Each class receives a unique subclass based on Strand. The Titans embody the Berserker, wielding twin blades to cut through enemies with the Bladefury super. Warlocks can be Broodweavers, firing projectiles that explode into threadlings with the Needlestorm super. Finally, Hunters take on the role of Threadrunners and summon a rope dart with the Silkstrike attack. Quickly, players will realise that Strand is the ultimate subclass.

In missions, there is no reason to use other subclasses due to Strand’s flexibility. The abilities succeed in crowd control with Suspend, damage output with skills like Thread of Ascent, resistance against attacks with Woven Mail, and even an infinite grapple melee that inflicts Unravel to clear any debuffs. Having all these powers central to one subclass, especially having the best movement tools, is totally overpowering. Admittedly, Strand offers thrilling gameplay but leaves older playstyles in the dust and will cause a controversial shake-up to the multiplayer meta.

A grappling hook-like ability allows Guardians to grasp onto parts of the world and enemies. It’s incredibly enjoyable to use this Strand power to move around stages and add even more verticality to the average battle. A melee elimination from the grapple counts as a grenade, too, meaning that with the right armour mods Guardians can create two orbs for each enemy they defeat. Grapple is certainly a strong ability that complements Destiny 2’s movement and creates more thrilling ways to play.

Although the campaign doesn’t properly explain what Strand really is, the new subclass is an exceptionally robust and fun move set. If Bungie wants to maintain the usefulness of older subclasses and avoid backlash in multiplayer, tweaks are needed to make Void, Solar, Arc and Stasis worthwhile.

Seasonal artifacts introduced in Shadowkeep now have unique, unlockable perks instead of mods. This means a limit of 12 can be active per character, helping balance the output of buffs. Guardians are also able to reset and change perks for free, encouraging different playstyles and experimentation.

Armour and modifications no longer have elemental affinities and will instead offer buffs based on damage type. Charged with Light mods are replaced with an amour charge system instead and the energy cost has been reduced. These changes introduce further creativity in shaping a Guardian’s build.

Weapon crafting introduced in The Witch Queen is now simplified. Deepsight Resonance and Resonant Element crafting materials are now completely removed from the game and substituted by standard currencies like Glimmer and Enhancement Cores. While Resonant, Harmonic and Ascendant Alloys still exist for crafting, they will be eventually phased out during Year 6 of the game’s life.

The vendor for armour transmogrification, Ada-1, now sells shaders, legacy weapons and gear from the first three years of Destiny 2. With three shaders to purchase every week from the start of Season 20, it’s great to see Bungie offer an opportunity to get previously unobtainable equipment. It’s still egregious to permanently remove old content as a new expansion releases but this is a step (albeit a tiny one) in the right direction.

The Destiny Content Vault continues to grow with the launch of Destiny 2: Lightfall. Destinations like the H.E.L.M., Psisorium and Warmind Launch Facility are now locked away, as are activities from the Season of the Risen, Season of the Haunted, Season of Plunder and Season of the Seraph. A bunch of exotic quests and operation missions are being removed, as well. There are many important experiences lost to time thanks to Bungie’s terrible evolving universe model with Destiny. New Guardians will struggle to understand the history of the game and create a larger divide between the playerbase.