Quick Links
Destiny 2: Lightfall overhauled how buildcrafting works. Besides getting access to Strand and some new Light subclass Fragments, the entire armor mod system has been streamlined to make buildcrafting easier than ever. If you've always wanted to create the ultimate PvE or PvP build in Destiny 2, now is the perfect time to jump in.
Destiny 2: A Complete Guide To Armor 2.0
Learn the basics of Destiny 2's armor stats with this beginner-friendly guide.Understanding builds in Destiny 2 will require mastery of its new armor mods, including the Armor Charge system. This guide will showcase how to unlock armor mods as a newcomer, what armor mods do, how the Armor Charge system works, and we'll showcase how every Armor Charge mod in Destiny 2 works.
Updated January 13, 2024, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Wish has added a new mod energy scalar system that makes certain mods less effective on abilities with longer base cooldowns. This impacts virtually every build in Destiny 2, at least in PvE. This specific mechanic is covered in our ability cooldowns guide, but for the purposes of this guide, we've updated our mod tables to mention if the mod is affected by this new system or not.
Additionally, Season 23 also nerfed most ability cooldown mod values. We've updated every mod affected by this change with accurate values.
Unlocking Armor Mods
If you've played Destiny 2 at any point before Lightfall, you'll have every mod unlocked by default. Veteran players should skip to the next section.
New Lights will start Destiny 2 with a limited selection of usable armor mods. To unlock additional armor mods, you must increase your Guardian Rank. You can find your current Guardian rank in the 'Journey' tab in your inventory menu.
Inspecting your current rank will showcase a series of challenges you must complete to increase your rank. Some of these Triumphs unlock various armor mods as rewards. Reach Guardian Rank 6 and complete the 'Threats and Surges' R7 challenge to unlock every armor mod in the game.
Anyone who was grandfathered into Guardian Rank 6 won't need to complete the "Threats and Surges" Triumph.
Installing Mods And Upgrading Your Armor
Armor mods are the bread and butter of most builds. It's what enables your character to spawn Orbs of Power, enhance their finishers, increase their damage resistance, and generally improve ability uptime. From your inventory, hover over the right-hand side of the UI and select the 'Mod Customization' tab to see all of your armor mods.
This screen looks intimidating at first glance, but this menu mostly serves to give an overview of your build. Select any armor piece to check that item's mod sockets. You should see four sockets. The first socket is a General Mod Socket, allowing you to increase one of your armor's core stats (explained in the next section).
The other three slots are Armor Mod Sockets. Each armor slot in Destiny 2—helmet, arms, chest, boots, and class item—has unique armor mods that greatly improve your ability uptime or weapon performance.
Hovering over a mod socket will showcase all of your options. Each mod you equip costs a set amount of energy capacity. For example, the Hands-On helmet mod costs three energy. This means you'll need a helmet with three spare energy to socket this mod. If your armor doesn't have enough spare energy, you can either remove mods already installed on your armor piece or upgrade the armor itself.
Upgrading Your Armor
All armor in Destiny 2 can be upgraded to increase its energy capacity. In the same modding screen, hover over the "Energy" bar that's above your mods. Selecting this will upgrade your armor at the cost of upgrade materials like Glimmer and Legendary Shards, later ranks requiring coveted Masterwork materials.
Armor can be upgraded a total of ten times. A fully upgraded armor piece is known as a Masterworked item, denoted by a gold border. Masterworked armor pieces have ten energy capacity and grant bonus stats to your character.
Armor Mod FAQ
Armor Mod FAQ |
---|
What Armor Should I Upgrade?
That depends on a few factors. If you just need to upgrade an armor piece a couple of times, it's almost always worth doing. The first few armor upgrades are quite cheap, costing a small sum of Glimmer and Legendary Shards.
Once it starts costing Enhancement Cores or Prisms, avoid upgrading the item unless it's a high-stat armor piece or an Exotic. For more information on what makes an armor piece 'good' in Destiny, consult our high-stat armor guide.
What Mods Are Worth Using?
Equip Resilience mods until you have 100 Resilience. This should be the main priority for any new player, as the Resilience stat drastically increases your survivability with each tier.
Once you have 100 Resilience, look into equipping ammo finders in your helmet, Orb of Power generators on gloves, damage resistance mods on your chest, and ammo scavengers on your boots.
How Do I Get Upgrade Materials For My Armor?
Consult our hub page for guides on how to get every resource in Destiny 2. For armor, you're looking for Glimmer, Legendary Shards, Enhancement Cores, Prisms, and Ascendant Shards.
Is There A Way To Make Modding Less Tedious?
Yes. Use Destiny 2's loadout manager. You can find it on the left-hand side of the inventory screen. Select any empty space to save a loadout for future use. Saved builds will immediately equip all weapons, armor pieces, armor mods, and subclass Aspects and Fragments tied to that configuration. Destiny Item Manager is also a handy tool for creating and saving loadouts.
Destiny 2: How To Reach 1810 Power Level Quickly
Reach the 1,810 Power cap quickly with this complete guide.Armor Stats Explained
Excluding class items, all armor pieces in Destiny 2 increase six of your character's core attributes: Mobility, Resilience, Recovery, Discipline, Intellect, and Strength. For every ten points you have in a given stat, the magnitude of that stat's effect increases. For example, going from 20 to 30 Discipline lowers your grenade cooldown slightly, but going from 23 to 27 does not.
The table below showcases what every armor stat in Destiny 2 governs.
