The mod economy in Destiny 2 has long been a point of frustration for players, as they’re essential to buildcrafting in the current sandbox. Many newer Guardians are forced to rely on Ada-1’s rotating selection to be competitive, and with literally hundreds of mods to choose from, the four she offers a day are of little use. That’s all changing tomorrow, with the official Destiny 2 Twitter announcing that all standard (non-Raid/Artifact) mods will be available to everyone.
This change is a massive quality of life improvement, but it also gives newer players a chance to try out build crafting in Destiny 2. With the recent updates to Arc, Solar, and Void 3.0, as well as Stasis back at the beginning of Beyond Light, having access to most mods in the game has been key to making most endgame-ready builds.
Having mods is only one part of the equation, though. Odds are, there are specific weapons and armor required as well. A Stasis Titan build, for instance, might rely on the Hoarfrost-Z chest piece. Many others need the Heart of Inmost Light for ability generation. Weapon perks like Demolitionist, Repulsor Brace, and others are also suitable for rounding out a build, though they aren’t strictly necessary in most cases.
That said, there are more consistent ways of farming for Exotic armor and specific weapons, even if the grind is significant. Mods have no easy-to-access source players can engage with beyond visiting Ada-1 every day and being disappointed if she has nothing they need. There was a time when many mods dropped from other vendors at the Tower or as part of the reward structure for endgame activities, but that time is long passed.
One thing to note is Bungie isn’t giving everyone access to Raid mods, likely because their abilities are too specific for everyday use, and such a small percentage of players actually complete Raids and other endgame content in the first place.
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Also of note is the mention of how buildcrafting will change in Lightfall, but we’ll have to wait for a future update. This Week at Bungie post to get full clarity there. Based on the language used, it looks like the mod system will get a top-down rework. Thankfully, in-game loadouts are coming sometime during the Lightfall expansion year, so these updates are probably in preparation.
