Destiny 2 is gaining a lot of traction as of lately, and that's thanks to the recent release of the 30th Anniversary Pack, a DLC Bungie has been working on for quite some time. The new content is impressively crafted and it provides players with incredible replay value with things like Dares of Eternity and the Grasp of Avarice Dungeon - once it will become farmable, that is. The loot is also great, allowing players to get their hands on iconic weapons such as Eyasluna and 1000-Yard Stare among others that celebrate Bungie's past work on other titles, but what truly stands out is the reprised Gjallarhorn Exotic rocket launcher.
The renowned rocket launcher comes with a new perk called Pack Hunter, which makes nearby allies get Wolfpack Rounds for their non-Exotic rocket launcher, but Gjallarhorn also has a hidden perk and great combos that derive from Pack Hunter. Even though Gjallarhorn is such a great addition to Destiny 2, there is an upcoming reprised sword as part of The Dawning event for this year that will have new perks on it. This Legendary sword is called Zephyr, an old classic from Destiny 2's past, and it now can be rolled with a perk called Cold Steel, which could very well be a game-changer.
Destiny 2's Dawning Event Adds a Stasis Sword
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Swords are not necessarily meta these days in Destiny 2's endgame content, although they see some use in other activities or through specific builds that favor them over other archetypes. Season of the Lost features an Overload mod for swords, though, and the newly released swords from the 30th Anniversary Pack allow players to "sword skate" once again thanks to the Eager Edge perk. The reprised Zephyr, however, can make swords a great pick in endgame content by enabling or improving Stasis builds thanks to the Cold Steel perk.
What The Dawning's new Cold Steel perk does is Slow targets hit with Zephyr's powered attack, which can potentially be even stronger if the reprised Legendary sword ends up having a high charge rate, so that its powered attack can be used more often. Regardless, having a sword Slow targets through Stasis can be pretty powerful, especially when combined with Hunters' Withering Blades melee for a fast freeze, with Titans using the Stronghold Exotic gloves and Diamond Lance, or even Warlocks with Bleak Watcher. Adding a Slow effect on a Power weapon can truly shape Destiny 2's meta in different ways, considering that Slows can be stacked until enemies are finally frozen.
Zephyr's Cold Steel perk could be particularly useful for Hunters, who became the worst class in Destiny 2's PvE content due to the power creep of seasonal mods combined with the recent nerfs and changes from the 30th Anniversary Pack's sandbox patch. Stacking Slows in very easy with Withering Blades and Gambler's Dodge, and especially so if combined with Winter's Shroud for extra Slow stacks when dodging near enemies. On Titans, this pairs perfectly with the recent changes made to Diamond Lance, which would now make it even easier to spawn Lances everywhere.
Overall, as Destiny 2's perk pool continues to grow, there are many more combinations to look forward to in terms of gameplay. Bungie's goal is also that of increasing the number of options for build diversity and customization in Destiny 2 moving forward, and the first way to do so was removing Glimmer cost from applying mods to armor pieces, making the process instantaneous. Destiny 2 datamine also suggests The Dawning's Glacioclasm fusion rifle will be OP now thanks to more perks being added to its pool, which further reinforces the whole concept of making every build and loadout more interesting.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.