There were plenty of big reveals at Bungie's Destiny 2 Showcase back in August. However, aside from all the news of expansions, anniversary expansions, and Light-wielding hive, one piece of content stuck out. Destiny 2 is getting another melee weapon, the glaive.
Up until the release of The Witch Queen in February 2022, the Destiny series has had only one melee weapon. Swords were released in Destiny with The Taken King expansion. Players could embark on a quest to acquire one of three exotic swords, Bolt-Caster, Dark-Drinker, and Raze-Lighter. A fourth sword, The Young Wolf's Howl was also added. Swords continued into Destiny 2, with legendary and exotic versions. Swords also offered a unique perspective in that they operated in the third person. The glaive, aside from being a new weapon type, will be the first melee weapon to operate in a first-person mode.
The Glaive in The Witch Queen
According to Bungie, the glaive is a new energy weapon archetype. In addition to its devastating melee potential, it is also able to fire mid-ranged projectiles and has defensive capabilities. In The Witch Queen gameplay trailer, the glaive is revealed after the Light-wielding hive make their appearance. A quick series of stylish clicks of pieces into place and are capped with a trigger being pulled before the guardians rush into battle. The glaive shows its versatility in battle with wide swings, long-range stabs, and attacks with the pommel.
Part of what makes the glaive so unique in Destiny 2 is that it will be the first craftable weapon in the game. It is speculated that it will be part of a questline to not only unlock the glaive but crafting as well. In addition to the first glaive that players will acquire, there will be class-specific variants with unique attacks. It's all speculation at this point on what these could be, but the options are nearly limitless. However, to temper expectations, it's good to remember that class-specific weapons are usually only different in appearance and stats, rather than drastic gameplay differences.
Being an energy weapon, glaives won't sit in the heavy slot. This will give them a little more versatility when compared to their sword brethren as the ammo restriction, assuming there is one, won't be nearly as constricting. Yes, it's unusual that melee weapons need "ammo", but that's the system that Bungie has crafted and players have learned to live with it. But, with the glaive occupying one slot and a sword occupying the heavy slot, that's two-thirds of a melee-heavy build. Throw a bow into the primary slot and suddenly players have the opportunity to play a more accurate medieval character. Combined with some choice armor selections and players could bring the medieval ages to the sci-fi future of Destiny.
Of course, one of the big implications of the glaive coming and how it is acquired is crafting. Crafting is something that players have desperately wanted in Destiny for some time now. Similar systems have been toyed with, including the Menagerie which allowed players to focus on rewards they would get for the activity. But, crafting seems to allow players to make the weapons they want with the rolls they need. This could take the grind out of the game in a sense and renew players' interest as their time will be appropriately rewarded. At the time of The Witch Queen's release all Throne World destination weapons, Pyramid raid weapons, and the seasonal weapons will be able to be crafted.
The Glaive in History
In our own history, glaives are a two-handed staff weapon (or polearm) that originated in Europe sometime during the 14th century. Its construction is similar to the Japanese naginata, Chinese guandao, Korean woldo, and Russian sovnya. The blade, which is shaped like a long knife or short sword, is roughly 18 inches long and situated at the end of a six to seven-foot pole. A variation of glaives saw the blade forged with a small hook on the reverse side to catch riders on horseback. It was a versatile weapon that was used by both infantry and cavalry units. However, as cavalry units and heavy armor became more prevalent, weapons like the spear and glaive also increased in popularity.
Despite the unique appearance of the weapon and its own separate classification in the family of polearms, it appears that glaives were rarely used. Instead, spears and halberds were the far more popular choice. One interesting fact is that the earliest references of a glaive actually refers to spears, rather than the weapon that is known today.
The glaive is a curious choice for a new weapon type in Destiny 2. Historically speaking, it wasn't the most popular weapon. It came from a broad family of similar weapons and while it did well at its job, it never stood out enough to become especially widespread. Though, there's no doubt about how cool and stylish it looks. And as evidenced by some of its armor choices and inspirations, Bungie isn't afraid to take the path less traveled when seeking inspiration.
Many players speculated that a new melee weapon type would be coming, but had concerns about Destiny players peeking and what the weapon might actually have been. The guesses ranged from war hammers to polearms and everything in between. Technically, it turns out the polearm guesses were correct. And in terms of potential peeking thanks to the increased field of view granted by third-person, Bungie appears to have resolved the problem by keeping the weapon in first-person. This breaks the consistency in how melee weapons are handled and begs the question of whether swords will receive the same rework.
Though little information has been given by Bungie at this time, it has promised that more information will be revealed as the release approaches. A new weapon that promises to be as versatile as the glaive is an interesting premise. A melee weapon with mid-range projectiles, and a shield? It's almost a guarantee that players will find many inventive ways to clear content and potentially "break the game" once the expansion hits. The Witch Queen will release on February 22, 2022.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
