Destiny 2: 4 forgotten Stasis Exotics will be meta in Episode Revenant
Destiny 2’s Episode Revenant is just around the corner and, as with all major updates to the looter shooter, Guardians can expect a big meta shift when it drops, thanks to balance updates and an all-new seasonal artifact.
The latter is Bungie’s primary means of introducing sweeping meta changes that are allowed to border on being overpowered due to their temporary nature, and this time around, the emphasis is on bringing up Arc and Stasis.
Since The Final Shape launched in June, Solar, Strand, Void, and, by extension, Prismatic, have been the defacto meta subclasses, but Revenant’s poised to tip that hierarchy on its head.
You can check out our dedicated breakdown of every perk included in Act 1‘s artifact for more information, but here are four forgotten Stasis Exotics you’ll want to give a second chance when the update drops.
Wicked Implement
Bungie- Source: Monument to Lost Lights
- Intrinsic: Creeping Attrition – Rapidly landing precision hits causes targets to become slowed.
- Trait: Tithing Harvest – While Creeping Attrition is active, destroying Stasis crystals or landing precision final blows creates a Stasis shard. The Stasis shard returns to you, and collecting Stasis shards refills the magazine.
- Catalyst: Grants Headstone and Hadopelagic Tribute perks.
Bungie buffed Wicked Implement’s effectiveness in The Final Shape, but Revenant’s focus on Stasis will tip this Exotic Scout Rifle over the edge. The reasons are many, but seasonal perks Crystalline Converter and Served Cold – more Stasis crystal generation and class ability energy on Stasis Shard pickup respectively – are the primary reasons.
As a bonus, Anti-Barrier Scout Rifle returns in Revenant. As Wicked Implement can inflict Slow and Freeze as standard, this effectively means it will be able to counter all three Champions.
Last but not least, as a precision weapon, Wind Chill, which grants stacks of Frost Armor on precision hits, will provide some welcome survivability.
Salvation’s Grip
Bungie- Source: The Stasis Prototype Exotic quest
- Intrinsic: Cryocannon – Charged projectiles create a pattern of Stasis crystals on impact and freeze nearby targets.
- Trait: Uncharged projectiles deal bonus damage to Stasis crystals and frozen targets. Rapidly destroying multiple Stasis crystals reloads this weapon from reserves.
- Catalyst: N/A
Salvation’s Grip was reworked entirely in Season of the Deep, with Bungie granting the heavy Grenade Launcher two distinct firing modes – one to act as a wave-frame inflicting mass Freeze; the other to deal high single-target damage.
In Revenant, the often overlooked launcher will be able to double dip on seasonal perks, taking full advantage of Crystalline Converter and Served Cold, while also benefitting from GL-specific perks such as Rapid and Kinetic Impacts.
The former grants a temporary reload speed increase for the archetype, while the latter is essentially a Grenade Launcher-specific version of Kinetic Tremors, emitting damaging shockwaves on inflicting sustained damage.
Ager’s Scepter
Bungie- Source: Monument to Lost Lights
- Intrinsic: Ager’s Call – Final blows with this weapon generate a slowing burst around the defeated target.
- Trait: Rega’s Refrain – Stasis final blows transfer ammo to this weapon’s magazine from reserves.
- Catalyst: Drains Super energy to overflow the magazine and empower the weapon’s beam with bonus damage. Also slows and freezes targets. Can only be activated when Super energy is full.
While Trace Rifles still suffer in the current sandbox due to their high ammo consumption, Ager’s Scepter is in line to benefit massively from Revenant’s seasonal perks. Brain Freeze, which triggers Frozen enemies to inflict AoE Slow to surrounding opponents, will cement Ager’s as a best-in-class crowd control weapon, but that’s not all.
Hail the Storm doubles up on Brain Freeze, damaging and slowing any foes caught in the blast radius of a shattered Stasis crystal. As with Wicked Implement, Wind Chill will work here, too, though precision hits are tougher to pull off consistently with Traces, so your mileage may vary.
Verglas Curve
Bungie- Source: Monument to Lost Lights
- Intrinsic: Hail Barrage – Final blows with this weapon grant Stasis arrows. Your next hip-fire shot will fire all of them in a single volley.
- Trait: Hail Storm – Direct hits with Stasis arrows freeze combatants and slow opposing Guardians. Stasis arrows that impact the environment create Stasis crystals.
- Catalyst: Freezing or slowing a target grants this weapon faster draw speed for a short period of time.
Bar none, Verglas Curve is the king of Stasis crystal generation outside of Power weapons and class abilities. For that reason alone, Hail the Storm will make the Stasis bow an extremely powerful primary for PvE, inflicting mass slow and AoE damage on every Shatter.
With full stacks of Hail Barrage, one volley of hip-fired arrows will unleash five Stasis crystals, enough to wipe out an entire room of enemies on Shatter. For some added oomph, boosting the effect via the use of Revenant’s Tonics will increase Hail the Storm’s effects further.
Revenant goes live on October 8. For more information on Tonics, as well as everything else coming with Revenant, check out our guide and hub respectively.