[GameSpot] - Destiny 2's New Void 3.0 System Detailed Ahead Of The Witch Queen

[343iBot]

Year 5 of Destiny 2 will bring with it an overhaul to the Void subclasses that players have been using for years. Coinciding with the release of The Witch Queen DLC, what Bungie refers to as "Void 3.0" will be implemented, essentially making it so Void works similarly to how Stasis has operated since it was introduced with the launch of Beyond Light. As part of a new vidoc and accompanying preview event, Bungie has now shared more details on just how Void 3.0 works, including some of the new customization options that will be available.

Like Solar and Arc, Void subclasses have largely been unchanged for years, aside from some balance alterations along the way. Beyond Light's new Stasis subclass was a dramatic rethinking of how a subclass could work, giving you more things to unlock and more ways to engage with and customize the loadout you're taking into the field beyond just weapons and armor. Those customizations change your Stasis abilities and unlock new ones, and Void, Arc, and Solar subclasses will all be getting updated to that Stasis style, with Void being the first of the three to get that treatment.

As with Stasis, you'll earn Aspects and Fragments to customize your subclass--offering more flexibility than the current arrangement, where you're basically picking from three alterations on the same Super and an accompanying set of melee/ability tweaks with no flexibility. Fortunately, the changeover to this new system won't involve losing everything you have--any Void grenades or melee attacks you've already unlocked will be there for you to use right away.

Based on what we've seen so far, Bungie is spreading out Void abilities across the three classes to some degree. If you really want to focus on turning invisible, you'll still need to be a Hunter, but with Fragments and Aspects, you'll at least get a little taste of that you-can't-see-me lifestyle as a Warlock or Titan. Suppressor grenades, too, will be available to everyone if you use the right loadouts.

Bungie's new vidoc revealed some of the Fragments and Aspects that will be available, although you could be forgiven for missing them--blink and a few likely passed you by. Fragments, which are used to provide buffs (sometimes at a cost), include:

• Echo of Exchange - Melee final blows grant grenade energy.
• Echo of Remnants - Your lingering grenade effects (Vortex Grenade, Void Wall, Void Spike, and Axion Bolt) have increased duration.
• Echo of Reprisal - Final blows when surrounded by combatants grant Super energy.

We also got a look at Aspects, which are class-modifying customization options, for Warlocks. Those included Chaos Accelerant, which lets you hold to overcharge your grenade; the exact effect varies by type--Axion Bolt gets an additional seeker, Vortex Grenade's vortex increases in size and lingers for longer, Scatter Grenade's submunitions track nearby targets, and Magnetic Grenade releases a short-range Void blast. Another, Child of the Old Gods, causes your rift ability to create a Void Soul. Damaging an enemy with your weapon causes the Void Soul to go to the target and both do damage and weaken them. While these enemies are "drained," you'll get grenade and melee energy if you have a healing rift equipped or health if you have an empowering rift. If you kill an enemy being drained, you also get class ability energy.

Upgrading your Void subclass will be done by spending new currencies at the Tower; there won't be a long, drawn-out series of quests in order to start unlocking new options. Beyond that, there's a fair amount about Void 3.0 we still don't know. Bungie seems to be deliberately saving some reveals for the launch of The Witch Queen itself, but stay tuned for more as we approach its launch. In the meantime, check out all we've learned about Witch Queen's campaign and Savathun's throne world, how many Exotics to expect, and how crafting works.

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