One of the core parts of Destiny 2 is damage resistance, especially in more challenging pieces of content like Grandmaster Nightfalls or Master Raids. Utilizing various tricks to incorporate damage resistance into general play is essential to avoid constantly dying in complicated encounters or high-level areas of the game. Thankfully, practically all sources of damage resistance can be stacked on top of each other, allowing for insane resistance levels.

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This article will list the main sources of damage resistance inside Destiny 2, how to obtain them, and ways to include them in a build that can easily be taken into high-end content. As well as this, percentages will be provided when applicable to show what sources of damage resistance are the best.

8 Use Subclass Verbs

Some Of The Highest Damaging Abilities Contain Verbs

With the release of The Witch Queen, subclasses in Destiny 2 saw a complete overhaul in functionality, changing them to match the system Stasis was operating under involving Aspects and Fragments.

However, the main part of these subclasses is the 'verbs'. These describe the effects applied by the subclass, and some are incredibly useful at granting forms of damage resistance. The subclasses with the most notable forms of damage resistance are Strand and Void, each providing ways to increase damage resistance. Using a simple Void or Strand build will let players gain access to these verbs.

Damage Resistance Percentages

7 Spec Into Resilience

The Easiest Method Of Gaining Damage Resistance Up To 30%

Resilience is the easiest way to gain damage resistance inside Destiny 2. After Lightfall, Resilience saw a nerf in its effectiveness as it now provides less damage reduction overall. However, this stat is still easy to build into and focus armor sets around.

Thanks to armor focusing, players can use the Resilience Armorer on a Ghost in the economic mod slot to ensure that random armor drops will always have at least 10 Resilience, and are more likely to have higher Resilience values. Every multiple of 10 provides an additional level of resistance up to 100, so 49 Resilience is equal to 40 Resilience, so always try to reach the next multiple of 10.

Resilience Percentages

6 Use Subclass Fragments

Gain Bonus Stats and Powerful Effects

Specific subclasses have Fragments that interact with damage resistance. The most notable Fragments that do this are Whisper of Chains, Thread of Isolation, and Spark of Resistance on Stasis, Strand, and Arc, respectively.

Whisper of Chains grants 10% damage resistance when near a Stasis Crystal, Thread of Isolation applies the 'Sever' debuff to enemies, and Spark of Resistance gives 25% damage reduction when surrounded. If surviving seems to be an issue, make sure to incorporate these into builds in endgame content.

5 Using A Super

Guarantees Upwards Of 60% Damage Resistance

It may seem simple, but Supers grant some of the highest damage resistance values in the game. Every Super will grant upwards of 60% damage resistance while casting, with the lowest being Golden Gun. Even Supers like Well of Radiance grant incredible damage resistance, making a fireteam nigh-unkillable, while in one, thanks to the absurd healing on top of the 80% (approximately) damage reduction.

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Typically, 'one-and-done' Supers will grant the most resistance. Supers like Gathering Storm, Shadowshot, and Needlestorm all give around 80% damage resistance in the casting animation, potentially providing a few brief moments of safety while killing plenty of enemies.

4 Use Weapons With Specific Origin Traits

Certain Weapons Provide 15% Damage Resistance On Kill

Certain Origin Traits can provide damage resistance. The two most notable ones include Land Tank and Psychohack; Land Tank provides 5%, 10%, and 15% damage resistance at each stack. Psychohack functions similarly to Thread of Isolation, decreasing enemy damage output by 10% upon landing multiple shots.

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Land Tank can be found on any Season of the Chosen weapon. Sadly, these weapons are pretty old, meaning it's much harder to come by them. The best ways to obtain them are by waiting for them to appear in Banshee-44's weapon rotation, Xur's Weapon Rotation, or by completing the Vox Obscura Exotic Mission when it is active in the Exotic Mission Rotator. Psychohack can be found on Throne World weapons. The best place to farm these weapons is by completing the Wellspring activity in Savathun's Throne World. Here are some of the best weapons that drop with Land Tank or Psychohack due to their excellent perk pools and weapon frames:

• Come to Pass
• Piece of Mind
• Explosive Personality

3 Finish An Enemy

Effective Tool To Safely Kill High-Priority Targets Like Wyverns

Finishers, added in Shadowkeep, have a ton of utility. From restoring abilities to granting ammo, they are essential to success in more complex content, as enemies like Wyverns (which are very annoying) can be finished at around 45% hp. However, Finishers also have the added benefit of providing damage resistance while in the animation.

There is no definitive percentage of the values, but the consensus is that they are excellent for survival. On top of this, players can use the Proximity Ward mod on a Class Item, which grants a 200hp overshield during the Finisher animation, making players very difficult to kill during a Finisher.

2 Use Specific Exotics Or Weapons

Powerful Exotics Yield Super-Level Damage Resistance

Certain exotics and weapons grant damage resistance through their Exotic effect or a mechanic on the gun itself. Players usually opt for Glaives or Swords for damage resistance. A popular combination is combining the Lament Exotic Sword and the Titan's Stronghold Exotic Gloves, granting upwards of 90% damage resistance when set up correctly. Blocking with a Glaive also provides an absurd 97.5 damage resistance, making any Guardian blocking practically unkillable.

Other classes have some Exotic Armor pieces that function with specific abilities. Hunters can use Renewal Grasps to obtain upwards of 60% damage resistance with Whisper of Chains or Omnioculus to grant 50% damage reduction while invisible. Warlocks can use The Stag to give 25% damage resistance to anyone inside a Rift, which can be crucial when using Healing Rift.

Most Notable Damage Resistance Exotics

• Renewal Grasps
• Omnioculus
• The Stag
• Icefall Mantle

1 Equip Resistance Mods

Low Mod Cost And Efficient Defense Tools

On chest pieces, players can equip certain damage resistance mods to help survive specific elemental damage or Area of Effect (AoE) damage. While these mods are stackable, the returns are diminishing, and it's rare that only one damage type will be present in an activity. Therefore, it's recommended that players include multiple.

Usually, only a single copy of a resistance mod is needed to reduce the lethality of certain enemies. However, there may be a couple of situations, such as Grandmaster Nightfalls, filled with long-range enemies, where running multiple Sniper resistance mods will be acceptable. These mods may not be as flashy as the Seasonal Artifact Mods, but they are definitely very powerful.

Percentages Per Mod Copy

Platform(s)

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

Released

August 28, 2017

Developer(s)

Bungie

Genre(s)

FPS

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