Succeeding in Destiny 2’s toughest content requires more than just well-rolled weapons and high armor stats—it also requires extensive knowledge of additional ways to maximize your Guardian’s damage output.
With the correct setup, you and your fireteam can double your damage and then some. Here, we’ll cover the major buff and debuff sources within Destiny 2, explain how they stack with one another, and more. Let’s begin.
Updated as of Episode 1: Echoes.
What is a buff? How is it different from a debuff?
In gaming, a buff benefits those affected by it, while a debuff harms those affected by it. In this context, we’ll talk specifically about all the effects you can use for your advantage: buffs that apply to you and debuffs that apply to your enemies.
In this guide, we focus on buffs and debuffs that affect damage. While there are other effects that work differently (Cure, Suppression, Blind, etc.), damage effects are the most common and intricate, introducing complex stacking rules when used together.
Buffs and Debuffs: The Complete List
Given their sheer abundance, navigating the world of Destiny 2’s effects can be difficult. To help clarify this (and allow us to explain stacking rules easily), we’ll split this section into three categories:
- General Buffs
- General Debuffs
- Weapon surges
While there are a multitude of other damage modifiers available (legendary weapon perks, activity modifiers, etc.), we won’t cover them here for reasons explained later.
Radiant Buff, Destiny 2
General Buffs
| Amplification | Source/Activation | Category | Damage | Duration | Notes | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banner Shield | Titan Void Super | Subclass | 40% PvE 35% PvP | Super Duration | Expires quicker as Banner Shield takes more damage | Buff |
| Well of Radiance | Warlock Solar Super | Subclass | 25% PvE 25% PvP | 30s | Grants Radiant for 8s after leaving the Well | Buff |
| Empowering Rift | Warlock Class Ability | Subclass | 20% PvE 15% PvP | 15s | Can be extended through Sanguine Alchemy | Buff |
| Blessing of the Sky (Lumina) | Firing Noble Rounds at Allies | Exotic | 35% PvE 15% PvP | 11s | Only works in team content; synergizes with Boots of the Assembler | Buff |
| Gyrfalcon's Hauberk | Finishing while Invisible | Exotic | 35% PvE | 6s | Cannot be used in PvP (can't Finish Guardians) | Buff |
| No Backup Plans | Having Void Overshield (applies to Shotguns only) | Exotic | 35% PvE 10% PvP | Variable | Applies to Shotguns only | Buff |
| Hazardous Propulsion | Damaging targets with Exodus Rockets | Exotic | 35% PvE ?% PvP | 10s | Applies to all rocket-based weapons (Rocket Launchers, Rocket Sidearms, etc.) | Buff |
| Blessing of the Sky (Boots of the Assembler) | Using Empowering Rift | Exotic | 35% PvE 15% PvP | 5s | Requires Empowering Rift; Synergizes with Lumina | Buff |
| Helm of Saint-14 | Passing through Ward of Dawn (requires Exotic + Super) | Exotic | 25% PvE 25% PvP | 15s | Can be refreshed by stepping through Ward of Dawn again | Buff |
| Wormgod Caress | Melee, Glaive Melee, or Finisher kills | Exotic | 35% PvE 25% PvP | Variable | Damage values are for max stacks (x5), duration is shortened with higher stacks | Buff |
| Song of Flame | Super Activation | Solar Radiant | 25% PvE 10% PvP | Super Duration | Only applies to user | Buff |
| Lightweight Knife | Precision hit w/ Knife | Solar Radiant | 25% PvE 10% PvP | 10s | Only applies to user | Buff |
| Rain of Fire | Linear Fusion Rifle or Fusion Rifle Kill | Solar Radiant | 25% PvE 10% PvP | 7.5s | Synergizes with Vex Mythoclast | Buff |
| Facet of Dawn | Powered Melee Hit | Solar Radiant | 25% PvE 10% PvP | 4s | Applies to allies and lasts longer on kill instead of hit | Buff |
| Well of Radiance | Leaving Well of Radiance | Solar Radiant | 25% PvE 10% PvP | 8s | Standing in Well of Radiance grants slightly different buff | Buff |
| Acrobat's Dodge | Class Ability Activation | Solar Radiant | 25% PvE 10% PvP | 10s | Applies to allies within 8m | Buff |
