Destiny 2 Season 18 Game

KEY POINTS

  • Machine guns and sniper rifles are back in the anti-champion weapon pool
  • Burst supers are getting a damage-boosting artifact mod
  • A number of old artifact mods are returning for Season 18

"Destiny 2" Season 17 is officially coming to an end in less than a week, and Bungie has already given players some idea of what they can expect when coming into Season 18 on Tuesday.

Apart from the recent Arc 3.0 reveal, the developers also previewed the full list of Artifact mods that are coming next season. As always, the previous season's mods will be removed and replaced with a new batch, so players can finally say goodbye to Classy Restoration in PvP.

Most of Season 18's artifact mods understandably affect the Arc subclass. In the latest "This Week at Bungie" update, Bungie revealed a few of these Arc-related mods that can be unlocked after spending at least 10 points on the seasonal artifact:

  • Thunderous Retort – increases Arc Super damage if cast while in critical health or while Amplified
  • Hype Train Conductor – increases the duration of the Amplified buff
  • Trace Evidence – precision hits on Jolted targets spawns Ionic Traces
  • Bad Amplitude – Arc ability damage Jolts champions

Thunderous Retort sounds like it is going to be a must-have in raid boss encounters, especially for Falling Star Titans, Chaos Reach Warlocks and Hunters with the new Gathering Storm Super.

The Horror's Least pulse rifle from Destiny 2
The Horror's Least pulse rifle from Destiny 2 Destiny 2

As for the weapon meta, Bungie is adding back the following:

  • Unstoppable Pulse Rifles
  • Unstoppable Shotguns
  • Overload Bows
  • Overload Machine Guns
  • Anti-Barrier Scout Rifles
  • Anti-Barrier Sniper Rifles

This could potentially see the return of the Thunderlord machine gun into the PvE meta. It is not only great for damaging tough targets, but it is also excellent for clearing mobs. The Cloudstrike sniper rifle falls in the same boat as well.

A few mods from previous seasons will also be returning, including:

  • Sundering Glare – precision hits on distant enemies weaken them
  • Lightning Strikes Twice – dealing damage with Arc grenades increases grenade energy recharge rate
  • Surge Detonators – Arc grenades stun Overload Champions and disrupt other targets
  • Inferno Whip – Solar melee abilities stun Unstoppable Champions
  • One-cost Scout Rifle Targeting and Loader
  • One-cost Sniper Rifle Targeting
  • One-cost Machine Gun Scavenger and Holster

There will also be two mods that buff the effects of Origin perks, but Bungie has not yet revealed which perks are to be affected.

Destiny 2 - Riskrunner
The Riskrunner exotic SMG from Destiny 2 Destiny 2