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Destiny 2: Lightfall gives Guardians access to the powers of Strand, a Darkness subclass that weaves the fabric of reality into deadly abilities. Guardians who wield this subclass get access to grappling hooks, devastating melee abilities, and excellent crowd control effects. Players looking to create an ability-centric build can't go wrong with Strand.

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But as with Stasis in Beyond Light, unlocking Strand is going to take some work. Thankfully, you won't need to complete weekly bounties or a lengthy quest to get your hands on Destiny 2's newest subclass. This comprehensive Strand guide will cover how this new element works, how to unlock Strand and all of its Fragments, cover how each ability works, and we'll give an in-depth breakdown of how every Strand Aspect and Fragment works.

Updated May 24, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Deep has added three new Aspects to the Strand subclasses, one for each spec. We've updated this guide to include each Aspect, showcasing how they work and synergize with other Fragments and Exotics. We've also added a subsection that explains how to unlock Season of the Deep's new Aspects.

What Is Strand?

Destiny 2 Strand Fireteam Fighting Tormentor.

Strand is a subclass that harnesses the power of the universe itself to manipulate the battlefield. In gameplay terms, Strand is a movement-focused subclass with access to a grappling hook, crowd control effects, and damage resistance. All Strand subclasses have access to a grappling hook as a grenade ability and multiple ability charges. Titans and Warlocks have three melee charges, and Hunters can access two grenade charges through a certain Aspect.

The core gameplay loop of Strand is debuffing your foes and using Tangles to manipulate the battlefield. The easiest way of doing this is by using the subclass' new grappling hook grenade, although there are other options for less aggressive playstyles. Use an ability to unravel or suspend your targets before eliminating them all with your weapons or a well-placed ability. All of this will spawn the occasional Tangle which can be used as a grappling point or an explosive orb.

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How To Unlock Strand

Destiny 2 Pouka Pond

Owners of the Lightfall expansion will unlock Strand shortly after beating the campaign. Once you finish the Lightfall campaign, speak with Nimbus and visit the Pouka Pond in the Hall of Heroes. This pond allows you to meditate on your knowledge of Strand, revealing all subclass features you can purchase for Strand Meditations, a new currency type.

By default, you'll be given two Aspects, the Grapple grenade ability, your melee ability, and one Fragment. All remaining unlocks can be purchased at any time, although some Fragments are time-gated. All Fragments will become available when the Root of Nightmares raid is cleared on March 10.

Unlocking Season Of The Deep Aspects

Season of the Deep introduced three new Strand Aspects: Threaded Specter (Hunter), Flechette Storm (Titan), and The Wanderer (Warlock). All three Aspects are obtained upon completing the "Parting the Veil" quest. You'll receive this quest by speaking to Nimbus at any point after the Lightfall campaign. They will direct you to different quadrants of Neomuna and ask you to collect Vex data. Completing the quest will allow you to purchase the new Aspect for your current character. Doing so costs no Strand Fragments.

It's worth noting that this quest is account-bound, so you only need to do it once. So long as your alternate characters have completed the Lightfall campaign, they can visit the Pouka Pond to claim their new Aspect for free.

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How To Earn Strand Meditations

Destiny 2 Terminal Overload T3 Start

Strand Meditations can be earned by completing activities on Neomuna and defeating enemies with Strand. You'll be given 500 Strand Meditations when you visit the Pouka Pond after the campaign, allowing you to unlock all Aspects and a Fragment right away. Additional Strand Meditations can be found by completing Neptune patrols, public events, Lost Sectors, the Vex Incursion Zone activity, and Powerful Gear sources. Exact payouts can be found below:

Activity

Strand Meditations

*Strand Final Blows

1

Patrols

7

Lost Sectors

12

Heroic Public Events

30

Terminal Overload (Second Chest)

75

Nimbus Weekly

200

Partition Weekly

250

*Strand kills have a small chance of spawning Strand Meditations

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Related: Destiny 2: Ascendant Scepter Artifact Guide

Strand Keywords Explained

Destiny 2 Strand

Similar to Stasis, Strand is mostly focused on debuff keywords with few player buffs. There are three core buffs and three notable debuffs tied to Strand, all of which enhance its roll as a highly-mobile crowd control subclass.