Mobility |
Governs strafe speed, initial jump height, and the Hunter's Dodge cooldown. |
---|---|
Resilience |
Governs PvE damage resistance, total HP, flinch resistance, and the Titan's Barricade cooldown. |
Recovery |
Governs health regeneration delay and the Warlock's Rift cooldown. |
Discipline |
Governs grenade ability cooldown. |
Intellect |
Governs Super ability cooldown. |
Strength |
Governs melee ability cooldown. |
If you're interested in how exactly each stat affects ability cooldowns, consult our Destiny 2 ability cooldowns guide.
Armor Charge Explained
Armor Charge is a rework of Destiny 2's previous Charged with Light system. Armor Charge is a malleable buff that is granted, consumed, and modified through armor mods. By default, Armor Charge can stack up to three times and lasts until death. This changes once you start equipping mods.
While any Armor Charge mods are equipped, picking up an Orb of Power grants one stack of Armor Charge.
Similar to Charged with Light, Armor Charge mods are color-coded to denote their purpose, as described below:
Green |
Grants stacks of Armor Charge when the listed condition is met. |
Yellow |
Consumes one, three, or all Armor Charge stacks when the listed condition is met. |
Blue |
Grants a passive bonus while Armor Charged. Your Amor Charge stacks now decay once every 10 seconds. |
Unless you have blue Armor Charge mods equipped, your Armor Charge stacks will not decay. For example, if you're running a build that uses Grenade Kickstart and nothing else, your stacks will persist until you throw a grenade. Keep this in mind when deciding what you wish to spend your Armor Charge stacks on.
Stacking multiple blue Armor Charge mods will not increase your stack decay rate. For example, if you have six Font mods equipped and gain Armor Charge, you'll gain all six passive benefits for ten seconds, the same as with a single mod. If you wish to extend your passive buff duration, you can use the Time Dilation mod found on class items.
Armor Charge FAQ
Armor Charge FAQ |
---|
What's The Best Way Of Getting Armor Charge?
Orbs of Power serve as your main source of Armor Charge. So long as you have Armor Charge mods equipped, picking up an Orb of Power will grant x1 Armor Charge. You can buff this further with the Stacks on Stacks mod on leg armor.
Equip Firepower, Heavy Handed, or Siphon mods to easily spawn Orbs of Power for yourself and allies. As for mods that grant Armor Charge, we find Empowered Finish to be quite useful.
How Many Armor Charge Stacks Can I Hold?
You may hold up to three Armor Charge stacks by default. You can increase this value by equipping Charge Up mods in your chest armor. With three Charge Up mods, you can hold up to six Armor Charge stacks.
Some Of My Favorite Mods Are Gone. How Do I Replicate X Effect?
Most iconic Combat Style mods got converted into Fragments and Armor Charge mods. Well of Life is now the Ember of Mercy Fragment on Solar, Reactive Pulse got split into Spark of Instinct on Arc and Proximity Ward on the class item. Firepower got merged into Grenade Kickstart. All damage mods got rolled into weapon surge mods on leg armor.
Grenade builds should spec for Grenade Kickstart, melee builds should use Melee Kickstart, and Stasis builds should rely on Elemental Charge and Stasis Shards to gain Armor Charge. If your build uses abilities with lengthy base cooldowns, consider using Font mods instead of Kickstart or flat cooldown reduction mods.
What Are The Best Armor Charge Mods?
For PvE, you can't go wrong with Weapon Surge mods on boots and Kickstart mods on arms and the class item. Weapon Surge mods are excellent for increasing your overall DPS in raids and other endgame activities. Kickstart mods help increase your ability uptime, letting you throw more grenades or use your melee ability more often.
For PvP, we recommend Time Dilation and Font mods. Time Dilation makes your Armor Charge stats last longer, while Font mods greatly improve your stats while Armor Charged. Powerful Friends and Radiant Light might not give stats anymore, but these are still powerful mods for getting Armor Charge in coordinated groups.
All Armor Mods Explained
This section will explain how every armor mod works in Destiny 2, including Armor Charge mods. Expand any of the subsections below to find any mods you're interested in. Mods are separated based on slot and if they interact with the Armor Charge system.
All Armor Charge mods can be found in the "Armor Charge Mods" subsection, while all mods that don't interact with Armor Charge can be found in their respective armor slot section. Mods are listed in alphabetical order.
Nearly all mods showcased below work inside the Crucible. We'll make any mention if the mod doesn't work or otherwise behaves differently in PvP environments. We also want to give credit to the Destiny Data Compendium for providing stat values for many of the mods covered in this section. For values missing from the compendium, we tested them ourselves.
Helmet Mods
All helmet mods that don't involve Armor Charge can be found in this section. These mods include Ammo Finders, Scouts, Ashes to Assets, Hands-On, Dynamo, Power Preservation, Siphons, and Targeting mods.
Ammo Finder Mods |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Weapon kills have an escalating chance of spawning Special/Heavy ammo. Ammo restored is equivalent to 33/67/100% of a standard ammo brick. Primaries (especially Exotics) spawn ammo much more frequently. Does not work in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (finder brick grants more ammo) |
Equipping an Ammo Finder mod will cause your weapon final blows to spawn a Special or Heavy ammo brick upon defeating enough PvE combatants. The type of finder mod determines the ammo type that drops (Special or Heavy). Finder bricks grant 33% of the ammunition of a standard brick, although this can be increased by stacking multiple copies of this mod.
Despite the in-game description, ammo finders drop deterministically. Finder mods work on a point system that tallies up the number of weapon kills you've earned. Upon reaching 100 points, your next kill is guaranteed to drop a finder brick. The type of weapon you use determines how many points you'll earn for each kill (shown below). Ability kills cannot trigger Ammo Finders; you must use a weapon to see any benefit.
Listed values are averages. Enemy rank (minor, major, boss) has no impact on kill requirements.
