Destiny 2 Strand Subclass: How to unlock, aspects, fragments & keywords for all classes (Season of the Witch Update)

The Strand subclass in Destiny 2 came alongside the release of Lightfall, giving players wild Fragments and Aspects to play with. Strand may be the newest addition to the game's suite of subclasses, but it has already had a massive impact on the game. Here is everything you need to know about Strand in Destiny 2, from how to unlock it, to the keywords and all of the Aspects and Fragments. 

• Get up to speed with our Destiny 2 Season of the Witch guide

What is Strand in Destiny 2?

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All Destiny 2 subclasses have a root in some particular source of power. For Strand, this source is the understanding of the Darkness, and how it permeates all things. The pervading colour scheme is green, as previous leaks and rumours suggested.

Mastering Strand is a big part of the Guardian's journey through Lightfall, and teaches us a lot about the nature of the universe of Destiny. These new powers will give Guardians far more control over their environment than ever before.

The other Destiny 2 damage types are:

• Arc (Light Blue) - The power of lightning
• Void (Purple) - The power of gravity and space
• Solar (Orange/Red) - The power of the sun
• Stasis (Dark Blue) - The power of cosmic ice

So, what will we call these Strand-wielding Guardians?

Hunters that wield the new green power are called Threadrunners, Titans will gain the Berserker subclass, and Strand Warlocks will be called Broodweavers.

• Check out all of the new exotic armour in Destiny 2 Season of the Witch

How to unlock Strand in Destiny 2

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You'll need to own Lightfall, Destiny 2's 2023 expansion, to be able to use Strand. You'll get access to it at certain points throughout your adventures in Neomuna as part of the campaign.

By the time the campaign ends, you'll be able to switch to Strand as you would any other subclass - in the top left side of the Character screen.

• For some free goodies, here is how to get Twitch drops in Destiny 2

Destiny 2 Strand keywords

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As with Stasis, Solar, Arc and Void before it, Strand has its own set of keywords that offer buffs and debuffs.

As per Bungie's Strand blog:

Strand debuffs:

• Suspend – A suspended PvE enemy is lifted off the ground for a brief duration and is essentially disabled. In PvP, suspended players are lifted off the ground but can still move (albeit slowly) and fire their weapons to fight back.
• Unravel – Attacking an unravelled enemy will cause threads to burst out of the target and attack other nearby targets. Once hit, that target will also become unravelled.
• Sever – A severed enemy is less capable of affecting the material world, reducing their damage output as a result.

Strand buff:

• Woven Mail - With this ability, the Guardian is sheathed in a protective mesh of Strand matter, reducing incoming damage. Note that in PvP, Woven Mail will only reduce damage taken on the body; head damage and melee damage will continue as normal
• Complete the set with our guide on how to unlock the fourth Strand Aspects in Destiny 2

All Destiny 2 Strand aspects and fragments

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To unlock the Strand subclass for use whenever you want, you first need to complete the Lightfall campaign at least once per character. Once this is done, you can start adding more aspects and fragments to the subclass.

To unlock your Strand aspects and fragments, you need to visit the Pouka Pond in the Hall of Heroes on Neptune. Each fragment costs 200 Strand Meditations, a resource gained from most activities around Neomuna.

The full list of aspects and fragments is as follows, including some revealed in Bungie's State of the Game post:

