Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is adding a new mechanic to its gunplay and enemies known as Barrier, Unstoppable, and Overload. These are three terms that players will want to get comfortable with very quickly because it will be another element to Destiny 2 they will need to pay attention to, especially in higher-end content such as the new Ordeal difficulty mode of the Nightfall.

The first time players will probably see these terms in Shadowkeep and Season of the Undying is on The Gate Lord’s Eye seasonal artifact. This is in fact where the Barrier, Unstoppable, and Overload mods are acquired. the artifact’s second column is where these weapon mods are found. While these mods will not always be the same from seasonal artifact to seasonal artifact, The Gate Lord’s Eye contains:

  • Anti-Barrier Rounds (useable only on Auto Rifles and Submachine Guns) Anti-Barrier Hand Cannon Overload Rounds (useable only on Auto Rifles and Submachine Guns) Overload Arrowheads Unstoppable Hand Cannon

These mods can be slotted into an appropriate weapon type and they will be needed for taking on enemies of the matching type. Similar to how players have to match up the element of shields to break them faster and more devastatingly, players will have to match specific rounds with new types of enemies known as Barrier Champions, Overload Champions, and Unstoppable Champions.

These are special shielded enemies that are also further denoted with an extra symbol on their nameplate, a unique symbol for each type of Champion. Those same symbols will be able to be seen in the UI next to the ammo counter for a weapon that is equipped with a particular type of round. In order to stop a Barrier Champion, players will need to use Anti-Barrier Rounds. Similarly, players will need to match up Overload Rounds against Overload Champions and Unstoppable Rounds against Unstoppable Champions.

So far, the only place in Shadowkeep that these enemies have been revealed to reside is in the Ordeal version of the Nightfall. In fact, if there is a modifier that adds these Champions to the Ordeal Nightfall, the game will not let players launch into it until at least one player has a weapon with an appropriate mod equipped to take down these Champions. That’s because these enemies will be immune to all damage unless these special mods and rounds are used against them.

It will be interesting to see in what other activities this new mechanic might show up, such as the Garden of Salvation raid or the Vex Offensive activity. With the mods available from the seasonal artifact in just the second column, it will likely not be too long of a grind to start unlocking these mods, which looks to be necessary in order to tackle some of Shadowkeep’s new content.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep releases October 1, 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version also in development.

Source: Mesa Sean