Destiny 2 Season of the Splicer is here and it’s time to elevate your fashion game. Along with new weapons, a 6 player activity, armor, story missions, and season pass, the heavily requested armor transmogrification feature is finally arriving. In this season, players will team up with the Fallen Captain Mithrax to stop the Vex from plunging Earth into total darkness. Along with the Vault of Glass, the major endgame content for PVE players is Grandmaster Nightfalls. Before you can even participate in a Grandmaster Nightfall you need to reach 1335 Power otherwise the content will be locked. So if you’re looking to acquire the Conquerer title or just farm some Adept weapons, here are my recommendations for mods, weapons, and exotics you’ll want ready.
Grandmaster Mod Recommendations
When it comes to mods, you’ll want to first determine if you are using Warmind Cells or Charged With Light. Both have their uses, so it comes down to what type of weapon and mods you prefer. When it comes to Warmind Cells, you will absolutely want to run Warmind’s Protection. This gives you a 50% damage reduction bonus from all sources near your Warmind Cells, which can absolutely make survival far easier. Inversely, the Power of Rasputin mod gives a 10%damage increase to all enemies near your glowing orbs. These two combined can give you a serious advantage – especially in Grandmasters that have a high density of enemies in a single area like Warden of Nothing. Wrath of Rasputin and Rage of the Warmind will be your primary damage perks for when you actually detonate a Warmind Cell.
As for Charged With Light, the first perk I suggest is Protective Light. This gives you a rather huge damage reduction bonus when your shield is broken. Similar to Warmind’s Protection, this offers great survivability for players and can often get you out of some sticky situations. Another great Charged with Light mod is Reactive Pulse which lets you release a wave of Arc energy around you whenever you’re damage near enemies. It’s great for when you’re battling against highly aggressive enemies like Thrall, allowing you to decimate their ranks. If you’re running a rocket launcher, Argent Ordanance is a must-have since it dramatically boosts your rocket launcher damage when you’re Charged with Light.
All that being said, one mod you cannot ignore this season is Breach and Clear. Despite costing 9 Energy, this mod allows you to debuff any enemy hit with a Special or Heavy grenade launcher. What this means, is a weapon like Anarchy allows you to not only do damage over time but increase the amount of damage dealt. This makes it extremely potent at killing Champions or bosses, allowing you to quickly slay tougher enemies. Finally, when it comes to stat mods the ones you want to increase are Intellect, Recovery, and Resilience. These will make you much harder to kill and give you frequent access to your Super.
Grandmaster Weapon Recommendations
Kinetic
When it comes to Kinetic weapons, I often recommend using this slot for sniper rifles. Given how much of Grandmaster Nightfalls is about survivability, being able to engage enemies at a distance can make certain sections much easier. Succession, Praedyth’s Revenge, and Long Shadow are all viable options, assuming you have the right perks. Generally, I avoid shotguns since you want to avoid getting close to enemies — especially Champions. As for exotics, the only two Kinetic exotic weapons worth the slot are Izanagi’s Burden and Witherhoard. The former offers the best burst damage in the entire game, while the latter provides unparalleled area control. What your team needs entirely depends on the Grandmaster and how your squad is going to deal with tougher enemies.
Energy
For Energy weapons, you will either want to use this for a primary weapon or a solid Special weapon. Since you typically have to deal with the Match Game modifier, having a consistent way to remove enemy shields can be a huge help to your team. Which weapon you use entirely depends on the Nightfall, but you’ll want to make sure it can disrupt a specific type of Champion found in the activity. This means hand cannons, submachine guns, scout rifles, sidearms, and auto rifles your primaries of choice.
Alternatively, if you’re using this slot for a Special weapon then you’ll want either a breach loading grenade launcher like Salavager’s Salvo or a sniper like Uzume RR4. When it comes to exotics you’ll want Divinity or Eriana’s Vow. The former is great for stunning Overload Champions while providing extra damage against them, while the other is just a very consistent choice to counter Barrier Champions.
Power
Finally, in the Power slot, the main weapon that most teams will end up using is Anarchy. It’s one of the single best weapons in the entire game, giving fireteams a chance to damage enemies from behind cover. Combining it with the Breach and Clear mod only enhances its killing potential. There’s almost no scenario where Anarchy isn’t one of the best exotic options, if not the best exotic option for Grandmaster Nightfalls. If you don’t have one or are implementing a different strategy, Xenophage, Deathbringer (with the catalyst), and One Thousand Voices are all terrific alternatives. If you need to use a legendary in this slot, I strongly recommend a rocket launcher like Code Duello or Hezen Vengence.
Grandmaster Exotic Armor
Hunters
When it comes to PVE endgame content there are only a few exotics I recommend. Star-Eater Scales is a solid option despite the slight nerf, as it allows us to get more Super energy from Orbs of Power and deal additional damage with our Supers. Given how critical Supers are in this mode, being able to obtain yours faster can make quite the difference. If this isn’t your style, then Orpheus Rig and Ombnioculus offer solid utility for teams. Finally, Celestial Nighthawk is terrific for those looking to deal single target damage and need to run a Solar subclass.
Titans
Titans are going to essentially have three options this season: Helm of Saint-14, Ursa Furiosa, and Cuirass of the Falling Star. The first two options are strictly to boost your team’s survivability, giving them places to hide behind while providing a weapon damage bonus. Ursa Furious in particular is extremely strong, as two Titans using these can often keep fueling one another’s Supers. If you are looking for raw damage then Cuirass of the Falling Star is your go-to option, since it dramatically enhances the killing potential of Thundercrash. Combined with Breach and Clear, this exotic allows Titans to obliterate any single target in front of them.
Warlocks
Of all the classes, Warlocks definitely have some of the best options for PVE exotics. Geomag Stabilizers, Lunafaction Boots, Boots of the Assembler, Phoenix Protocol, Aeon Soul, and Verity’s Brow are all terrific endgame exotics. Which one you use completely depends on your role in the fireteam along with what subclass you’re utilizing. Personally, I’ve found Verity’s Brow to be terrific with Stasis if you’re using the Bleak Watcher Aspect. Crowd control is everything in Grandmasters and Bleak Watcher just makes this such a trivial task. That being said, if you’re looking to support your team then Lunafaction Boots and Boots of the Assembler are the ideal choices. Finally, Geomag Stabilizers allow you to absolutely melt anything in front of you or deal a decent chunk of damage to bosses.
Just like the other classes, what you end up using is entirely dependant on the subclass and role in the group. SO make sure to coordinate with your team beforehand!
