Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (2024)

By Noah Smith

If you're wondering how to spend your hard-earned Ascendant Shards, here are the best Enhanced Perks to go for.

Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (1)

Ascendant shards are - by design - hard to come by in Destiny 2. Guardians throughout the galaxy will be wondering what is worth spending those precious shards on when it comes to weapon crafting; some descriptions in-game are tricky to decipher, alleging more bonuses than are actually implemented. First and foremost, there are two general categories of enhanced perks: those that simply give the perk more duration if it is a timed damage boost, or those that just add an additional stat boost.

Related: Destiny 2 The Witch Queen: Complete Guide And Walkthrough

Take Swashbuckler for example - all the enhanced version of the perk does is increase the duration of that damage boost. If you have decided that Swashbuckler is your go-to perk and would not consider anything else, then go for it. The enhanced perk is always going to be just slightly better. But there are a few interesting options out there for the more adventurous guardians to try.

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10 Adaptive Munitions

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Adaptive Munitions is already an S-tier perk. The enhanced version does exactly what you want: give the gun even more efficiency against non-matching shield elements. Instead of the 167-333-500 percent damage against shields for each tier, it jumps to 200-400-600 percent.

You're going to notice this change even more on weapons that fire rapidly (looking at you Come to Pass and Pointed Inquiry) as opposed to something like the bow Under Your Skin. You will get more time shooting at that 600 percent bonus with the faster firing weapons, shredding in the meantime.

9 Demolitionist

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With void grenades being so oppressive right now, getting that ability energy back in a pinch is important. Enhanced Demolitionist will get you that energy back faster than non-enhanced, especially on special-ammo weapons. Throw this sucker on the Ragnhild-D and you will suddenly actually be able to use your grenades in the Crucible again.

For PvE, grenades can stun overload champions, suppress enemies, and clear whole rooms of adds in seconds. Grenades are very powerful during Season of the Risen, and we're sure that with the introduction of Arc and Solar 3.0, they will stay strong.

8 Elemental Capacitor

Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (4)

When using Arc subclasses, Elemental Capacitor can be very strong in PvP, keeping your gun's handling quite high; the enhanced version maximizes that. Plus, once you have started using Elemental Capacitor, moving away from it will feel very wonky. That is where enhanced perks are important. If you know you have found the perk for you, investing into it can make the gun feel more personal.

Related: Destiny 2 The Witch Queen: All Lucent Moth Locations

Outside of PvP, Elemental Capacitor does not see much use. Look to craft your PvE weapons with something else, as there are far more impactful perks for the thrall in nightfalls than this one.

7 Field Prep

Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (5)

Do you want to use a rocket launcher with ten rockets in reserves? Then get enhanced field prep. Red Herring with enhanced Field Prep and Lasting Impression can do some incredible boss damage. Another fun combination would be Field Prep and Golden Tricorn: equip a void subclass and use abilities to clean up adds around the boss, while keeping the damage on them with the rockets.

Field Prep can really work well on any heavy or special ammo weapon, as those types are much harder to come by. It also has a lot of use in the Crucible, even with the amount of special ammo being toned down. Picking up a green brick that gives you just a few more shots can be game-changing.

6 Fourth Time's The Charm/Triple Tap

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These next two perks are kind of in their own special group. Both the basic version of the perks require the guardian to rapidly hit precision shots to return rounds to the magazine (keep in mind these perks do actually stack on themselves). The enhanced versions increase the allotted time between precision shots to proc the perk, giving you more time to breathe and focus.

These two enhanced perks can be really helpful for guardians who like to keep their distance and pick off enemies one at a time. While it is not quite as common as Focused Fury and Overflow, it can recreate that effect.

5 High Impact Reserves

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A very simple enhanced perk, it makes the perk proc earlier in the magazine than the basic perk. As an enhanced perk, it procs at just 75 percent of the magazine remaining. That means you get three-quarters of your magazine damage boosted, up to 25.6 percent in PvE (depending on the weapon).

Related: Destiny 2 The Witch Queen: All Darkness Rift Locations

The perk can even be useful in PvP, giving the attacking guardian up to a six percent damage increase. That doesn't sound massive, but remember, fellow guardians can withstand much less damage than PvE bosses can, so that six percent can really pack a punch.

