As soon as the glaive arrived in Destiny 2, it quickly became one of the most talked-about weapons. Its sharp blade divided the community, as some love it while others dislike it. Nevertheless, it is the ultimate 4-in-1 weapon. MeinMMO has looked into why you should still give this new weapon class a chance even after the nerf.
What is the glaive? The glaive is a new weapon class in Destiny 2 that was integrated into the game with the current expansion “The Witch Queen.” It is the only weapon that combines 4 combat options: projectile weapon, sword, shield, and spear. Additionally, the glaive has changed the way players can engage in Destiny 2 due to its blend of offense and defense.
- You can fire a projectile directly at your enemies from a distance.
- Fast melee attacks can chop small and powerful enemies to pieces in seconds.
- The shield can block almost anything, even annoying shots from snipers.
The combination of blocking and melee attack feels particularly strong.
Swords now have strong competition: Before the glaive, there was only the sword class in Destiny 2, which is played in third-person perspective. Until now, the only option if you wanted to deal deadly fast strikes.
When it comes to “Take a sword,” the Guardians usually reach for their favorite sword, which has the perks “Unrelenting Hits” and “Whirlwind Blade.” This allows them to generate sword ammunition out of thin air by landing three light hits in quick succession and increase damage by up to 30% after light hits.
The combat style is cool but also familiar. Only the three class-specific swords add a bit of flair to the combat style with their small elite quirks.
- The “Crown Splitter” of the Titan.
- The “Quickdraw” of the Hunter.
- and the “Eternity’s Blade” of the Warlock.
In contrast, the glaive is new and unique: The combat style with the glaive is something completely new and until Witch Queen, something unknown in Destiny 2, which its fans have yet to discover. Including myself.
The melee strikes with the glaive, if given a chance, quickly make it clear: “Nothing can stop you anymore!” No matter if melee and ranged attacks from long, medium, or short range, the glaive can counter everything.
You also get this wicked, wide grin on your face as you slice through adds one after the other with ease.
I personally enjoy playing Gambit in Destiny 2 immensely and correspondingly often. However, the gameplay with the glaive actually surprised me quite a bit. The weapon is incredibly strong in every situation there.
- In the three areas, you clear out well with the weapon, even without ammunition.
- The witches are almost hopeless, despite their reasonably resistant Arc, Solar, and Void shields.
- The ancient, when shot briefly, takes massive damage from the glaive quickly.
- Even intruders cannot break the glaive’s shield. Draw it, and you can easily survive many frontal rocket launcher attacks before striking back.
Even after the nerf, equipping the glaive is a good idea
When the glaive was nerfed after the last Update 4.0.0.5 by Bungie, it really put a damper on the fun of the weapon for many in the Destiny 2 community. Some even dismantled their glaive or banished it to the vault, and I was also skeptical about whether it would “survive”.
- Before the nerf, a melee attack that required no ammunition was enough to impair enemies using the seasonal mod “Suppressing Glaive.” Enemies were stunned indefinitely and thus defenseless.
- After the nerf, you must first shoot enemies with the glaive to trigger the suppression effect of the seasonal mod “Suppressing Glaive.”
- The armor mod “Suppressing Glaive” consumes 10% weapon energy per melee attack.
A shot from the glaive should now, therefore, suffice for two suppressing glaive melee attacks, with 25% charge per ranged attack.
A second look is worth it nonetheless: Even the readers of MeinMMO initially saw this as the death blow for this weapon class. In fact, the glaive has indeed become somewhat weaker, but it is still not completely useless.
Those who always shot their enemies before noticed the nerf hardly at all. Destiny 2 players on MeinMMO, like Frau Holle2, have already recognized this:
The change has been in the game since Tuesday, right? I noticed in the raid that my Hunter was no longer always invisible, but I attributed it to doing something wrong. Basically, I could still slice through adds and was very often invisible.
writes the player “Frau Holle2” on MeinMMO
Why was the weapon actually nerfed? Players were surprised that Bungie was targeting this weapon class so specifically right now. It is quite possible that this is related to the start of the returning Nightfall activity “Grandmaster” that starts again on April 5th.
Especially the Hunter class used the glaive often in their Void 3.0 builds to continuously suppress enemies with melee attacks that cost no ammunition. Players may have used this strong glaive tactic in Grandmaster and simply eliminated the champions to secure the prestigious title “Conqueror” without much challenge.
This wouldn’t be the first time that an activity is trivialized in under 4 minutes.
Nevertheless, the weapon is a strong option for endgame: I personally believe the glaive will still play a strong role in Grandmaster. Its shield is still incredibly strong and simply blocks everything.
- Common ground-smashers with mega range? Glaive players are not concerned.
- Continuous thunder of champions bounces off the glaive like warm summer rain.
- And thanks to its protective shield, you can resurrect your allies without risking another of your valuable lives if necessary.
How to play the glaive correctly
Functionally, the adjustment of the glaive and its nerf have only changed how you need to play the weapon. The weapon’s suppression now requires energy for melee attacks, but it still functions, albeit in a somewhat more complicated way.
Above all, the combination of projectile weapon, melee, and shield requires a bit more finger coordination and knowledge of what is now necessary.
- A shot from the glaive now gives you 25% charge of energy.
- Always get in some successful ranged hits with your ammunition first so you can use the effect of the suppressing glaive.
- You can achieve full energy with 4 hits, and you need sufficient ammunition.
- If the enemy is already suppressed, whether by a shot, melee, grenade, or by an ally, all glaive melee attacks afterwards consume no energy.
Use weapon crafting to make your glaive more efficient
You can craft “The Enigma” in the enclave on Mars and create a more effective version of this ultimate 4-in-1 weapon.
- The improved perk “Impulse Amplifier” significantly increases your shot speed, and the glaive reloads faster, which is helpful.
- With the improved perk “Unstoppable Force,” you achieve more projectile damage with the glaive when blocking an attack.
- Alternatively, you can use the improved perk “Fury,” as the damage for both melee and projectile attacks is also increased after some time in combat.
Will you give the glaive, as the deadliest and most useful energy weapon in Destiny 2, another chance, or have you already given up on it? Do you think the weapon class will still exist without the seasonal artifact in Season 17?
Or have you already written off your glaive builds after the nerf? Feel free to leave us a comment about that.
