Competing in endgame content is not only about finding the best weapons and armor out there. Sure, that helps, but understanding and putting to good use buffs and debuffs will make a much bigger difference than virtually anything else. When properly combining buffs and debuffs, you can easily expect damage increases going as high as +50%!
The table below summarizes all the most useful and accessible buffs and debuffs in Destiny 2. Whether you’re learning these mechanics or are already a seasoned player, this table will be useful to you.
What is a buff in Destiny 2?
In Destiny 2, buffs and debuff are temporary effects that can be either placed on your character or on your enemy. Buffs are effects that you can use on yourself to increase your damage output, whereas debuffs can be placed on enemies to make them weaker and thus receive higher damage.
Most buffs and debuffs are straightforward: How to activate them, how long they last, etc. But stacking them (i.e. using several at once) can be more complicated. We’ll cover that part below.
Destiny 2 Buffs and Debuffs: The complete list
The table below covers every general buff and debuff available in the game. The damage increase percentages and durations are for PVE and PVP:
A lot of this data comes from the excellent Destiny 2 Damage Buffs/Debuffs guide, created and maintained by Court.
| Art | Amplification | Source | Type | Category | Activation | Damage | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Hammer Strike | Titan Sunbreaker Melee | Debuff | Subclass | Powered Melee Hit | +30% in PVE +50% in PVP | 10s |
 | Tether Debuff | Hunter Nightstalker Super | Debuff | Subclass | Tether connect | +30% in PVE +50% in PVP | Variable |
  | Repulsor Force | Tractor Cannon | Debuff | Exotics | Deal damage | +30% in PVE +50% in PVP | 10s |
  | Judgment | Divinity | Debuff | Exotics | Deal damage | +30% | 1.5s |
 | Warlord's End | Felwinter's Helm | Debuff | Exotics | Powered Melee Hit or Finisher | +30% | 5-20s |
 | Snare Bomb | Hunter Nightstalker Melee | Weaken | Subclass | Powered Melee Hit | +15% in PVE +7.5% in PVP | 5s in PVE 2.5s in PVP |
 | Trapper's Ambush | Hunter Nightstalker Aspect | Weaken | Subclass | Quickfall Dive | +15% in PVE +7.5% in PVP | 10s in PVE 5s in PVP |
 | Stylish Executioner | Hunter Nightstalker Aspect | Weaken | Subclass | Melee hit while Truesight is active | +15% in PVE +7.5% in PVP | 5s in PVE 2.5s in PVP |
 | Child of the Old Gods | Warlock Voidwalker Aspect | Weaken | Subclass | Void Soul attaches to enemy | +15% in PVE +7.5% in PVP | 13s in PVE 2.5s in PVP |
 | Echo of Undermining | Void Grenades | Weaken | Subclass | Deal damage with Grenades | +15% in PVE +7.5% in PVP | 5s in PVE 2.5s in PVP |
  | Banner Shield | Titan Sentinel Super | Buff | Subclass | Stand behind an active Banner Shield | +40% | Variable |
 | Well of Radiance | Warlock Dawnblade Super | Buff | Subclass | Stand inside Well of Radiance | +25% | Variable |
| | Guiding Flame | Warlock Dawnblade Melee | Buff | Subclass | Powered Melee Hit | +25% | 10s |
| | Ward of Dawn | Titan Sentinel Super | Buff | Subclass | Pass through and active Ward of Dawn | +25% | 30s |
| | Sun Warrior | Titan Sunbreaker Perk | Buff | Subclass | Pass through and active Sunspot | +20% | 5s |
  | Inertia Override | Titan Striker Melee | Buff | Subclass | Sliding over Ammo bricks or hits with Ballistic Slam | +20% | 6s |
| | Frontal Assault | Titan Striker Melee | Buff | Subclass | Powered Melee Hit | +20% | 12s |
 | Empowering Rift | Warlock Ability | Buff | Subclass | Stand on rift | +20% | 15-20s |
  | Blessing of the Sky | Lumina | Buff | Exotics | Using a Noble Round | +35% for PVE +20% for PVP | 11s |
  | Blessing of Order | Boots of the Assembler | Buff | Exotics | Stand in an empowering rift. | +35% | 6s |
 | Firewalker | The Path of Burning Steps | Buff | Exotics | Defeats with Solar damage or becoming Stasis-frozen. Stacks 5 times. | +20-40% in PVE +20-35% in PVP | 11s |
  | Absoption Cells | Mantle of Battle Harmony | Buff | Exotics | Weapon matching Subclass | +20% | 11s |
To be clear, weapon perks and armor mods can also increase your damage output, but those are covered in separate guides:
Which damage buffs stack in Destiny 2
As a general rule, Buffs can stack with most other modifiers in the game except other buffs. The strongest buff will be the only active buff at any given time.
Similarly, Debuffs can stack with most other modifiers except other debuffs. The strongest debuff will be the only active buff at any given time.
Court explains it well:
Your turn
Hopefully, using and stacking buffs and debuffs should be much easier than before.
Do keep in mind that these tables only cover damage modifiers, which means only half of the picture is shown (there are several other modifiers that will increase your health, damage resistance, etc).
For a much more comprehensive look into these and all the other enhancement modifiers in the game, Court’s Damage Buffs/Debuffs is a must.
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