Weapon |
Finder Tally |
Avg. Kills Per Brick |
---|---|---|
Heavy |
1.2% |
84 Kills |
Special |
1.75% |
58 Kills |
Primary (Non-Exotic) |
4.25% |
24 Kills |
Primary (Exotic) |
5% |
20 Kills |
In essence, you'll want to use Primary weapons to trigger Ammo Finders with any degree of frequency. Since the average points earned per Special and Heavy kill is so low, we do not recommend using Finder mods for double Special loadouts. Special Finisher is better suited for that playstyle. As with all ammo mods, Finders do not work inside the Crucible.
Ammo Scout Mods |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Bricks generated from Ammo Finders now spawn for allies, granting 33/67% ammo of a standard brick when grabbed. Requires an Ammo Finder mod to function. Bricks only spawn for allies. |
Stacks? |
Yes (allies receive more ammo) |
Ammo Scouts allow your Ammo Finders to benefit your teammates, acting as an alternative to Aeon Exotic gauntlets. When you generate an ammo brick from an Ammo Finder, a finder brick will spawn at your location for teammates to grab.
This brick seems to be equivalent to a standard Ammo Finder brick, restoring ammo equivalent to 33% of a standard brick. A second Ammo Scout mod will increase this ammo to 67% of a standard brick. Allies can further increase the ammo restored by equipping an Ammo Scavenger mod on their leg armor.
There is no limit to how many Scout bricks you can generate. You must have an Ammo Finder mod equipped for Scout mods to function. Since Ammo Finder mods don't work in PvP, Scout mods do nothing inside the Crucible.
Ashes To Assets |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Gain 1.5/2.3/2.6% Super energy on grenade kills. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Ashes to Assets grants a small chunk of Super energy on grenade final blows, both in PvE and PvP. Any grenade that deals damage can trigger this ability, including Forerunner's "The Rock" grenade and Strand's Grapple ability.
If you have both Hands-On and Ashes to Assets in your loadout, grapple melee kills will trigger both mods but with severe diminishing returns; stacking two copies of the same mod will yield more Super energy. This mod does not refund Super energy while in a roaming Super.
Exact Super returns for Ashes to Assets can be found below:
x1 Ashes |
x2 Ashes |
x3 Ashes |
|
---|---|---|---|
Minor |
1.5% |
2.3% |
2.6% |
Elite |
3% |
4.3% |
4.8% |
Miniboss |
4.9% |
7.1% |
8% |
Boss |
4.9% |
7.1% |
8% |
Guardian |
2.6% |
3.5% |
4.1% |
Dynamo |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Gain Super energy upon using your class ability near targets. Less effective in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
With Dynamo equipped, using your class ability within 15 meters of an enemy will grant Super energy. The Super energy varies based on which class you're playing. Warlocks receive the greatest Super returns, followed by Titans and Hunters.
The class ability itself has no impact on your Super returns, only the class you're currently playing. For example, the Titan's Thruster ability grants the same Super returns as a Bastion Barricade.
It's also worth noting that Dynamo does not scale with enemy numbers or their rank. Dodging near a single Acolyte will grant the same energy as dodging near 20 Acolytes. Similarly, dodging near a single Acolyte will give the same energy as dodging near a Champion or boss unit.
Exact Super returns for using Dynamo can be found below.
From our testing, x2 and x3 Dynamo both seem to give the same Super returns. It's unclear if this is intentional.
Values in parentheses are for PvP.
x1 Dynamo |
x2 Dynamo |
x3 Dynamo |
|
---|---|---|---|
Hunter |
2.6% (1.3%) |
4% (2.5%) |
4% (2.5%) |
Titan |
3.2% (1.4%) |
5% (3%) |
5% (3%) |
Warlock |
5.1% (2.5%) |
8.1% (4.8%) |
8.1% (4.8%) |
Hands-On |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Gain 1.5/2.3/2.6% Super energy on powered melee kills. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Hands-On causes your powered melee final blows to restore a small chunk of Super energy, both in PvE and PvP. The tougher the enemy you kill, the more energy you'll receive. Hands-On works for all melee abilities, including grapple melee—although the grapple melee will receive diminished Super returns if both Ashes to Assets and Hands-On are equipped. This mod does not trigger from Glaives, Swords, and roaming Supers.
It appears that uncharged melee kills no longer trigger Hands-On, differing from its pre-Lightfall behavior. Uncharged melees that are currently buffed by subclass properties can trigger Hands-On, however, as these melee attacks technically count as powered melee abilities. Some examples include the Hunter's Combination Blow and the Titan's Roaring Flames buff.
Based on our testing, Super returns for Hands-On seem to be the same as Ashes to Assets in PvE. Crucible values are noticeably higher. Exact values are listed below:
x1 Hands-On |
x2 Hands-On |
x3 Hands-On |
|
---|---|---|---|
Minor |
1.5% |
2.3% |
2.6% |
Elite |
3% |
4.3% |
4.8% |
Miniboss |
4.9% |
7.1% |
8% |
Boss |
4.9% |
7.1% |
8% |
Guardian |
5.1% |
7.1% |
8% |
Power Preservation |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Super final blows spawn a miniature Orb of Power every two seconds, granting 2.5/3.75/4.37% Super energy. |
Stacks? |
Yes (Mini orbs grant more Super energy) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Power Preservation's in-game description isn't entirely accurate. What this mod actually does is it allows Supers to create Orbs of Power from kills once every two seconds. The strength of these Orbs of Power is roughly comparable to a Siphon mod, granting 2.5% Super energy when grabbed by your allies. Multiple copies of this mod scale the strength of these orbs, not how often you can spawn them.
Defensive Supers (Well of Radiance and Ward of Dawn) do not generate more orbs.
