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No. Witherhoard does not generally turn an enemy into a Taken combatant. It applies its own Blighted effect, which deals damage over time and can leave a damaging blight where the target dies. The confusion comes from weapon-specific bonuses: Wish-Ender, and according to the current light.gg entry Malfeasance, deal extra damage to Blighted targets. That bonus is a condition tied to Witherhoard’s debuff, not proof that the enemy’s classification changed to Taken.
In Destiny 2, “Taken” can mean two different things in a player’s question. It can mean the enemy’s actual combatant category—the same category used by Taken versions of enemies in activities—or it can be shorthand for a target that satisfies a particular weapon perk. Witherhoard creates the second situation for a small number of weapons, but not the first.
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What does Witherhoard actually apply?
Witherhoard applies Blighted, not Taken status. Bungie’s current item description says, “Projectiles fired by this weapon blight the target or nearby area on impact.” Its second perk says, “Blighted targets take damage over time and blight the nearby area on death.” You can read that wording in Bungie’s Witherhoard item listing.
That description establishes three separate effects:
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- The projectile can attach a blight directly to an enemy.
- A projectile can create a blighted area on the ground or another nearby surface.
- A Blighted enemy continues taking damage, and its death can spread the blight to the nearby area.
None of those lines says that the enemy becomes Taken. “Blighted” is the name of Witherhoard’s debuff and damage behavior; “Taken combatant” is an enemy classification. Treating the two labels as synonyms creates the error.
Are Blighted targets considered Taken combatants?
No. The current Witherhoard entry on light.gg explicitly notes that Blighted targets are not considered Taken combatants. That is the clearest available statement about classification, and it answers the literal question directly.
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A target can therefore be a normal Cabal, Fallen, Hive, Vex, Scorn or another combatant while carrying Witherhoard’s Blighted debuff. The debuff changes what happens to that target—damage over time and possible area spread—but it does not rewrite the target’s faction or enemy type. A Taken Phalanx remains Taken because it spawned as a Taken combatant; a Cabal Phalanx hit by Witherhoard remains a Cabal combatant that is Blighted.
This distinction matters whenever a perk, mod, bounty, triumph or encounter rule checks an enemy category. The research supports the general rule that Blighted is not Taken, but it does not establish the behavior of every individual Taken-related effect in every patch or activity. If a particular perk has its own wording, read that wording as the controlling rule rather than assuming that Witherhoard will satisfy it.
Why do players say Witherhoard “counts as Taken”?
The shorthand comes from special damage interactions. Some weapons recognize a Witherhoard-blighted target and receive bonus damage, even though the target is not classified as Taken. To a player watching damage numbers, that can look like the target has acquired a Taken tag.
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Wish-Ender is the best-documented example. Bungie’s December 2022 update notes say that Wish-Ender’s hidden damage bonus against Witherhoard-blighted targets increased from 10% to 25%. The change is recorded in Bungie’s December 1, 2022 “This Week at Bungie” article and in the Destiny 2 Update 6.3.0 notes.
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The important wording is “against Witherhoard-blighted targets,” not “against Taken targets.” Bungie documented a weapon-to-debuff interaction. It did not announce a conversion of the enemy’s classification.
The current light.gg Witherhoard entry also lists a 25% increased-damage interaction for both Wish-Ender and Malfeasance. That is a useful current database reference, but it is a third-party community database rather than a Bungie balance-note statement. Keep the source distinction in mind: Bungie officially documented Wish-Ender’s 2022 change, while light.gg currently records the listed interactions for both weapons.
What is the difference between enemy classification and a weapon damage condition?
Enemy classification answers “what is this combatant?” A Taken Knight, Taken Goblin or Taken Captain belongs to the Taken category when the game spawns it that way. A weapon damage condition answers “does this weapon get a perk bonus against the target right now?” Witherhoard can satisfy the latter for specific weapons without changing the former.
| Question | Witherhoard answer | What the evidence supports |
|---|---|---|
| Does the projectile apply Taken status? | No; it applies Blighted. | Bungie’s item description names the effect “blight.” |
| Does a Blighted target take ongoing damage? | Yes. | Bungie states that Blighted targets take damage over time. |
| Does the target become a Taken combatant? | No, not generally. | light.gg’s current entry explicitly separates Blighted from Taken. |
| Can a weapon still receive extra damage? | Yes, for documented weapon-specific interactions. | Bungie documented Wish-Ender’s bonus; light.gg lists Wish-Ender and Malfeasance at 25%. |
That table is why “Witherhoard makes enemies Taken” is an inaccurate summary. It collapses two different checks into one label.
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How does the Wish-Ender interaction work?
To use the documented interaction, apply Witherhoard’s Blighted effect to the target, then damage that Blighted target with Wish-Ender. Bungie’s 2022 notes identify a hidden bonus against those targets and raise it from 10% to 25%. The bonus is conditional on the Witherhoard debuff; it is not a universal Taken bonus that applies to every weapon or every Taken-related perk.
