Destiny 2 Season 18 might have the best artifact mods of all time

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With incredible anti-Champion and support mods, Season 18 looks like a winner

Destiny 2 Arc 3.0
(Image credit: Bungie)

Bungie has unveiled the artifact mod lineup for Destiny 2 Season 18, and it's a strong contender for the best selection we've ever seen. 

As you'd expect after that juicy Arc 3.0 preview confirming a new Super and buffed Blink for Hunters, the studio's latest blog post is positively charged, and next season's artifact may be the most electrifying part. 

The anti-Champion mods for Season 18 are sublime. Overload Bow is one of the most reliable ways to stun Champions and Anti-Barrier Scout Rifle is in the same league as a great long-distance option. There are some potent non-primary mods too: Unstoppable Shotgun and Anti-Barrier Sniper will give your special weapon slot more utility, while Overload LMG will make it easy to counter all three Champion types with comfy loadouts. 

The cherry on top is Sundering Glare, a returning mod which debuffs opponents when you land repeated headshots from very far away. This will combo perfectly with this season's scout and sniper rifle mods, not to mention Unstoppable Pulse Rifle, to deliver safe and consistent debuffs. Cheaper versions of scout rifle loader and scout and sniper targeting are another nice bonus.

We haven't even gotten to the new Arc stuff, which sounds mighty strong in its own right. Bad Amplitude causes arc abilities to apply the new Jolt debuff to enemies, and it should combo well with the returning mods Surge Detonators and Lightning Strikes Twice, which respectively give your Arc grenades Overload and increased regen. 

Then there's Trace Evidence, which spawns ability-regenerating Ionic Traces when you land headshots on Arc-debuff enemies, further incentivizing precision weapons. We've also got Thunderous Retort to buff Arc Super damage while under the new Amplified buff, and Hype Train Conductor to extend the duration of the buff. The class item slot is always jam-packed with Artifact mods, but Season 18 is making it especially hard to choose. 

The Destiny 2 Season 18 artifact lacks show-stoppers like Oppressive Darkness and Breach and Clear, though Sundering Glare is arguably on their level, but this Champion mod lineup is second to none with best-in-slot primary support, two special options, and some new heavy tech. Master and Grandmaster content is looking like smooth sailing next season, that's for sure.

We'll get our first look at Arc 3.0 and, more importantly, 2023's Lightfall expansion in the Destiny 2 August 23 showcase.

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.