How to get Destiny 2 Adept mods and what they do

Destiny 2 adept weapons nightfall
(Image credit: Bungie)

Destiny 2 Adept mods are special weapon mods that can only be used on Adept weapons. They're not easy to get, but they're well worth having as each one provides a nice stat boost, or a better bonus compared to existing weapon mods. However, Adept mods are only obtainable in some of the toughest activities in Destiny 2, so get a good fireteam of fellow Guardians to help you out and you can all get Adept mods together. Here's how you can get Destiny 2 Adept mods for your Adept weapons, as well as what each one does.

What are Destiny 2 Adept mods?

Destiny 2 adept weapon mods reeds regret

(Image credit: Bungie)

Adept mods are powerful weapon mods with varying effects, but they’re generally a bit like masterworks, offering a significant boost to a particular weapon stat. Other Adept mods act as a superior replacement to existing mods, making them very desirable. Most Adept mods can also be used on all weapons, but there are a few that are exclusive to specific weapon types.

The caveat to these mods is that they can only be equipped on Adept Legendary weapons which are available from just a few sources. If you want to know about a particular mod, pick from the list below to jump to the relevant section:

How to get Destiny 2 Adept mods

Destiny 2 trials of osiris flawless passage lighthouse chest

(Image credit: Bungie)

You can get Adept mods in Destiny 2 by:

  • Reaching the Lighthouse in Trials of Osiris – You are guaranteed to get one Adept mod from the Flawless chest in the Lighthouse. You reach the Lighthouse by completing any Trials Passage with seven match wins and no losses.
  • Completing Nightfall Strikes on Grandmaster difficulty – Adept mods have only a chance of dropping from Grandmaster Nightfall completions. This is the best method for getting Adept mods as there is no limit on rewards for Nightfall Strikes, so you can farm Adept mods from repeated Grandmaster completions.
  • Completing Vault of Glass Raid encounters on Master difficulty – As with Grandmaster Nightfall completions, Adept mods have only a chance of dropping and are not guaranteed. Your chances are also limited to the first completion of each of the five major encounters in the Raid per encounter, meaning you have 15 chances if you run Master Vault of Glass once on your three characters.
  • Completing Grasp of Avarice Dungeon encounters on Master difficulty – Similar to Master Vault of Glass, you have a chance of getting an Adept mod from encounter completions in the Grasp of Avarice Dungeon on Master difficulty.

Trials of Osiris, Grandmaster Nightfalls, and Master Vault of Glass encounters also give you the chance of getting Adept Legendary weapons, which are slightly improved versions of Legendary weapons and are denoted by the “(Adept)” in their names – Vault of Glass Raid weapons which have “(Timelost)” instead.

All Destiny 2 Adept weapon mods

Destiny 2 adept weapon mods list

(Image credit: Bungie)

Note that any of the following Adept mods can drop from these activities, except for Adept Icarus Grip, which can only drop from the Lighthouse Flawless chest in Trials of Osiris. You can see which Adept mods you have and which ones you’re missing by looking at your Collections tab, opening the Mods section, and then navigating to the weapon mod table. To equip an Adept mod, inspect an Adept weapon and choose an Adept mod from the list that appears when you hover the cursor over the weapon mod slot.

Adept Big Ones Spec

  • Boosts weapon damage against powerful combatants, bosses, and vehicles. It’s an improved version of the Boss Spec mod that works against more enemy types.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon.
  • Good to have on any weapon for high-level PvE activities.

Adept Blast Radius

  • Increases an Adept Rocket Launcher or Grenade Launcher’s Blast Radius stat by 10 points, making the explosions from its projectiles slightly larger.
  • Can be used on Adept Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers only.

Adept Charge Time

  • Slightly shortens an Adept Fusion Rifle or Linear Fusion Rifle’s charge time stat by adding 10 points to its Charge Time stat.
  • Can be used on Adept Fusion Rifles and Linear Fusion Rifles only.

Adept Counterbalance

  • While this mod generally reduces overall upward recoil for any weapon, it can also change the recoil pattern direction, making it tend more to the left or right.
  • Changes your Adept weapon’s recoil direction by giving it +35 to its Recoil stat (this is a hidden stat so you cannot see it in-game) but at the cost of -10 Range.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon except for Swords.

Adept Handling

  • Gives +10 to an Adept weapon’s Handling stat, making it faster to aim, ready, and stow.
  • Obtainable from Trials of Osiris, Grandmaster Nightfalls, Master Vault of Glass, and Master Grasp of Avarice.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon except for Swords.

Adept Icarus Grip

  • Improves weapon accuracy while airborne by significantly reducing the in-air accuracy penalty and slightly increases weapon range.
  • Obtainable from Trials of Osiris only.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon except for Swords.
  • This is a must-have for any agile PvP players that jump around a lot.

Adept Impact

  • Gives +10 to an Adept Sword’s Impact stat, slightly increasing its damage.
  • Can be used on Adept Swords only.
  • The overall damage increase gained from Adept Impact is not very significant, so use Adept Big Ones Spec instead.

Adept Mag

  • Increases an Adept weapon’s magazine capacity by 40% at the cost of a -15 penalty to Handling.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon except for Rocket Launchers and Special ammo Grenade Launchers.

Adept Projectile Speed

  • Gives +10 to an Adept Rocket Launcher or Grenade Launcher’s Velocity stat, making its projectiles fly slightly faster.
  • Can be used on Adept Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers only.

Adept Range

  • Increases an Adept weapon’s Range stat by 10 points, making its aim assist and damage falloff more effective.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon except for Swords and Bows.

Adept Reload

  • Gives an Adept weapon +10 to its Reload Speed stat, making it reload slightly faster.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon except for Swords.

Adept Stability

  • Slightly reduces overall recoil by increasing an Adept weapon’s Stability stat by 10 points.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon except for Swords.

Adept Targeting

  • Increases an Adept weapon’s target acquisition by increasing its Aim Assistance stat by 10 points (this is a hidden stat so you cannot see it in-game) at the cost of -15 to Stability. Your Adept weapon will have more recoil, but slightly better aim assist to make your shots more likely to hit, even if they’re a little off target.
  • Can be used on any Adept weapon except for Swords.

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Will Sawyer
Guides Writer

Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.