Shadebinder first look: Destiny 2 unveils new Warlock subclass coming in Beyond Light

The week of Stasis subclass reveals has begun with Warlocks receiving their first in depth look at the Shadebinder class heading to the game on November 10th.

According to Bungie, each Stasis subclass will use the powers granted by The Darkness in a different way with Shadebinder focusing on the ‘freezing’ nature of the element type.

The Shadebinder is able to summon a staff imbued with Stasis energy in which their abilities are channeled through. Such abilities are the ‘Penumbral Blast’, the sub-classes’ melee ability which instantly freezes any enemy it hits, or the much more devastating ‘Winter’s Wrath’ Super. The first part of the Super summons the Stasis staff to fire multiple projectiles which freeze all enemies they touch then the second part of the Super causes a shock-wave to be released from the staff to shatter nearby frozen targets.

It is still unclear from Bungie’s description of the Super if the second part of the Super activates automatically or if the player is able to activate it when they choose. The latter would be an obvious preference as it means the Warlock is able to time the shock-wave to freezing abilities from other players in order to get the maximum benefit.

Customizing Stasis - Aspects and Fragments

The new Stasis sub-classes coming in Beyond Light will have a much greater amount of customization compared to the sub-classes currently present in Destiny 2. This is done through the addition of ‘Aspects’ and ‘Fragments’.

Aspects are the top level customization items that allow for completely new functions to be granted to the Stasis abilities. One example is the ‘Frostpulse’ Aspect which causes Rift to release a wave of freezing Stasis energy. These Aspects are able to be mixed and matched freely by the player to create new and unique ability sets that are sure to make the enemies of the Last City tremble.

Fragments are the lesser customization items that can be slotted into Aspects to allow for interesting passive effects and stat bonuses. One Fragment, known as ‘Whisper of Refraction’, grants Super energy when a frozen target is defeated. Since this is a fairly powerful ability a negative 10 stat modifier is given to both Intellect and Discipline.

A Warlock could slot this Fragment into the above Frostpulse Aspect in order to use their Rift to freeze enemies, kill the frozen enemies, regain Rift energy and then use Rift again when facing the next group of enemies. Combining these Aspects and Fragments together can easily result in some powerful builds.

While Fragments can be used across all Stasis sub-classes, Aspect upgrades are unique to each subclass. An Aspect obtained on a Warlock cannot be used on a Hunter.

Be sure to check back on September 3 when the Titan’s will be receiving a look at the new Behemoth Stasis subclass.