This effectively makes roaming Supers the best for generating Orbs of Power. For example, a default Arc Staff Super can generate seven Orbs of Power. With this mod, it will spawn an additional, weaker Orb of Power whenever it lands a kill, no sooner than every two seconds.
This means if you can keep Arc Staff up for 30 seconds and land a kill every two seconds, you can theoretically spawn 22 Orbs of Power—seven from the base Super, and 15 from Power Preservation. Only allies may grab these orbs.
Siphon Mods |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy (1 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Double kills with certain weapons will spawn an Orb of Power, granting 2.5/3.75/4.37% Super energy. The weapon's element must match the Siphon mod to function. |
Stacks? |
Yes (stronger orbs) |
With a weapon element that matches the Siphon mod, double kills will spawn miniature Orbs of Power for yourself and allies. This mod has a two-second cooldown before it can be triggered again. Stacking multiple copies of this mod will increase the Super energy gains from the generated orb. Harmonic Siphon will always match your currently equipped subclass element.
Targeting Mods |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy (2 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Element-matching weapons gain +5/8/10 aim assist, 15% accuracy, and ADS 25% faster. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased aim assist) |
Weapons that match the element of your equipped targeting mod will benefit from increased aim assist, tighter accuracy cones, and aim down sights faster. The ADS scalar stacks with your weapon's handling stat alongside any ADS-related perks like Snapshot Sights. Stacking multiple copies of the same targeting mod improves the aim assist bonus, not the accuracy and ADS scalars.
Harmonic Targeting works on any weapon that matches your currently equipped subclass element.
Arm Mods
All gauntlet mods that don't involve Armor Charge can be found in this section. These mods include Firepower, Heavy Handed, Bolstering Detonation, Focusing Strike, Impact Induction, Momentum Transfer, Weapon Loaders, Dexterity mods, and Fastball.
Bolstering Detonation |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Grenade damage restores 12/17/20% class ability energy. Half as effective in PvP. 7-second cooldown between uses. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
Dealing damage with your grenade will grant 12% class ability energy, reduced to 6% in the Crucible. Stacking multiple copies of this mod will increase the amount of class ability energy restored. Bolstering Detonation incurs a seven-second cooldown between activations.
Harmonic Dexterity |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy (2 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Element-matching weapons gain 20/25/30% faster swap times. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Weapons that match the element of your equipped dexterity mod can be readied and stowed 20% faster than normal. This stacks with your weapon's handling stat and related perks. If you're using Harmonic Dexterity, weapons that match your currently equipped subclass element will receive this benefit.
Harmonic Dexterity mods buff weapons that match your currently equipped subclass element.
Fastball |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Grenades travel 25% faster when thrown. |
Stacks? |
No |
Fastball improves the travel time of your grenades in all game types, making your grenades land much closer to your reticle at medium distances. This does not speed up the grenade throwing animation. Fastball has no effect on Strand's Grapple ability.
Firepower |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Grenade kills generate an Orb of Power, granting 0.87/1.1/1.2% Super energy. Incurs a 10/5/1 second cooldown between uses. |
Stacks? |
Yes (stronger orbs and shorter cooldown) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Kills with your grenade ability will create a small Orb of Power at the target's location, granting 0.8% Super energy when collected. The Orb of Power is created for both you and your allies. Once used, Firepower incurs a ten-second cooldown before it can spawn another orb. Multiple copies of this mod decrease this cooldown.
Firepower and Heavy Handed both feature the lowest Super returns out of any Orb of Power generator. This mod is best suited for builds that utilize Armor Charge or orb mods found on leg armor, as every Orb of Power will grant x1 Armor Charge and trigger any equipped orb mods.
Focusing Strike |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Melee damage restores 12/17/20% class ability energy. Half as effective in PvP. 7-second cooldown between uses. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
Damaging an enemy with any melee attack will grant class ability energy. Once this occurs, Focusing Strike will incur a seven-second cooldown before it can trigger again. Both charged and uncharged melee attacks trigger Focusing Strike, but Glaive and Sword attacks do not.
Heavy Handed |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Melee ability kills generate an Orb of Power, granting 0.87/1.1/1.2% Super energy. Incurs a 10/5/1 second cooldown between uses. |
Stacks? |
Yes (stronger orbs) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Defeating an enemy with your powered melee ability will spawn a miniature Orb of Power at the target's location, granting 0.8% Super energy when grabbed. Both you and your allies receive an Orb of Power from Heavy Handed, making this great for Armor Charge builds. Heavy Handed may only spawn an Orb of Power once every ten seconds, reduced with each copy installed on your gloves.
Both Heavy Handed and Firepower feature the weakest Super returns out of any Orb of Power generator. We recommend using this mod for builds that benefit from Armor Charge or orb-related mods found on leg armor.
Impact Induction |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Melee damage restores 12/17/20% grenade energy. Half as effective in PvP. 7-second cooldown between uses. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
Impact Induction grants grenade energy whenever you deal melee damage, incurring a seven-second cooldown between activations. Both charged and uncharged melee attacks can trigger Impact Induction, but Glaives and Swords do not count.
Loader Mods |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy (2 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Weapons gain +10/15/18 reload speed stat. These weapons also reload 15% faster. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increases reload speed stat) |
Loader mods cause weapons that match the loader's element type to reload much faster. This mod increases the reload speed stat on your weapons by +10, increased with multiple mod copies. Additionally, your weapons will also gain a 0.85x reload speed scalar, making your weapons reload 15% faster regardless of their reload speed stat. This scalar is not affected by multiple loader copies. Harmonic Loaders buff weapons that match your currently equipped subclass element.
