Titans have never had a hard time in Destiny 2, per se, but it’s been a while since they’ve felt as good as a new Strand Aspect makes the class feel. Season 22 debuts the Banner of War Titan, and it’s a force to be reckoned with. Not only does the Aspect lock in a constant stream of healing and buffs, but it is also almost infinitely customizable. Players can easily combine the Banner of War effects alongside their favorite Exotic weapons and armor. And, best of all, it fulfills the Titan power fantasy, encouraging Guardians to get right in the face of their enemies.
After the last few sour notes for the community, this feels like a win. Bungie and the Destiny 2 community haven’t been on the same page for a little bit, with tensions coming to a head following a disastrous State of the Game. Director Joe Blackburn even took to Twitter to try and placate players with promises of a surprise PvP map pack and new armor. Since then, the showcase for The Final Shape only managed to whelm fans. Thankfully, Season of the Witch kicked off immediately following the showcase and signals some key wins.
Now, players are diving into Season 22 and finding joy in new Artifact Mods, Exotic changes, and a new Strand Aspect for each class. While the additions for Hunter and Warlock are both powerful and welcome in their own way, Banner of War stands out among the crowd.
What Makes Banner of War So Good?
Strand Titans can equip two Aspects to augment how their Strand playstyle works. The newest addition, Banner of War, provides an ongoing healing pulse to the player and allies on top of increased melee, glaive, and sword damage. The Banner is raised after Titans defeat a foe with a melee, sword attack, glaive melee, or finisher, and more stacks are gained whenever targets are defeated near the Banner. The more stacks a Guardian has, the faster the healing effect pulses.
There are tons of viable builds that can use Banner of War as the foundation. Unsurprisingly, its flexibility and sheer power potential have started turning heads in the community. Destiny 2 notable Datto couldn’t help but praise the Aspect in one of his videos. He even went as far as to question what it would take for his Titan to die.
Titans can effectively keep this Banner up so long as there are enemies within range to kill. Even better is that any ally kills within range also refreshes the buff. So that means Titans can have near infinite regenerative pulses and increased melee, sword, and glaive damage as a baseline before incorporating any other powerful Exotic weapons or armor. See where this is going?
How to Make the Most of Banner of War
Depending on the playstyle a Titan is after, there’s plenty of variety that can build upon what Banner of War does and sweeten the deal via supporting Exotics weapons and armor. It’s important to note that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to this Aspect; it’ll ultimately depend on how players want to engage against enemies and with what weapons. These represent just a couple of ideas out in the wild, and players should experiment to see what other synergies they can concoct.
Plunder’s War Storm
If Titans want to do immense bursts of damage with only their melee, and they want to toss those melee attacks from the sky like some kind of vengeful harpy, this build is for you. Designed and showcased on YouTube by Destiny 2 build-crafter Plunderthabooty, the setup combines Flechette Storm as the second Strand Aspect, the Monte Carlo Exotic auto rifle, and Synthoceps Exotic arms.
The culmination of these pieces, along with some additionally recommended Strand Fragments and armor mods, offers Titans some absurd bonuses. Melee and Super damage is increased when surrounded by enemies — which is bound to happen often when you’re running around punching aliens and robots. Monte Carlo regenerates melee energy as shots hit enemies, a goldmine for ensuring those buffed powered melees are always available.
Best of all, Flechette Storm lets Titans slide into a powered melee attack to leap into the air and perform a ranged, enhanced version of the powered melee. Of course, this is all underscored by additional melee damage and near-constant healing pulses, ala Banner of War.
Sword and Banner
As Datto pointed out, another exceptional use for Banner of War is to make the most out of the underlying buffs it offers sword-users. Trade out Synthoceps for Stronghold, Flechette Storm for the Into the Fray Aspect, and Monte Carlo for The Lament Exotic sword. This setup takes advantage of Banner of War and the recent sword buffs that hit the game. Unfortunately, The Lament did not receive every Season 22 sword buff. Still, it was already a great weapon, and every little bit helps.
Guardians will have the peace of mind to engage primarily in sword combat because of the healing already provided by Banner of War. To ensure players feel extra safe, Stronghold offers its own health regen if Titans guard an attack before connecting with a swing. That’s pretty safe, but then there’s also the passive sword guard buffs now in effect that The Lament benefits from. Couldn’t get any safer, right? Wrong. The Into the Fray Aspect grants Woven Mail, a 60% damage reduction, whenever Super is cast or a nearby Tangle is destroyed.
So, at this point, players are just about unkillable. Couple this with the sword damage buffs from Banner of War, Stronghold, and The Lament, and Titans can ensure they won’t just be there to soak up enemy fire. The only thing standing in a Guardian’s way will be Heavy ammo. Make sure to pack your Ammo Finder mods.
