Bungie has made many excellent changes in Destiny 2 Lightfall and one of them is how the perks work in the Ascendant Scepter Season of Defiance Artifact.
In the past, Seasonal Artifacts unlocked mods that you then had to equip. Now, the Seasonal Artifact unlocks perks that don’t need to be equipped but are just permanently on for the duration of the Destiny 2 season.
Best Perks For the Ascendant Scepter in Destiny 2 Season of Defiance
You’ll still need to level up your Seasonal Artifact and unlock the perks one by one which leads you here to what the best perks are to unlock first.
Best Ascendant Scepter Perks in Column 1
The first row of perks in Ascendant Scepter is necessary to compete in mid- to end-game content. It all depends on which weapons you use most, but the best weapons in this column are Overloaded Auto/SMG, Unstoppable Scout Rifle, and Anti-Barrier Pulse Rifle.
However, the Piercing Sidearms and Overload Bow are great perks since all the perks in the first column are good.
Best Ascendant Scepter Perks in Column 2
The second column of perks in Ascendant Scepter includes interesting and amazing mod capabilities. Like the first column, the second column is subjective to the subclasses you like best.
That said, the two standout perks are Authorized Mods: Grenades and Multi-Siphon Mods. Grenade modes will cost less energy with Authorized Mods: Grenades and Multi-Siphon Mods adds Strand/Solar and Strand/Void mods to the pool.
Related: Destiny 2 Season of Defiance: Best War Table Upgrades
Best Ascendant Scepter Perks in Column 3
In the third column, the best perks are Volatile Flow and Defiant Armory. With Volatile Flow, your Void weapons will get Volatile Rounds after picking up an Orb of Power which is really good and Defiant Armory makes all of your weapons with recent Origin Traits, including Quicksilver Storm, a boost.
Solar Surge is great if you are utilizing the new Solar Lightfall Fragments, Shatter Orbs is just okay since it is so situational, and Untangler is just okay as well since you’re likely throwing Tangles more than shooting them with Strand weapons.
Best Ascendant Scepter Perks in Column 4
The best perks in the fourth column of Ascendant Scepter are Bricks From Beyond and Origin Hones. Bricks From Beyond pairs nicely with Volatile Flow since it allows for Heavy ammo to spawn for you and your allies after defeating powerful combatants with Void weapons.
Origin Hones continues where Defiant Armory left off by overcharging those types of weapons.
Allied Unraveling is a solid perk that gives you Unraveling Rounds after rapid Strand weapon final blows. Flare Up is good if you want to create an epic Solar Titan build, but Counterweave is way too situational to be good.
Best Ascendant Scepter Perks in Column 5
In the fifth column of Ascendant Scepter, the best perks are Void Weapon Channeling and Prismatic Transfer. Void Weapon Channeling completes the Void weapon trifecta by giving your bonus Void weapon damage after defeating a target while one of your Void abilities is fully charged.
Prismatic Transfer is an essential Raid perk as it grants bonus weapon damage to your fireteam after casting your Super as long as they have a different subclass damage type than the Super.
Medieval Champion makes Glaives and Swords viable by granting them counters to Unstoppable and Overload Champions, Rain of Firebolts extends the Flare Up perk by giving you an extra grenade charge of Firebolt Grenades, and Threaded Blast extends the shooting Tangle with a Strand weapon bonuses. None of these perks are too great.
