What you need to know
- Destiny 2 developer Bungie has unlocked all of the game's "standard" armor mods for all players.
- This includes Charged with Light, Warmind Cell, and Elemental Well mods, as well as basic utility mods for things like finding ammo and tweaking ability cooldowns.
- This change comes as part of a wider effort to address some of Destiny 2's frustrating elements. Bungie also plans to make Grandmaster Nightfalls easier to access, and is reducing the Legendary Shard cost of focusing activity-specific engrams significantly.
Over the last few years, the value of buildcrafting in Bungie's space fantasy looter shooter, Destiny 2, has skyrocketed. Between the introduction of combat-focused armor mods and "3.0" subclass overhauls that allow for extensive customization, players have more options to improve combat efficiency than ever before. However, one major issue has prevented many players from buildcrafting effectively for almost two years: mod availability. The only way players that missed the original rollout of the aforementioned armor mods have been able get them is by purchasing them from Ada-1, a vendor that sells a randomly selected pair each day. This distribution method has proven to be extremely frustrating, as certain mods often aren't sold for months, and may not come around again for even longer once they are.
Fans have strongly and consistently voiced their frustration with this system for multiple in-game seasons, pleading with Bungie to simply unlock these mods for everyone. The developer has surprised the Destiny 2 community by doing exactly that in a recent update, as all "standard" armor mods can now be used by all players. This includes advanced Charged with Light, Warmind Cell, and Elemental Well combat mods, as well as simple utility mods for finding ammo, expanding weapon ammo reserves, improving ability cooldowns, and giving yourself resistances against specific damage types. Notably, raid-specific mods and Seasonal Artifact mods still have to be earned normally.
This change comes as part of a wider effort to address some of Destiny 2's more frustrating elements. Along with the global unlocking of mods, the studio also plans to make Grandmaster Nightfalls — one of the game's hardest and most rewarding types of content — easier to access, with more information about how its "Power cap and structure will become more approachable for all players" coming in the January 12 This Week at Bungie blog post. Focusing costs for Trials of Osiris, Iron Banner, Crucible, and Gambit gear is also being reduced to 25 Legendary Shards (50 for Adept gear) on January 17.
Ultimately, there are now zero barriers to Destiny 2's buildcrafting systems, and as such, there's never been a better time to try them out and see what you can put together. The best Destiny 2 builds will give you a serious edge in both PvE and PvP, so make sure you give them a shot.
Windows Central's Take
It's fantastic to see Bungie finally address this glaring issue, which was, without a doubt, one of the game's worst problems. Gone are the days where desperate players had to keep track of Ada-1's stock with automated Twitter and Discord bots, as everyone now has full access to all of them. Speaking as a consistent longtime Destiny 2 player that loves making fun and effective builds, I'm glad that newer and returning Guardians now have all the same options I do.
I'm also very excited by the prospect of more accessible Grandmaster Nightfalls, as the current Pinnacle cap and Artifact XP grind you have to slog through to play them each season can get pretty exhausting. Reducing the Legendary Shard cost of focusing activity engrams is also an excellent change, as it'll make it easier to hold onto a healthy amount of the currency going into the upcoming Destiny 2: Lightfall DLC.
