Destiny 2 | The Top 10 Best Ghost Shells Ranked

Ghosts have been around since the original Destiny. Up until the release of Beyond Light, these chatty little respawn machines were simply nonessential unlockables. Now, they act as an additional opportunity to add stats and buffs to your Guardian outside of your armor.

Instead of hoping to unlock a random top-tier Ghost Shell, you can now choose your preferred appearance and add Mods. So how do you get the most out of your Ghost? And which shells are the best looking? Read on for our full guide to the Destiny 2 best Ghost Shells!

What Are Ghost Shells in Destiny 2?

Ghost Shells are general cosmetic items that change the appearance of your Ghost, similar to Armor Ornaments. These use the same rarity system as weapons and armor but operate as separate equipable items, alongside Sparrows and Emotes. This means that you can equip Exotic variants of all of these items without limiting your ability to do the same with Armor and Weapons.

Most Ghost Shells are unlocked randomly by playing, through Bright Engrams, or by purchasing them through the Eververse. There’s also typically a new Exotic Ghost released as part of every season, as well as through special in-game triumphs. Again, with the Armor 2.0-like overhaul, these don’t come with specific perks, but they are a unique way to show off your accomplishments.

Best Ghost Shells in Destiny 2

There are no unique perks or benefits from equipping a specific Ghost Shell. Our rankings are solely built around the look, how they’re earned, and the rarity. These rankings are subjective based on our preferences, so be sure to let us know your favorites in the comments below.

10/10

Last City Shell

This Legendary shell is a classic iteration earned from the standard Destiny 2 campaign. While it may not be anything special, it represents the basic but iconic design that has become a staple of the franchise. Unlocking it and equipping it also showcases that you’re a long-time player that knows the history of the franchise. So if you want to go back to the beginning, this is the Ghost Shell to do it with.

How to Unlock: Originally unlocked through the Red War Campaign, but now unlockable as a random world loot drop.

9/10

Contender’s Shell

Another Ghost Shell associated with original Destiny 2 content, this one showcases your completion of the original Leviathan Raid. It was the first Ghost design to use the rounded edges that many shells featured throughout the first few years of new content. It even includes the original Seeker of Glory Perk, which tracks the number of encounters you defeat on the Leviathan. This is somewhat worthless since the Leviathan is currently gone, but it will more than likely be relevant in a coming season.

How to Unlock: Originally unlocked by completing Leviathan encounters, but now acquired through random Bright Engrams.

8/10

Peerless Precision Shell

Introduced in Season 4, this Exotic Shell originally provided a speed boost to your vehicle recall time and allowed you to reload weapons while riding. Other than that, there’s nothing incredibly special about this shell other than its simple Silver sheen and Fallen-like outer ring. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of a Halo Ring, with a bit of Destiny flair thrown in to keep it close to what makes Guardian designs unique.

How to Unlock: Acquire through random Bright Engrams.

7/10

Armory Forged Shell

The Black Armory may now only be back with Ada-1 as the Armor Ornament vendor. However, this Ghost Shell still remains as a memory of what made that game type, as well as the weapon and armor design so great. It’s slick, stylish, and still retains the classic design of the Last City Shell to make it familiar.

How to Unlock: Originally acquired as part of the Black Armory, but now available in the Eververse when in rotation.

6/10

Zeroneiro Shell

If you’re seeking one of the coolest Ghost Shells in Destiny 2, there’s no sleeker option than the Zeroneiro!

The Zeroneiro Shell has that shimmery Tron-like look that’s become the staple of Season of the Splicer. The slick look is only part of what makes this Exotic Shell so sought after, with the way you earn it being far more important. It requires you to complete Expunge without dying, which is far easier said than done, and well worth the work to acquire it.

How to Unlock: Complete Expunge Delphi without dying.

5/10

Challenger Shell

This may be one of the most uniquely designed Ghost Shells that really reflects the season it launched with. Earned through the season pass, its look is designed after a Centurion helmet with a bit of rustic flair to boot. While not difficult to acquire, it was limited to the last season, meaning that there is no current method to acquire it, making it somewhat rare.

How to Unlock: Unlock as part of the Season of the Chosen season pass.

4/10

Cottontail Shell

This is the second iteration of the Cottontail Shell and requires you to do a bit of work on your own. Running through the Prophecy dungeon solo is no walk in the park, and requires that you prep your Raid gear. While it may be a cuddly design, it represents quite the feat.

How to Unlock: Unlocked by completing the Prophecy dungeon solo.