Buffs

Debuffs

Threadling


A creature woven from pure Strand matter that seeks nearby targets and attacks, dealing damage.

Suspend


The target is immobilized by a web of Strand matter, lifting them into the air. While suspended, Guardians are unable to move freely, and combatants are unable to move or fire their weapon.

Stuns Unstoppable Champions

Unravel


The target is permeated with destructive Strand matter. As they take additional damage, they create unraveled projectiles that seek out nearby targets. Unraveling Rounds gain anti-Barrier properties.

Counters Barrier Champions

Woven Mail


Your body is encased in a protective mesh of tightly woven Strand matter, greatly reducing any incoming non-precision damage.

Sever


The target's connections to the world around them are cut, and their outgoing damage is significantly reduced.

Subclass Pickup

Tangle


A floating orb of Strand that can be destroyed or used as a grappling point. Grab the Tangle to throw it, exploding on impact.

Threadling Explained

Destiny 2 Strand Threadling Grenade

Woven Mail Explained

Destiny 2 Strand Bladefury Titan Super

Suspend Explained

Destiny 2 Strand Ensnaring Slam Hunter Aspect

Suspending an Unstoppable Champion stuns them.

Unravel Explained

Destiny 2 Strand Arcane Needle Warlock Melee

Unraveling Rounds can pierce Barrier Champion shields.

Sever Explained

Destiny 2 Strand Threaded Spike Hunter Melee

Tangles Explained

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Generation Fragment

Strand Grenades

Destiny 2 Lightfall Threadrunner

Strand Melee Abilities

Destiny 2 Berserker Titan Using Strand Super

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Strand Supers

Destiny 2 Strand Subclass Warlock

Hunter Aspects

Destiny 2 Threadrunner Hunter Menu Background

Titan Aspects

Destiny 2 Berserker Titan Menu Background

Warlock Aspects

Destiny 2 Broodweaver Warlock Menu Background

Strand Fragments

Destiny 2 Broodweaver Warlock With Strand

Strand has 14 Fragments for Guardians to unlock, all of which are currently available. The previously time-gated Fragments were made available shortly after Lightfall released, including all raid Fragments. Let's take a look at how each Strand Fragment works.

Thread Of Mind

Destiny 2 Strand Thread Of Mind Fragment

Thread of Mind: Defeating suspended targets grants class ability energy.

Defeating suspended targets grants 20% class ability energy. This is a fantastic Fragment for Threadrunner Hunters using the Ensnaring Slam Aspect, allowing you to recover most of your dodge energy by defeating targets you suspend.

Thread Of Fury

Destiny 2 Strand Thread Of Fury Fragment

Thread of Fury: Damaging targets with a Tangle grants melee energy. -10 Strength.

Damaging any enemy with a Tangle orb grants roughly 10% melee energy for each enemy hit, tougher enemies granting additional energy. Use your Strand melee before using Tangles to get the most use out of this added melee energy.

Thread Of Ascent

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Ascent Fragment

Thread of Ascent: Activating your grenade ability reloads your currently equipped weapon and grants increased weapon handling and airborne effectiveness for a short time. +10 Mobility.

Using your grenade ability grants the Thread of Ascent buff for 15 seconds, increasing your weapon reload speed and handling. Both buffs are quite substantial, comparable to x1 On Your Mark from Gunslinger Hunter. Additionally, using your grenade will immediately reload your currently equipped weapon. This effect can occur once every 3 seconds, even if Thread of Ascent is already active.

Thread Of Finality

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Finality Fragment

Thread of Finality: Finishers generate Threadlings. +10 Recovery.

Performing a finisher on a PvE enemy spawns one Threadling that seeks out targets. Broodweaver Warlocks can especially benefit from this Fragment by having the Threadling perch on their body after combat, making finishers much more valuable across all PvE content. Crucible players will only benefit from the Recovery stat buff.

Thread Of Warding

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Warding Fragment

Thread of Warding: Picking up an Orb of Power grants Woven Mail. -10 Resilience.

Collecting an Orb of Power of any potency grants the Woven Mail buff for ten seconds, greatly reducing incoming non-precision damage. This buff can be refreshed by collecting additional Orbs of Power.