| Ember of Torches | Powered Melee Hit | Solar Radiant | 25% PvE 10% PvP | 8s | Applies to allies within 8m | Buff |
| Radiant Orbs | Picking up an Orb of Power | Artifact | 25% PvE 10% PvP | 10s | Grants Solar Radiant | Buff |
| Prismatic Transfer | Casting Super Ability near allies | Artifact | 20% PvE 15% PvP | 10s PvE 5s PvP | Requires allies to be using a Super with a different element to your own | Buff |
General Debuffs
| Amplification | Source/Activation | Category | Damage | Duration | Notes | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tether Super | Deadfall Tether & Morbius Tether Super Abilities | Subclass | 30% PvE 50% PvP | Variable | Deadfall lasts longer than Morbius | Debuff |
| Felwinter's Helm | Felwinter's Helm Warlock Exotic | Exotic | 30% PvE 30% PvP | Variable | Duration depends on combatant rank killed (5s-20s) | Debuff |
| Tractor Cannon | Tractor Cannon Damage | Exotic | 30% PvE 50% PvP | 10s | Also applies Suppression | Debuff |
| Divinity | Sustained Divinity Damage | Exotic | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | Variable | Also produces precision cage, but debuff applies to entire enemy model | Debuff |
| Flash Counter | Legendary Sword Perk | Perk | 20% PvE 20% PvP | 4s | Triggers Echo of Harvest, Repulsor Brace, and Stylish Executioner | Debuff |
| Buried Bloodline | Buried Bloodline Shots while Devour is active (req. Catalyst) | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 5s PvE 2.5s PvP | Requires Catalyst | Debuff |
| Collective Obligation | Collective Obligation Damage after Weaken is Siphoned | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 10s PvE 5s PvP | Tractor Cannon and other sources work, but the buff is downgraded to base Weaken | Debuff |
| Deterministic Chaos | Every 4th Heavy Metal Shot | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 6s PvE 3s PvP | Requires 16 shots total to trigger Weaken | Debuff |
| Heartshadow | Heartshadow Heavy Attack | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 6s PvE 3s PvP | Also makes user Invisible | Debuff |
| Tessellation | Charged Shot w/ Void Grenade (requires Catalyst) | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 6s PvE 3s PvP | Requires Catalyst and Void Grenade | Debuff |
| Second Chance | Shield Throw hit | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 10s PvE 5s PvP | Also provides Anti-Barrier functionality | Debuff |
| Chromatic Fire | Precision kill (Void AoE) | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 6s PvE 3s PvP | Requires Void Super | Debuff |
| Spectral Blade | Heavy Attack | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 6s PvE 3s PvP | Can be refreshed with additional heavy attacks | Debuff |
| Snare Bomb | Smoke Bomb damage | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 8s PvE 2.5s PvP | Lasts shorter than Trapper's Ambush | Debuff |
| Stylish Executioner | Melee while Invisible via Stylish Executioner | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 5s PvE 2.5s PvP | Interacts with Flash Counter (see above) | Debuff |
| Trapper's Ambush | Quickfall Smoke Cloud damage | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 10s PvE 5s PvP | Lasts longer than Snare Bomb | Debuff |
| Twilight Arsenal | Axe Super Hits | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 6s PvE 3s PvP | Can be refreshed with additional axe hits | Debuff |
| Child of the Old Gods | Void Soul tether damage | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 5s PvE 2.5s PvP | Continuously applies Weaken throughout ability uptime | Debuff |
| Echo of Undermining | Void Grenade damage | Void Weaken | 15% PvE 7.5% PvP | 5s PvE 2.5s PvP | Lingering Void Grenades refresh Duration | Debuff |
*A quick note about Solar Radiant: Radiant also buffs Golden Gun Super damage by 25%. However, standing in a Well of Radiance overrides “generic” Radiant, which has the same percentage for PvE but doesn’t apply to Golden Gun. Therefore, it is good practice to use Golden Gun outside of a Well of Radiance, then step back in to deal weapon damage.
