How to get Legendary Mods in Destiny 2 to boost that Power Level quickly

Once you've completed the campaign and got your Guardian up to level 20 in Destiny 2, it's time to focus on improving your Power Level. Entry to the big end-game content, such as Strikes and the Raid, require Power Levels of over 240. And if you're anything like me, by the time you've blasting through the story to catch up with your mates, you're still lagging behind on Power. However, there's a way to rocket yourself up to those higher levels by using weapon mods. 

They're little buffs that improve the level of your armour and weapons, and can be quite key to how you reach the top tier levels in Destiny 2. Basically if you want to get anywhere near that 350 Power Level cap, you're going to need some help from these little guys.

What are Legendary mods?

A lot of the kit you pick up along the way, Legendary and Exotic gear and weapons in particular, will come equipped with a Legendary mod. That's the little purple icon that shows up in the central slot along the bottom left hand side of the screen when you're looking at the specifics of your weapon and gear.

They come in various forms, which you should tailor to your particular play style. Some might charge your gun's rounds with solar energy, others might allow your Arc melee abilities to recharge faster, while some others will let your grenades charge faster or improve weapon handling. They really are rather brilliant. 

But having them equipped also positively affects the attack or defense level of your weapon or armour, and gives you a lovely little boost to its Infusion value. You might want to read our Destiny 2 Infusion guide for help with that bit:

But basically, you'll want to have every piece of armour and every weapon you have equipped with a Legendary mod, because it's an incredibly easy way to jump up a multiple levels in no time at all.

How to get Legendary mods for your weapons and armour

The only way to get Legendary mods - unless you pick up a weapon that already has one - is to buy them from Banshee-44, the Gunsmith in the Tower. But, there's a caveat. You have to hit Power Level 280 in order to even buy any of the Legendary mods, which is a huge grind in itself. (I got stuck at 279 for far too long, so I feel your pain, Guardians.)

But once you've hit that magical 280, prepare to have your levels boosted in no time. As soon as you've hit 280, the entire subsection of the shop pops up and opens up a world of mods. 

Buy one for every piece of armour or weapon that you're using that doesn't currently have one. And then just watch your level rise. I went from 280 to 284 in a matter of minutes. It's glorious.

In order to buy them, you'll have to swap three blue/Rare mods of the same type, but trust me, you'll have stocked up plenty on your travels. 

How to farm Legendary mods

There is a way to farm Legendary mods if you want to make sure that you get the ones you want and those most appropriate to your playstyle and subclass. But first of all buy all the Legendary mods Banshee has in that bottom section that opens up post Power Level 280. 

After that, go through your inventory and dismantle every Legendary mod that you don't want. This will get you mod components, which you can then trade in for a random weapon or armour mod. 

Repeat ad nauseum until you've got a raft of Legendary mods that you really like and keep on binning the rest. 

Sam Loveridge
Global Editor-in-Chief, GamesRadar+

Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.