The release of Lightfall is upon us, and we'll be covering the Destiny 2 season 20 artifact mods down below so you can plan your characters accordingly. There's a lot changing in Destiny with the release of the Lightfall expansion, including how seasonal artifacts will work. Here's what to expect.
This season as we mentioned, there's a shift in how the seasonal artifact works, bringing back player choice. We'll detail how this change will affect you and also we'll give our recommendation on which mods to pick.
While you're here, if you're looking for more Destiny 2 content, then be sure to check out our Lightfall hub, where you can get more information about the expansion, as well as our Strand exotics guide, detailing the new exotics armor pieces we'll get to play with.
Destiny 2 season 20 artifact mods
Destiny 2 Season 20 seasonal artifact perks
Column One
- Anti-Barrier Sidearms - Your equipped Sidearms fire shield-piercing rounds and stun Barrier Champions. Additionally, Sidearms are always Overcharged when that modifier is active.
- Anti-Barrier Pulse Rifles - Your equipped Pulse Rifles fire shield-piercing rounds and stun Barrier Champions. Additionally, Pulse Rifles are always Overcharged when that modifier is active.
- Overload Bows - Damage by fully drawn arrows from your equipped Bows disrupts combatants, stunning the target, delaying ability energy regeneration, and lowering combatant damage output. Strong against Overload Champions. Additionally, Bows are always Overcharged when that modifier is active.
- Unstoppable Scout Rifles - Aiming down the sights of a Scout Rifle for a short time loads a powerful explosive payload that stuns unshielded combatants. Strong against Unstoppable Champions. Additionally, Scout Rifles are always Overcharged when that modifier is active.
- Automatics Overload - Sustained fire from Auto Rifles and Submachine Guns disrupts combatants, stunning them, delaying ability energy regeneration, and lowering combatant damage output. Strong against Overload Champions. Additionally, Auto Rifles and Submachine Guns are always Overcharged when that modifier is active.
Column Two
- Authorized Mods: Solar - The armor energy costs of all armor mods affecting your Solar weapons are significantly discounted.
- Authorized Mods: Strand - The armor energy costs of all armor mods affecting your Strand weapons are significantly discounted.
- Authorized Mods: Void - The armor energy costs of all armor mods affecting your Void weapons are significantly discounted.
- Authorized Mods: Grenades - The armor energy costs of all armor mods affecting your grenades are significantly discounted.
- Multi-Siphon Mods - Grants access to armor mods in your helmet that combine the effects of the Strand Siphon mod with the Solar Siphon Mod and the Void Siphon mods.
Column Three
- Shatter Orbs - The first time you break a combatant's shield, you create an Orb of Power if you break the shield with the matching damage type.
- Defiant Armory - Greatly improves the benefits provided by the Noble Deeds, Nanotech Tracer Rockets, Tex Balanced Stock, and Ambush Origin traits.
- Untangler - Destroying a Tangle with a Strand weapon suspends targets damaged by the explosion.
- Solar Surge - Collecting a Firesprite gives you Armor Charge.
- Volatile Flow - Picking up an Orb of Power grants your Void weapons Volatile Rounds.
Column Four
- Bricks from Beyond - Defeating a powerful combatant with a Void weapon has a chance to generate Heavy ammo for you and your teammates.
- Flare Up - Firebolt Grenades apply more Scorch stacks. Damaging a combatant with a Firebolt Grenade spawns a Firesprite near them.
- Origin Hones - Weapons with the Noble Deeds, Nanotracing Rockets, Tex Balanced Stock, and Ambush Origin traits are always Overcharged when that modifier is active.
- Allied Unraveling - Rapid final blows with a Strand weapon grant your weapon Unraveling Rounds, with a longer duration near allies.
- Counterweave - When you or a member of your fireteam stuns or defeats a Champion, you gain energy for your least-charged Strand ability.
Column Five
- Stranded Reach - Destroying a Tangle with a Strand weapon creates a larger and more damaging explosion.
- Rain of Firebolts - When you have Firebolt Grenades equipped, gain a second grenade charge.
- Void Weapons Channeling - You gain a temporary bonus to Void weapon damage after you defeat a target with a Void weapon while at least one of your Void abilities is fully charged. This damage bonus increases based on the number of fully charged Void abilities you have.
- Medieval Champion - Glaives you wield fire a powerful explosive payload that stuns unshielded combatants. Strong against Unstoppable Champions. Additionally, Glaives are always Overcharged when that modifier is active. Landing consecutive hits with a Sword disrupts combatants, stunning them, delaying ability energy regeneration, and lowering combatant damage output. Strong against Overload Champions. Additionally, Swords are always Overcharged when that modifier is active.
- Prismatic Transfer - When you cast your Super, each member of your fireteam with a subclass damage type different than yours gains a bonus to weapon damage.
In the Feburary 23, 2023 TWAB, Bungie reminded us of the changes coming to the artifact system. Here's what's about to happen:
Artifact mods are now artifact perks. These perks don't slot into gear anymore, but they're passively applied to your guardian.
Twelve perks are unlockable per character. You can reset the artifact for free any number of times to change which twelve you pick.
Artifice armour will no longer give an extra artifact mod slot, rather it will now grant three of any stat. Existing artifice armour will be changed to this new system.
What are the twelve best seasonal artifact mods for season 20?
As we mentioned earlier, players will be able to pick only twelve of these mods per character at any given point in time. So what are the best twelve perks to pick? Well, that depends on what you're doing.
One thing that we're not exactly sure of is what the minimum amount of perks per column can be picked. If we have to pick from left to right like we did in previous seasons, we're expecting that you'll have to pick three perks in the first column, two in the middle three columns and one from the last, or two from each.
That being said, right off the bat in the early days of the seasons, if you intend on doing content with champions in them, such as Legend lost sector farming or Nightfalls, then picking up one of each champion mod in column one.
Column two's mods are definitely preference depending on what subclass you're playing. Given that there's a lot of focus on void, strand and solar this season, I'd shy away from Arc. One that is very important here though is Multi-Siphon mods, because some of the more popular weapons are solar and void, and some more exciting, anticipated weapons are Strand, so combining these mods is huge.
For column three, Shattered Orbs is quite nice for solo play and can be great for super regeneration, this is a guaranteed pick.
If you're playing strand, solar or void, then we'd recommend picking up the appropriate perk as well. Of note, Volatile Flow is back from Season 16, which was one of the most competitive mods back then, so it could be worth considering if you're using a void weapon or running void in general.
Column four has some very interesting options. Bricks from Beyond seems very strong, allowing you to use your power weapon a bit more liberally. Allied Unravelling is very cool if you're using a strand weapon, and Flare Up is worth considering if you're looking to switch up your grenade choice and want to play into the new Solar mechanic.
Finally in column five is where some of the more powerful perks live. Early on, Stranded Reach, Rain of Firebolts, and Void Weapons Channeling are going to be your go to. Eventually, when you're playing in a fire team of different subclasses, Prismatic Transfer is going to be very strong.
And that's all you need to know about Season 20's seasonal artifact perks in Destiny 2 Lightfall! While you're here, be sure to check out our Hogwarts Legacy guides, such as our guide to getting into the Headmaster's Office, our guide to getting the Elder Wand, and our guide to getting more gear slots.