Winter's Shroud is a Stasis Aspect available to the Hunter's Revenant subclass in Destiny 2. It augments the Hunter's Dodge ability, turning it into a potent tool for crowd control and debuffing enemies with Stasis energy.
Core Mechanics
When a Revenant Hunter with the Winter's Shroud Aspect equipped performs their Dodge, they emit a wave of Stasis energy. This energy applies Slow stacks to all nearby combatants caught within its radius. The primary effects are:
- Slowing Targets: Enemies affected by the slow debuff experience reduced movement speed and ability regeneration. Their accuracy may also be impaired.
- Potential to Freeze: While a single Dodge with Winter's Shroud typically applies a significant amount of Slow, it may not instantly Freeze targets unless they are already partially slowed or if the Hunter has other Stasis effects (like Duskfield Grenades or other abilities) contributing to the slow stacks. Accumulating enough slow stacks (typically 100) on a target will result in them becoming frozen solid.
Strategic Applications
Winter's Shroud excels in various combat scenarios, particularly in close-quarters engagements:
- Aggressive Engagement & Disruption: Dodging into a group of enemies can immediately disrupt their formation and attacks, providing an opportunity for the Hunter or their fireteam to follow up with damage.
- Defensive Repositioning: It can be used defensively to slow pursuing enemies, creating space for escape or recovery.
- Synergy with Shatter: Slowed and frozen targets are vulnerable to Shatter effects. Winter's Shroud pairs effectively with abilities like Shatterdive or other Stasis abilities that can shatter frozen enemies for area-of-effect damage.
- Fragment Synergies: Its effectiveness can be further enhanced by equipping Stasis Fragments. For example:
- Whisper of Durance: Increases the duration of slow applied by Winter's Shroud.
- Whisper of Chains: Provides damage resistance when near frozen targets or a friendly Stasis crystal, which Winter's Shroud can help create via freezing.
- Whisper of Rending: Primary weapon damage is increased against Stasis crystals and frozen targets.
Key Considerations
- Proximity Dependent: The effect is localized around the Hunter upon dodging, requiring close proximity to targets for optimal use.
- Dodge Cooldown: The frequency of use is tied directly to the Hunter's Dodge ability cooldown, which can be modified by the Mobility stat and certain armor mods or Exotics.
- Tier of Enemies: While effective against rank-and-file enemies, more powerful combatants (like Champions or bosses) may have higher resistance to Stasis effects or require more slow stacks to be significantly impacted.
Mastering the timing and positioning of Winter's Shroud allows Revenant Hunters to effectively control the battlefield, immobilize threats, and set up devastating Stasis combos.
