The latest season of Destiny 2 has brought reworks to many weapons and armor, but a clip from one Titan player highlights how much more powerful the often-forgotten Stronghold exotic armor has become. As with any loot-driven game, there are pieces of gear that tend to dominate the meta, either due to the current sandbox or general design advantages, which players will favor over items that fit into a more specific usage or play style. Stronghold has been one such armor piece due to its synergy with swords, but thanks to the newest rework, it may become a more viable option for Titan players.
Stronghold was first introduced to Destiny 2 players in Season of the Drifter as one of three new exotic gauntlets, with one going to each player class. In its original form, the armor piece allowed players to move faster when guarding with a sword, while guarding doesn't use ammo and can heal the player using Stronghold if they guard at the right moment. The armor's design made it a very niche exotic, with most Titan players favoring gauntlets such as Ursa Furiosa, Synthoceps, or Citan's Ramparts due to either ease of use or general effectiveness for solo players and fireteams.
While Season of the Deep's exotic armor reworks have seen a laundry list of exotics touched up, a clip on Reddit from user _TOD_ shows how Stronghold's is among the most dramatic. The gauntlets saw its healing perk swapped for damage reduction while guarding and the addition of restoration x2, which procs after a player stops guarding and has a duration based on the number of shots blocked. However, _TOD_'s clip shows the damage reduction alone can turn a Titan into a near-invincible and unbreakable wall to draw aggro from enemies.
The general response to the clip among other users was a mix of shock and amazement, with many asking how it was possible to tank so many enemies while barely getting scratched. The Reddit user explained in the comments he used the re-released Throne-Cleaver sword from Season of Defiance due to its aggressive frame archetype providing additional damage reduction on top of Stronghold's. It essentially allows a Titan player to not lose any health from enemies for a few moments before actually taking damage but at a proverbial snail's pace.
Given the general effectiveness of swords, especially Titan-exclusive options like Throne-Cleaver, the damage reduction combo now makes Stronghold a much more enticing option for players. It would not be surprising to see some players argue the exotic armor piece is still too limited in its design for their liking, but if tanking the way _TOD_ did is as useful as it looks, there's a chance others will start to experiment in endgame activities with builds.
Destiny 2 is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.