Destiny 2 has done away with seasons, replacing the system with Episodes now that The Final Shape expansion is out. The first Episode, Echoes, is set to start after the first week, but the artifact for the Episode is already out and players can level it—at least, its first part. The artifact is set to expand as the Episode goes on, most likely to keep things fresh now that players need to wait up to three months for another content update.

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The first act of Episode: Echoes has quite a few artifact perks centered around Prismatic, the newest subclass. But there are also a few other interesting newcomers, such as a push for swords to be good DPS options. Here's a look at the top artifact perks for Episode: Echoes.

7 Authorized Mod: Elemental Charge

Gain An Energy Discount On Elemental Charge Mod

This simple artifact perk gives a nice discount to the Elemental Charge mod, which basically has a chance of granting players armor charge whenever they pick up an elemental pickup like Firesprite, Void Breach, etc.

With its cost now significantly reduced to only one energy slot, it could definitely see some uptime in a few Prismatic builds in particular that take advantage of elemental pickups. Not only would players gain Armor Charge, but they might also get a Void Overshield or Restoration depending on the build or subclass they are running. A nice two-for-one deal.

6 Elemental Siphon

Kinetic Final Blows Create Elemental Pickups Matching Super

Still on the topic of elemental pickups, Kinetic weapons might see more use this season thanks to this artifact perk alone. Now, takedown with Kinetic weapons will create elemental pickups that match the player's Super.

The wording might seem confusing, and that's because it's meant to work well with Prismatic, where players might be running a different element on their grenade and on their Super. With the new Facet of Grace fragment for Prismatic, this artifact perk is going to likely see some use.

5 Radiant Orbs

Orbs Grant Radiant On Solar And Prismatic Subclasses

Orbs of Power are common drops in the game and now, if players are on Solar or Prismatic, picking one up will grant them Radiant, which buffs their weapon damage by 25% in PVE for a few seconds.

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This is extremely powerful, and a must-have for players who plan on spending a lot of time on Prismatic, but even on Solar, it removes the need to invest in a fragment that grants Radiant on melee. Anyone planning on hitting the day 1 raid race will probably grab this artifact perk for an easy damage boost on the go.

4 Argent Blade

Armor Charge Empowers Swords With Bonus Damage And Energy Charge Rate

Swords are on the menu right out of the gates for The Final Shape, and the artifact proves that. Not only do players get Overload Swords, but they also have Argent Blade. Armor Charge will empower sword strikes and energy charge rate, consuming a stack of charge when activated.

For endgame PVE, this could be a big change that puts swords in front of other damage options, depending on the boss type and the damage window. It will work perfectly with weapons like The Lament, and Fallen Guillotine, the latter being especially true with the next artifact perk that discusses Void damage sources.

3 Expanding Abyss

Void Damage Is Buffed Against Weakened Targets

Void weapons will be particularly efficient this season, provided that the target is weakened. As such, Expanding Abyss will be a crucial pickup for endgame PVE activities like raiding, and namely the day 1 race. With weaken being readily available, it's an easy way to deal even more damage.

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Not to mention, there are so many great Void weapons available now thanks to Into the Light, with Edge Transit, Hammerhead, and Fallen Guillotine looking particularly promising. But also, some Exotic options like Deathbringer and Truth might see more use this season.

2 Transference

Charge Abilities Faster In Prismatic Transcendence & Refund Energy

The artifact also comes with a go-to Prismatic perk, Transference. While Transcendence in Prismatic already grants a very good ability recharge rate across the board, Transference will make it even better. Moreover, weapon final blows will refund some Dark and Light energy while Transcendent, which will make reaching it much faster.

This is no doubt one of the strongest perks this season, especially for players who plan on spending a lot of time playing Prismatic. It basically tunes the entire subclass and its features up to 200%.

1 Shieldcrush

Elemental Buffs Grant Melee & Grenade Recharge

Shieldcrush is another great ability spam-boosting perk. Woven Mail, Frost Armor, and Void Overshield will not only grant more damage resistance but also charge the player's melee faster. Meanwhile, Amplified and Radiant will charge the player's grenade faster.

This widens the scope of buildcrafting for Prismatic even more, as players stack multiple sources of ability regeneration. However, even outside of Prismatic, this perk will be immensely valuable, with Radiant being potentially excellent for bringing back the likes of Starfire Protocol for Warlocks.

Destiny 2

Platform(s)

PS5 , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , PC , Stadia

Released

August 28, 2017

Developer(s)

Bungie