Armor in Destiny 2 was a bit of a mess at launch. Thankfully, the introduction of Armor 2.0 with the Shadowkeep expansion led to a drastic overhaul. This not only simplified resource management and brought back core vanilla Destiny stats, but introduced a refined Armor Mods system that allows you to slot different combinations within Armor sets.
And who doesn’t like min-maxing builds by switching out Mods, right? And with literally hundreds of Armor Mods that can change everything from your ability regeneration to weapon affinity, it’s a challenge to find which Mods work best. Luckily, there have become some clear category winners, depending on your play style, that have emerged.
So what are the best Destiny 2 Armor 2.0 mods right now? Let’s rank them and find out.
What Are Armor Mods and How to Acquire Them
Armor Mods are bonuses and perks applied to different aspects of your Guardian. This can look like boosts to your base stats, weapon targeting, additional armor or health boosts, etc. You have four slots per piece of armor, meaning that you have sixteen in total to work with. These are split into one universal slot, two armor-specific slots, and one seasonal/activity slot.
Additionally, these Mods are limited by the amount of energy it takes to apply them. You can have a maximum number of Mods that equal up to ten energy if you Masterwork the armor piece. Luckily you can change these out at any time for a minimal Glimmer cost, meaning there’s no limit to how often you can mix and match.
Now, how you acquire Armor Mods is quite simple. You can purchase the two daily options from the Gunsmith, turn in Weapon Parts to acquire random Mods, and work to upgrade your Seasonal Artifact.
Best Armor Mods in Destiny 2 Ranked Worst to Best
For this list, we’re not going to run through each individual Mod. Instead, we’ll be grouping them into similar categories while calling out a handful of top-tier options that should make them easy to identify when playing.
Let’s find out which are the best Armor Mods in Destiny 2!
15. General Armor Mods
General Armor Mods are a perfect way to round out your Mod setup. A minor boost (+5) costs only two energy, making it easy to slip in alongside other core Armor Mods. For any Mods that require you to subtract stats to equip it, you can run a major boost (+10) to balance out those stats.
Additionally, with a Masterworked piece of chest armor, you can approach maxing out several core stats. These are also cheap to switch in and out. This means that you can opt to boost Resilience and Grenades for one run, but switch to focusing on boosting your super and Mobility during another for just a bit of Glimmer.
- Description: +5 or +10 to Discipline, Resilience, Recovery, Mobility, Intellect, or Strength.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 1-5 Energy
14. Ammo Finder Mods
Most ammo-dropping Mods aren’t all that great on their own. To really get the most out of an Ammo Finder, you’ll want to stack it with an Ammo Scavenger Mod and possibly even a Special Finisher. The beauty of this Mod set specifically is that you will see ammo drop far more often after just a handful of kills.
This makes it best for PvE playlists where you want to leverage low ammo Special Weapons like Shotguns and Sniper Rifles or Power Weapons like Swords and Rocket Launchers. Rather than having to scrounge around for random drops and hoping to find anything, you can instead focus on getting kills and ensure that ammo will appear.
- Description: Increase your chance of finding ammo when you have the associated weapon type equipped.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 1-3 Energy
13. Targeting Mods
This is one of the best armor mods for PvP or any long-distance focused PvE activities. In Crucible especially, accurate headshots can mean the difference between getting a kill and being killed. Just know that you’ll need to stack at least two of these to see any real results — otherwise, it’s just a minor targeting and accuracy buff.
For more tangible results, you’ll want to apply this to weapons with fairly low handling and a high kickback, such as certain Hand Cannons. If you can, also look to run these alongside Weapon Mods like Freehand Grip, Icarus Grip, or Targeting Adjuster to potentially boost targeting under different engagement scenarios. You’ll likely see cheap energy variants pop up from time to time, so be sure to jump on acquiring those to save a few slots.
- Description: Improve target acquisition, accuracy, and aim-down-sights speed for a specific weapon type.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 1-5 Energy
12. Stacks On Stacks
Stacks On Stacks may be pretty low on this list, but it is necessary to get the most out of any Charged With Light buffs. In short, it will enhance your uptime thanks to the ability to gain two stacks for every single one that you earn.
