Threadlings? Tangles? Lashes? New Destiny 2: Lightfall trailer focuses on exotic gear and Strand effects
There's less than a month to go until the launch of Lightfall, and my girlfriend is already furious that we're having to plan our apartment move around its release date. (I also moved a surgical appointment last year to avoid clashing with Shadowkeep.) Maybe this new trailer, which showcases some of the exotic gear coming in Destiny 2's next big expansion, will help lift her mood*.
Here's a list of what's showcased, with insight based on the accompanying spiel from Bungie.
Exotic Weapons
Final Warning (Strand sidearm): Sidearms are one of the least-loved archetypes in the game (undeservedly so—they can be excellent in the right build), but the fact this one utilises the new Strand subclass makes it interesting. Final Warning shoots tracking rounds once charged, which I assume is an alt-fire toggle. The model looks like a mix of the Cryosthesia 77k and Liminal Vigil.
Deterministic Chaos (Void machine gun): This LMG 'rhythmically weakens' enemies. In practice that means every fourth short applies the weaken debuff, while every 16th will apply the Volatile effect. Probably least valuable to Hunters, which can proc Volatile on demand with Gyrfalcon's Hauberk, but weaken-on-demand is a powerful tool and I also like the fact this is the first void exotic LMG in Destiny 2.
Winterbite (Stasis glaive): Oh, now this is cool. We've wanted a Stasis glaive for a while. The fact it's an exotic makes it more of a commitment to equip, but at least the perk seems cool. Winterbite fires orbs which operate like roaming Stasis turrets, pew pewing enemies until they're frozen. Looks like a giant trident or cooking spatula, depending on your disposition.
The trailer also shows the exotic catalyst for Quicksilver Storm, which is included as a pre-order bonus for Lightfall. It will enable the gun's alt-fire grenades to create Strand 'Tangles'. These look like glowing balls of green yarn which can be yeeted at enemies and shot to explode. At a glance, the functionality of these green balls is a little like Warmind Cells, so it now makes more sense that those are being deprecated come Lightfall.
Exotic Armor
Cyrtarachne’s Façade (Hunter helmet): This multi-eyed helmet is a tricky one to evaluate. It grants a boost to armor and flinch resistance after you grapple using Strand, which makes it sound purely like a PVP consideration, given that's where players most care about being flinched. But if the armor bump is really big, it might still find a home in PVE. I have no idea how to pronounce Cyrtarachne.
Abeyant Leap (Titan boots): It's hard not to watch these boots in action and worry that they're going to be a Strand-flavoured version of Khepri's horn, which also shoots stuff out of the Titan's barricade, and is used by precisely nobody. Bungie's bumf does make Abeyant Leap sound better, though. With them, casting your barricade grants an armor boost and fires off three waves of 'Lash' projectiles that seek out enemies and suspend them just off the ground.
Swarmers (Warlock boots): These have both the best name and coolest effect of the armor pieces showcased. When you destroy a Strand 'Tangle' it will now spawn 'Threadlings' that attack nearby enemies. These little seekers look like a cross between Colony's sentient grenades and Ionic Traces. Except they're green. Because Strand.
And if you're wondering whether this is all the exotic gear we're getting, I would say almost certainly not. Some stuff will be hidden in secret quests and the new raid. For reference, last year's Witch Queen expansion and its accompanying season came with eight exotic weapons, and six pieces of exotic armor. We'll know more once Lightfall arrives on February 28 and I immediately begin scouring the collections tab like I'm looking for the security key to an old bitcoin wallet.
*Narrator: It did not.