he launch of the Destiny 2 beta, for those who have preordered, brought thousands more players the chance to experience the latest iteration of what has been one of the most loved AND criticized franchises this generation. With the open beta on all consoles launching on Friday and a beta on PC to release some time in August, thousands more will get their chance to see if this is a game worth putting out the cash for. While Destiny 2 at it’s core is mainly the same game, many changes have come to balance the game in new ways that will have some players happy and others frustrated. You’ll be able to dive back in to the Destiny universe in Destiny 2, playing as your favorite Hunter, Warlock or Titan again this fall when it releases in September.
For all of the kinder-Guardians out there playing Destiny 2 for the first time, things won’t seem jarring at all. Gameplay is smooth, dueling with guns feels familiar enough to pick up quickly yet unique enough to stand apart, and shooting bad guys is never something that people will frown upon. For the veteran players out there however, some of Destiny 2’s minor and major changes will take a bit of getting used to. There are some overall changes that might seem like a mistep to some but not all, and changes specific to each Guardian subclass that will take a little bit of experience and practice to get used to. In this guide we will take a look at what you can expect from the Titan Class as well as how its subclasses have changed. Be sure to check out our guides for the Warlock and Hunter Classes as well.
Changes Overall to Guardians
The first thing I noticed when inspecting my newly minted Guardian as I loaded up the Destiny 2 Beta was that there are no more stats with regards to Intellect, Discipline and Strength. Gone are the days of finding that perfect set of tier 12 gear to get the best possible balance for your play style. It seems that Bungie has opted to make most of the alterations to Destiny in favor of leveling the playing field and equalizing things for everyone. Replacing the Intellect, Discipline and Strength stats are now:
- Resilience which increases the amount of damage you can take before dying,
- Mobility which increases your movement speed and maximum jump height.
- Recovery which increases the speed at which you regain lost health.
These stats can all be adjusted to fit your play style depending on the armor you have equipped. Each piece of armor except your class armor (i.e. Hunter Cloak, Warlock Bond or Titan Mark) can change the amount of increase you get to each stat so play around a bit until you find a configuration you like. Some might find different configurations are more suited for either PvP or PvE. It’s also worth mentioning that the spot that had previously housed your guardians “artifact” is now gone and is replaced by a lock that will display your Clan Banner. These are inaccessible in the beta.
Another modification to how you will use your guardian in Destiny 2 is how your weapons will change your gameplay. With the addition of a couple of new weapon types, and changes to where weapons can be slotted in your inventory, you’ll have to make some wise decisions as to what your loadout will be given that there will be certain activities where your loadout will be locked once selected. A huge change to the weapons your guardian uses is that there are no more random rolls for the weapons. In Destiny 1 all weapons except for exotics could be rolled with different stats that could drastically change a weapon, from its range or ammo capacity, to weather or not you land a precision kill shot would cause your enemy to explode. This has been cast aside in favor of a more balanced approach. Each unique weapon will have the same stats the first time you obtain it as the hundredth time you do.
Now that we have the general base line changes laid out, let’s see how the Titan Class and its Subclasses look in the new game.
Destiny 2 Titan Class And Subclass Changes
No need for a scalpel when a hammer will do the trick. Built for power and prepared for war, Titans stand tall against our countless enemies. They are a great class for the frontliner in your group.
Sentinel Subclass
Here’s a breakdown of the skill tree for the Sentinel, the new Titan subclass.
Super
- Sentinel Shield –Summon a shield of Void Light. The shield can be used to attack, guard, and perform a Shield Throw.
Grenades
- Magnetic Grenade – A grenade that attaches to enemies and explodes twice.
- Voidwall Grenade – A grenade that creates a horizontal wall of burning Void Light.
- Suppressor Grenade – An explosive grenade that prevents enemies from using abilities for a short time.
Class ability: Barrier
- Towering Barricade – A large barrier that can be used to reinforce a position with cover from enemy fire.
- Rally Barricade – a small barrier that allows you to peek over it while aiming down sights and instantly reloads your equipment when you take cover.
Jumps
- High Lift – Jump while airborne to activate Lift and launch into the air at greater heights.
- Strafe Lift – Jump while airborne to activate Lift and launch into the air with strong directional control.
- Catapult Lift – Jump while airborne to activate Lift and launch into the air with a strong initial burst of momentum.
Passive abilities:
Code of the Protector
- Rally Force – Melee kills restore health for you and nearby allies.
- Turn The Tide – Your Overshield from Defensive Strike lasts longer and increases melee damage and reload speed.
