Kody Wirth
Destiny 2 has so many ways for you to upgrade and boost your stats. From Armor Mods and perks to the ability to Masterwork, there are a lot of systems at play to help you min-max your Guardian. However, one often overlooked Mod system is still incredibly important to dive into — your Weapon Mods.
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So which Weapon Mods are best in Destiny 2? Let’s list them and find out.
February 2022 Update: This article has been updated in preparation for the launch of The Witch Queen. While Weapon Mods haven’t seen many adjustments, there’s a good chance that this system may change with the arrival of weapon crafting. This update is meant to provide greater detail and more accurate descriptions of how each Mod functions leading into the expansion.
Weapon Mods and How to Acquire Them
Legendary weapons in Destiny 2 have a range of random stats, perks, and a single empty Mod slot where you can equip and switch between a range of unlocked Weapon Mods. For just a bit of Glimmer, you can get damage boosts, perk extensions, additional ammo, or boosts to general stats in specific scenarios.
In the past, there were multiple ways to acquire these Mods. Now, you can only earn them by turning in rank-up packages to Banshee-44. So be sure to dismantle any unneeded weapons and armor and stack up on weapon parts to speed up this process.
You can also earn Adept versions of most of these Mods by going flawless in Trials of Osiris or completing a Grandmaster Nightfall. These provide boosted benefits of the same Mods, typically adding a +10 to the stat or an added buff. These are difficult to unlock, so don’t worry about pursuing them, but if you happen to earn one, be sure to use it.
Best Weapon Mods in Destiny 2 Ranked
There is a fairly limited pool of Weapon Mods currently in Destiny 2. Since you only get one per weapon, it’s really up to your playstyle, and you need to decide which is best in a given scenario. That being said, it can be difficult to know where to start and you really don’t want to waste that Mod slot on a useless buff.
To help you work through them, here are the best Weapon Mods in Destiny 2. Keep in mind, the benefit for each Mod will fully depend on a weapon’s specific base stats and Perk rolls. You’ll need to leverage a 3rd party app to be able to view and test hidden stats to truly understand if a Weapon Mod is worth equipping.
Honorable Mention: Sweaty Confetti
Description: Causes a festive celebration on each precision final blow. This is a cosmetic mod that is consumed when inserted into a weapon.
This Weapon Mod was introduced as part of the 30th Anniversary DLC and in all reality is worthless when it comes to improving gameplay. However, if you’re a Halo fan that loved activating the Grunt Birthday Party Skull to see confetti pop with headshots, it’s worth adding it in for a trip down memory lane. Just keep in mind that this mod will do you no favors gameplay-wise and is purely cosmetic so just run it during low-level or casual gamemodes.
8. Radar Tuner and Radar Booster
Description: Radar comes up faster after ADS and shows enemies further out.
There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a firefight, thinking you’re clear, only to get nailed in the back because you didn’t pick up enemies on your radar. That’s where these two Mods come in, with Radar Tuner virtually eliminating the delay when coming out of aim down sites (ADS) and Radar Booster dramatically increasing the range.
These are some of the best weapon Mods for new players that are just getting used to using the Radar. However, these should be the first to go in favor of some of the other Mods on this list.
7. Backup Mag
Description: Increases magazine size.
A little more ammo can go a long way, and this is especially true if you’re running with a small clip. While there’s no consistent increase, this Mod typically adds around three additional shots to your magazine. Additionally, you should be able to stack this Mod with Ammo Finding Armor Mods in a specific weapon category, allowing you to bolster your ammo well past weapon standards.
This is another Mod that’s useful in a pinch, and can easily be switched to as a backup if there’s no specific need for targeting or perk boosting.
6. Counterbalance Stock
Description: Reduces recoil deviation.
Counterbalance Stock helps make the recoil direction more consistent. Recoil direction is not a visible stat, so you’ll need to use a third-party app to uncover it for every weapon. If your weapon has a recoil direction of 20, 40, 60, or 80 it will kick to the right. If it’s a 10, 30, 50, 70, or 90 it will kick to the left. When a weapon’s recoil direction ends with or close to a 5 (like 85 for example) it will tend to kick more vertically. The closer to 100 the more likely your recoil will be consistent and minimized.
So, how does the Counterbalance Stock benefit you then? Well, it adds +15 to your overall stat, which can either help or hinder you. Your goal with this mod is to use it if it helps you hit a higher stat that also places you closer to a number that ends in five. The only thing that complicates this further is that your barrel can also affect your recoil direction stat. This means you’ll need to run different tests to see what adding the Mod or changing the barrel will do and if you actually need to use the Mod.
In short, this is a useful Mod in the right circumstance. It’s not an automatic benefit and will require some trial and error. For a more detailed walkthrough and a solid example of this Mod in action, check out this video by Fallout Plays.
5. Targeting Adjuster
Description: This weapon gains a better target acquisition.
Anytime that you can get some aim assist in Destiny 2 is well worth it. While it won’t automatically gravitate you to an enemy headshot, it will increase the magnetism of bullets, causing them to curve toward an enemy. Expect to gain a +5 adjustment to your aim assistance stat, which can be viewed through 3rd party mods. Many players find that Hand Cannons tend to see the greatest benefit, but this Mod should be mainly used on weapons with abysmal base assistance.
4. Icarus, Freehand, and Sprint Grip
Description: Improve accuracy while in the air, firing from the hip, or after sprinting.
