Destiny 2’s Sword meta has changed little over the past few seasons, with The Lament being the king of Sword DPS after proving its dominance over the Falling Guillotine. Destiny 2 Guardians may have a new Sword to contend with the current top options.
The Crown-Splitter is a Titan exclusive Void Sword that has made its return to Destiny 2 alongside its Warlock and Hunter’s counterparts. What makes the Crown-Splitter so special is that it is currently working with the powerful Season Mod, Energy Accelerant, and can be stacked with Destiny 2's Breach and Clear mod if used by another Fireteam member.
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To build the Crown-Splitter to its maximum potential, Destiny 2 Titans will want to start with the base roll of the Sword and look for perks to maximize its base damage output. Starting with the blade trait, Guardians are free to choose what works best for them with an emphasis on traits that give increased Ammo Capacity or Impact. The second perk column is static with Heavy Guard being the only option, however, Crown-Splitter’s last two perk columns play host to two perks that synergize well together, Relentless Strikes and Whirlwind Blade.
Destiny 2 Titans will want Relentless Strikes for its ability to refund sword ammo after every third light attack in a short time, extending the potential damage window. This pairs perfectly with Whirlwind Blade, increasing the Crown-Splitter's damage with every rapid Sword strike. Stacking up to five times for a maximum 30% damage increase, Whirlwind Blade doubles what Vorpal Weapon offers with its 15%. The combination of the light attacks refunding sword ammo and increasing damage pairs nicely with the Crown-Splitter’s heavy attack.
Titans should look to finish their Crown-Splitter with an Impact Masterwork and Major or Boss Spec mod depending on the target. The rotation that Titans should use with the Crown-Splitter is five light attacks followed by a heavy attack. Since the heavy attack on Swords is more powerful with a full melee charge, Titans do not want to spam heavy attacks with their Crown-Splitter. Using five light attacks before a heavy attack allows time for the Sword’s melee attack to recharge while Guardians use Whirlwind Blade to increase their damage before the next heavy attack.
From here, Destiny 2 Titans can further increase their damage output with the new seasonal mod, Energy Accelerant. Energy Accelerant is supposed to increase the damage of Dragonfly, Chain Reaction, and Firefly explosions; however, it appears to still be bugged and is now affecting the Crown-Splitter. Energy Accelerant increases the Crown-Splitter’s heavy attack by 100%, doubling its DPS instantly. Considering Energy Accelerant is not supposed to work this way in Destiny 2, it's safe to assume this is a bug and will probably get patched at some point.
Regardless of if the current interaction between Crown-Splitter and Energy Accelerant is a bug or not, it is currently allowing the Crown-Splitter to be among the top damage options in Destiny 2. This current Crown-Splitter build will also stack with Lucent Blade or Weapons of Light for an extra 35% damage. Flash Counter can replace Relentless Strikes for an extra 20% debuff on the target but this requires Guardians to block a melee attack immediately after guarding, which may not be consistent against Destiny 2's bosses, making Relentless Strike a better choice for its ease of use.
Considering the Crown-Splitter is a Titan exclusive, the Titan Exotic Gauntlets, Stronghold, would be a solid choice for its ability to heal the user from shots blocked while guarding, however, guarding will cancel any stacks of Whirlwind Blade that the user may have. Titans have an interesting damage option with the Crown-Splitter, at least until Bungie patches the bug with Energy Accelerant.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.