4 One for All/Stats for All

Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (8)

Okay yes, this combination is one of the general enhanced perks that simply buff the duration of time-limited boosts. However, it should be noted that this perk combination is fantastic at add-clearing, especially when you consider that with it you get to save your exotic slot for something a little spicier.

It only boosts the duration of the effects for a second, but over the course of a whole strike, that time can add up. If you have a dedicated One/Stats for All weapon, it might be worth investing the ascendant shards into as it will most likely stand the test of time.

3 Overflow

Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (9)

Overflow is a perk that you will see more efficient use of on weapons with smaller magazine sizes. The reason is that Enhanced Overflow only increases the ammo capacity to 225 percent. With smaller magazines, those single shots mean more so, if you can hit heads, having more chances to do so is huge. Take a Thoughtless and put Overflow on it, you can get up to 14-16 shots in the magazine; which is absolutely wild for a sniper rifle.

However, Thoughtless is the only weapon not using basic ammo that you can craft Enhanced Overflow on. Hopefully, in the future, we will get rocket launchers or fusion rifles with it, but for now, it can shin on the Season of the Risen sniper rifle.

2 Slideways

Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (10)

Slideways will always be a good perk in the Crucible. Getting a magazine refresh and a stability and handling stat boost for free usually cannot be beaten. While the enhanced version only increases the stat boosts from +20 to +25, in the Crucible those smaller numbers can mean life or death.

Related: Destiny 2: A Complete Guide To The Vox Obscura Mission

Being able to place your target in the crosshairs just that tiny fraction of a second faster than your opponent is crucial, and being able to activate it for free is perfect.

1 Surrounded

Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (11)

Enhanced Surrounded is one of, if not the only, enhanced perks that actually increases the damage of the main effect as opposed to the duration of the effect. While it is only available on weapons from the Vow of the Disciple raid, if you have delved deep into the pyramid enough to unlock these weapon patterns, then you'll want to craft an Enhanced Surrounded Deliverance.

The only downside is that surrounded will not buff the melee damage on Lubrae's Ruin. However, Bungie underpowering glaives is a different conversation. Hopefully, in the future, we might see Enhanced Surrounded on a sword or submachine gun. Those will be the glory days of this perk.

Next: Destiny 2: How To Earn The Risen Title

Destiny 2: Best Enhanced Perks To Spend Ascendant Shards On (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to spend Ascendant Shards Destiny 2? ›

Masterworking armor is the most common way players spend Ascendant Shards. You'll need one shard to upgrade a Legendary armor piece to Tier 10. If it's an Exotic, that price will jump to three. Dismantling a fully masterworked Legendary armor piece won't refund your Ascendant Shard.

Is enhanced adaptive munitions worth it? ›

Adaptive Munitions is already an S-tier perk. The enhanced version does exactly what you want: give the gun even more efficiency against non-matching shield elements. Instead of the 167-333-500 percent damage against shields for each tier, it jumps to 200-400-600 percent.

What do all enhanced perks do in Destiny 2? ›

All Destiny 2 Weapon Crafting perks & enhanced perks
Perk nameEnhanced perk bonus
DemolitionistGrants more grenade energy
Disruption BreakDebuff duration extended
Dragonfly+5 Reload Speed
Dual LoaderReloads three shells at a time, from two
46 more rows
Feb 23, 2023

What weapons can roll with repulsor brace? ›

Repulsor Brace weapons in Destiny 2
WeaponTypeRarity
Taipan-4frLinear Fusion RifleLegendary
The EpicureanFusion RifleLegendary
The Hero's BurdenSubmachine GunLegendary
The Other HalfSwordLegendary
15 more rows
May 14, 2023

What is the best ascendant shard farm? ›

When it comes to farming Ascendant Shards, completing Master and Grandmaster Nightfalls is widely considered the best way to earn some golf balls. This is because you are almost guaranteed an Ascendant Shard upon completing a Grandmaster Nightfall, which makes it the most consistent method for farming this material.

What is the god roll for ammit AR2? ›

Ammit AR2 PVP God Roll

Enhanced Dynamic Sway procs the Accuracy and Stability bonus from the perk much more quickly, and Enhanced Tap the Trigger increases that perk's effect and makes it last longer. That means the two can actually overlap, giving you a big buff to hitting your mark at a distance.

