Summary
- Destiny 2's Episode Heresy introduces major changes for the game's Trials of Osiris and buffed Arc subclasses.
- Geomag Stabilizers returning with the toppling effect can make Arc Warlocks dominate with easier Super energy gain.
- Sandbox changes and new weapons like The Queenbreaker set Arc Warlocks up to be OP in Destiny 2.
Perhaps in part due to the poor reception of Episode Revenant, perhaps in an attempt to change some of the game's foundations ahead of the Frontiers expansion later this year, Bungie has a lot of new things in store for Destiny 2 when Episode Heresy drops. From a dramatic change to Destiny 2's Trials of Osiris and the Flawless system to buffs to Arc subclasses and a new verb in Bolt Charge, the game is about to be reshaped when Heresy launches. Today's TWID post goes over some additional changes planned for Heresy, this time regarding the sandbox, and one class is the clear "winner" already.
It does happen frequently that Destiny 2's meta undergoes big changes, with some classes or subclasses being overall better than the others either in PvP or PvE. With so many shifts happening, it's likely that Destiny 2's newly buffed Arc subclasses will be quite popular and powerful in Heresy, especially thanks to the many ways of stacking Bolt Charge for big AoE explosions. Among the new Aspects, the Titan's Storm's Keep is possibly the strongest due to how easy it is to give the whole team Bolt Charge stacks, but today's TWID paints a different picture and makes the Warlock primed for becoming OP.
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Destiny 2 is Buffing Arc Warlocks' Best Exotic in Episode Heresy
Already starting strong with one of the best Destiny 2 Supers in Chaos Reach, Arc Warlock mainly suffered from lacking big damage without the Super active and ways to stay alive and/or control the battlefield. Bolt Charge is giving all Arc subclasses a way to deal massive damage to priority targets, such as Champions and bosses, but the upcoming sandbox changes may be just what the Stormcaller needs to go to the next level. This is because Bungie is changing one of the best Arc Warlock Exotics in the game in the form of Geomag Stabilizers.
Always a potent pick, Geomag Stabilizers were extremely popular in Destiny 2's PvP meta years ago thanks to their ability to topple Super energy while sprinting, which was equally useful in PvE. However, the Exotic's dominance in PvP saw this change over time, removing the toppling effect, which was arguably a big part of the Exotic's identity. Now, Heresy is adding the toppling effect back, but this time it will work with Bolt Charge, giving players free stacks just by sprinting, starting at 6 stacks. On top of that, Ionic Traces will now give players 7% Super energy instead of 2%, making the Exotic incredibly strong.
How Destiny 2's Buff to Geomag Stabilizers Can Make Stormcallers Meta
With the addition of Fallen Sunstar and Arc 3.0, the Stormcaller's ideal gameplay loop seemed to revolve around spamming abilities and getting them back with Ionic Traces, which is still possible to do. However, Destiny 2's Episode Heresy may drastically change that thanks to the buffs to Arc, the addition of Bolt Charge, and the new features for Geomag Stabilizers. Giving 7% Super energy on Ionic Trace pick-up, Geomag Stabilizers will still empower Chaos Reach but get it live faster, all while also increasing add-clear and single-target damage by toppling Bolt Charge stacks.
Pairing all this with Flashbang Grenades for AoE Blind to control the battlefield could give this build just enough survivability to also use the new Ionic Sentry Aspect for Arc Warlock, which also has a built-in Blind effect and grants Bolt Charge stacks. On top of all this, the sandbox changes will also apply to some of the best Arc weapons in Destiny 2 (or make them such), like Wardcliff Coil now granting the whole team Bolt Charge stacks or The Queenbreaker finally becoming a viable boss DPS weapon. This seems like the perfect storm for Arc Warlocks to get some time in the limelight, possibly even becoming OP with Geomag Stabilizers.
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