Destiny 2 Episode Heresy: Arc Subclasses Power Up with Electrifying New Features

Across all platforms, the upcoming Episode: Heresy in Destiny 2 changes Arc Subclasses for the better. Bungie states its latest update will shake up gameplay with powerful new abilities and mechanisms that bring much bigger changes to Destiny 2 in The Final Shape era.

The Game-Changing Bolt Charge

At the core of these updates is Bolt Charge, a new Arc keyword with some serious punch: This allows Guardians to rain down lightning strikes on enemies. The system rewards strategic gameplay with increasing power.

How Bolt Charge Works

Getting started with Bolt Charge is straightforward. Players gain stacks through weapon damage. At ten stacks, any ability damage triggers a devastating lightning strike. The damage rivals Solar Ignition but focuses on a smaller area.

The actual power lies in the uptime consistency. Recently, some gameplay footage showcased a Titan pulverising a Brig inside the Vesper’s Host Dungeon. It shows how the lightning strike knocked off around 15% of the boss’s health bar. This shows the significant potential power well-timed Bolt Charge attacks have.

Class-Specific Improvements

Warlock’s New Thunder

It gives warlocks the amazing Ionic Sentry Aspect, which comes in with its Tesla tower that chains lightning to nearby enemies. Each kill applied in the tower does a Blinding effect and generates Bolt Charge stacks.

This Aspect was designed by Bungie to highlight mastery over Arc energy in Stormcallers. Players charge the ability through kills on Arc weapons and abilities. The deployment echoes the Gunslinger’s Gunpowder Gamble mechanic. This familiar system helps players adapt quickly to a new feature.

In addition to these changes, there is improvement for the Supers available for existing classes. The Warlock’s Chaos Reach is getting a 15% increase against non-Champion PvE targets, and Stormtrance receives an even larger boost of 20%. With this update, Arc Warlocks become viable at higher-level content.

Defensive Innovation to Titans

The new Storm’s Keep Aspect changes how Titans use their Barricade. This ability gives Bolt Charge stacks to the Titan and nearby allies. Players behind the Barricade can trigger lightning strikes with regular weapon damage.

Titans also get some big Barricade improvements. Splash damage resistance behind Barricades increases from 60% to 80%. The Taunt effect remains potent throughout its duration. These changes make Titans stronger frontline defenders.

The Juggernaut Aspect gets serious upgrades. Shields now provide 60% splash damage resistance in PvE and 10% in PvP. When the shield is active, an additional 10% of damage reduction occurs in PvE. Blocking with the shield to absorb damage yields a Bolt Charge stack.

Hunter’s Tactical Advantage

Although Hunters do not gain a new Arc Aspect, they get some of the biggest buffs. Tempest Strike now does 57% more damage in PvE. The Disorienting Blow gets increased range and area-of-effect damage, and its Blind effect’s reach stretches from six meters to more than nine meters.

Hunters get a new Void Aspect that’s called On The Prowl. This allows them to target and defeat priority targets. Defeated targets create weakening smoke clouds, granting invisibility and energy to the abilities of hunters and their allies.

The Ascension Aspect now has three Fragment slots for Arc Subclasses. The upward Arc Staff twirl activates effects from various dodge abilities. These include Gambler’s Dodge, Marksman’s Dodge, and Empowering Dodge.

General Arc Improvements

The update makes Arc builds more viable in endgame content. Amplified players now gain 15% damage resistance in PvE. Enemies also have reduced accuracy against Amplified Guardians. These changes help Arc users survive challenging encounters.

Fragment Updates

Several Fragments see meaningful changes to support the Arc focus. Spark of Discharge now grants Bolt Charge from Ionic Traces. Spark of Momentum activates more easily and provides Bolt Charge when sliding over ammo.

Spark of Frequency adds stacks of Bolt Charge from any source. Spark of Volts awards stacks from Finishers while Amplified. Spark of Ions rewards Ionic Traces for kills of Bolt Charge. These all give different opportunities for buildcrafting.

Future of Arc Combat

These are quite significant developments in the combat framework of Destiny 2. The new systems truly encourage playing aggressively while, at the same time, offering ways to survive. Every class gets something unique to tap into the Arc energy.

Bolt Charge truly opens up the play of team combinations. Titans can provide their allies with Barricades. These updates further prove Bungie’s care for Destiny 2’s fighting to remain relevant and interesting to the players. Class identity with synergy is guaranteed to be incredibly exciting for coming content.

Dare to bolt lightning upon foes? Let your thoughts be told in the comment section below.

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