Champions in Destiny 2 have been around in high-difficulty activities since the Shadowkeep expansion. A selection of Exotic weapons and an armor piece for each of the three classes exist for this purpose, though the dominant sources of Champion counters have always been the mods from Destiny 2’s Seasonal Artifacts. These mods grant anti-Champion damage to a limited set of weapon types and an even more limited set of Subclass abilities, however, Lightfall will be lifting some of the restrictions that Champion counters have placed on buildcrafting, taking it to the next level.

The new additions to Champion counters were detailed in Bungie’s Buildcrafting Evolved article. Barrier Champions will soon be able to be stunned by Radiant Guardians using the Solar subclass, Volatile Rounds from the Void subclass, and an undisclosed method from Destiny 2's Strand subclass. Overload Champions will be able to be stunned by Jolt damage from the Arc subclass, Suppression from the Void abilities, and slowing them using the Stasis abilities. Lastly, Unstoppable Champions will be able to be stunned by Blinding them with the Arc subclass abilities, using Shatter damage from Stasis Crystals, Igniting them with Solar explosions, and another undisclosed method from the Strand subclass. In total, each Subclass is getting two new methods for stunning Champions, as well as related additions from other components to buildcrafting changes.

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Changes to Buildcrafting and Champion Counters in Lightfall

Destiny 2 Season of the Seraph Cipher Artifact Mods

With every subclass effectively getting a method for stunning Champions in Lightfall, players will be able to commit to their favorite subclass(es) for a wider range of activities. The Champion counters enabling the viability of more subclasses are further supported by the changes to elemental shields in Destiny 2, whereas players will soon be able to break shields without needing an exclusively compatible damage source. Having to diversify elemental damage types through weapons and subclass abilities previously forced players to use only a handful of subclasses depending on elemental shields and damage modifiers present. Since elemental shields are waning in influence, Champion counters will soon be the driving force behind players’ builds for late-game activities. With as many methods for countering Champions that Lightfall will offer, even the most influential factor is going to be fairly generous for buildcrafting.

Along with the Champion counters coming to each subclass, the mods from the Seasonal Artifacts are expected to continue to support a rotation of anti-Champion subclass abilities and weapon types. In Lightfall, Bungie will be updating Destiny 2’s mod system to eliminate the entry barrier that obtaining the mods posed, and they will instead be available directly through the new Guardian Ranks. At the same time, Seasonal Artifact mods will be transitioning to perks so that a selection of them can be equipped without interfering with mods, or any other buildcrafting elements. Seasonal Artifact mods changing to perks is a massive win for buildcrafting so that players can dedicate one less component to Champion counters.

Increased sources and variety of Champion counters will help players steer away from some of the historically underperforming sources, but most importantly will take buildcrafting to the next level. No longer needing to dedicate mods, abilities, and/or subclasses specifically for countering Champions, players can be successful with generously unrestricted possibilities for builds. This is a drastic improvement for solo players in Destiny 2, as they can soon draw on a plentiful variety of Champion counters in any single build.

With the changes to elemental shields and the removal of the Match Game modifier, Champions will take charge as the most influential factor in buildcrafting in Destiny 2. As a result, Champions could make a more essentialized presence in content throughout the Lightfall era of Destiny 2. With the number of methods Guardians can soon use to engage with Champions, buildcrafting is going to be as unrestricted as its ever been.

Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X. The Lightfall expansion is set to launch on all platforms on February 28.

MORE: Destiny 2: Anti-Champion Exotic Tier List

Source: Bungie