Momentum Transfer |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Grenade damage restores 12/17/20% melee energy. Half as effective in PvP. 7-second cooldown between uses. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
Momentum Transfer grants melee ability energy upon dealing grenade damage, incurring a seven-second cooldown between activations. Any grenade that deals damage can trigger this perk, including Forerunner's unique grenade.
Chest Mods
All chest armor mods that don't use Armor Charge can be found here. These mods include Ammo Reserves, Unflinching mods, Concussive Dampener, Sniper and Melee Damage Resistance, and Elemental DR mods.
Ammo Reserve Mods |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy (2 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Weapons gain +20/40/50 inventory size. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Inventory size is a hidden stat on all weapons that determines how much ammunition they can carry. You can view a weapon's inventory size in API apps like Destiny Item Manager. This stat varies wildly between weapon archetypes, so it's tough to state exactly how much ammo this mod grants.
Generally, Rocket Launchers can hold an extra rocket, Machine Guns get roughly half a magazine of spare ammo, and Special weapons get three or four extra rounds. Harmonic Reserves will grant this reserve buff to any weapons that match your currently equipped subclass element.
Concussive Dampener |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Take 15/25/35% less damage from AoE attacks. Has no effect in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Concussive Dampener causes all area-of-effect (AoE) attacks to deal less damage to you in PvE content. AoE attacks include anything with splash damage, including Explosive Shanks, Cursed Thrall, all explosive projectiles, and most environmental hazards.
Multiple copies of this mod stack with diminishing returns. Stacking Concussive Dampener with other DR sources will do so multiplicatively. For more information on this, consult our damage resistance guide.
Elemental Damage Resistance Mods |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy (1 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Take 15/25/25% less damage from the mod's listed element. Has no effect in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
No enemies deal Strand damage, so using Harmonic Resistance on a Strand subclass does nothing.
Elemental resistance mods provide damage resistance against PvE combatants that match your mod's listed element. For example, Void Resistance causes you to take 15% less damage from Void attacks in PvE content. Enemy projectiles, AoE attacks, melee attacks, and even environmental hazards can be mitigated with these mods.
Stacking the same elemental mod does so with diminishing returns, while stacking different types of elemental DR mods will do so multiplicatively. Unlike other DR mods, stacking the same elemental DR mod three times grants no added benefit.
Lucent Blades |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Swords gain +30/40/50 charge rate. Glaive projectiles grant +20/30/35% more guard energy. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Lucent Blades greatly increases the charge rate stat on any Sword you have equipped, regardless of the Sword's element. A sword's guard energy is used for blocking and heavy attacks, so increasing a Sword's charge rate can affect its DPS potential.
Glaives gain more guard energy from projectile hits instead, allowing them to block for longer. Both effects work in PvP and benefit compatible Exotics.
Melee Damage Resistance |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Take 15/25/35% less damage from enemies 4m or closer. Has no effect in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Melee damage resistance is deceptive in its description. Despite its name, melee damage resistance doesn't only work on melee attacks. It reduces the damage you take from enemies within four meters of you.
Any attack made within this distance will be mitigated, including weapon projectiles, explosives, and melee attacks. Stacking this mod increases the DR bonus with diminishing returns. Melee Damage Resistance stacks multiplicatively with other DR sources.
Sniper Damage Resistance |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Take 15/25/35% less damage from enemies 29m or further. Has no effect in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Similar to Melee Damage Resistance, Sniper Damage Resistance refers to engagement distance rather than specific enemy types. Any attacks initiated from 29 meters or further will be mitigated by Sniper Damage Resistance. This includes any type of attack, including weapon projectiles and explosives.
If a sniper unit is closer than 29 meters to you, it will not have its damage reduced. Stacking multiple copies of this mod will increase its DR value with diminishing returns. Stacking this mod with other DR sources will do so multiplicatively.
Unflinching Mods |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy (2 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Weapons gain +25/35/40% flinch resistance. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Unflinching mods cause your weapons to experience less flinch while taking damage, similar to perks like No Distractions and Perfect Float. Flinch itself refers to the violent movement of your reticle while taking damage. It pushes your reticle off target if you're aiming at the enemy. Conversely, flinch pushes your reticle towards the target if your aim is off. This mod mitigates the magnitude of this flinch.
Stacking multiple sources of flinch will do so multiplicatively. Sources of flinch resistance include the stability stat, Resilience stat, certain perks, Rally Barricades, and various origin traits. YouTuber Coolguy has an excellent video that covers nearly every source of flinch for those interested.
Leg Mods
All leg armor mods that don't use Armor Charge can be found here. These mods include all Orb of Power energy mods (Absolution, Innervation, Insulation, Invigoration, and Orbs of Restoration) alongside Better Already, Recuperation, Ammo Scavengers, and Holster mods.
Absolution |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Orbs of Power grant 5/7.5/10% grenade, melee, and class ability energy when collected. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Absolution causes all Orbs of Power you collect to grant additional grenade, melee, and class ability energy. All orb types will grant the same amount of ability energy. Absolution has no cooldown and can be stacked multiple times.
Ammo Scavenger Mods |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy (2 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Ammo bricks restore 28-38% of reserves, from 25-33%. Has no effect in PvP. |
Stacks? |
No |
Scavenger mods cause all ammo bricks you find to restore more ammunition. By default, ammo bricks restore roughly 25-33% of your ammo reserves with Ammo Finder bricks providing less. Scavenger mods cause those bricks to give roughly 3-5% more of your total reserves as ammo from these bricks. While that sounds small on paper, this allows Rocket Launchers to collect 1-2 more rockets, Machine Guns to scavenge another magazine, and Special weapons can grab another 3-4 rounds.
Since this mod works based on ammo reserves, equipping Reserve mods on your chest does impact how much ammo Scavengers can grant.
