Destiny 2 Heresy's Taken Phalanx Chaos: Unintended Difficulty Spike or Secret Tweak?

Destiny 2's Heresy update introduces challenging Taken Phalanxes, transforming PvE with intense difficulty, demanding strategic adjustments from players.

Destiny 2 Episode Heresy finally brought stability after Bungie's internal storms, delivering polished content that avoided Revenant-era disasters. But just as Guardians settled into the rhythm, something sinister crept into PvE activities – a gnawing sensation that missions suddenly felt brutally punishing. 🎯 Veteran players quickly pinpointed the culprits: those eternally annoying Taken Phalanxes now hit like freight trains while hiding behind comically oversized shields. The community's buzzing – is this Bungie's secret difficulty overhaul or another glitch haunting the Light and Darkness saga? 😤 One thing's crystal clear: Grandmaster Nightfall runs just got sweatier than a Cabal sauna.

The Shield Wall From Hell

Remember laughing at Root of Nightmares' easy clears? Those days vanished faster than a blink-dodge Hunter. Now, Taken Phalanxes don't just occasionally boop you off cliffs – they've morphed into miniature moving fortresses. Their shields now cover almost their entire bodies, even obscuring headshots during mid-range firefights. And their posture? Imagine a Cabal doing yoga; they crouch lower, making critical hits feel like winning the lottery. Guardians like Chablo91 captured footage showing how these beefed-up versions tank damage that would’ve vaporized them pre-Heresy.

• Knockback turned knockout: That signature shield blast now sends you flying into architecture with cartoonish violence

• Champion collateral damage: Unstoppable variants inherited these absurd defenses, creating nightmare combos in high-tier content

• Activity apocalypse: Starcrossed Exotic missions? Expert Nether runs? All transformed into Phalanx-palooza gauntlets

Why Your Arc Build Is Crying

Heresy’s seasonal mods only offer Unstoppable counters through glaives and fusion rifles – weapons about as popular as rainy festival days. 😭 This collides brutally with the Taken Phalanx buffs. Arc mains face agonizing choices: swap your beloved Pulse Grenade for a Flashbang just to stun Champions or risk getting shield-bashed into next Tuesday. AoE strategies became mandatory overnight:

Tactic	Example Loadout	Effectiveness
Explosive Burst	Psychopomp GL + Solar Ignitions	★★★★☆
Intrinsic Exotics	Malfeasance (bonus Taken damage!)	★★★★★
Long-Right Cheese	Scouts/Snipers from 50m+	★★☆☆☆

Reddit warrior FrostWendigo nailed it: "It’s like Bungie gave Phalanxes Captain America’s vibranium shield while nerfing our anti-barrier ammo." The timing couldn’t be worse – Act 2 looms with promised balance changes, yet this feels less like intentional tuning and more like spaghetti code warfare. Maybe it’s tied to the new Taken models? Or perhaps Prismatic’s power creep forced stealth enemy buffs? Whatever the cause, one truth remains: that Unstoppable Champion near the Starcrossed payload? Yeah, it just became the final boss.

FAQ: Burning Questions About the Phalanx Plague

Q: Is this confirmed as a bug?

A: Bungie’s radio silence screams "oops" – no patch notes mentioned Phalanx upgrades, making a glitch highly likely. Still, pack Malfeasance just in case it’s permanent. 🔫

Q: Which activities got hit hardest?

A: Grandmasters with Taken, obviously. But surprise MVP of pain? The Corrupted strike’s elevator section. Bring a therapist.

Q: Any cheese strategies?

A: Warlock Well locks work... until shield knockbacks yeet you out of it. Try baiting their lunge then team-shooting. Or pray.

Q: Will Act 2 fix this?

A: If it’s unintended, probably. If not... well, better master that Psychopomp grenade launcher reload speed. 💣

So grab your fireteam, stock up on heavy ammo synths, and embrace the chaos – because in Destiny 2’s current state, even lowly red-bars demand raid-level respect. Who needs Witness final bosses when a Phalanx squad can end your run?