It has long been known and confirmed that Destiny 2 will soon be getting a new subclass. Season 17 has now revealed new ideas and theories about which Darkness subclass it could be and, most importantly, why it might mean the end of Light. MeinMMO summarizes the latest subclass leak and theories for you.
Even before the launch of “The Witch Queen”, Guardians were dreaming of a new, fifth subclass. However, Bungie initially dampened this enthusiasm. Joe Blackburn, the current Game Director, stated that while there is indeed a new subclass in the works, it will not be released with Witch Queen.
What are subclasses in Destiny 2?
As a Guardian in Destiny 2, you have special abilities known as focus or class abilities. Each Guardian, whether Warlock, Hunter, or Titan, possesses their own selection of specialized super, grenade, melee, and class ability actions. Each focus is also divided into 3 sub-classes and is often cooperatively useful.
Currently, there are 4 different classes, all based on a specific element.
- The three Light classes Arc (Electricity), Solar (Fire), and Void (Anti-Matter) have been in the game since the beginning.
- The first Darkness class, with the element Stasis, was only introduced with the expansion “Beyond Light” in 2020.
However, this also means that there will definitely be a new class, and savvy Guardians in Destiny 2 know: Even if Bungie remains vague and reveals nothing officially, it’s worth taking a look at the lore of the game. Here, hidden clues about the future often lurk, which just need to be interpreted correctly.
This current Season 17 revealed such a clue, and MeinMMO tells you why it might even mean the loss of your Light abilities.
Season 17 reveals new theory about the Darkness class
What theory has been discovered? In the Season of the Haunted a nasty infestation is spreading in Destiny 2 using spores. The Egregore plant has not only infested the Glykon and the Leviathan’s Past, but has also contaminated the Vanguard’s operations center.
Those who collected all Calus bobbleheads received the “Eidolon Ghost Shell” as a reward. Its lore entry suggests that the new subclass of Destiny 2 could be rooted in exactly this Egregore plant.
Why specifically Egregore? In Season 17, Eris Morn has been exploring Egregore plants for a while and is even experimenting with them. She finds that Egregore is a similar manifestation of Darkness as Stasis. This implies that it could be a new power of Darkness that might even be usable.
Eris Morn informed me that the fungus resembles a synapse in the nervous system. She claims it is a physical manifestation of Darkness, like Stasis. But unlike Stasis, it seems to be an “impure” manifestation.
Excerpt from the lore of the exotic “Eidolon Ghost Shell”
What would this Egregore power look like in the game? It’s somewhat adventurous to imagine that Guardians would throw spores around or possess Egregore vine grenades.
As an infectious, spreading system, this is indeed comparable to a type of “poison effect” from the initial theories about the fifth subclass. Both spread and can be potentially deadly. Similar to the spreading damage effects of the hand cannon “Dorn” or the Warlock exotic armor “Necrotic Grip”, albeit less through poison or vapor.
Rather, deadly vibrations are conceivable as a kind of “Darkness resonance.” This definitely sounds like an alluring instrument for a new class ability in Destiny 2 to defeat opponents in a new, nasty way.
- Through resonance, the deadly effect would gradually grow stronger, as the amplitudes of the vibrations increase and can cause destruction.
- The first Darkness subclass Stasis is similarly nasty and freezes Guardians in the middle of battle, rendering them completely defenseless for a short time before the Stasis effect weakens or kills them.
The player “Profane Gaming” has expressed a potential “spore ability” theory on YouTube.
He believes that the Guardians would be enabled by Egregore to “perform wounding attacks that bleed and decay enemies.” Once hit, enemies would be devoured or perhaps even disintegrated by the infectious fungus. Then, there would be a disorientation effect that “could provide some fascinating animations.” One might simply imagine a Guardian literally crumbling in front of them.
Light gives energy, Darkness takes it away
Guardians could lose their Light again: The latest expansion in Destiny 2, titled “Twilight” (English: Lightfall), could therefore bring not only a new, decaying Darkness subclass into the game. It could even mean that Guardians would have to forfeit their Light. A riddle in the last raid reveals that the Witness “communicates with the Traveler and “drinks” the Light.
This would not be the first time players in Destiny 2 have lost their Light abilities. At the beginning of the Red War, the Traveler was captured and could no longer share its Light with the Guardians – they were powerless. It’s quite possible that Bungie is already planning a second era without Light, which refers to the impending “dark age”, when “the Light falls”.
The theory by Huhratio via reddit speculates on this “game-changing” aspect. If you think further, it could present the Guardians with two options:
- Option 1: Guardians would be forced to rely on the use of a new Darkness class after losing their Light abilities, as they could no longer use their Light abilities.
- Option 2: Players could no longer use all subclasses at the same time, but would have to decide where they stand. In Darkness or in Light. Through Elsie Bray, we already know that the Guardians will likely have to make a choice in Lightfall. Even if Darkness is the wrong choice.
When could the new class come into play? Since Bungie has already ruled out that the new class will be introduced with the expansion “Witch Queen”, likely also during the current Year 5, we strongly assume that it will only be with the expansion “Lightfall”. This means Guardians would still have to wait through two more seasons, as the new expansion is set to be released in Spring 2023.
Of course, these are just theories. But it is worth keeping an eye on Eris Morn’s research and her new discoveries regarding Egregore. If the theory is correct, then these are the first steps toward the newest Darkness subclass in Destiny 2 and thus toward the fifth subclass.
What do you think? Do you want to disintegrate your opponents and watch them crumble? And do you believe that this anti-Light theory could hold true, and the Guardians will truly lose their Light again, having no choice but to use the new power of Darkness to survive? We are curious about your opinion in the comments.
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