The new glaives coming to Destiny 2 hadn’t had a lot of information provided for them before this month. As a new weapon class being introduced in Destiny 2, the glaive has the potential to change the game considerably, and their introduction has left a lot of players fascinated. In one of the latest trailers for The Witch Queen, more about these weapons has been disclosed, which combined with the most recent This Week at Bungie post provided a glimpse of what players can expect once the expansion releases. Overall, there are a lot of weapon changes happening, and while many players are interested in the buffs and nerfs coming to different weapons, the glaives themselves might be the most important to focus on.
Their status as a new weapon is largely what plays into this, but a key feature of the glaives is also their perks and abilities. Every weapon role brings something unique to the fight, and the impact new exotics will have in Destiny 2 once The Witch Queen releases will be noticeable, but the design of the glaives hints at something bigger. Each glaive serves a particular purpose for each of the three classes that players can pick from in Destiny 2, and much like the class-exclusive swords before them, they should have a degree of utility. However, the weapon teases shown so far frame the glaives as an even greater extension of certain classes and subclasses, highlighting different aspects of character builds in The Witch Queen.
Titan Tank Builds and the Glaive
This is something that Destiny 2 has been working towards for a while, and the Void 3.0 rework will add to build diversity as well as redesign the way Void subclasses are used in Destiny 2. For Titans, this includes more tank-focused gameplay with some support skills woven in, creating a subclass that can protect allies from damage and help them recover. This is already a part of the Titan’s Void subclass in some ways, and exotics like the Crest of Alpha Lupi chest armor can increase the Titan’s support potential. Until recently, though, these builds haven’t felt super important, and the focus of Titans as tanks could sometimes feel negligible.
Void 3.0 will amplify these traits, however, and the new Titan glaive looks like it will build on that. Considering the focus on character builds has recently been growing in prominence in Destiny 2, this makes sense, as weapons designed to benefit specific classes are important but none so far have taken it to the degree that the glaives appear to. While at close range the Titans’ glaive has access to its primary attack, its exotic perk appears to allow it to cast a protective barrier. This barrier is remarkably similar to the Ward of Dawn in appearance, and its ease of access could become extremely important in Destiny 2's strong Titan builds as players look for ways to tank damage for their team.
In turn, this will likely play into Titans as tanks in the Void 3.0 update and could have a significant impact on gameplay throughout Year 5 of Destiny 2. While completely altering the game through a specific weapon never seems to be the goal with the greater evolution Destiny 2 is going through, glaives may only be a taste of what's to come. The usefulness of being able to cast a protective bubble for teammates can’t be overstated, and it shows how Destiny 2 is starting to transition into gameplay that’s going to focus on more specific individual character and class builds as it works toward its future.
The Warlock Glaive and Support
The Warlock class’s glaive is doing something similar, amplifying the effect character builds will likely have in Destiny 2. While Titans have traditionally been tankier despite their struggle to adequately fill the role in Destiny 2, Warlocks have consistently had decent support options both through their different subclasses and gear. Well of Radiance with the Phoenix Protocol chest armor is a favorite for teams running raids in Destiny 2, as it helps replenish the super energy needed to cast Well of Radiance and the Well itself is a great support device to keep teammates alive.
Similarly, the rifts that Warlocks can cast and items like The Stag and Luna Faction Boots can be great for support plays that don’t involve Well of Radiance, allowing Warlocks to use other subclasses and still be team players. The Warlock’s glaive will take this to the next level by providing a way for Warlock’s to heal their teammates. This will help the class be more reliable support characters without the need to cast Well of Radiance or use a Healing Rift, bringing more diversity to the best Warlock builds in Destiny 2.
The healing turret provided by the Warlock glaive is a big step in the direction of support gameplay as a whole and will be major for endgame content. Being able to heal teammates without having to be right next to them is an incredibly useful skill and will allow Warlocks to support their fireteam at greater range in the heat of battle. How much the glaive’s turret heals for will play a major role in how useful it is, but the fact that it will soon be an option suggests that, as Destiny 2 progresses past The Witch Queen's campaign, the different classes will begin to see their roles better defined.
The Hunter Glaive
Keeping in line with the idea of better-defined roles and skills are Hunters, who might be the worst class in PvE but have always been DPS-focused assassins in Destiny and Destiny 2. This focus has caused Hunters to struggle in PvE activities at almost every level, but has made them incredibly lethal in the Crucible. The 3.0 reworks will hopefully fix this some, but the Hunter’s glaive will still highlight the class’s focus on DPS and taking down enemies.
The Hunter glaive’s ability might not offer as much utility as the Warlock and Titan glaives, but it does give the class a secondary option for clearing out enemies at range and hunting down targets. The tracking chain lightning plays into the well-named Hunter class and means that enemies that retreat behind cover in both PvE and PvP will have a hard time getting away. While this might not be as unique as the benefits provided by the other glaives, it still shows glaives can change combat in Destiny 2.
As players get hands-on time with the glaives following the release of the Witch Queen expansion, their greater impact will be better understood, but they’ve already outlined a fairly remarkable evolution for the game. There’s a defined focus for classes and subclasses in the works, and it will likely be supported by even more unique weapons that will round out the player experience.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