Why is Hunter munitions so good? ›

It allows you to proc status off of critical, which means weapons that favor critical no longer need serious build crafting in order to activate status, and the status that it activates deals bleed damage that ignores enemy armor, which significantly cuts down the effective health of late-game enemies.

What does enhanced Vorpal weapon do? ›

Deals increased damage against Minibosses, Bosses, and Vehicles, as well as Players in their Super Ability.

Is enhanced triple tap worth it? ›

Enhanced Triple Tap increases the amount of time that can elapse between your precision hits, giving you more wiggle room to use it's ammunition refunding ability. Enhanced Firing Line adds a small bonus to range. It's not essential, but is a nice piece to round out a perfect Taipan 4FR.

What's the highest power you can get in Destiny 2? ›

The Powerful cap for Destiny 2 is 1800, meaning that between 1750 and 1800, the only way to increase your Power level is to get a reward from activities which grant Powerful or Pinnacle gear.

What does enhanced 4th times the charm do? ›

Fourth Time's the Charm (Four precision hits generate two ammo to the magazine. Precision Hit counter is reset if no precision hits register within two seconds.) Target Lock (Damage increases the longer this weapon remains on a target. Stacks up to x5, 10% damage increase per stack.)

What gun can fold? ›

FMG stands for folding machine gun. This weapon was built for Eugene Stoner's company Ares Inc by Francis Warin. Ares only produced two of these weapons, which served as prototypes to gather interest.

Can you use an AR pistol brace as a stock? ›

By placing the back of a pistol brace against the shoulder instead of using it “as intended,” it is possible to use the brace as a shoulder stock, despite it not being intended for this purpose.

Do weapon buffs stack? ›

Buffs & Debuffs often stack multiplicatively (e.g., Red-Feathered Branchsword (+20% Damage) and Exalted Flesh (+20% Physical Damage) would result in +44% Physical Damage). For Skills such as Golden Vow, the Dagger is immediately usable by all Classes.

What is the best Ascendant Alloy farm? ›

The best way to farm Ascendant Alloys currently is by running the weekly Campaign mission or playing The Wellspring activity. While not a guaranteed reward, higher difficulties give a better chance for Ascendant Alloys to drop.

What is the most efficient Ascendant Alloy farm? ›

Overall, the best way to get and farm Ascendant Alloy in Destiny 2 is to complete weekly Campaign missions and the Wellspring activity in the Throne World. These are reliable sources of this valuable material that can be completed quickly if you're well equipped or have a strong team.

What happens if I dismantle a masterwork armor? ›

Dismantling Masterworked Exotic Armor does award one Ascendant Shard, but this gear costs three to make. While not the most efficient method, it's worth doing if players found the same piece of Masterworked Exotic Armor with significantly better stats.

What is the max Ascendant Shards you can hold? ›

‣ You can only have 10 Ascendant Shards in your Inventory. ‣ You can have an extra 10 Ascendant Shards in each characters Postmaster.

What is the osteo striga god roll? ›

It's a powerful ability that can kill entire swarms of weak foes in an instant. An ideal build, aka a 'god roll' of Osteo Striga will focus on accuracy and handling, which will maximize how often the gun's exotic perk activates.

What are the best perks for the ammit? ›

The best perk combinations for the Ammit AR2 in Destiny 2 PvE are as follows: Corkscrew Rifling for added Handling, Stability, and Range. Flared Magwell for Reload Speed and Stability.

Is ammit right or Khonshu? ›

Ammit too chose to remain on Earth to bring her justice to humanity, just like Khonshu. The only difference is in their outlook. And if we disregard Ammit's sense of justice, which sounds wrong, she too is, in a way, selfless in that she remained on Earth despite being abandoned by humans.

What is the most powerful rifle in the Hunter call of the wild? ›

A very powerful and durable weapon built for the most extreme conditions. The . 338 cartridge, combined with state-of-the-art weapon technology, makes this weapon ideal for very large game such as moose and bear. With its proven stopping power, .

