals. Everytime I think I am done with Destiny, they get my butt and pull me back in.

STRAND DEFINITIONS

1 - Weaving: create an object using Strand
2 - Tangle: left behind after a Strand-debuffed-enemy is defeated. these bundles of Strand explode when shot, think Warmind Cells
3 - Unraveling: attacking an unraveled enemy will cause threads to burst out of the target and attack other nearby targets.
4 - Suspend: you can suspend enemies in PvE with various Strand moves which acts like Stasis, immobilizing them. This also happens in PvP, but you can move and still shoot when suspended as you would under Stasis.
5 - Woven Mail: strand player buff that reduces damage and flinch
6 - Sever: debuff that reduces enemy damage output
7 - Unravel: attacking an unraveled enemy will cause threads to burst out of the target and attack other nearby targets

This all looks and sounds quite amazing. The introduction of Stasis as a new subclass went over very well, though there were some hiccups in PvE, and the campaign kinda dragged on, especially without the ability to play the main quest in a higher difficulty off the rip, and gaining new Aspects was such a slog - they have since overcome these hurdles. Starting in The Witch Queen you were able to play the main quest on a few difficulty levels, speeding up the game and eliminating multiple playthroughs unless you felt inclined to.
Bungie also introduced a new way to get Prime Engrams through a weekly campaign quest - playing one mission on a selected difficulty level, so you got to see the main campaigns missions more often and only one chapter at a time. As for gaining Aspects, they did away with these long and arduous missions, and instead now have you visit Ikora to purchase them - you are able to buy the new Aspects for only the beginning 3 subclasses though; those wanting the stasis Aspects still have to get them the hard way. I'm hoping that Strands won't fall into the old mission based Aspect fetch system, but rather the new visit Ikora system. I have no doubt that with these previous changes that the new subclass will fit right in, like it was there since the beginning, and the new campaign, Lightfall, will be glorious.

STRAND ABILITIES

Warlock

Weaver’s Call - on Rift cast, the Warlock weaves three Threadling eggs, which hatch into Threadlings when they hit a surface. Any perched Threadlings are converted to additional eggs
Mindspun Invocation - this Aspect improves several of the Warlock’s abilities
Grapple - when you execute a grapple melee, the Warlock weaves three Threadling eggs from the target
Arcane Needle - melee - a deadly projectile which tracks targets, causing high damage and unraveling them upon impact, Warlocks will be able to quickly chain three Arcane Needle attacks in a row
Needlestorm - super - a deadly combination of burst damage and area denial. On cast, the Warlock conjures Strand matter into a fusillade of hardened spikes, launching them forwards with a wave of their hand. The missiles will stick into enemies and the environment alike before detonating and reweaving themselves into an army of Threadlings that will hunt down any survivors

Titan

Into the Fray - destroying a Tangle weaves Woven Mail unto the Titan and nearby allies. In addition to reducing damage taken, this Aspect also increases the Titan’s melee energy regeneration while wearing Woven Mail
Drengr’s Lash - when the Titan casts their class ability, the Titan will blast forward a powerful ripple in reality, suspending enemies that are caught in the shockwave’s path
Frenzied Blade - melee - the Titan dashes forward and slashes at enemies with their Strand arm blades, severing victims and decreasing their damage output. With a default set of three charges, Titans can chain these slashes together for maximum offensive power
Bladefury - super - dual-wielding fist blades and roaming the battlefield with ill intent. The Super’s light attack is a supercharged version of the Frenzied Blade melee attack, and each light attack that connects increases the next attack’s speed (which tops out after a maximum of three hits). In addition, connecting with light attacks also builds energy for the Super’s heavy attack with each hit. With the heavy attack, the Titan hurls a pair of projectiles forward that seek out enemies, suspending and damaging them on impact

Hunter

Threadling Grenade - you can consume your Threadling Grenade to generate a full complement of perched Threadlings
Shackle Grenade - you can consume your Shackle Grenade to gain a buff, creating a suspending detonation on every kill
Ensnaring Slam - while in the air, press the air-move input to slam downward, suspending all nearby enemies
Widow’s Silk - this Aspect grants an additional grenade charge. The Hunter’s grapple ability creates a persistent grapple Tangle when it latches, which fully refunds grenade energy when grappled to. Hunters can use this ability to set up chains of grapple points that their entire team can use, greatly enhancing their ability to quickly move around in combat and/or traverse the environment
Threaded Spike - melee - has the Hunter hurling out a rope dart that bounces between enemies, damaging and severing them before returning to the Hunter. Upon its return, it grants melee energy for each enemy hit. Hunters can catch the rope dart by pressing the melee input button at the right time; perfecting that timing will earn the player an additional amount of melee energy
Silkstrike - super - the Hunter uses their grapple to freely move through the world in third-person view, while also throwing their rope dart to strike down enemies. Hunters will be able to use grapple more often during the Super, and the rope dart features both a light and heavy attack. The light attack is meant for single opponents and can be used in air and on the ground while the heavy attack has the Hunter swing the rope dart around in a 360-degree arc, damaging all nearby enemies

FRAGMENTS (all classes)

Thread of Ascent - activating your grenade ability reloads your equipped weapon and grants increased weapon handling and airborne effectiveness for a short time
Thread of Fury - damaging targets with a Tangle grants melee energy
Thread of Finality - finishers generate Threadlings
Thread of Warding - picking up an orb of power grants Woven Mail

GRENADES

Grapple - controlled with the grenade button, sends out a line allowing you to swing like Spider-Man
Threadling Grenade - splits into three projectiles that weave into Threadlings upon impact
Shackle Grenade - effectively acts as a bola, detonating in a suspending blast and sending out smaller secondary bolas to suspend nearby enemies

Thanks for tuning in to Boardstates review of Destiny 2's new Strand Class. Please check out our other reviews and articles for Magic: the Gathering, board games and video games. All links can be found on our home page.

P.S. don't forget to share your class usage data, let your friends and PvP enemies know how you roll.