In Destiny 2 Shadowkeep, it is known what makes the new raid gear unique and sets it apart from the rest of the Armor 2.0. The big question is: Is it worth farming the raid armor with Shadowkeep?
Hence the question of whether raid gear is still worth it: One of the most important innovations of the Shadowkeep expansion is Armor 2.0. This is a new armor system that allows you to enhance any armor pieces with various mods. You have much more freedom than before.
- The advantage is that you no longer have to compromise between looking good and having good perks; instead, you can enhance the armor you find most beautiful with powerful mods.
- This advantage can also be a downside. Because farming for the best gear becomes arbitrary, since you can enhance any armor piece.
Am I only hunting for armor pieces for their looks now? Is the greed for power dissociated from farming armor pieces?
Raid gear provides extra bonuses
This is what Bungie says about raid gear: For those who love raiding, the hunt for raid gear is worth it despite Armor 2.0. Because the new raid armor pieces provide bonuses that other Armor 2.0 pieces do not grant.
This is confirmed by Bungie’s Ben Wommack in a conversation with gamesradar. He explains:
In Destiny 2 Shadowkeep, there are certain armor sets – and the raid gear is among them – that feature an extra mod slot. In this slot, you can place mods that are only active in specific activities, like the raid.
There will be fresh mods for the new raid “Garden of Salvation” that only drop in this raid and can only be used there, Wommack reveals.
In this official screenshot, the additional 4th mod slot as well as a raid mod can be seen:
What kind of mod is this? This mod states that it is only active in the “Garden of Salvation” raid. When the “Voltaic Overflow” buff is active, the chance of finding heavy ammo is significantly increased. If you equip this mod on multiple armor pieces, the effect stacks.
For comparison: “Normal” armor pieces and exotics only have slots for 3 mods with Armor 2.0:
How special is this? This 4th mod slot is supposed to ensure that certain armor pieces are distinguished from others. However, they should also only provide advantages in certain activities.
Moreover, it seems that the raid armor pieces can only reach an energy level of 10, just like any other Armor 2.0 pieces. And since the upper raid mod costs 3 energy, this means you need to make savings on the other mods and cannot equip the absolute top mods that require a lot of energy. However, the raid armor may have a higher maximum energy level than 10.
Incidentally, armor pieces with raid-exclusive bonuses have existed even before Shadowkeep. Already in the Leviathan raid, the raid gear provided perks that only granted exclusive advantages on the Leviathan. With the “Crown of Sorrow” raid and the Menagerie, new Leviathan mods were added.
In other words, this means that you will likely need different builds for various Shadowkeep activities if you want to optimally prepare your Guardian. Raid gear is thus not interchangeable with other armor pieces equipped with Armor 2.0.
What do you think about this armor system?