What is the best gun in way of the hunter? ›

Way Of The Hunter: 7 Best Weapons, Ranked
  • 6 Hol-Den The Jack 1502. Hol-Den the Jack 1502 is the best shotgun available in the game, but also the most expensive gun out of all of them at 11,570. ...
  • 5 Steyr SM12. ...
  • 4 Steyr Scout. ...
  • 3 Steyr Monobloc. ...
  • 2 Steyr Carbon CL 2. ...
  • 1 Steyr Pro Hunter 2.
Dec 1, 2022

Is Frenzy better than Vorpal? ›

Like the rest of the top contenders on this list, Frenzy also boosts damage, and it throws in some extra handling and reload speed to boot. That bonus is bigger than Vorpal Weapon, though it requires you to be in combat for 12 seconds to activate.

Is target lock or Vorpal better? ›

Vorpal Weapon is an alternative to Target Lock for hitting big targets, but it has the least amount of bonus damage to offer on Heavy weapons. Vorpal Weapon on Primary guns may be a 20 percent damage bonus against boss enemies and vehicles, but on a Heavy gun like Retrofit Escapade, that bonus is only 10 percent.

How much extra damage does Vorpal do? ›

Vorpal Weapon used to provide a 15% damage increase across the board to all weapons that rolled it, whereas now it's 10% for Heavy weapons and 20% for Primary weapons, with Special weapons keeping the old 15% buff.

Is frenzy or firing line better? ›

On the other hand, while running solo activities, the Enhanced Frenzy perk is better than Enhanced Firing Line, because the latter procs only when Guardians are near two allies, making it a bad choice for solo activities.

Is firing line or focused fury better? ›

The choice between Firing Line, Focused Fury, and Frenzy is up to personal preference based on the triggers for each of them. In group content, Firing Line will get more bang for your buck, but if you're commonly solo, then Focused Fury or Frenzy will give you more benefits.

Is Pinnacle gear better than powerful? ›

Once you have reached the Powerful Gear cap, you then have to switch to Pinnacle Gear to give you the last 10 levels you need to reach the absolute Gear cap. These are amongst the most challenging or time-consuming activities in Destiny 2. Not only that, there are fewer of them, ramping up the grind.

What is the soft cap in Lightfall? ›

Every player who begins playing Lightfall will start at the Power level of 1600. As you complete missions in the new expansion, every piece of gear you gain will help your Power level increase to the soft cap of 1750. At 1750, you will need to gain Powerful gear from specific enemies and missions to get 1800.

Will there be a Destiny 3? ›

Bungie's much-awaited Destiny 3 is on the horizon, and fans of the franchise are eagerly awaiting its release date.

How much of a damage buff is target lock? ›

Target Lock can give up to a whopping 40% damage increase. The caveat is that you need to ramp up to that bonus, and to reach the 40% damage bonus, more shots than what is in the base magazine needs to be fired, ~105% of the base magazine to be exact.

Does triple tap pull from reserves? ›

Triple Tap creates ammo, and does not pull it from reserves. This won't directly help your DPS, but in a multi-phase encounter this can be very beneficial for your total damage output. If you hit all of your shots you essentially increase your total ammo by 33%.

Does enhanced bait and switch do anything? ›

Bait and switch gives the highest damage buff of all lfrs when solo play. It's 20%, same as focused fury. And while Focused Fury takes half the mag to activate, it can reproc itself and stays active as long as you're hitting crits.

Is the fmg9 a real gun? ›

The Magpul FMG-9 is a prototype folding submachine gun, designed by Magpul Industries in 2008. It is made out of polymer in place of metal, reducing weight. The FMG-9 never left the prototype stage, and never saw widespread production on any level, as the item was only produced by Magpul as a proof of concept.

Is LifeCard real? ›

The LifeCard is a single-shot rimfire pistol. Because it needs to be unfolded in order to be fired, it is not considered an NFA (National Firearms Act) item.

What is a paradox gun? ›

Put simply, a Paradox Gun is a shotgun with a partially rifled barrel that enables it to shoot both slugs and shot with reasonable accuracy. Colonel G.V. Fosbery first developed what we now call the Paradox Gun back in the 1880s by adding a small amount of rifling to the choke on a shotgun.

Are AR pistols illegal now 2023? ›

On Jan. 31, 2023, the ATF began prohibiting the sale of braced pistols — firearms with a barrel shorter than 16 inches, with attached stabilizing braces.

Are bump stocks illegal? ›

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) generally prohibits bump stocks by classifying them as machine guns under the National Firearms Act (NFA).

