Excellent anti-Champion and support mods make Season 18 appear to be a success.
The artefact mod lineup Bungie presented for Destiny 2 Season 18 is a strong contender for the best one we’ve ever seen.
The studio’s most recent blog post(opens in new tab) is positively charged, as you might expect following that meaty Arc 3.0 preview announcing a new Super and improved Blink for Hunters, and next season’s artefact may be the most electrifying aspect.
The Season 18 anti-Champion mods are excellent. One of the most dependable ways to stun Champions is with the Overload Bow, and a fantastic long-range weapon is the Anti-Barrier Scout Rifle. There are also a few strong non-primary mods: Unstoppable Shotgun, Anti-Barrier Sniper, and Overload LMG will increase the usefulness of your special weapon slot while making it simple to counter all three Champion classes with cosy loadouts.
The icing on the cake is Sundering Glare, a resurrected mod that debuffs opponents when you score many headshots from a great distance. This will work flawlessly with the sniper and scout rifle mods for this season, as well as Unstoppable Pulse Rifle, to give reliable debuffs. Another good feature is the availability of less expensive scout rifle loaders and scout and sniper targeting.
We haven’t even discussed the new Arc material, which sounds really potent on its own. The returning mods Surge Detonators and Lightning Strikes Twice, which give your Arc grenades Overload and enhanced regen, should go nicely with Bad Amplitude because it causes arc skills to inflict the new Jolt debuff to foes.
Then there is Trace Evidence, which encourages the use of precise weapons by spawning Ionic Traces that regenerate abilities when you hit foes who have the Arc debuff. Also available are Thunderous Retort, which increases Arc Super damage while the new Amplified bonus is active, and Hype Train Conductor, which lengthens the effect’s duration. It’s always challenging to decide which Artifact mods to use in the class item slot, but Season 18 makes it even more challenging.
Though Sundering Glare is undoubtedly on their level, the Destiny 2 Season 18 artefact lacks show-stoppers like Oppressive Darkness, Breach, and Clear. However, this Champion mod lineup is unmatched, featuring best-in-slot primary support, two special alternatives, and some new heavy tech. There is little doubt that the Master and Grandmaster material for the upcoming season will go without a hitch.
In the Destiny 2 August 23 demo, we’ll get our first peek of Arc 3.0 and, more crucially, 2023’s Lightfall addition.