WHAT MAKES GAMES SPECIAL
DESTINY 2
FREEZING EVERYTHING WITH STASIS IN
The Bleak Watcher is my new best friend.
By Phil Savage
Destiny’s menagerie of hostile aliens aren’t as threatening when they can’t shoot back.
Destiny 2’s most recent most recentexpansion, Beyond Light, added a new element type for the first time in the series’ history. Joining the Light trifecta of Solar, Void and Arc, came the first of the Darkness elements: Stasis. In layman’s terms, it’s ice, allowing players to freeze and be frozen in turn. Its impact was instantly felt, but its ultimate potential is only just now being realised.
Stasis dominated PvP for the months after Beyond Light’s release. At a competitive level, Destiny 2 is as much about movement and positioning than pure aim. The ability to outright freeze another player wrought havoc on the sandbox. The patch notes for the inevitable nerfs were revealing. “While the Shadebinder may not be the most powerful in competitive play,” wrote Bungie of the Warlock’s Stasis subclass, “being frozen by its abilities takes a large emotional toll on the victim.” Stasis was spreading bad vibes – fitting for our first taste of Darkness powers, but damaging for the game at large.