Weapon Surges
For this final table, every source grants the same type of buff, attuned to different elements, that can stack up to x4 (unless otherwise noted). In all of the following cases, the percentages are:
(stack number) x1/x2/x3/x4 : PvE 10%/17%/22%/25% : PvP 3%/4.4%/5.5%/6%
| Amplification | Source/Activation | Category | Damage | Duration | Notes | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armor Mods | Adds x1 Surge stack per mod applied to leg armor (up to x3) | Mod | Dependent | Variable | Duration is variable, and effect can stack up to x3 with only mods | Weapon Surge |
| Eternal Warrior | About 2 Arc Kills (adds x1 stack) or, Fist of Havoc Super ends (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Arc | 11s PvE 6s PvP | Duration can be refreshed with additional Arc kills | Weapon Surge |
| The Path of Burning Steps | About 2 Solar Kills (adds x1 stack) or, Solar Grenade Kill (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Solar | 11s PvE 6s PvP | Duration can be refreshed with additional Solar kills | Weapon Surge |
| Doom Fang Pauldron | About 2 Void Kills (adds x1 stack) or, Void Powered Melee Kill (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Void | 11s PvE 6s PvP | Duration can be refreshed with additional Void kills | Weapon Surge |
| Icefall Mantle | About 2 Stasis Kills (adds x1 stack) orr, Barricade activation (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Stasis | 11s PvE 6s PvP | Duration can be refreshed with additional Stasis kills | Weapon Surge |
| Mask of Bakris | Stasis Class Ability activation (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Arc, Stasis | 11s PvE 11s PvP | Lord of Wolves gains x4 Solar Surge while equipped | Weapon Surge |
| Raiju's Harness | Arc Staff Super deactivation (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Arc | 21s PvE 16s PvP | Duration is not refreshable; req. Arc Staff Super | Weapon Surge |
| Ballidorse Wrathweavers | Frostpulse Rift (x2 stacks) or, Winter's Wrath heavy attack (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Stasis | 11-15s PvE 6s PvP | Can be granted to allies, and grants x4 stacks after leaving Winter's Wrath | Weapon Surge |
| Foetracer | Elemental Ability Damage on Powerful Combatants/Guardians (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Dependent | 11s PvE 6s PvP | Powerful combatants include Elite, Miniboss, Champion, and Boss enemies | Weapon Surge |
| Mantle of Battle Harmony | Weapon Damage Kill while Super is charged (x4 stacks) | Exotic | Dependent | 11s PvE 6s PvP | Requires weapon kill to match Super element | Weapon Surge |
| Sanguine Alchemy | While in a Rift or Well of Radiance (x2 stacks) | Exotic | Dependent | Variable | Damage buff removed when you step out of rift, or when it expires | Weapon Surge |
| Spirit of the Eternal Warrior | Super ends (x4 stacks) | Exotic Class Item | Dependent | 30s PvE 6s PvP | Active only on Prismatic Subclass; found on Titan (Stoicism) | Weapon Surge |
| Spirit of the Foetracer | Elemental Ability Damage on Powerful Combatants/Guardians (x4 stacks) | Exotic Class Item | Dependent | 11s PvE 6s PvP | Active only on Prismatic Subclass; found on Hunter (Relativism) | Weapon Surge |
A note about weapon surges: You are allowed to have multiple different elemental weapon surges active at once. However, same-element surges from different sources will not stack. For instance, if you have two Stasis Weapon Surge mods equipped, but also use Mask of Bakris’ dodge, you will only get the x4 Surge from Mask of Bakris.
Weapon Surges, Destiny 2
Damage Stacking Rules
As a general rule, only one effect per category can be active at once: one general buff, one general debuff, and one weapon surge. However, these do stack with each other.
For example, utilizing Weaken, Radiant, and surge mods simultaneously will result in all three stacking multiplicatively. However, in the case of utilizing multiple of the same type, only the highest percentage will be present (if you have both Well of Radiance and Banner Shield active, you’ll only gain the 40% from Banner Shield since it’s a greater buff. The Well of Radiance’s damage won’t matter until it is the highest general buff on your character).
Every other damage modifier in the game not in the above categories—including legendary weapon perks, activity modifiers, exotic intrinsics, and more—will stack with everything. This includes both other buffs in their individual categories (Kill Clip stacks with Rampage) and with ones outside (Kill Clip stacks with Overcharged weapon modifiers, which also stacks with Weaken and Radiant).
Activity Surges, Destiny 2
Let’s create a random scenario to help explain. A Guardian enters an activity with the Void Activity Surge modifier. In this activity, they use a Hammerhead rolled with Rampage and Killing Tally. They use their Mobius Tether Super on a boss, are standing in an ally’s Well of Radiance, and have x3 Void Weapon Surge mods on their boots.
In this scenario, all of the above effects would stack with one another, assuming they’re all active at the same time. This would result in the following:
25% (Void Activity Surge) * 33% (Rampage x3) * 30% (Killing Tally x3) * 30% (Tether Super Debuff) * 25% (Well of Radiance) * 22% (Void Weapon Surge x3) = 4.28x damage, or a 328% increase
Of course, this situation is extremely rare and compares the result with a completely unchanged Hammerhead (without any buffs/debuffs whatsoever, including weapon perks). While this example was created primarily to show off the boundaries of buff stacking, knowing the basics of this system allows you to deal an absurd amount of increased damage.
Before you go…
Don’t forget about Weapon Perks and Armor Mods, the two other indispensable ingredients of buildcrafting in Destiny 2.
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