Forum:Lightbearer Hive (Reworked)

"Yeah I did a rework of the Lightbearer Hive ‘cuz why not, seemed cool"

- User:Vothriks, the Lost

The Lightbearer Hive are lieutenants of the Lucent Brood with the ability to wield the Light and endlessly self-resurrect through the use of their very own Ghosts, essentially making them the Hive equivalent to the Guardians. They can be distinguished with their grey skin, larger stature and alabaster-white armor covered in spikes.

Overview
The Lightbearer Hive have all of the abilities of their human counterparts, including class abilities, melee abilities, grenades, and the ability to cast Supers. Each of the main Hive morphs mirror one of the three Guardian classes: Knights are Titans, Warlocks for Wizards, and Acolytes represent Hunters. The three types are further divided into sub-classes for the elements of Solar, Arc and Void.

For class abilities, all three variants of Lightbearer Knight can summon a barricade that they can shoot through and hide behind from enemy fire. Lightbearer Wizards can deploy a rift onto the ground which either heals any Hive who stand in it, or increases their damage output. Lightbearer Acolytes can dash to either the left or right to evade incoming projectiles, in a similar vein to the dodge ability of Hunters.

When their Super is fully charged, their eyes will light up with the color of their element and they are able to cast it at any time. They take reduced damage for as long as their Super is active, and their attacks can deal high elemental damage, potentially even killing a Guardian in a single hit. Several subclass variants can even have multiple Supers they can use, either one or the other.

Whenever a Lightbearer Hive is killed, their Ghost will appear over the spot where they have died. The Ghost must be destroyed with a Finisher in order to permanently defeat the Hive, or after 10 seconds, the enemy will respawn at full health and will have to be beaten again. Additionally, if the Lightbearer itself has received damage and is left alone for too long, it will begin to gradually regenerate health.

Variants
Lightbearer Knights
 * Sentinel Knight - Armed with Shredders to rapidly whittle away at the enemy from afar, these are the most defensive of the three Knight subclasses, preferring to stay near their allies and rarely engaging in close combat. They will often use their barricades to provide cover for their allies, and can throw Suppressor Grenades to nullify enemy Guardians’ abilities for a short time. When their Super is fully charged, they trade out their Shredder for a chitinous Sentinel Shield. While in this state, their shield near-constantly protects them from any damage from the front and they become far more aggressive, attempting to quickly close the distance between them and their foe and slam their shield into the ground for a devastating melee attack. They can also throw their shield at a distance, which can ricochet off of walls before they summon it back to their hand. They have an alternative Super ability which allows them to instead cast a large Ward of Dawn barrier to provide cover for their allies. The Hive can still shoot through the barrier, and their weapons deal increased damage while they are in it.
 * Striker Knight - In a complete inverse to Sentinels, Striker Knights are the most aggressive and will frequently attempt to close the distance between them and the enemy to unleash their melee. They are armed with Boomers, can toss out Lightning Grenades which periodically damage enemies, and come with a powerful Arc punch attack as an alternative to the standard Hive melee. The activation of their Super is punctuated by them punching the ground to unleash a devastating Arc shockwave. While in this state, they can attack at a distance by repeatedly slamming their fists into the ground to send out damaging Arc shockwaves, which travel across the ground and throw enemies into the air (along with disorienting them slightly) upon a successful hit. Their alternative Super is that they leap high into the air, before quickly shooting down at the enemy, crashing into the ground for a devastating AOE attack that continues to periodically emit Arc pulses.
 * Sunbreaker Knight - Sunbreakers are equipped with Splinters, and throw out Incendiary Grenades which catch enemies on fire and deal overtime damage. When activating their Super, they swap out their Splinter for either a pair of Hammer of Sol, or a larger two-handed burning maul. In their dual hammer state, they continuously throw out burning hammers which explode on impact and leave behind damaging Sunspots. When they summon the maul, they will charge down the player’s position for a powerful shockwave slam which burns enemies overtime, or also send a Solar shockwave from a distance which travels across the ground, leaving behind a lingering trail of fire to cause overtime damage.

