Destiny 2: The Witch Queen shows off weapon crafting and new Exotics including 3 glaives
Each class is getting an Exotic glaive and a new piece of Exotic armor
The latest trailer for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen revealed the weapon crafting system that players have been dreaming of along with nine wild new Exotics.
The mechanics of weapon crafting are still a mystery, but this trailer makes it clear what the rewards are: truly custom-made guns that let you choose the exact barrels, masterworks, magazines, and weapon traits that you want. In the description for the trailer, Bungie also teased "unique combinations of mods, shaders, and advanced stat pools" for weapon crafting. This ought to remove a ton of RNG from Destiny 2's build-crafting process, but it's sure to demand effort and time in exchange.
The bulk of the trailer is a highlight reel of new Exotics, starting with the season pass-exclusive Grand Overture, which doubles as a "slug launcher" that can also fire full-auto missiles. The Parasite grenade launcher, meanwhile, is a much more literal slug launcher: it shoots Hive worms that deal "increasing damage," perhaps based on how long you charge each shot or how much airtime it gets.
Then there's the Osteo Striga SMG, which fires "swarming projectiles" that trigger a "toxic burst." This SMG looks like a Hive-d up version of the infamous Recluse, and its Exotic perk sounds like an on-tap version of the Necrotic Grip Exotic gloves, which is a pretty tantalizing combo. It's worth noting that while Osteo Striga is a pre-order incentive for the deluxe edition of The Witch Queen, it's not exclusive to it according to this trailer.
The most interesting Exotic weapons in the video may be the three class-specific Exotic glaives. Titans get Edge of Action, which can deploy a small protective shield that looks like a weak version of the Ward of Dawn bubble. Warlocks have Edge of Intent, which comes with a deployable healing turret. And Hunters got the Edge of Concurrence, a more attack-focused glaive that throws out tracking chain lightning.
Each class is also getting a new piece of Exotic armor, with two of the first Stasis-specific Exotics among them. Titans have the Hoarfrost-Z Chest which replaces their barricade ability with a wall of Stasis crystals. Warlocks are getting the Osmiomancy Gloves, gaining a second charge of the Stasis coldsnap grenade and improving their seeking ability. Finally, Hunters have the Blight Ranger Helmet, which plays into middle-tree Arcstrider and causes reflected projectiles to deal increased damage.
We can safely assume that, between the raid Exotic and surprise Exotics, these probably aren't the only Exotics coming in The Witch Queen, though they will likely be among the first ones we'll acquire when the expansion launches.
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Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.