The new gameplay of Destiny 2: Beyond Light has noticeable similarities with a cool combat feature from Anthem. We look at why Stasis reminds us so much of the action-packed combo system.
This is the feature from Anthem: When thinking of Anthem, the standout feature that likely comes to mind first is the ability to fly freely. No matter what you think of BioWare’s action MMO, they definitely hit the nail on the head here. The battles with the powerful abilities also provided a lot of joy – especially because of the combo system.
Those who want to see the massive damage numbers in Anthem need to combine their abilities effectively. There are two types of abilities:
- Primer skills apply negative effects to enemies, for example burning foes with elemental damage.
- Detonator skills deal high damage, and when applied to a “primed” enemy, it triggers the combo and the damage skyrockets.
The entire team can work together and have the appropriate combo response ready for a tricky situation. Because if Player A manages to burn a target, Player B can focus on the appropriate detonator.
What we already know about Stasis in Destiny 2: As the new gameplay trailer for Beyond Light impressively shows, the new Stasis supers enable a fresh playstyle. These 3 effects are accessible with the new abilities:
- “Stasis Field” slows down enemies
- “Freeze” causes enemies to freeze in place and become immobile
- “Shatter” triggers an explosive hail that damages nearby foes
We have already seen what happens when a frozen enemy is hit: It shatters and releases flying ice crystals.
Check out the frosty action here in the new trailer from gamescom:
Does Destiny 2: Beyond Light set a frosty combo system?
This is what the Anthem combos look like in Destiny: Instead of burning, poisoning, or shocking enemies first (Anthem’s primers), Guardians can freeze enemies using certain Stasis skills.
It is known that there are grenades, melee attacks, and supers with a “Freeze” effect. Then Guardians can resort to the Destiny version of the detonator, creating the enjoyable gameplay loop that adds more (explosive) flavor to the battles in Anthem.
Trailers have also shown that characters can interact for the combo system:
- The Titan freezes an entire mob and the Warlock raises his ice staff to shatter everything.
- Even old abilities seem to trigger combos with the Stasis power: A Nova Bomb sends an ice wall into the air, causing the shatter effect.
- The Hunter seems to have both the primer and detonator in his new super – throwing two ice axes, the first freezes, and the second triggers the explosion.
However, it is still unclear how much the “Shatter” skills differentiate from the regular shattering of frozen enemies. It is conceivable that without the ability, only a smaller effect will be played, which does not cause environmental damage.
What do you think of such a combo system? Would you like to see more of these RPG elements in Destiny? With the freer skill system of the new Stasis classes, it could also be possible for a team member to focus entirely on freezing, while the colleague packs the appropriate shattering moves.
Moreover, the ice abilities also allow for manipulation of the game world. You can create ice walls at the push of a button, which can serve as bullet protection or function as a springboard.
We will learn more about the new focus abilities from Beyond Light already next week:
- The Warlock starts on September 1st
- We will learn more about the Titan on September 3rd
- More information about the new abilities of the Hunter will be available from Bungie on September 8th
By the way, you can read here why Stasis causes great concern for MeinMMO author Philipp Hansen: I predict to you: With Destiny 2 Beyond Light, PvP is a wreck