Thread Of Wisdom

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Wisdom Fragment

Thread of Wisdom: Defeating suspended targets with precision final blows creates an Orb of Power.

Landing a precision kill against a suspended foe will spawn a weak Orb of Power, comparable to a Siphon mod on your helmet. This Fragment has an eight-second cooldown between every activation.

Thread Of Rebirth

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Rebirth Fragment

Thread of Rebirth: Strand weapon final blows have a chance to create a Threadling.

Using a Strand weapon to defeat targets has a chance of spawning one Threadling minion, spawning out of the target's corpse. There doesn't seem to be a cooldown to this effect, although the weapon itself must land the final blow. You'll need an average of three to four kills to trigger this Fragment in PvE. Thread of Rebirth stacks with the Hatchling perk and benefits from Thread of Evolution.

Thread Of Transmutation

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Transmutation Fragment

Thread of Transmutation: While you have Woven Mail, weapon final blows create a Tangle. +10 Strength.

While you have the Woven Mail buff, killing an enemy with any weapon can spawn a Tangle orb. For clarity, this Fragment does not bypass the respawn cooldown Tangles have. If you've already spawned a Tangle, Thread of Transmutation won't let you bypass the active Tangle cooldown. That said, this can be a useful boon for spawning Tangles inside the Crucible.

Thread Of Propagation

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Propagation Fragment

Thread of Propagation: Powered melee final blows grant your Strand weapons Unraveling Rounds.

Using your melee ability or grapple melee attacks will grant ten seconds of Unraveling Rounds to all your Strand weapons. Unraveling Rounds will infuse each bullet with Strand energy, unraveling the target with each hit. Lay into the same target to unleash a flurry of unraveling needles, making this an excellent Fragment for buffing your weapon's add-clearing potential in PvE.

Thread Of Evolution

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Evolution Fragment

Thread of Evolution: Threadlings travel farther and deal additional damage. +10 Intellect.

Thread of Evolution buffs all Threadlings you generate, both from abilities and weapon perks. Your Threadlings deal 25% more damage and are roughly twice as fast with this Fragment equipped. This is an excellent Fragment for Broodweavers and a solid pick for any Strand build that uses the Hatchling weapon perk.

Thread Of Isolation

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Isolation Fragment

Thread of Isolation: Landing rapid precision hits emits a severing burst from the target.

Landing multiple precision hits on the same target will emit a small explosion that inflicts Sever to all nearby enemies, greatly reducing their damage output for a short duration. You can extend this debuff by using the Thread of Continuity Fragment.

Thread Of Binding

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Binding Fragment

Thread of Blinding: Super final blows emit a suspending burst from the target. +10 Resilience.

Enemies you slay in your Super will explode, suspending any targets caught in the burst. This acts the same as a Shackle Grenade or any other Suspend effect, capable of levitating most enemies and stunning Unstoppable Champions. The Resilience bonus makes this a solid option for builds that have a Fragment slot to spare.

Thread Of Generation

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Generation Fragment

Thread of Generation: Dealing damage generates grenade energy. -10 Discipline.

Thread of Generation is a difficult Fragment to test, but it seems to grant chunks of grenade energy whenever you deal damage. The more targets you hit, the more energy you'll receive. Abilities seem to grant more grenade energy than weapons, although rapidly damaging targets through DoT effects, high RPM weapons, and the Unravel debuff are the most effective ways of generating grenade energy.

Constant sources of damage are recommended while using this Fragment. The energy received is based on instances of damage, so anything that damages targets quickly and often is recommended. Some good options include Osteo Striga, Ticuu's Divination, Sunshot, or any weapons with Incandescent.

Thread of Continuity

Destiny 2 Strand Thread of Continuity Fragment

Thread of Continuity: Suspend, unravel, and sever effects applied to targets have increased duration. +10 Strength.

All debuff effects on Strand last 50% longer with this Fragment. This includes sources of Suspend, Sever, and Unravel. This does not extend the duration of Unraveling Rounds, Tangles, or Woven Mail.

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Next: Destiny 2: Every New Weapon In Lightfall