Accuracy is key in high-level play and Crucible. That’s why leveraging one of these Mods (depending on your go-to playstyle) can be crucial in boosting your aim assist. These are mainly useful for short-range weapons, like Shotguns, since they all encourage you to be moving. That said, Icarus Grip and Freehand can be especially deadly for talented snipers in your group. Basically, if you don’t have a Mod equipped, pop one of these on and reap the benefits.
3. Quick Access Sling
Description: Weapons switch faster after emptying your magazine.
Switching between weapons can often mean death. That split second hand-off is often just enough for a rival Guardian or Champion to just lay you out. Thankfully, that’s not an issue with this Mod. On top of making you a whirlwind of weapons, it also encourages you to use up your full clip.
It can be easy to switch with a few bullets remaining, but this gets you in the practice of unloading before moving on. This is vital to get the most out of weapons, with slower transition speeds, making it a top choice when running Shotguns. The recent 10% equip/stow speed buff made it all the faster. Just remember that the true benefit of this Mod really depends on the other weapon Perks and the general animation speed you have due to your Handling stat.
Test different combinations to determine how much time you’re really saving and make sure that you’re also looking at other Handling Mods and stat boosts.
2. Minor, Major, and Boss Specs
Description: More damage dealt against a given enemy type.
If you’re running Raids, Nightfalls, or anything else at a higher difficulty you’ll want at least one weapon with one of these Mods equipped. The Minor Spec will increase your damage output against Red Bar enemies, the Major Spec will increase damage against Yellow Bar enemies and Champions, and the Boss Spec will increase damage against mini and final bosses (you’ll know them when you see them).
Having that extra damage, and stacking it with other Armor Mods, can help you make quick work of typically tough encounters. However, keep in mind that you’ll need to consider the activity you’re attempting and the weapon you’re using. The damage increase is fairly minimal but can push you from 3 shots into 1-2 shot territory if you’re close enough. Test things out and see if it makes a difference before fully committing.
1. Rampage, Dragonfly, and Surrounded Specs
Description: Selected perks last longer and deal more damage.
These are some of the better weapon perks you want to roll. Boosting the duration, damage, and blast radius (specifically for Dragonfly) is a must. If you have those perks rolled on a given weapon and are good at getting their status effects to pop, run with the complimentary Mod. You’ll find it hard to go back after how consistently you can get it to pop and stick around.
Become a High Grounder
Weapon Mods may not be game-breaking status effects, but they provide enough unique benefits to make them worth unlocking. Be sure to let your Fireteam know which Mods they should be running by sharing this article on your favorite social platforms. And for the latest on Destiny 2, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
Happy gaming!
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What even is this ; radar tuner being recommended for raids of all things, icarus so low on the list, and quick access sling at number 1, despite being useful on exclusively breech gls.
Hey Joe thanks for the reply!
For radar tuner, I solely recommended it as an option for any player new to Raids to help ensure there are no surprises from long-distance encounters. I agree, it’s not the strongest Mod option, and mentioned that as soon as you get really any other Mods on this list that it should be ditched.
Totally agree again that Icarus on its own is a strong Mod option with how often you end up in the air. I went back and forth on putting it higher on the list but when I ended up grouping it with the other accuracy Mods it felt like those held back the strength of Icarus.
I do think you’re underestimating how useful Quick Access Sling can be. I often run it with a Hand Cannon or Side Arm in one slot and Targeting Adjustor with a Scout Rifle or Bow in the other. Did this with Trials over the weekend and it saved me more than a few times. Sure, it definitely is a more obvious benefit with Grenade Launchers and really anything with a low clip size, but it also works really well with a strong short and mid-range weapon combo and makes breezing through your ammo not much of a concern.
That’s just my experience though, I totally get having a differing opinion here. Believe me, with how limited the Weapon Mods are compared to Armor Mods I went back and forth a lot on where to put things.
I think the article is too generalised.
The order of mods and some mods being recommended are absolutely worthless in pvp for example.
Same for some of the advice like increasing your air time depending on the game type your in.
You’re better off writing a couple dozen variations on the article with a diffrent gametype in mind for each.
That’s a lot more clickbait lures for the website, and presumably positive performance reports for you.
I got here through searching for the term best pvp destiny 2 weapon mods, which this obviously doesn’t conform to.
My recommendation thus is to break it up into seperate pages of valuable information specialised towards specific game types.
After all, we have 9 inventory slots for each weapon and armor piece. That’s easily 9 or more builds one can have with them at the same time to match specific game types.
Lazy folks like myself carry said configurations with them, and empty their mailbox with external apps during time in orbit so we don’t need to keep slots free for loot.
So, there is something in this article, that’s simply not true. A Counter Balance mod does NOT always help with Recoil Direction. For instance, using a Counter Balance mod on Messenger (non-Adept), will actually make the Recoil Direction worse. In order to see stats like this, you will need to use something like Destiny Item Manager, to see how putting on the CB mod makes specific guns worse. It all depends on a guns base stats. Another example would be if a gun has Arrowhead Brake or not. If it does, a CB mod would not help. I have never seen a gun that had Arrowhead brake, where a CB mod would help and it always makes it worse.
Exactly
Fyi your description for the recoil mod is easily the absolute worst advice and explanation ive ever seen because if you want to waste a mod then using that on a sniper would easily do it lol you have to be trolling because why would you ever EVER want or need recoil mods on guns you listed when everyone knows they are used on smg and some assault rifles to get to right recoil number