Better Already |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Picking up an Orb of Power immediately starts health regeneration. |
Stacks? |
No |
Better Already causes your health and shields to immediately start regenerating upon collecting an Orb of Power. The strength of the orb does not matter, and the regeneration speed is affected by your Recovery stat. Taking any damage will end Better Already's health regeneration effect. Despite the in-game description, Better Already gives no measurable benefits when stacked.
Holster Mods |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy (1 if Harmonic) |
---|---|
Effect |
Holstered weapons reload 10/10/15% of their magazine every 2.5/2/2 seconds. Does not work with single-shot weapons. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Weapons that match the holster mod's listed element will automatically reload while holstered, similar to how Envious Assassin works. Holstered weapons are reloaded in chunks every couple of seconds. This continues until the weapon's magazine is full, your reserves run out, or you swap to the weapon prematurely. Unlike Ambitious and Envious Assassin, there is no audio queue for when this perk triggers.
It's worth noting that Holster mods do not work on Rocket Launchers, Breech-Loaded GLs, Bows, and other single-shot weapons. The only exception to this is Parasite.
Innervation |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Orbs of Power grant 10/13/15% grenade energy when collected. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Picking up any Orb of Power will restore a small chunk of grenade energy, enhanced with multiple copies of this mod. The strength of the orb you collect has no bearing on the energy received from Innervation.
Insulation |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Orbs of Power grant 4/5/6% class ability energy when collected. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Insulation grants a small chunk of class ability energy when collecting an Orb of Power. The strength of the orb has no impact on the class ability energy received. Insulation features the worst energy returns out of any orb-related mod and is generally not recommended for most builds. Class ability returns are the same for all classes across all game types.
Invigoration |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Orbs of Power grant 10/13/15% melee energy when collected. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Picking up an Orb of Power will restore a small chunk of melee ability energy. The strength of the orb has no bearing on the energy restored by Invigoration.
Orbs Of Restoration |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Orbs of Power grant 10/13/15% energy to the least-charged ability when collected. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Collecting an Orb of Power will cause your least-charged ability—grenade, melee, or class ability—to receive a small chunk of energy. The strength of the orb and the ability it's recharging have no impact on Orb of Restoration's energy returns. Orbs of Restoration does not grant Super energy if your core abilities are charged.
Recuperation |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Orbs of Power restore 70 HP when collected. |
Stacks? |
No |
Collecting an Orb of Power will restore 70 HP immediately. Despite the description, this mod can restore your shields if your HP is already full. What's also misleading is the in-game subsection stating this mod stacks. Recuperation does not stack.
As a point of reference, Guardians at T10 Resilience have 200 total HP and shields. You can expect to restore just over a third of your HP and/or shields each time you grab an Orb of Power with Recuperation equipped. As with other orb-related mods, the strength of the orb you collect has no impact on the HP restored.
Class Item Mods
All armor mods that socket into the class item (capes, bonds, and marks) that don't use Armor Charge can be found here. These mods include Bomber, Outreach, Distribution, Reaper, and Proximity Ward.
Bomber |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Using your class ability restores 12/17/20% grenade energy. Reduced effectiveness in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
Bomber causes your class ability to restore a chunk of your grenade energy when used. The amount of energy restored depends on your class ability's base cooldown. The longer the ability's base cooldown is, the less energy Bomber will grant. This mod's effectiveness is halved inside the Crucible.
Distribution |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
While near a target, using your class ability restores 4/6/7% ability energy and 2/3/4% Super energy. Reduced effectiveness in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
Distribution is effectively Dynamo combined with Bomber, Outreach, and the first part of Utility Kickstart. Using your class ability within 15 meters of an enemy will cause you to gain a large portion of ability energy. Ability energy refers to your grenade, melee, and class abilities. Distribution also stacks additively with other energy sources.
As with most energy mods, your class ability's base cooldown dictates how much energy Distribution grants. The longer the cooldown, the less energy you'll receive from this mod.
Outreach |
---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Using your class ability restores 12/17/20% melee energy. Reduced effectiveness in PvP. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
As with Bomber, Outreach causes you to gain a chunk of melee energy upon using your class ability. Your class ability's base cooldown determines how much energy you receive. The longer your ability's base cooldown, the less energy you'll receive.
Proximity Ward |
---|
Cost |
2 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
Gain a 200-point overshield while performing a finisher. Expires once the finisher is executed. |
Stacks? |
No |
Performing a finisher will grant you a temporary overshield that has roughly 200 HP, effectively doubling your HP. Finishers also grant 60% damage resistance while in the animation, so this mod effectively makes you unkillable while performing a finisher.
This overshield drops roughly one second after the finisher animation is complete. Proximity Ward acts as another layer of HP and does not remove Void Overshields or Stasis Overshields active on your character.
Reaper |
---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
---|---|
Effect |
After using your class ability, your next weapon kill will spawn an Orb of Power, granting 0.87/1.1/1.2% Super energy. Incurs a 10/5/1 second cooldown between uses. |
Stacks? |
Yes (stronger orbs) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
Using your class ability will cause your next weapon kill to spawn an Orb of Power at the slain target's corpse. This Orb of Power can be grabbed by both you and your allies, restoring a small chunk of Super energy when grabbed. Any weapon kill can spawn this orb, regardless of element. Any class ability can trigger Reaper, including those provided by subclass Aspects.
As with Firepower and Heavy Handed, Reaper incurs a short cooldown on activation before it can be used again. This cooldown may be decreased by equipping multiple copies of Reaper on your class item. Bear in mind that once you trigger Reaper, you must kill an enemy within ten seconds or no orb will spawn.
