A Super Excuse
Destiny 2 is about to begin its new saga, and after the critical success of The Final Shape, I believe it's time we got a suite of new super abilities to really help bring us into the new era. This means new threats, new gear, new places, and new gear. What better to complement this than a variety of new powers built into our currently existing subclasses?
Back when Forsaken launched, we got one new Super ability for each subclass, which is what I would like to channel for this concept. Of course, three supers were added in The Final Shape, so I have decided to ignore those subclasses for this expansion in order to allow others to grow and flourish a little more.
I also felt as if this was the perfect time to enhance the Prismatic ability suite with a new Super unique to the subclass - taking inspiration from the grenades and blending two elements in one.
These abilities could indeed be synergised with new melee and grenade abilities for these classes, too, but in order to make this a feasible and digestible concept which is realistic for Bungie to deliver - I decided to hyperfocus on our Guardian's ultimate abilities.
Warlock:
Prismatic: Thundersnow
Savathun’s arc super, with a twist. The Warlock curls into a floating ball as they select which directions around them they wish to target. After pressing their super button again, the power is unleashed - calling down bolts of lightning from the sky, chaining out in a path from the Warlock at the centre point. Seven paths of lightning are created, spread out evenly within the range selected by the warlock. Each lightning bolt then spawns a Stasis Crystal which shatters as the storm is over, freezing any enemies left standing.
I thought of this whilst fighting Savathun during the Guardian Games boss rush mode. Her ability to call down storms of lightning is extremely powerful, and allowed her to mop the floor with me more than once. I felt like giving this to the Arc Warlock was a little bit of a copout, so I made some tweaks and turned it into a highly powerful Prismatic ability with strong directional control. Allowing the player to guide this super from a direct line to a complete circle, giving total control on whether it is to focus on surrounding ads or a high-health boss directly ahead.
Strand: Call of the Weave
Create a large web between six points, which is traversed by stronger Threadlings. Enemies will not see this web, and become ensnared when passing through, summoning all Threadlings to their point.
The term "Broodweaver" really inspired this one. Building a web and calling forth your Threadlings to feed in their home gives the idea of a colony of spiders feeding on a trapped fly. We don't have many supers which work as a trap, so this felt like a unique addition to the arsenal.
Stasis: Blizzard
Summon a blizzard around you in a 35m radius, with chunks of Stasis ice flying around the zone damaging enemies they collide with. Anybody in the area, friend or foe, will be slowed down.
The Destiny community may remember that AI-generated buildcrafting guide that went around mentioning a "Blizzard" super which does not actually exist within the game. Well, I decided to apply that to the Warlock suite, and this is what I came up with. Call forth a storm and use it to break your enemies. I liked the idea of introducing risk to this Super, too. The nature of it slowing down allies means it is a high risk cast, but perfect for usage within the Crucible.
Arc: Chaos Reign
Launch a beam akin to Chaos Reach into the sky, creating a large rift above yourself. The rift calls down bolts of lightning which pull enemies into the air as they are both damaged and blinded.
We've all seen those action movies where in the third act, the heroes must stop the giant sky beam from destroying everything. This super ability lets YOU become that giant sky beam. The swirling clouds of lightning above you create uneven terrain, launching anybody who wishes to shut you down into the sky like they have Nezarec's Gaze. You've Reached with Chaos, now it's time to let it Reign!
Void: Ancestor of the Old Gods
Create seven Void Seekers which function like Child of the Old Gods, seeking out targets at random, but also give allies Volatile Rounds and a Void Overshield. Will also drain enemy health faster.
Leaning into the Warlocks as a support class vibe, I wanted to provide an ability that both stuns enemies whilst boosting allies. That's why I decided to work on an adaptation of the Void Soul ability. Creating seven of these to fly around the battlefield and leach health off enemies whilst giving any allies a Void Overshield and Volatile Rounds really makes it a strong alternative to Well of Radiance for those Warlocks who just really don't want to be stuck on Solar!
Hunter:
Prismatic: Death From Above
Use Strand to grapple into the air, and drop Void cluster bombs in all directions around you. The bombs both make enemies volatile while sending out strand projectiles which will suspend enemies.
I loved the idea of being able to grapple and gun at the same time, but with a Destiny twist. Having the hunter launch itself into the air, away from danger can create a unique gameplay style with a sense of verticality not seen in many supers. I decided to opt for Void cluster bombs as I felt the Prismatic Hunter is already frequently built around the Solar element, so this would help freshen up the damage types available to any player using it.
Strand: Renegade’s Relocation
Create a large Strand lasso which can grab enemies, or other environmental props such as explosive barrels, to then be thrown anywhere – either at other enemies to damage both targets, or off a nearby ledge. Lasts approximately 40 seconds.
Suggested by my friend whilst writing this article (Thanks Ryan / BladedBadge!) - I decided to add a few twists to the super. Being able to throw environmental props at enemies to damage them adds a new layer to the game's environmental design and consideration for prop placement. Combine this with the ability to quickly relocate and damage enemies, you have a very strong super for crowd control!
