History of Stronghold

Stronghold are Exotic Titan gauntlets introduced in Season of the Drifter.

Overview

Clenched Fist maximizes guard stats on equipped Heavy-ammo Swords, reduces damage while blocking with a Sword, and grants Restoration after rapidly damaging targets following blocked shots; the duration scales with the number of shots blocked. Bungie's June 9, 2026 Update 9.7.0 further limited its infinite-guard capability to Heavy-ammo Swords.

Acquisition

Bungie’s July 15, 2025 Update 9.0.0.1 made Novel Focusing for Exotic armor from past expansions available immediately, without a Rahool rank reset.

Sources

• Bungie item definition: Stronghold — current perk text.
• Bungie, “Destiny 2 Update 9.7.0” — June 9, 2026, Heavy-ammo Sword limit.
• Bungie, “Destiny 2 Update 9.0.0.1” — July 15, 2025, past-expansion Exotic armor focusing.