Destiny 2’sSeason of the Witch introduces players to yet another artifact: the Acolyte’s Staff. As ofLightfall’sbeginning, players unlock 12 of these perks, which are then passive buffs that don’t need to be slotted in like mods. This season comes with a couple of familiar, returning perk concepts, as well as something new: Elemental Orbs.
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While the new perks may seem underwhelming at first glance, there’s a chance the Elemental Orbs available will make gameplay more interesting in season 22 ofDestiny 2. It’s also a pleasure to see Unstoppable Fusion returning after a long break, but anti-Overload perks this season don’t exactly inspire confidence (Hand Cannon and Machine Gun). With initial impressions out of the way, here’s what players should unlock on their first time leveling up the Acolyte’s Staff.
7Siphon Mod Combos
Grouping all three of these perks together, they basically allow players access to Siphon Mods that combine Strand and one Light subclass element. There’s one for Arc, Void, and Solar, so players can adjust what they pick depending on their Light subclass,while also running some Strand weapons here and there.
These perks are never that game-changing, but more of a nice quality-of-life perk that everyone gets access to during the season. Players can either unlock all of them or just choose the one with the Light subclass they find themselves using the most.
6Elemental Orbs Perks
The new, gimmicky thing of Season of the Witch is the existence of Elemental Orbs. It’s still a bit early to tell how good these will be exactly, but considering how past seasonal gimmicks have tended to reign supreme, it’s safe to say players should give them a shot.
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Once again, the options include all three Light subclasses, so it’s best to pick the one or ones that players find themselves using the most. In essence, when a perk is active, if players have a matching subclass equipped, weapon final blows that also match this subclass can spawn Elemental Orbs of that subclass element. These orbs can be picked up and thrown to create an explosion that not only deals damage but applies the damagingdebuff of the subclass (so, Scorch for solar, for example).
5Thanatotic Tangles
Strand is still quite powerful, and this seasonal perk makes some Strand builds even juicier. Thanatotic Tangles allows players to spawn Tangles when scoring kills with a Strand weapon. There are a few other Strand perks in the artifact that pair well with this one, but which didn’t make it to this ranking, so consider experimenting with them when picking up this one.
The best part about this perk is that it doesn’t narrow it downto just Strand subclasses. Anyone with a Strand weapon can benefit from this and create Tangles for their teammates.
4Diviner’s Discount
On the PVE side, Diviner’s Discount is a perk that’s always nice to see, particularly for players who enjoy endgame content like raids or Nightfalls that emphasize good ammo economy. This mod discounts Scavenger mods, which let players pick up more ammo when walking over a brick.
It’s a simple perk, but anyone engaging with the endgame PVE side ofDestiny 2should consider unlocking it, as it helps to save energy for other armor mods out thereand streamlines buildcrafting.
3Frenzied Stacks
Armor Charge is the bread and butter of just about any build inDestiny 2, which is why the Frenzied Stacks artifact mod is brilliant. Most PVE builds will rely on accumulating Armor Charge, so anything that makes this process easier is always welcome.
With this perk,picking up an Orb of Poweressentially grants the player 1 stack of armor charge. Moreover, armor charge buffs the damage of Tangles and Elemental Orbs that are thrown, which means that it can be comfortably and safely paired with the seasonal, gimmicky perks of Elemental Orbs.
2Elemental Munitions
Another ammo-related artifact perk is Elemental Munitions. These have often been favorites among endgame PVE players, especially since they have such a high chance of dropping Heavy ammo, which can be key in defeatinga challenging raid encounter.
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With this perk, any final blows scored with Tangles or Elemental orbs can spawn Special or Heavy ammo. It’s unclear what the likelihood of it is, and how high the Heavy ammo spawn chance is. Only time will tell. For now, it’s a safe pickup for most PVE players.
1Monochromatic Maestro
A blast from a past season, Monochromatic Maestro is back. This is a no-brainer pick-up for most PVE enthusiasts as it buffs weapon and ability damage so long as those two share the same elemental affinity, and players are dealing damage with their abilities and weapons.
This is easily a cornerstone of most builds, even if the buff is only a 10% increase and lasts for 5 seconds. However, given how easily this can be refreshed, there’s no reason not to pick up this perk no matter what subclass the players are running.
Destiny 2is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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