Armor Charge Mods
All mods that interact with the Armor Charge mechanic are listed in this section. Unless otherwise listed, all of these mods work inside the Crucible. While any Armor Charge mod is equipped, picking up an Orb of Power will also grant x1 Armor Charge, up to a maximum of x3 Armor Charge stacks.
Charged Up |
---|
Armor Slot |
Chest |
---|---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
Effect |
+1/2/3 Armor Charge Capacity |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased effect) |
Each Charged Up mod equipped increases your Armor Charge carrying capacity by one. With one mod, you can carry up to four Armor Charge stacks, increased to five and six with additional Charged Up mods.
Elemental Charge |
---|
Armor Slot |
Legs |
---|---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
Effect |
Subclass pickups have an escalating chance to grant x1 Armor Charge |
Stacks? |
Yes (fewer pickups required) |
Elemental Charge allows you to gain Armor Charge by collecting subclass pickups. These pickups include Solar's Firesprites, Arc's Ionic Traces, Void Breaches, Stasis Shards, and Strand's Tangles. Not every subclass gives the same chance of Armor Charge. Stasis Shards give the least progress towards an Armor Charge stack while Tangles grant the most.
Stacking multiple copies of this mod will reduce the average number of pickups required to gain Armor Charge, as shown below. Elemental Charge does not have a cooldown between activations.
Strand Tangles must be destroyed through weapon damage to trigger Elemental Charge. Throwing a Tangle to destroy it does not count.
x1 Elemental Charge |
x2 Elemental Charge |
x3 Elemental Charge |
|
---|---|---|---|
Stasis Shards |
4 |
3 |
2 |
Ionic Traces |
3 |
2 |
2 |
Void Breaches |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Firesprites |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Tangles |
2 |
2 |
1 |
Emergency Reinforcement |
---|
Armor Slot |
Chest |
---|---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
Effect |
Grants 10% DR for 6/9/12 seconds when your shields break. Consumes all Armor Charge. |
Stacks? |
Yes (longer duration) |
Emergency Reinforcement is the same as Protective Light from older seasons. When your shields break, you gain 10% additional damage resistance for the next six seconds, consuming all Armor Charge stacks in the process. You'll need at least x3 Armor Charge for this mod to activate. Emergency Reinforcement stacks multiplicatively with other DR sources and is not affected by Time Dilation.
The duration of Emergency Reinforcement is determined by two things: Armor Charge stacks and mod duplicates. Both effects will scale your duration by three seconds per additional mod equipped or Armor Charge consumed. To achieve the maximum duration of 12 seconds, you'll need to use either x3 Emergency Reinforcement, consume x5 Armor Charge, or a combination of the two. The table below showcases these exact breakpoints. Emergency Reinforcement cannot last longer than 12 seconds, regardless of your mod configuration.
x1 Emergency Reinforcement |
x2 Emergency Reinforcement |
x3 Emergency Reinforcement |
|
---|---|---|---|
3 Armor Charge |
6 Seconds |
9 Seconds |
12 Seconds |
4 Armor Charge |
9 Seconds |
12 Seconds |
N/A |
5 Armor Charge |
12 Seconds |
N/A |
N/A |
Finisher Mods |
---|
Armor Slot |
Class Item |
---|---|
Cost |
1-3 Energy |
Effect |
Ability: Restores 75% ability energy for 3 Armor Charge. Additional charges consumed grant +10% each. |
Benevolent: Spawns 3 Orbs of Power for your allies. |
|
Bulwark: Provides a 50-point overshield for 10 seconds. |
|
Empowered: Grants x1 Armor Charge if you have no charges. |
|
Special: Generates a Special ammo brick for you and your allies. |
|
Stacks? |
No |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Destiny 2's loadout manager struggles to swap Finisher mods if they're socketed in different slots. Keep your finisher mods in the same socket across all builds to ensure they work with in-game loadouts.
Finisher mods behave identically to pre-Lightfall. Finisher mods require three Armor Charge to function, consuming all stacks to provide some benefit. Ability-related finisher mods will consume additional Armor Charge stacks, granting even more ability energy than usual. You may only equip one finisher mod at a time. You cannot perform finishers on enemy Guardians in PvP, meaning these mods do not work in the Crucible.
Font Mods |
---|
Armor Slot |
All |
---|---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
Effect |
+30/50/60 to the listed stat while Armor Charged. Armor Charge now decays over time. |
Stacks? |
Yes (stronger effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
No |
Font mods provide +30 to the listed stat while you have Armor Charge, decaying every ten seconds. Additional Font mods stack to provide additional stats, up to a cap of +60 stats with three copies.
As with other stat-boosting effects in Destiny 2, you cannot exceed 100 stats with these mods equipped. Equipping different types of Font mods will not hasten Armor Charge decay. You can extend how long these Font buffs last by using the Time Dilation mod. Font mods are unaffected by your ability's base cooldown, unlike most energy-generating mods.
Kickstart Mods |
---|
Armor Slot |
Arms and Class Item |
---|---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
Effect |
Refunds 16-45% ability energy on use. Half as effective in PvP. Consumes all Armor Charge stacks on use, granting additional energy per stack. |
Stacks? |
Yes (stronger effect) |
Energy Scaling? |
Yes (base cooldown affects energy returns) |
Kickstart mods refund a portion of your ability energy when your ability energy is fully expended. The mod checks if the energy is spent, not if the ability is used. This is an important distinction as it means you can trigger Kickstart mods from subclass Aspects (Consecration, Ensnaring Slam, et cetera).
Ability Energy Scalars
Kickstart mod energy is also determined by your ability's base cooldown. The longer the cooldown, the less energy you'll receive from your Kickstart mods. This is unaffected by armor stats.
Exact energy returns are determined on an ability-by-ability basis. Scalar values for each ability may be found in our ability cooldowns guide.