Stasis: Shatterskate
Gain a 300% speed boost and create waves of Stasis in your wake, freezing any enemies in the area. Crystals will also spawn, shattering enemies. Also gain access to Stasis Slide (As seen through Nether activity Boons)
The same friend from before mentioned making the Stasis Hunter have a super inspired by ice skating, so I decided to play into the whole "Shatterskate" movement mechanic for the name. Giving a strong speed boost to the hunter solidifies them as the movement class, while providing a powerful roaming super which is based in speed and manoeuvrability.
Solar: Dangerous Diver
Gain instant Dodge recharge, each dodge will leave behind a proximity mine which will both scorch and detonate. Melee and Grenade recharge is also enhanced.
I felt as if the Hunter should have their own equivalent of the Warlock's "Song of Flame" super, which would synergise well with aspects such as Gunpowder Gamble. This is another super ability which plays into the idea of the Hunter being a mostly equipment-based movement class, with the consistent dodging and explosions that this brings to the table.
Void: The Shroud
Create a 20m radius of void smoke which will turn all allies invisible, and grant them Volatile rounds. Enemies in the area will be weakened.
For the Void subclass, I wanted to offer Hunters a solid support super which would work well in both PVE and PVP modes. Volatile rounds are a powerful buff which synergise amazingly with any builds around the element, and granting invisibility to allies in the thick fog while weakening enemies makes this a powerful ability to use in the Crucible.
Titan:
Prismatic: Rage of the Colossus
Create a large Brig-like structure which you can pilot, launching Solar Meteorites at enemies which detonate targets, or stomping to create combined waves of Stasis and Solar energy, scorching and slowing enemies. Lasts one minute or until destroyed, in which the Titan will be thrown out the back of it with broken shields.
Delving into the abilities I suggested for the Titans, we are starting off strong. I felt using some of the Brig-control mechanics Bungie will have built for this 'Heavy Metal' PVP mode would be a great opportunity to create a new Super, especially for the tanks of the battlefield. With the Titans overall, I wanted to avoid the complaints of most of their supers feeling like "reskinned punches" - Here, I have given them what is without a doubt the most unique super in the game, even with the rest of the ideas here taken into consideration.
Strand: Pull of the Kraken
Collapse to the ground as Strand tentacles rip out from your back, seeking out enemies and dragging them in towards you. Enemies that land near you are heavily damaged, become suspended, and grant you Woven Mail.
This is a super heavily built for ad-work and the Crucible. Becoming possessed by a creature in the Strand weave and pulling everyone towards you and leaving them stuck creates a strong super which can grant a quick advantage in the battlefield, especially when combined with the existing Titan perks around Woven Mail.
Stasis: Blizzard of Bullets
Summon two miniguns which will freeze and shatter enemies, spreading Stasis between them.
What is more intimidating than a Titan with Sweet Business? - A Titan with a Sweet Business in each hand, both heavily empowered by Stasis. This running and gunning tank would be a threat on any battlefield, and could easily melt bosses and hordes of enemies with only a few seconds of the triggers pulled. Now that's a cold-hearted killer.
Arc: Rampaging Tornado
Hold super: Run around in circles super quickly, creating an Arc tornado - launching Arc waves into the middle, obliterating enemies. Any hostile target within the area is blinded.
Tap super: Clap your hands up to four times to send out smaller Arc tornadoes which fly towards enemies and send out bolts of lightning which jolt and blind targets.
Taking inspiration from the old Void Titan in Destiny 2, I wanted to give them back a Super in which they had two options of deployment. Holding down the super keybind will turn the Titan into the power where they are able to wipe out hordes of enemies within their radius, while giving off a very Barry Allen-inspired energy. Tapping the super keybind, however, will create smaller tornados of arc energy per tap, which will do all the work for you while leaving your hands free to shoot down any targets that require your own special attention.
Solar: Parish of Fire
Similar to Ward of Dawn, summon an impenetrable bubble around you. While this does not offer any buffs, it will glow with burning hot thermonuclear Solar energy (Akin to the Warden of Nothing strike boss) incinerating whatever is within its sight.
Much like my Warlock Prismatic super, I decided to base this off an attack used by a few enemies. Giving the Titan a new alternative to Ward of Dawn which is a little more hostile, rather than emboldening allies. While the large glow will burn anything - friend or foe - within direct reach of the bubble, damage is easily avoided by simply breaking sightline and remaining in the shade. This super feels overpowered at first, but due to full area of damage wiping out targets you may not want to wipe out (Riven's eyes, allied players, etc) - this heavily leans into the risk/reward playstyle, and rewards strong communication.
What do you think of this concept? Which would you bring into a Raid or the Crucible? Do you like having smaller, more focused pitches like this? Let us know all of your opinions on our Twitter @GamesAtlasCom and stay tuned for more articles in the future!