Lightbearer Wizards
 * Stormcaller Wizard - These variants mainly deploy Empowering Rifts, and throw Arcbolt Grenades which chain lightning to nearby enemies. They can also send out a slow-moving ball of lightning which shocks those who come near it before exploding. Allied Hive who enter their rifts will also gain an Arc Soul which shoots at nearby players, although this can be destroyed. When their Super is fully charged, they will unleash a powerful Arc shockwave as they cast Stormtrance. In this state, they swap out their standard Darkness Blasts for long-ranged Arc bolts which do high damage and can break a Guardian’s shield in seconds. At closer ranges, they can call down a line of lightning strikes directed toward their foes. They can even Blink short distances. They have one alternative Super where they instead use Chaos Reach, sending fourth a single sustained, devastating beam of Arc energy which rapidly shreds through shields and health.
 * Dawnblade Wizard - They prefer to stay near their allies as to support them with healing rifts. They throw Solar Grenades, which generate a flare that continuously damages enemies within. In addition to the standard Darkness Blasts, they can also send out a trio of spiraling Solar projectiles which home in on players and explode on impact. Upon casting Daybreak, they summon a blazing Cleaver to their hand with which to send out a hail of Solar blasts. While in this state, their movement speed will increase as well. As an alternative Super to Daybreak, they can plunge their sword into the ground to generate a Well of Radiance for their allies, massively healing and empowering any Hive who stands in it. The Well can be disabled however through concentrated fire at the sword in the middle to destroy it.
 * Voidwalker Wizard - Mainly deploys Healing Rifts for either themselves or allies. They are able to throw Scatter Grenades, which split apart into many submunitions and cover a large area with explosions. They can also launch a sphere of Void energy which homes in on players and explodes when it nears, pushing players back and healing the Wizard whenever anyone gets damaged in the blast. When entering their Super mode, they gain the ability to rapidly teleport, and at closer ranges unleash a shockwave of Void energy to push enemies back. While their Super is still active, they can hurl out Nova Bombs, which explode into a vortex that continuously damages those trapped inside.

Lightbearer Acolytes
 * Gunslinger Acolyte - These Acolytes will rarely attempt to get close, preferring to hang back and fire upon foes with their Splinter. They will throw Swarm Grenades, which upon impact will split into multiple drones which seek out enemies. They can also throw out a fan of flaming knives, which cause the Burning effect onto players if hit by them. When entering their Super, they swap out their Splinter for a Golden Gun that resembles a scope-less Soulfire Rifle. The gun can unleash three charged shots before the Super times out. Each shot is incredibly powerful and can instantly kill a player in a single hit, so it is best to run for cover. Alternatively, they can also cast Blade Barrage, leaping into the air and summoning a large array of blazing knives around them, before launching them all at the player in a quick explosive barrage.
 * Arcstrider Acolyte - These variants are a tad more aggressive, staying at closer ranges while hammering targets with Boomers, and may attempt to cross into melee so they can hit players with a special Arc melee which temporarily disorients them. They throw Skip Grenades, which behave similarly to Swarm Grenades only they deal Arc damage. They will also frequently attempt to evade attacks more than the other Acolyte types. Upon casting their Super, they will summon an Arc Staff and gain increased movement speed, attempting to aggressively push into melee range in order to slash at them, or slam their staff into the ground for a powerful shockwave attack. In the face of incoming projectiles, they can twirl their staff in front of them in order to deflect the attack back at their foes.
 * Nightstalker Acolyte - Will hang back on ranged to pick off foes with their Soulfire Rifle. They can throw Spike Grenades, which attach onto a surface and emit a damaging torrent of Void light. They are also equipped with smoke bombs for two different purposes; to throw at the enemy to temporarily disorient and poison them, or to throw down at their own feet, which makes them invisible until sufficiently damaged or when they attempt a melee attack. Upon casting Shadowshot, they will leap into the air and fire a Void tether which slows down and weakens enemies who are caught in it, in addition to suppressing their abilities, including their jump ability. The tether can be destroyed with concentrated fire. An alternative Super instead has them summon a pair of Spectral Blades while simultaneously making them invisible, and they will attempt to close the distance to slash at the enemy. The cloak will lower when they have taken enough damage or after a melee attack, and can eventually reestablish itself as the Super is still active.

List of Appearances

 * Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
 * Season of the Risen