3/10

Timeswept Shell

This Ghost Shell was the only new design released as part of Season 9. As one of the only Legendary Shells on this list, its design falls closely in line with classic Ghost Shells with a bit of Osiris flair. At the time it required you to raise the rank of any obelisk to acquire and is now currently unattainable, making it incredibly unique.

How to Unlock: Complete the Global Resonance triumph.

2/10

No Love Lost

This Exotic Ghost Shell can only be obtained as part of the Deep Stone Crypt Raid. It requires you to find the five Exo Stranger logs littered throughout the level, allowing you to finish the Rock Bottom Triumph. It’s a unique shell that requires a bit more work outside of completing an already intense Raid.

How to Unlock: Complete the Rock Bottom Triumph.

1/10

Shell of Gilgamesh

Number one on our list of Destiny 2 best Ghost Shells? The Shell of Gilgamesh!

This shell is unique since it requires you to continue completing the Presage Quest and uncover every scannable object across three separate weeks. The cool thing is that it is actually teased in the lore leading up to unlocking it, making it that much more special. If you’ve enjoyed the mission leading to unlocking Dead Man’s Tale, then this is a must-get that shows you know the recent in-game secrets.

How to Unlock: Find all scannable objects in the Presage quest.

Destiny 2 Best Ghost Shell Mods Explained

Now that Ghost Shells no longer roll specific or random perks, Ghost Mods are used to provide an additional stat boost. In essence, the best Ghost Shell ‘Perks’ in Destiny 2 have become the best Ghost Shell ‘Mods’ in Destiny 2!

To make everything more cohesive, these Mods operate exactly like Weapon and Armor Mods, meaning that in order to equip them, you need to upgrade your Ghost. 

Maxing them out will unlock 10 Energy slots that you can use to equip a variety of Mods within the limit. Just keep in mind that the Mods that cost the most Energy are also labeled as Fragile. This means that at the end of every season, these Mods will break and you’ll have to reequip the new version during the following season.

There are four slots, which you can equip only one of each type, in the following categories.

Experience Ghost Mods

The Mods in this slot grant a global experience boost to everything you do. The higher the Energy cost, the more experience you gain, with a 1–2% increase between each level. With One Energy, you gain a 2% XP increase, all the way to Six Energy that grants a 12% increase.

Tracking Ghost Mods

These Mods function similarly to some consumable items that were formerly available in the original version of the game. They track specific planetary resources and treasure chests through unique onscreen icons. The actual resources and how far away you can track them (between 20 and 75 meters) fully depends on the Mod you equip. There are even two Mod types that detect a combo of resources and chests, but they cost 5–6 Energy slots.

Economic Ghost Mods

If you’re looking for Mods that increase your ability to increase your resource acquisition, this is the slot to upgrade. You can increase Glimmer, Gunsmith Telemetry, and rewards from harvesting or public events. The difference with these is that the higher Energy slots increase the variety of final blows that provide these boosts.

Activity Ghost Mods

These Mods boost the loot that you gain from specific activities. You can decide to increase the loot earned from Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit, typically through wins or final blows. It’s worth noting that you can only unlock Mods in this slot after Masterworking the Ghost Shell.

How to Unlock Ghost Shell Mods

Thankfully, you can unlock Ghost Shell Mods through the same methods as Armor Mods. That means that most General Ghost Shell Mods can be earned through random world engrams. These are acquired by playing any in-game activity, with some specific Mods being more likely to pop by playing the activity they boost. 

You can also unlock these Mods by upgrading your Vendor reputation. Gain as many Vanguard tokens and Weapon Parts as possible, and turn them in to start unlocking these Mods. Unlocking them is entirely random, so just keep turning them in as often as possible. There are only so many to acquire, so it shouldn’t take long to earn them all.

How to Upgrade Ghost Shells

Upgrading your Ghost Shell to a Masterworked item works exactly the same as Armor and Weapons, except that any rarity can be Masterworked. This will increase your energy pool until you have 10 total points to work with. Unlike the other items that can be upgraded in this way, it only requires you to use Legendary Shards to do so.

This makes upgrading Ghost Shells much easier and less resource-intensive, meaning that you can upgrade as many as you want. Maxing them out will allow you to unlock the Activity Mod slot, giving you full access to every Mod you have acquired.

Become a High Grounder

Remember the good old days when your Ghost was simply a monotone Tyrion Lannister? Now they’re actually a useful item that you can upgrade to suit your needs with the look you want. Be sure to let us know which of the Destiny 2 best Ghost Shells are your favorites 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!