Using your ability will only refund a portion of your ability energy if you have Armor Charge stacks. Duplicate Kickstart mods behave identically to additional Armor Charge stacks. As for energy returns, there are serious diminishing returns as you invest in this mod. Generally, you'll see optimal returns with six Armor Charge stacks.
The table below showcases the exact energy return values you can expect with Kickstart and Armor Charge investment. Bear in mind that these values are halved inside the Crucible.
x1 Kickstart |
x2 Kickstart |
x3 Kickstart |
|
---|---|---|---|
1 Armor Charge |
16% Energy |
21% Energy |
25% Energy |
2 Armor Charge |
21% Energy |
25% Energy |
32% Energy |
3 Armor Charge |
25% Energy |
32% Energy |
37% Energy |
4 Armor Charge |
32% Energy |
37% Energy |
41% Energy |
5 Armor Charge |
37% Energy |
41% Energy |
43% Energy |
6 Armor Charge |
41% Energy |
43% Energy |
45% Energy |
Powerful Attraction |
---|
Armor Slot |
Class Item |
---|---|
Cost |
2 Energy |
Effect |
Using your class ability collects all Orbs of Power within 10/15/20 meters. |
Stacks? |
Yes (increased range) |
Powerful Attraction causes your class ability to automatically collect every Orb of Power near your position. This triggers immediately upon expending your class ability energy, including unique class abilities found on subclass Aspects or Exotics.
The base radius is 10 meters, increased to 15 and 20 meters with each additional copy of Powerful Attraction you install. For reference, the Threat Detector perk and the Gambler's Dodge ability have a base radius of 20 meters. We highly recommend using at least two copies of this mod for consistent results.
Orbs you pickup will grant their full Super energy and trigger any Orb of Power effects on your armor or subclass. For example, those using Recuperation will immediately heal themselves upon using a class ability, provided there's an Orb of Power nearby. Picking up multiple orbs this way will trigger your orb-related mods and subclass Fragments multiple times.
Powerful Friends |
---|
Armor Slot |
Helmet |
---|---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
Effect |
Picking up Orbs of Power grants x1 Armor Charge to nearby allies. |
Stacks? |
No |
Allies near you gain x1 Armor Charge whenever you grab an Orb of Power. A full fireteam using this mod can easily maintain Armor Charge stacks in all content. This Armor Charge cannot exceed your current Armor Charge cap.
Radiant Light |
---|
Armor Slot |
Helmet |
---|---|
Cost |
1 Energy |
Effect |
Casting your Super grants allies x1 Armor Charge. Allies with a different subclass element gain x2 Armor Charge. |
Stacks? |
No |
Casting your Super will grant x1 Armor Charge to all nearby allies. If they're using a different subclass element than you, they will gain twice as many stacks. Pair this with Well of Radiance to easily trigger weapon surge mods during a DPS phase.
Shield Break Charge |
---|
Armor Slot |
Arms |
---|---|
Cost |
4 Energy |
Effect |
Breaking a shield with a weapon that matches its element grants x1 Armor Charge. |
Stacks? |
No |
This mod does nothing inside the Crucible.
Breaking a shield that has the same elemental affinity as your weapon will grant x1 Armor Charge. For example, breaking a Solar shield with a Solar weapon will trigger this perk, but using an Arc weapon to break a Solar shield will not. Osmosis weapons can also trigger this perk if your subclass element matches the shield type. Stacks on Stacks works with this mod, granting x2 Armor Charge upon breaking a matching shield.
Stacks On Stacks |
---|
Armor Slot |
Legs |
---|---|
Cost |
4 Energy |
Effect |
Gain +1 Armor Charge whenever you receive Armor Charge. |
Stacks? |
No |
Despite the in-game description, Stacks on Stacks works on all sources of Armor Charge, not just Orbs of Power. Whenever you gain Armor Charge, you'll gain an additional stack of Armor Charge. Mods like Empowering Finish, Radiant Light, and Shield Break Charge work with Stacks on Stacks. This added Armor Charge stack cannot bypass your Armor Charge carrying capacity.
Time Dilation |
---|
Armor Slot |
Class Item |
---|---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
Effect |
Armor Charge decays every 15/18/20 seconds. |
Stacks? |
Yes (stronger effect) |
Time Dilation extends the duration of Armor Charge stacks while you have passive (blue) Armor Charge mods equipped. A single mod extends the decay rate by five seconds. Stacking this mod three times will double your Armor Charge duration. If you aren't using passive Armor Charge mods, this mod does nothing. Time Dilation does not extend the duration of Emergency Reinforcement.
Weapon Surge Mods |
---|
Armor Slot |
Legs |
---|---|
Cost |
3 Energy |
Effect |
+11/17/22% weapon damage while Armor Charged. Reduced to +3/4.5/5.5% in PvP. Your Armor Charge now decays over time. |
Stacks? |
Yes (stronger effect) |
Surge mods stack with empowering buffs (Radiant, Weapons of Light, etc.) and weapon damage perks.
While Armor Charged, surge mods grant a damage increase to weapons that match the listed element. For example, Arc Weapon Surge buffs the damage of all Arc weapons while you have Armor Charge. You do not need to have a matching subclass equipped for surge mods to function.
Weapon Surge mods stack with other buffs and weapon perks, notably Radiant and Weapons of Light. Stacking this mod increases the strength of the damage bonus, granting 11%, 17%, and 22% for each surge mod equipped—reduced to 3%, 4.5%, and 5.5% inside the Crucible.
Surge mods cause your Armor Charge to decay every ten seconds. To increase the uptime of this buff, consider using the Time Dilation mod and Stacks on Stacks mod.