Any time you can pair this with a Mod like Taking Charge (which activates Charged With Light when you grab an Orb) and a Masterwork weapon, you should see little to no downtime. Any build that leverages Charged With Light should have this equipped, and thankfully they’re all mostly low energy costs meaning that you can run multiple variants at once.
- Description: Add an additional stack of Charged With Light for every stack you activate in exchange for -10 Recovery.
- Element Type: Void
- Cost: 4 Energy
11. Global Reach
On the other side, if you’re not running Charged With Light, there’s a good chance you’re using Warmind Cells. Like Stacks On Stacks, Global Reach is a core Mod that can boost any other Warmind generating Mods you have equipped. Think of it like the Blast Radius perks found in Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers, but with the ability to continuously spawn and expand your explosives.
This is one of the best Destiny 2 PvE Mods available and makes it easy to take out hordes of low-to-mid-tier enemies with a single blast. If you can, create a build that uses Seventh Seraph or IKELOS weapons and any Exotic that includes a Catalyst that spawns Warmind Cells.
- Description: Spawned Warmind Cells will affect and damage targets from a longer distance.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 1 Energy
10. Elemental Charge
Elemental Wells are really only good with the right perks and Mods. In this case, running through an active well will add Charged With Light, doubling it if you match the elemental charge. And since these are often spawned through abilities, you are basically encouraged to spam Supers, Grenades, and Melee attacks to become Charged.
Of course, Stacks On Stacks also comes back into play here, allowing you to hit a quadruple stack with one charge. It is one of the clearest examples of how well these Mods can synergize.
- Description: Picking up an elemental well will cause you to become Charge With Light. Gain 2 stacks if the element type of the well matches your current subclass burn.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 2 Energy
9. Powerful Friends
Powerful Friends is one of the best Mods for Warlocks due to the ridiculous mobility boost. This can basically make your Dodge ability persistent for as long as the buff remains active. Aside from that, the Charged With Light sharing is beneficial if you’re within a Fireteam that is actively running builds that leverage this perk.
While you’ll struggle to alternate popping Charged With Light more often than not, it can still be crucial to kick off your Fireteam’s boost. Especially after they hit the cooldown of their own ability — this can bring it right back, and potentially with a double stack if they’re running Stacks On Stacks.
- Description: If you become Charged With Light, any nearby Fireteam members will gain the charge as well if they don’t already have it. Run this with a second Arc Mod to add +20 Mobility.
- Element Type: Arc
- Cost: 4 Energy
8. Special Finisher
It may feel like a strange tradeoff to use up bits of your Super in exchange for ammo. However, with some General Intellect Mods, you can easily boost regeneration even if you leverage this Finisher Mod a few times. And honestly, the amount of Special Ammo you get is well worth it.
Just keep in mind that this will not work in PvP and that your finisher will lock up if you don’t have enough Super energy. On the flip side, if you also have a Scavenger Mod equipped that lets you pick up Heavy Ammo whenever you grab Special bricks, this can be a major boon for ammo acquisition.
- Description: Finishers will use up one-third of your Super energy to spawn Special ammo for you and your Fireteam.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 2 Energy
7. Lucent Blade
Swords are a great time in Destiny 2 right now, and the recent damage and Mod additions only make them better. In this case, Lucent Blade helps you take advantage of some of the other Charged With Light Mods to supercharge your damage output while minimizing ammo consumption.
If you run Stacks On Stacks and Elemental Charge, you can easily have two to four stacks to use up at a given time. And with the increased heavy attack recharge rate, this means that you can easily take out Major enemies or strip away a sizable chunk of boss health in a single hit.
- Description: Dealing damage with a Sword while Charged With Light will consume one stack to boost Sword damage for 5 seconds. If a second Arc mod is equipped, your charge rate for an equipped Sword will increase.
