The upcoming DLC “Lightfall” will Destiny 2 expand with many new things at its release. This includes primarily new locations, weapons, and the new focus ability “Strand”. Why this is so cool and yet has a catch, you can find out here.
What can Strand do? Strand will be the second element of darkness alongside Stasis. This focus can be used by the Guardians in the new DLC. It is a special ability where Guardians need to “pluck” at the threads of reality.
Titans create green claws out of nowhere, while Hunters can wield a lasso. The Warlock, on the other hand, can revive zombies and even throw projectiles at his enemies.
However, the biggest highlight is the fact that Guardians can create a web with Strand to swing around like Spider-Man. As cool as this new movement feature may sound, it has a catch.
You have a choice – Grenades or swinging the web?
What is the catch with Strand? The news site “Gamespot” sat down with Game Director Joe Blackburn and General Manager Dan McAuliffe for an interview about Lightfall. They discussed the fifth ability “Strand” and its Spider-Man-like ability that allows Guardians to swing wildly around.
While there were concerns that the new grappling hook would be bound to one location like the Deep Sight Resonance, that won’t be the case with Lightfall and your web. You will actually be able to swing around like Spider-Man everywhere, in every mode, and in every location, including in PvP. General Manager Dan McAuliffe said the following:
Part of the ambition was to add something that transcends boundaries and changes the way you can interact with both new content and existing content. I look forward to seeing the changes to the sandbox in different types of content. Are there different ways to solve a trap in a mission or a puzzle in a raid or something similar in the future? Is that so? A challenge? Sure, but I think that space of possibility is worth the risk.
Dan McAuliffe joked about the challenge of bringing the grappling hook into the game without breaking Destiny 2 like they did with Stasis.
However, the grappling hook will have a catch, and that is the dilemma of choice. According to Joe Blackburn, you can only choose between the grappling hook or your grenades. You cannot have both as abilities. Additionally, you won’t be able to swing around without cooldowns. The Game Director justified this with the following statement:
Of course, we love playing with cooldowns based on which [ability] is in a [loadout], but that’s not going to be a situation where you’re going to try to find someone in PvP, and it’s going to be like: “Well, someone just swung away 20 times in a row, I guess I’m never going to see that person again.” […]
Conclusion on Strand and its swinging feature: Essentially, the new grappling hook is supposed to provide you with new ways to explore and perceive Destiny 2. It offers you new freedoms in terms of your movements and you should also get a taste of superhero feeling. Those who want to use the grappling hook more often can achieve this through builds.
However, it remains to be seen how Bungie has regulated the cooldowns and how this will ultimately look in PvP. While the grappling hook integrates well in PvE, it could be entirely different in the Crucible.
What do you think about the fact that you’ll soon be able to swing around everywhere and even use a new way to escape? Feel free to leave us a comment!
