Highlights

  • Not only could Destiny 2's new meta leave original Light subclasses behind due to the Prismatic Subclasses' impact, but the latest balacing pass could have Titans abandoning their go-to Super.
  • The rework of the Ward of Dawn super to make it more focused on defense means one specific exotic, the Helm of Saint-14, is necessary to keep its damage-dealing potential.
  • Titan supers like Ward of Dawn relying on specific exotics limits Titan build diversity, and it is disappointing to see such a popular build requiring an exotic to function like it used to.

So far, Destiny 2’s new Prismatic Subclasses seem to be shaking up the meta in drastic ways, leading to concerns that some of the original Light and Darkness Subclasses will get left behind for the foreseeable future. Regardless of how it compares to the new Prismatic Subclasses though, a recent rework for one of the Titan’s best supers, Ward of Dawn, has now fallen victim to a problematic trend that severely limits its viability in endgame content. Specifically, the Ward of Dawn super now requires players to invest in builds based on one specific exotic armor piece in order to reach its full potential.

This has been a recurring trend that several of the Titan class’ supers have fallen victim to, but it’s especially sad to see Titan’s signature Ward of Dawn super meet the same fate, as this was one of the Titans’ most unique support supers. Going forward, it might be best for Destiny 2 to rebalance some of the Titan supers that suffer from relying on one specific Exotic before any more of the Titan’s subclasses find themselves in this same predicament.

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Why Destiny 2’s Ward of Dawn Titan Super Rework is Problematic

Allegedly, this rework intends to differentiate the Titan’s Ward of Dawn super from the Warlock’s Well of Radiance super, so that Ward functions as a more defensive super, while Well functions as a more offensive super. Bungie’s TWID states “[...] we’re pushing Ward of Dawn away from its current offensive capability, unless you specifically build into it.” What this ultimately means is that Ward of Dawn will no longer inherently provide players with the Weapons of Light 25% damage buff. However, this utility will still be available via the Helm of Saint-14 Exotic armor.

Considering that Weapons of Light was one of the main reasons why players brought this super into endgame content like Dungeons and Raids in Destiny 2, this rework will essentially force players to utilize the Helm of Saint-14 Exotic, which severely limits Titan’s buildcrafting options. Otherwise, without this Exotic Titan’s reworked Ward of Dawn super doesn’t provide much more utility than Barricade shields can with the Void Bastion Aspect, so Ward of Dawn is no longer a top-tier Titan build.

Patch Notes

  • Ward of Dawn:
    • Armor of Light:
      • Removed Armor of Light overshield. Ward of Dawn now immediately applies a full Void Overshield to the caster and allies that enter its dome.
      • Armor of Light now instead grants additional damage resistance to players inside the Ward of Dawn:30% vs. enemy players and 60% vs. enemy combatants.
        • Effective health of players inside the Ward of Dawn dome remains roughly the same as it was before vs. PvE combatants.
        • Effective health of players inside the Ward of Dawn is significantly lower than it was before vs other players in PvP, and cannot be further increased by stacking Bastion Barricades inside the Ward to gain additional Overshield layers.

      • Allies near the Ward of Dawn dome now have Void Overshield trickled on over time, similar to the volume behind a Bastion barricade.
      • No longer provides Weapons of Light by default. This behavior has been moved to the benefits of Helm of Saint-14.
      • The Ward of Dawn caster can now generate additional Orbs of Power by defeating enemies with melee attacks in or near their Ward of Dawn dome.

Destiny 2’s Titan Supers Heavily Rely on Specific Exotic Armor

  • Burning Maul relies on Pyrogale Mantles
  • Thundercrash relies on Cuirass of the Fallen Star
  • Ward of Dawn relies on Helm of Saint-14
  • Blade Fury relies on Wormgod Caress or Synthoceps

What’s especially problematic is that Ward of Dawn isn’t the only Titan super that now suffers from relying on a specific Exotic armor to be worthwhile in endgame content. So ultimately, most Titan supers are overdue for a buff in future updates for Destiny 2 that addresses this long-running issue.