Destiny 2's Stasis was introduced in the Beyond Light story expansion as the first Darkness-based subclass, countering the three that belong to the Light. With its new Aspect and Fragment system, Stasis triggered an overhaul of the Light subclasses to version 3.0, receiving the same Aspect and Fragments system during the first three seasons of Destiny 2 Year 5. However, with Lightfall planned for release in February 2023, bringing with it the new Darkness subclass of Strand, Stasis may find itself the weak link of available subclasses.
Beyond Light launched in November 2020, bringing new and old players to the same playing field with Stasis, an elemental manifestation of the Darkness. Its power is related to cold, utilizing slow and freezing methods to subdue and shatter enemies. At its core, Stasis is the cessation - the process of ending - movement on a macroscopic atomic level. Clovis Bray first encountered it on Europa, where he could not control it. According to some Guardians, Stasis was used to kill humans by the Darkness during The Collapse.
Light 3.0 Subclasses Have Taken the Spotlight in Destiny 2's Meta
Stasis introduced players to the Aspect and Fragment system for a subclass, bringing about the same upgrade to the Light subclasses of Void, Solar, and Arc. This Aspect and Fragments system replaced the branching skill trees of the subclasses in their 2.0 versions, marketing each subclass upgrade as version 3.0 during the first three Seasons of Year 5. Within this system, Destiny 2's Aspects and Fragments provide active and passive bonuses focused on attacking enemies or defending players' Guardians or members of their Fireteam.
Both features can be active or passive, with each Guardian class having three specific Aspects that aren't shared by the other two types, where Fragments are universal to all three. These Aspects allow players to create customizable builds to suit their needs, especially when combined with mods and Exotics that can enhance their skills differently. For example, while Stasis shares this system, the fact that the first three seasons of Year 5 each focused on a particular Light subclass pushed the use of Stasis down on the list.
Season of the Risen focused on Void, Season of the Haunted on Solar, and Season of Plunder on Arc. With new features, buffs, and debuffs to play with, Stasis became weaker in terms of builds. This was especially true because the grind to obtain all Stasis Aspect and Fragments was considered tedious by the community. Furthermore, even though Season of the Seraph lacks Exotic armor, it has seen further tweaks to the Light subclasses that result in players continuing to work primarily with them.
What Strand Has to Offer in Lightfall
Strand is another manifestation of the Darkness, set to release in the future Lightfall story expansion. Existing as another elemental form, Strand will appear visually as green-colored energy that can manipulate the very fabric of reality. Strand will utilize the Aspect and Fragments system that Stasis and Light 3.0 use. However, all Guardians will have universal access to the grappling hook, which will use Strand to anchor to any surface as Guardians zip through the new neon cyberpunk hidden city of Neomuna in Destiny 2, even anchoring to thin air.
While not much has been revealed about the subclass, it appears that Strand will focus on AoE damage rather than boss damage. Even if Strand doesn't prove to be influential in the long run, the fact that it's the focus of Lightfall and Season 20 will thrust it into the spotlight just as the Light subclasses were for Year 5. As a result, Stasis will likely remain weaker and least utilized for different build types, at least until Bungie updates it.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.