How to unlock the Strand subclass in Destiny 2: Lightfall

A paracausal superposition?

It’s finally here. Lightfall has been released for Guardians worldwide and with it comes the new Darkness subclass, Strand. The campaign reveals a lot of information about this mysterious new power, and Osiris is present to hold our hands and help us uncover its true capabilities. Some Guardians may remember Beyond Light, where the full power of Stasis wasn’t readily available and some steps needed to be completed before we could wield it.

Strand is no different, and there are some steps to follow to unlock the Strand subclass in Destiny 2. It’s reasonably straightforward though, and it’s an exciting adventure to set out on. In addition to being a devastating offensive tool, Strand can be used to create a grappling hook for ultra-fast world traversal, to give Guardians a protective Strand layer of armor, suspend enemies in midair and reduce their damage output.

How to unlock the Strand subclass

Strand needs to be unlocked before it can be used throughout Destiny 2, but Guardians will get their hands on it from quite early on in the new Lightfall campaign. There are several steps to complete, but Strand will be fully unlocked by completing the Lightfall campaign. To begin the campaign, an automatic prompt will appear in the game the first time you log in after purchasing the new DLC. This can be canceled and you can enter at any time by selecting Neptune on the Director screen.

Throughout the campaign, there are multiple opportunities to wield the power of Strand to slowly get familiar with the new subclass. You’ll spot dense areas of Strand threads in locations where this is possible, and Osiris is usually on hand to assist with the technical side of things. More power can be given to Strand as Guardians unlock Aspects, Fragments, and different Grenade functions.

How to unlock Aspects, Fragments, and Grenades

After completing the campaign to unlock Strand, the next objective to make the most of your new Darkness subclass is to acquire all of its Aspects, Fragments, and alternative grenade abilities. To do this, head to the Pouka Pond near Strider’s Gate. Here, similarly to Ikora in the Tower, you can meditate and acquire the desired upgrades. Completing these upgrades will cost Strand Meditations, which is a currency earned by using Strand and completing public events, lost sectors, and the Terminal Overload activity on Neomuna.

Each Aspect costs 150 Strand Meditations, Fragments cost 200 Strand Meditations and Grenades cost 50 Strand Meditations. Grenades can’t be bought until the Aspects and Fragments you were able to try out throughout the campaign have been bought. These will be the only available Aspects and Fragments until you’ve bought them all.

Destiny 2: Lightfall sees a brand-new campaign, new subclass, and new seasonal storyline and is out now for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.