How to Unlock Strand in Destiny 2

With the addition of the Lightfall Expansion, Destiny 2 has a new campaign and a new subclass with Strand abilities. This subclass, just like Stasis, is tied to the campaign both narratively and gameplay-wise. If you plan on unlocking the Strand subclasses you will need to own the Lightfall Expansion. You can find our guide on What Expansions/DLC to Buy to see if this Expansion is a good fit for you.

Throughout the Lightfall campaign, players will get a taste of what it is like to use the Strand subclass, periodically finding Strand sources that give them limited access to the new subclass before losing the powers. This leaves many newer players wondering when do you unlock Strand?

The Strand subclass is unlocked after completing the Lightfall campaign. As soon as you finish the last mission, Desperate Measures, you will need to do a round of talking with the Vanguard vendors before visiting the Hall of Heros on Neomuna. Here, you will need to speak with The Pouka Pond and meditate to fully unlock your new Strand subclass. This will only unlock the Strand subclass for whichever Class you are currently using. Classes that have not completed the Lightfall campaign will still not have access to Strand. To unlock Strand on all three of your characters, you will need to complete the Lightfall campaign on each of them separately. It is worth noting that you can complete the campaign on either Normal or Legendary difficulty. Both difficulties will give you access to Strand upon completion. If you are only after the new subclass, then you will have a much easier time on Normal difficulty. This will give you an easier experience overall, especially if you plan on soloing the campaign. Legendary difficulty does have a few extra rewards that are worth mentioning. Completing the Lightfall campaign on Legendary difficulty will reward you with a complete set of 1770 Power Level armor for your character, the Lightfall-exclusive Exotic armor piece specific to your Class, 300 Strand meditation, eight Upgrade Modules, and a sick emblem.

Legendary difficulty is much harder than Normal, actively capping your Power Level to ensure a challenge. It is recommended to run the Legendary campaign with a couple of friends unless you are up for the challenge of soloing it. For players who intend on unlocking all of the Strand Aspects and Fragments, it is definitely worth it to complete the Lightfall campaign on Legendary difficulty. If you just want to try out all of the Strand subclasses first, you can go ahead and complete the campaign on Normal. Regardless of what difficulty you choose at the beginning, you can always go back later and restart the Lightfall campaign on a different difficulty. This means players who have already completed it on Normal difficulty can still receive the Legendary difficulty rewards whenever they want. Both the Normal and Legendary difficulty campaigns have a checkpoint system that will save your most recent checkpoint within the mission, allowing you to come back later and finish the mission.

How to Unlock Strand Abilities, Aspects, and Fragments

After unlocking your new Strand subclass, you will soon want to see what all of your new Aspects and Fragments can do. Unlocking them will, sadly, take some time. Much like your Light subclasses, Strand Aspects and Fragments can be purchased at The Pouka Pond. Unlike Light subclasses, Strand abilities can not be purchased with Glimmer. You will instead need to use Strand Meditations in order to unlock your abilities, Aspects, and Fragments. If you completed the Lightfall campaign on Legendary difficulty, you should have around 300 Strand Meditations to spend. If not, then you will need to get more Strand Meditations before you can purchase your abilities.

Strand Meditations can be acquired from just about every activity on Neomuna. Public Events, Patrols, Lost Sectors, and high-value targets can all reward you with a few Strand Meditations each. You can even find Strand Sources throughout Neomuna that can be collected for 25 Strand Meditations each. You will want to make sure that you have your Strand subclass equipped during all of your activities. Every kill you get with a Strand ability will have a chance of dropping a Strand Meditation.

By far, the fastest method of obtaining Strand Meditations is by completing runs of Terminal Overload. Not only will you kill a bunch of enemies, hopefully with your Strand abilities, but you will also gain 100 Strand Meditations from the final chest. These Strand Meditations are only rewarded from the additional chest that requires a Terminal Overload Key. These keys can be obtained from any other activity on Neomuna. It is a good idea to start out by completing every Patrol, Public Event, and Lost Sector you come across to get some Terminal Overload Keys before heading into Terminal Overload for a bit. Before long, you should be able to gather enough Strand Meditations to unlock a complete set of Aspects and Fragments. Then, you will passively gain the rest simply by using your Strand subclass during any activity in Destiny 2. That is how you unlock Strand in Destiny 2. It is one of the funniest subclasses and is definitely worth unlocking. Do you see yourself enjoying the Strand subclasses? Let me know in the comments!