Destiny 2: Lightfallintroduced a handful of excellentquality-of-life changes (QoL) and mechanical overhaulsto the game, most notably in the form of another Darkness subclass: Strand. Strand introduces a highly movement-focused playstyle to Destiny, designed to help you avoid damage while neutralizing threats.
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The Strand Fragments and Aspects offer unique interactionsthat will allow you to construct synergistic builds that get the job done like never before. While you may definitely deal some great damage with Strand, particularly using the Silkstrike Hunter Super, the subclass excels at controlling the flow and pace of encounters. Strand rewards you for thinking outside the box, and the varied Exotic Armor choices you can use to find success are perfect examples of that.
10Crest Of Alpha Lupi
Veteran Titans will be brimming with nostalgia for this classic piece of chest armor that has been around since the days of the original Destiny. Despite its age, Crest still performs well and helps give Strand a much-needed source of healing.
The Crest of Alpha Lupi willgenerate an additional orb from Supers and enhances your barrier with a healing pulse.These effects are small in isolation, but the healing pulse’s use in surviving against large crowds of enemies cannot be overstated. The additional orb can be very helpful for continuing to spam your abilities if you create a loadout focused on ability regeneration via orb pickups.
9Secant Filaments
It’s hard to avoid using Secant Filaments on any Warlock subclass as their potency and viability in endgame content help to make these boots a highly regarded choice. First and foremost,casting an Empowering Rift will grant Devour, allowing you to fully regenerate your HP with every kill, so long as you refresh the effect.
In addition to this,any damage that you or your allies inflict on Overload champions will disrupt and stun them. While they will only find use in PvE, these boots are incredibly powerful options that justify a selection in Grandmaster Nightfalls, especially if your team is struggling to find preferred Overload options.
8The Sixth Coyote
A staple selection since the early days of Destiny 2, The Sixth Coyote returns to relevance due to its excellent combination with Strand. The Sixth Coyotebestows an extra Dodge charge to Hunters, allowing you to use these Dodges to reload weapons, instantly regain your melee, or better yet, Suspend enemies.
Using your Hunter Dodge in the air on Strand will activate your dive and Suspend all nearby foes. Having the opportunity to use this twice in succession is incredibly valuable and gives unprecedented survivability to a class that already has two Grapple charges. With the right mods, you can regain your Dodges in seconds, giving you immense control via Suspend.
7Armamentarium
Armamentarium is a fantastic, versatileTitan exotic that can get the job done in both PvP and PvE. Its effect is simple:you gain an extra grenade chargeto use however you see fit. This boon can certainly be used across subclasses, but it grants a particularly useful ability when paired with Strand.
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Using Armamentarium will allow Titans to gain access to a second Grapple charge, something that only Hunters are capable of without the use of an exotic. The ability to mimic Hunters and gain incredible amounts of mobility can push your Titan to the next level in PvP and catch enemies by surprise. In PvE, you will be even more difficult to kill as you launch yourself through the air to melee Cabal and Vex into the next dimension.
6Radiant Dance Machines
Radiant Dance Machines perform a similar function to The Sixth Coyote but really hone in on keeping your Suspend active and ready as often as possible. While The Sixth Coyote does allow you to Suspend your enemies often, Radiant Dance Machines are more effective though not as versatile if you are making a non-Suspend build.
Activating your Dodge while near enemies will let you use your Dodge additional times for a short period. To activate your loop, simply perform a dodge near a group of foes, then begin using your dive to Suspend the entire wave in front of your very eyes. You’ll want high Mobility to ensure you regain your Dodge in decent time, then get back to Suspending everything in sight.
5Necrotic Grips
To impress upon you just how good these gloves are, they were disabled by Bungie during the Root Of Nightmares Day One Raid Race as they would have trivialized multiple encounters. When paired withincredibly powerful kinetic optionslike Osteo Striga, or Thorn, Necrotic Grips can help clear waves of red bars in a few seconds.
Damaging combatants poisons them, dealing damage over time; defeated combatants spread the poison. Combining this with Osteo Striga will repeatedly spread the poison effect and shred through health bars. On top of the immense ad-clearing capabilities, you’ll also receive a moderate Airborne Effectiveness boost to all Weapons of Sorrow, like Osteo Striga.
4Assassin’s Cowl
Assassin’s Cowl might not strike you as an Exotic for Strand, but it actually is an essential part of one of the best Hunter builds for survivability currently available.Assassin’s Cowl grants invisibility, and restores both shields and health after a powered melee kill.
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This is so potent on Strand because using your Grapple-melee combination counts as a powered melee kill. As such,using your two Grapple charges to swing around the map, meleeing enemies, going invisible, and regaining health is an excellent gameplay loop. Augment your build with the ability to generate orbs when you get a melee kill, and you’ll be clearing rooms completely unseen and healthy.
3Abeyant Leap
The long-heralded barrier experts have another toy at their disposal in the form of these stylish boots. While using your Drengr’s Lash aspect,your barriers will spawn two more projectiles that track foes further and more aggressively; if you suspend a target, you will also gain Woven Mail.
This is incredibly difficult to counter in PvP as there are few things you can do to escape once a Titan is placing its barrier in front of you. In addition, these boots are excellent PvE options to help keep enemies off your back while you gain extra damage resistance via Woven Mail after Suspending foes.
2Cyrtarachne’s Facade
Cyrtarachne’s Facade will be every Strand Hunter’s best friend, particularly if you just can’t get enough of the high-flying Grapples. This helmet willgrant Woven Mail when you Grapple, which increases your damage resistance and flinch resistance.This will allow you to move through the air withsome defensive reassurance in both PvE and PvP.
Combining Woven Mail with tier ten Resistance will grant you over 70 percent damage resistance (DR), so you will be exceptionally difficult to kill while Woven Mail is active. Your increased flinch resistance will help you land shots more consistently against both other Guardians and Darkness combatants alike.
1Swarmers
Swarmers are an incredible new exotic that you’ll want totest out in both PvP and PvE, as Warlocks can build around these boots in either mode.When youdestroy a Tangle, you will spawn two Threadlings which will swarm toward enemies, Unraveling themwhen they hit.
The ability to Unravel a target is incredibly powerful, as it will spawn more Threadlings from your target, continuing an onslaught of aggressive tracking. In PvP, your foes will be Unraveled for five seconds at a minimum while the effect extends to 7.5 seconds with Thread of Continuity. Warlocks rejoice and enjoy these boots as you create havoc with your Strand powers.
NEXT:Destiny 2: Lightfall Complete Guide And Walkthrough