- Element Type: Arc
- Cost: 4 Energy
6. Ammo Scavenger Mods
We mentioned this Mod when talking about the Ammo Finder Mods earlier on, and this is necessary to get the most out of it. On its own, you’ll gain additional ammo any time you pick up an ammo brick. As an added bonus, these can stack, allowing you to increase your pickups even further.
These are ideal for high-level PvE and any PvP modes where a few additional shots from your Special weapon can be crucial.
- Description: Gain bonus ammo reserves for a given weapon type when you pick up ammo.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 1-3 Energy
5. Taking Charge
This Armor Mod is mandatory if you intend to run Charged With Light. Just be sure that you run a Masterworked weapon and any Exotic with a Catalyst that spawns Orbs. Additionally, be sure to improve your Intellect and any other Mods that can help boost your Super regeneration to make the continuous cycle of spawning Orbs and becoming Charged With Light consistent.
- Description: Pick up Orbs of Power to become Charged With Light.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 3 Energy
4. Damage Resistance Mods
On the surface, Damage Resistance Mods may seem a bit useless. They’re typically very specific for certain scenarios, but that actually makes them perfect for switching out depending on the modifiers and events you’re playing in PvE. Some of the better options are reduced damage from long-distance and the Concussive Dampener Mod that helps mitigate AOE damage.
Just be sure that you stack two of these Mods to get the greatest resistance. Combined with a high level of Recovery and Resistance and you’ll just be a bullet sponge during Raids and Nightfall runs.
- Description: Reduce incoming damage from a specific type by 25% or stack two Mods to up this reduction to 40%. It cannot be stacked past two simultaneous Mods.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 1 Energy
3. Wrath of Rasputin
This is a rare Mod that has only been available from vendors three times in the last year or so. This is unfortunate since it’s so good and necessary for an effective Warming build. Like Global Reach, you’ll want to run a Seventh Seraph or IKELOS weapon, as well as any Masterworked or Exotic weapons with a Warmind generating Catalyst.
Additionally, try to run any Solar weapons and abilities if possible to increase the possibility of spawning Warmind Cells. And if you happen to have Rage of the Warmind as well, it may be worth running alongside to double up the chances of Warmind Cells spawning.
- Description: Any Solar splash damage eliminations can spawn Warmind Cells.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 1 Energy
2. Sundering Glare
There’s been a trend every season where one or two Seasonal Mods just break the game (in a good way). While this has been slightly nerfed due to the inability to stack, this Mod is still stupidly overpowered. It creates a debuff that weakens enemies and acts as a 25% damage boost for players. At the same time, it also makes every shot a critical hit.
If you run this with the Dead Man’s Tale Exotic Scout Rifle and Cranial Spike pops, you’re suddenly able to land headshots continuously and reload in virtually no time. And since it’s a debuff, just one player activating it will benefit the entire Fireteam, allowing each player to stack their own abilities on top of it.
- Description: Rapid precision hits against combatants weakens them for a short duration.
- Element Type: Universal
- Cost: 6 Energy
1. Protective Light
This Mod is great for any subclass, but it may be the best Mod for Titans in Destiny 2. That’s due to the incredible damage resistance you gain for being aggressive. Anytime your shields break when Charged With Light is active, you’ll see a 50% damage resistance buff, basically giving you a new overshield for a short time.
The more stacks you have, the longer this will stay active. This means that once again, Stacks On Stacks will be crucial to get the most out of this Mod. And if you or a Fireteam member have Powerful Friends equipped, you can almost guarantee that you’ll almost never lose the Charge.
- Description: Gain significant damage resistance when Charged With Light if your shields are destroyed. Any additional stacks will extend the resistance duration, and all stacks will be used up in the process.
- Element Type: Void
- Cost: 2 Energy
Armor Up
Armor Mods have been an interesting and key aspect of effective Titan, Hunter, and Warlock builds in Destiny 2 since the launch of Armor 2.0. Sure, things like the Seasonal Mods still need some work, but it’s still an in-depth and complex system that continues to improve with every expansion.
Be sure to let your Fireteam know which Mods they should be running by sharing this article on your favorite social platforms. For the latest on Destiny 2, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
