Another game-changing decision on Bungie’s part is to make artifact mods in Destiny 2 not limited to twelve anymore, which has been the case for the longest time. Players will still earn their first twelve artifact mods the same way as they do now, and instead of not being able to unlock any other, they will be able to do so at an increased experience gain rate, which will most likely scale up just like the artifact’s bonus Power Levels. This is a huge change for Destiny 2, as players won’t have to keep resetting their artifacts for thousands of Glimmer just to swap their mods around, but rather they will have the option to unlock everything in the artifact for incredible build diversity.
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Why More Artifact Mods are a Great Change in Destiny 2
Artifact mods in Destiny 2 are often meta-defining in many ways, starting with the first row, which often features several options for Anti-Champion mods and weapon combinations - such as Anti-Barrier Bows and Overload SMGs, both of which will be actually available next Season. The first row is usually something all players fully unlock because it’s wise to have a great selection of weapons to use against different Champion types, and up to now, that meant five artifact mod slots gone out of twelve. Oftentimes, the artifact also features more Anti-Champion mods in subsequent rows, as well as powerful utility and damage mods in the fourth and fifth row.
With the fifth row especially it can be quite hard to pick and choose, considering that a limit of twelve mods meant that players could only obtain and use up to two different mods from there. The fifth row also typically includes extremely valuable mods, such as Breach and Clear from Season of the Splicer or Particle Deconstruction from Season of the Lost. Thus, Destiny 2 players have often been limited in their choices, and this has hindered build diversity in a game where theorycrafting and coming up with unique combinations can be very rewarding.
Having no such limits on the artifact mod pool is fantastic because it means that players will be free to experiment at any given point, truly creating their own playstyle. This is very valuable everywhere in the game, be it in PvP, where targeting mods and Orb-generating mods are more important, or be it in PvE, where Anti-Champion mods and debuff-stacking mods are the play. Bungie did state that build customization was going to be a thing once more with Destiny 2’s 30th Anniversary Pack sandbox update, and it seems like the game is indeed headed in that direction.
If artifacts remain the same, then players will be able to unlock up to 25 artifact mods per Season depending on how much they play and how many bounties they successfully complete. Twenty-five mods means over 50% than before, and it’s only natural that out of all of them there will be several great choices for build customization and diversity. If this was the case in Season of the Lost, players could easily have Particle Deconstruction, Thermoclastic Blooming, Focusing Lens, and Well of Potency at the same time, something that would open up a lot of options. Overall, this change is one of the best to come in Destiny 2 in a while, and it bodes well for the future of the game.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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