- Ward of Dawn – When Super energy is full, press and hold activation key to create a shielding dome to protect you and your allies.
- Defensive Strike – Kill an enemy with this melee ability to create an overshield around you and nearby allies.
Code of the Aggressor (Note: Not available during Beta)
- Shield Bash – After sprinting for a short time, use this melee ability to unleash a devastating Shield Bash that disorientates enemies.
- Superior Arsenal – Grenade kills recharge your grenade energy.
- In The Trenches – Kills while surrounded by enemies reduce the cooldown of your Super.
- Second Shield – Gain an additional Shield Throw charge while Sentinel Shield is active.
The newest class for the Titan is the Sentinel class. Part offense part defense, the Sentinel class shares a couple similarities with the Defender class from Destiny 1. It’s a void based subclass that is well rounded and a blast to use in PvE or PvP. One of the things that many Destiny 1 veterans will miss is the ability to “Titan Skate”, or at least the ability to do it was well as they could. The jumps for the Titan in Destiny 2 are implemented a little differently, thus making the “Titan Skate” a former shell of itself. The new super ability with the Sentinel Titan is called the Sentinel Shield. It basically turns you into a bulky Captain America. Wielding a shield that can be used to bash enemies at close range or thrown at them from a distance that can then ricochet to do more damage. There’s even a bit of a throwback with the Sentinel Titan being able to use the Ward of Dawn “Titan Bubble” from the Defender class in Destiny 1 as a passive ability. Perhaps one of the most useful skills the Titan has is the barricade ability. It’s available on the Striker class as well and it allows you to make a either a large or small barricade depending on which skill you have turned on. It can be used in a pinch when you’re taking too much damage or to help defend an area.
Striker Subclass
Here’s a breakdown of the skill tree for the Striker which is returning from Destiny 1.
Super
- Fists of Havoc – Supercharges your fists and slam the ground with the force of a maelstrom.
Grenades
- Pulse Grenade – A grenade that periodically damages enemies inside its explosion radius.
- Flashbang Grenade – An explosive grenade that disorients enemies it damages.
- Lightning Grenade – A grenade that sticks to any surface and emits bolts of lightning
Class ability: Barrier
- Towering Barricade – A large barrier that can be used to reinforce a position with cover from enemy fire.
- Rally Barricade – A small barrier that allows you to peek over it while aiming down sights and instantly reloads your weapon when you take cover.
Jumps
- High Lift – Jump while airborne to activate Lift and launch into the air at greater heights.
- Strafe Lift – Jump while airborne to activate Lift and launch into the air with strong directional control.
- Catapult Lift – Jump while airborne to activate Lift and launch into the air with a strong initial burst of momentum.
Passive abilities:
Code of the Earthshaker
- Aftershocks – Damaging enemies with Seismic Strike recharges your grenade.
- Magnitude – Gain an additional grenade charge. Increases the duration of grenade effects.
- Terminal Velocity – Fists of Havoc’s ground slam attack leaves a damage-dealing field in its wake and deals more damage the longer it’s in the air.
- Seismic Strike – while sprinting, active this melee ability to slam shoulder-first into your target and release an Arc explosion on impact.
Code of the Juggernaut (Note: Not available during Beta)
- Frontal Assault – Strike an enemy with this melee ability to reload your weapon and increase your weapon stability.
- Reversal – Melee kills immediately trigger health regeneration.
- Knockout – Critically wounding an enemy or breaking their shields increases your melee range and damage.
- Trample – Killing enemies with Fists of Havoc extends its duration.
The Striker class is back from Destiny 1 and has a couple changes to boot. First off the super for the Striker class, Fists of Havoc, has changed significantly. The Fists of Havoc is now a roaming super that you can walk around with. No longer are you restricted to one area to try and plan when you’ll smash the ground and kill your enemies. Now you can roam freely while the super is activated so you can hunt your enemies down while you try to smash them the like the bugs they are. Oh yeah, and did I mention you now get 3 SMASHES!!! One used to be damaging enough, but now you can walk around AND have 3 tries to destroy the bad guys! This could be one of the best new changes to an old subclass brought back from Destiny 1. One of the drawbacks to changes made for the Titan is that the lightning grenades that you can equip don’t have the same potency and usefulness they used to have. Once thrown, there’s a short amount of time needed to activate the grenade once it sticks to where you’ve thrown it.
The Titan Class and its Subclasses have introduced some freshness into Destiny 2 without totally leaving long time players scrambling to adjust. Thoughts on how the Titan Class has come along? Too many changes? Not enough? Share your opinions in the comments.
