Destiny 2 has been an unfolding saga about the battles between the Light and the Darkness, with Guardians being champions of the Light's Traveler and the Hive generally representing the Darkness. To combat the Darkness, Guardians in Destiny 2 use three Light subclasses called Void, Solar, and Arc, each utilizing scientific and magical elements to provide power. These subclasses have been staples in Guardians' arsenal throughout the series, with each offering an array of melee, explosive, and healing qualities.
Destiny 2's Beyond Light expansion introduced the first Darkness subclass called Stasis, which is an ice-based element that can be used offensively and defensively. As this expansion and subsequent subclass were advertised, it was heavily implied that Stasis is just the first of three planned classes to rival the Light. Stasis brought a different system for Aspects and Fragments, which have now been overhauled into a 3.0 version of the Void, Arc, and Solar subclasses.
Clues in Beyond Light and The Witch Queen
Bungie previously stated that The Witch Queen expansion wouldn't bring any new Darkness subclass into the fold, instead using the launch of Year 5 to focus on getting Aspects and Fragments for the Void and Solar Light subclasses. However, Beyond Light and The Witch Queen provide hints that a future subclass, possibly based around "Poison," is on the horizon. First hinted through the use of Thorn - an exotic hand cannon that poisons its targets with each shot - its lore involves the "weapons of sorrow," which are weapons imbued with Hive magic.
Furthering the use of poison is the Necrotic Grips, which are exotic gauntlets released in Beyond Light that utilize melee hits to poison an individual and spread it to surrounding people. The Witch Queen introduced Osteo Striga, which is an exotic submachine gun that synergizes with Necrotic Grips, further hinting that a poison Darkness subclass may be in the cards. The next expansion, titled Lightfall, would be a perfect time to bring another Darkness subclass into play.
Destiny Subreddit Leaks
Almost a year ago, a line document was released with supposed leaks for upcoming content on the Destiny Raid Secrets subreddit, which included the idea of a "Vapour" Darkness subclass. This document leak had many tidbits of information that previous Seasons confirmed to be accurate, adding some merit to the document. Compounding this was information regarding the possibility of a Poison subclass through Thorn before The Witch Queen launched.
With Beyond Light and The Witch Queen augmenting the use of poison through Thorn, Necrotic Grips, and Osteo Striga, these rumors and leaks appear to have further validation. The stories including these elements led fans to go in-depth regarding weapons with Hive-imbued powers to surmise that the Poison and Vapour elements might be Aspects or Fragments of a Corruption subclass, which falls in line with the corruptive nature of the Darkness.
Accurate Speculations About Darkness Subclasses
While having magical properties, the Light's subclasses are rooted in the scientific laws of nature, with Solar involving nuclear forces, Void utilizing gravity, and Arc entwined with electromagnetic forces. The Stasis subclass, which uses freezing capabilities, was described in-depth before the subclass was released by fans in the Destiny 2 subreddit.
These rumors expanded on the idea of a freeze subclass that was more than freeze, instead dealing with the concept of perfect crystals that contain no imperfections and have total entropy equal to zero. With the release of The Witch Queen, a Collector's Edition journal confirmed that Stasis not only creates ordered structure from chaos, but also sucks entropy out of the system a crystal is made.
Future Predictions
With this analysis on-par with Bungie's description of Stasis, further rumors have spread regarding a Darkness subclass utilizing the Poison and Vapour elements. The rationale behind this is observing the use of Hive magic as having ties to scientific laws, where Hive magic decays organic material through nuclear transmutation to create green flames; as opposed to combustion, which is seen through Solar subclasses burning carbon-based matter in red flames.
Hints from Bungie about a fifth green subclass line up with Hive magic and its antithesis to Light subclasses like Solar. Combined with the poison effects that are in use through current weaponry and armor, these ideas appear to have some foundation. Since the Darkness has similar properties of decaying the host unless fed power through the use of the Worms that inhabit the Hive Gods, it neatly ties decaying properties to the lore and power of the Darkness.
While Bungie has revealed that no new Darkness subclasses will release during Year 5, rumors and speculations from the Destiny 2 community have gained momentum, especially with weapons and lore featured in Beyond Light and The Witch Queen. These elements, along with the desire to trace magical elements to some scientific principles, have led many to see the Poison and possible Vapour effects as future subclasses for the Darkness possibly coming in the next expansion.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
