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Destiny 2's seasonal model allows players to hop in and out of the game without missing out on much of the story. Throughout each season, players are given a seasonal artifact, which typically relates to the story and provides the player with power bonuses the more they play and partake in the season. Alongside this, seasonal artifacts offer players various seasonal mods, which can be equipped on armor pieces and weapons to assist players through the season's various challenges.
For Season of the Plunder, players have been given the skeleton key, and the mods on the skeleton key grant bonuses to the newest updated light subclass Arc 3.0, which was also released with the season. However, not all seasonal mods are useful, and players will need to grind experience to unlock every single mod in the artifact, so it's worthwhile knowing the best seasonal mods available.
Mods Explained
Every mod in Destiny 2 has an energy cost associated with it. Mods can cost between 1 and 10 energy points and will depend on the strength of the effect of the mod. Every armor piece in Destiny 2 has up to 10 energy slots, and players can increase the number of energy slots an armor piece has through various materials.
Each piece of armor in Destiny has four mod slots in total, and each of them is used for different mods:
- Mod Slot 1: General
- Mod Slot 2 & 3: Specific to each armor piece
- Mod Slot 4: Combat Style
Alongside this, each armor piece in Destiny 2 comes with its own elemental affinity, which determines what mods can and can't be placed in the armor slots.
Overload/ Unstoppable/ Barrier Mods
These mods aren't necessarily fantastic mods by themselves --they aren't useful in most content that players will encounter in Destiny 2. However, they are almost a mandatory evil when facing Champions. Each of these modifications will allow a certain weapon type to counter a champion, which can be found in Seasonal Content, as well as Master Dungeons and Nightfall Strikes. Here is the list of every Champion counter mod, alongside their respective weapons for this season:
Overload: Bow, Heavy Machine Gun
Unstoppable: Pulse Rifle, Shotgun
Barrier: Scout Rifle, Auto Rifle, Sniper
Sword & Machine Gun Scavenger
Sword/ Machine Gun scavenger are great seasonal mods that are available quite early on within the Skeleton Key. Both running for only one energy point each, they're incredibly cheap for the benefit they provide. Normally these mods cost 4 or 5 energy slots which makes them particularly useful for splashing into a build here and there if players have spare slots.
Scavengers are used on boots in the second slot and increase the amount of ammo gained when players pick up an ammo brick.
Mod Cost: 1
Equipment: Boots
Focusing Strike
Focusing Strike can be a particularly useful mod due to this season's Arc 3.0 scene. Focusing Strike is a mod for arms that, without the seasonal mod, requires a void elemental affinity. However, unlocking the special version of the mod from the seasonal artifact allows it to be placed on any arms, regardless of affinity. On top of this, it reduces the cost from 2 to 1, making it a bit more cost-efficient in player builds.
Focusing Strike grants players class ability energy when damaging an enemy with a melee attack. This can be quite effective for any player running a melee build, which typically is for Hunter or Titan.
Mod Cost: 1
Equipment: Arms
Surge Detonators
Surge Detonators are a rather niche mod and can only be used in certain content. Surge Detonators allow the player to overload a champion via dealing grenade damage. This may not seem that useful, but for certain builds, this mod is absolutely fantastic for players looking to do high-end content like Master Dungeons or Grandmaster Strikes, where champions are plentiful. The reasoning behind this mod is so powerful is that players will no longer need to run a certain weapon for Overload champions meaning they can swap to a weapon of more benefit.
Mod Cost: 2
Equipment: Class Item
Thermoshock Plating
Thermoshock Plating is a fantastic mod that can be equipped on chest armor. For only 2 energy cost each, Thermoshock Plating grants both Arc and Solar resistance to players that equip it. This mod is a great general usage mod for players looking to tank up a bit, given that it's on chest armor, which doesn't offer much in the ways of unique mods, it's a great mod to fill in if players don't have anything else to put in.
Mod Cost: 2
Equipment: Chest
Trace Evidence
Trace Evidence is all about Arc 3.0. Trace Evidence grants players an Ionic Trace when defeating combatants affected by Arc debuffs. Arc debuffs can be applied in many ways, generally speaking, it's done through the player's subclass abilities (Grenade, Melee, and Class).
Ionic Traces function similarly to an Elemental Well, which grants players a boost to all their basic abilities. Ionic Trace is great for players looking to optimize and find certain builds around the new Arc 3.0 subclass and push the limits of Destiny 2's subclass system.
The main downside of Trace Evidence is that it requires a fair amount of unlocks to acquire. Being in the last column, it will take some time before players are able to get their hands on this great mod.
Mod Cost: 4
Equipment: Class Item
Lightning Strikes Twice
Lightning Strikes Twice is an interesting mod with an insane amount of potential. When a player has Lightning Strikes Twice equipped, and they throw an Arc grenade, they'll gain increased grenade regeneration for a short period of time. Players can extend this duration by getting Arc final blows.
This mod is incredibly expensive at 7 energy slots, meaning it may not be worth its while to some players. This is a mod that players should only look to invest into when they're going for a grenade build, Titans, in particular, can use the exotic chest piece Heart of Inmost Light for an absurdly high DPS combo.
Mod Cost: 7
Equipment: Class Item
Sundering Glare
Sundering Glare is the most general use mod in the final column of the Skeleton Key. A returning mod from many seasons before the season of the Plunder, Sundering Glare allows players to weaken a target by landing rapid precision blows on it. Weakening a target allows for the player to deal increased damage against it, which can be rather useful to newer or solo players who don't have access to debuffs such as Divinity or Shadowshot.
Sundering Glare doesn't require Arc to be used effectively, meaning players who aren't running Arc this season or are looking for a more general build should look to add this into their arsenal.
Mod Cost: 6
Equipment: Class Item
Destiny 2 is now available for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