- Hit the enemy with a Witherhoard projectile, or place a blight so the enemy becomes Blighted.
- Confirm that the target remains inside the relevant blight effect when applying your follow-up damage; the bonus is described specifically for Witherhoard-blighted targets.
- Switch to Wish-Ender and use its damage while the target is Blighted.
- Do not infer from the increased damage that other Taken-target weapons or mechanics will also activate.
The 25% figure is the documented value for the Wish-Ender change in the December 2022 Bungie notes. Destiny 2 balance updates can alter perk behavior, so treat a later patch note as newer authority if Bungie changes either weapon.
Does Malfeasance get the same bonus?
The current light.gg Witherhoard entry lists a 25% increased-damage interaction for Malfeasance against Blighted enemies. This is separate from the official Bungie note that specifically documents Wish-Ender’s increase from 10% to 25% in 2022. In other words, the database currently records the same percentage for Malfeasance, but the two facts have different source histories.
Use the interaction as a weapon-specific rule: Malfeasance’s listed bonus applies when the target is Blighted by Witherhoard. It does not demonstrate that Malfeasance is receiving a generic “damage to Taken” effect, nor does it mean every weapon with a Taken-related perk will behave identically. If a future Bungie patch changes the perk text or hidden modifiers, the current database entry may lag until it is updated.
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You should not assume so. The checked material supports the opposite general distinction: Blighted targets are not considered Taken combatants. Only the named, documented weapon interactions should be treated as reliable from this evidence.
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That means you should separate three questions when planning a build:
- Is the enemy actually Taken? If it spawned as a Taken combatant, yes; if it is merely hit by Witherhoard, no.
- Does this weapon explicitly mention Witherhoard or Blighted targets? If so, follow that weapon’s condition.
- Does a mod, perk, bounty or encounter rule mention Taken? Do not replace that word with Blighted unless the rule itself says to.
The available sources do not provide a complete compatibility chart for every Taken-target modifier. Avoid promising that a particular encounter mechanic, armor mod or subclass interaction will activate unless its own current description confirms it.
What happens when a Blighted enemy dies?
According to Bungie’s item description, a Blighted target blights the nearby area on death. This is the area-denial part of Witherhoard’s design: the original target can keep taking damage, and its death can leave a new damaging zone for enemies that enter it.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should you use this distinction in a build or loadout?
Use Witherhoard when you want persistent area damage, damage-over-time pressure and a way to keep a target or choke point dangerous after the initial shot. Add Wish-Ender or Malfeasance when you specifically want to take advantage of the listed bonus against Blighted targets. Do not select a Witherhoard-based setup on the assumption that it will satisfy every Taken-only requirement.
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A practical decision process is:
- Read the objective literally. If it asks for Taken enemies, Taken kills or Taken combatants, Witherhoard’s Blighted debuff alone should not be treated as a substitute.
- Check the weapon perk. Wish-Ender has an officially documented Witherhoard-blight bonus, and light.gg currently lists a corresponding Malfeasance interaction.
- Apply the debuff before the bonus weapon’s damage. The listed bonuses are conditional on the target being Blighted.
- Keep classification and damage separate in your expectations. Extra damage from one weapon does not prove that a bounty, mod or encounter check will see the target as Taken.
- Recheck after major updates. Bungie’s 2022 notes are the authoritative record for that historical Wish-Ender change; later balance notes take precedence if the perk is revised.
What is the concise verdict for “Does Witherhoard make enemies Taken?”
Witherhoard makes enemies Blighted, not Taken. Blighted targets take damage over time and can spread a blight on death, as Bungie’s item description explains. Wish-Ender’s documented 25% bonus—and the current light.gg listing for Malfeasance—are special interactions with the Blighted condition. They explain the player shorthand, but they do not change the enemy’s underlying classification.
If you need a one-line rule for a build: Witherhoard can make a target eligible for certain anti-Blight weapon bonuses, but it does not make that target a Taken combatant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 25% Wish-Ender bonus come from an official Bungie patch?
Yes. Bungie’s December 2022 update documentation says Wish-Ender’s hidden bonus against Witherhoard-blighted targets increased from 10% to 25%. That note is the official source for the change; a database listing is useful for current reference but is not the patch record itself.
Can a normal enemy be both Blighted and Taken?
A Taken enemy can also be affected by Witherhoard, so the two descriptions can coexist on the same target. In that case, it is Taken because it spawned as a Taken combatant and Blighted because Witherhoard applied its debuff—not because Blighted converted it.
Why might a damage number differ after I switch weapons?
The documented bonus is conditional on the target still being Witherhoard-blighted when the qualifying weapon deals damage. If the debuff expires, the target leaves the relevant effect, or you use a weapon without the listed interaction, the extra damage condition may not apply.
Where should I check if this interaction changes after a future season?
Check Bungie’s current item definition and the latest Destiny 2 update or This Week at Bungie notes first. Third-party databases such as light.gg can provide a convenient current perk summary, but Bungie’s newer patch wording should take priority when the two differ.
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