Are pistol braces illegal now? ›

After May 31, it will be a federal crime to own certain pistols with stabilizing braces unless they are registered with ATF. Tomorrow, May 31, is the last day to register tax-free your short-barreled firearm with a “stabilizing brace,” which is now officially classified as a short-barreled rifle.

What to spend shards on Destiny 2? ›

Here's a quick list of common ways you may spend your shards:
  1. Raid Banners.
  2. Masterworking weapons & armor.
  3. Xur's Fated Engram.
  4. Weapon crafting upgrades.
  5. Upgrade Modules.
Apr 17, 2023

What should I use my legendary shards for in Destiny 2? ›

Legendary Shards are an important resource in Destiny 2 that can get you valuable loot once you've collected enough. It can be used when purchasing Upgrade Modules and even Exotics at the Monument to Lost Lights.

What perks to look for in Destiny 2? ›

Destiny 2: 10 Best Perks You Need On Your Weapons
  1. 1 Explosive Payload. Explosive Payload: Projectiles create an area-of-effect detonation on impact.
  2. 2 Kill Clip. Kill Clip: Reloading after a kill grants increased damage. ...
  3. 3 Rangefinder. ...
  4. 4 Overflow. ...
  5. 5 Headstone. ...
  6. 6 Voltshot. ...
  7. 7 Frenzy. ...
  8. 8 Incandescent. ...
Sep 12, 2022

What should I spend money on in Destiny 2? ›

There is a multitude of reasons players would want to carry as much Glimmer as possible at all times.
  • Purchasing Upgrade Items. ...
  • Upgrading And Masterworking Armor & Weapons. ...
  • Buying From Xur And The Exotic Archives. ...
  • Buying Bounties For XP And Powerful Gear Challenges. ...
  • Dismantling Items. ...
  • Trade With Spider.
Dec 15, 2021

What is the easiest way to get legendary armor in Destiny 2? ›

The legendary armor can only be obtained by completing in Master Difficulty dungeons. It is part of the rewards drop from when beating the boss. There are only three dungeons where the armor set can be found: Duality, Spire of the Watcher, and Grasp of Avarice.

What is the best legendary power weapon in Destiny 2? ›

Best Heavy weapons in Destiny 2: Tier list
WeaponTypeRarity
Reed's RegretLinear Fusion RifleLegendary
StormchaserLinear Fusion RifleLegendary
Taipan-4frLinear Fusion RifleLegendary
The HotheadRocket LauncherLegendary
14 more rows

What is the best legendary gun in Destiny 2? ›

Destiny 2: 10 Best Legendary Weapons, Ranked
  1. 1 Succession. Succession is also a Deep Stone Crypt raid weapon, and this Sniper Rifle is craftable, allowing for relatively easy optimization.
  2. 2 Heritage. ...
  3. 3 Smite of Merain. ...
  4. 4 Austringer. ...
  5. 5 Recurrent Impact. ...
  6. 6 Judgment Of Kelgorath. ...
  7. 7 Stormchaser. ...
  8. 8 Calus Mini-Tool. ...
Jan 11, 2023

What is the max cap on ascendant alloy? ›

It caps at 80.

How many ascendent alloys can you hold? ›

Master Rahool

This limit is account bound and resets with each weekly reset. Should you have the maximum amount of Ascendant Alloys at ten, you'll be unable to purchase additional Ascendant Alloys from Rahool.

How many ahamkara bones are in ascendant challenges? ›

Ahamkara Bones are scattered throughout the Dreaming City and its weekly activities. To earn this Triumph, you must find all 16 of them.

Does ada 1 sell Ascendant Shards? ›

To purchase Ascendant Shards, players can visit Master Rahool or Ada-1 in the Tower. You will need to exchange 10 Enhancement Prisms and 50,000 Glimmer.

Does dismantling masterwork armor give Ascendant Shards? ›

Dismantling Masterworked Exotic Armor does award one Ascendant Shard, but this gear costs three to make. While not the most efficient method, it's worth doing if players found the same piece of Masterworked Exotic Armor with significantly better stats. It's a bad idea to dismantle Masterworked Exotic Armor otherwise.

How many Ascendant Shards can you stack? ›

10 is the hard cap. If you get "drops" from Nightfalls (for example), you can build another stack up to 10 at each character's postmaster, BUT those stacks are volatile and can get deleted if the postmaster overfills.

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