Aspects

• Hunter
  • Ensnaring Slam – Slam into the ground while in the air, and suspend all nearby enemies. 
  • Widow’s Silk – Grants an additional grapple charge, and causes grapples to leave behind grapple points. These grapple points can be used by the Hunter as well as their teammates, and do not consume grapple energy when used.
  • Threaded Specter - Activate your class ability to leave behind a decoy woven from Strand matter that draws the attention of nearby combatants. After taking significant damage or when combatants approach, the decoy detonates, dealing damage and releasing Threadlings that seek out and attack nearby foes.
  • Whirling Maelstrom - Destroying a Tangle will weave a violent, writhing mass of Strand fibers. The Strand mass seeks out and damages targets, emitting Unraveling projectiles when it defeats them.
• Titan
  • Into the Fray – Grants Woven Mail to the player and nearby teammates when destroying a Tangle. Whilst Woven Mail is active, the Titan has increased melee regeneration.
  • Drengr’s Lash – Upon using their class ability, the Titan sends forward a ripple in reality, suspending enemies caught in it.
  • Flechette Storm - While sliding, activate your charged melee ability to leap into the air, knocking nearby targets away and dealing damage. While airborne, activate your charged melee again to launch a cluster of damaging, Unraveling projectiles. Repeatedly activating melee will chain additional throws.
  • Banner of War - Defeat a target with a melee attack, finisher, or Sword to raise a Banner of War that pulses with energy, periodically healing nearby allies and increasing melee and Sword damage. Targets defeated by you and nearby allies charge the banner, increasing the speed of its pulses.
• Warlock
  • Weaver’s Call – When casting their Rift, the Warlock will weave three Threadling eggs. These Threadling eggs will hatch into Threadlings once they hit a surface, along with any perched Threadlings the Warlock currently has.
  • Mindspun Invocation – This aspect enhances Warlock’s Grenades:
    • Grapple – When executing a grapple melee, the Warlock will weave three Threadling eggs from the enemy.
    • Threadling Grenade – The Warlock can consume their Threadling Grenade to generate a set of Perched Threadlings. 
    • Shackle Grenade – The Warlock can consume their Shackle Grenade to gain a buff, which will create a suspending detonation each time an enemy is defeated.
  • The Wanderer - Tangles you throw attach to enemies and detonate into a suspending burst. Threadling final blows create a Tangle.
  • Weavewalk - Dodge while airborne to enter the weave, gaining damage resistance from combatants and players. Reactivate your air dodge or cast your Rift to exit the weave. In addition, while in the weave, you generate perched Threadlings over time.

Fragments

• Thread of Ascent: Activating your grenade ability reloads your equipped weapon and grants bonus airborne effectiveness and handling for a short duration.
• Thread of Binding: Super final blows emit a suspending burst from the target.
• Thread of Continuity: Suspend, Unravel and sever effects applied to targets have increased duration.
• Thread of Evolution: Threadlings travel farther and deal additional damage.
• Thread of Finality: Finisher final blows create Threadlings.
• Thread of Fury: Damaging targets with a Tangle grants melee energy.
• Thread of Generation: Dealing damage generates grenade energy.
• Thread of Isolation: Landing rapid precision hits emits a severing burst from the target.
• Thread of Mind: Defeating suspended targets grants class ability energy.
• Thread of Propagation: Powered melee final blows grant your Stand weapons Unraveling Rounds.
• Thread of Rebirth: Strand weapon final blows have a chance to create a Threadling.
• Thread of Transmutation: While you have Woven Mail, weapon final blows create a Tangle.
• Thread of Warding: Picking up an Orb of Power grants Woven Mail.
• Thread of Wisdom: Defeating suspended targets with precision hits creates an Orb of Power.
  
  
• Here are all the recent changes in the Destiny 2 Season of the Witch update 7.2.0 patch notes

Destiny 2 Lightfall Strand Subclass abilities

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With new subclasses comes the question, what can we do with them? Well, number one with a bullet is a new traversal ability that will be available to all classes. Guardians can use Strand to create grappling hooks anywhere. By anywhere, we mean literally anywhere.

They do not need a particular place to hook on to, they do not even need a physical object to hook on to. At any time, you can throw out your grappling hook and launch yourself through the air. You can grapple onto nothing, or something, a grenade flying through the air, or even a friend's Sparrow.

This ability will be used by pressing the grenade button, and while there are more typical abilities you can replace the grapple with, Strand users will not have conventional grenades as all other classes do.

Of course, each Guardian class will have its own Strand abilities as well. The Hunter super uses Strand as a rope dart, which is swung around at high speeds and whipped at enemies.

Warlocks are masters of the telekinetic aspect of this power and can use it to create Strand missiles and launch them at enemies. Titans use Strand to create deadly claws to slice apart their opponents.

A big aspect of the subclass is the use of Tangles and Threadlings. Tangles are created by defeating enemies with Strand abilities, they are balls of Strand energy that can be shot to explode, or picked up and thrown at enemies. Find out more in our full Strand Tangle guide.

Threadlings are small creatures that are created by Strand abilities and will travel along the ground to an enemy, before suspending them in the air.

That is it for our Destiny 2 Strand breakdown. For more on the game, head to our Destiny 2 homepage, or check out everything we know about Destiny 2 The Final Shape.