With the release of The Edge of Fate expansion, Destiny 2 has thoroughly revamped its PvE systems, granting a more adjustable and tactical way of dealing with difficulty. At the core of this revamp is the Portal menu, which enables players to tailor their experience in most activities through difficulty modifiers. These modifiers not only mod the difficulty of a mission but also directly influence the quality and quantity of loot you acquire—particularly relevant with the new gear tier system implemented in this expansion.
What Are Difficulty Modifiers?
Difficulty modifiers are an adaptable system that allows players to adjust the level of difficulty for almost every PvE activity in Destiny 2 manually. Instead of selecting from fixed difficulty levels as you used to in previous expansions, you can now tweak the rules of the mission using a specialized “Customize” interface and then play the activity through the Portal.
This involves selecting the base difficulty, adding challenge modifiers, and picking optional boons that are favorable to your preferred playstyle. All the modifiers you add count towards your activity score, an important metric used to calculate loot tier and Power level increases at the end of activity.
How to Add Modifiers
When you choose a PvE activity from the Portal, you will find a “Customize” button. When you click it, a modifier menu opens, from which a number of different options are available based on what kind of mission you have chosen. It is worth mentioning that this mechanism works only for PvE activities—matches in Crucible do not involve modifiers.
Five key aspects you can set:
- Base Difficulty: Controls the Power level and combat intensity of the activity.
- Rule Modifiers: Intrinsic rules implemented by Bungie that can’t be adjusted, typically linked to world or story design.
- Challenge Modifiers: Voluntary penalties that make challenges more difficult but grant more points.
- Player Stakes: Intrinsic risk/reward scenarios such as mission clocks or restricted revives.
- Boons and Events: Positive effects that enhance your build or introduce enjoyable deviations.
Understanding Base Difficulty
Before you can tailor anything further, you will have to select a base level of difficulty. This will dictate the Power level of foes, aggression, flinch resistance, and health scaling. Naturally enough, higher difficulties create more challenging foes—but more lucrative ones as well.
The base difficulty also affects your score prediction, which dictates the grade of your end-mission rewards. The better you perform and the harder the activity, the greater your prediction score. On Grandmaster difficulty, getting an A rank score can reward you with Tier 5 gear, the strongest equipment available in the game.
Challenge Modifiers Explained
After you choose a base difficulty, you can begin applying challenge modifiers. These are the new system’s backbone, enabling you to fine-tune the mission’s difficulty to suit your abilities and construction.
Challenge modifiers are Banes, which give enemies new powers—like exploding when hurt or providing them with elemental resistance. On higher difficulties, you can wear several Banes for even more score potential. Some modifiers even increase the Power level needed to activate the activity, so use them with caution.
Other modifiers change how the mission goes down, like making elemental effects happen on enemy attacks. For instance, one could make melee strikes slow you with Stasis. Some modifiers are a bit more subtle and can benefit you. An example of this is the Oscillation Trade-Off, which increases damage when you’re changing weapons a lot—perfect for Guardians who enjoy swapping weapon types in the middle of combat.
Utilizing Boons and Events
As a counterbalance to the difficulty modifiers, you can choose up to three Boons that serve as positive effects. These can boost your build, movement, or survivability, and they’re particularly handy when attempting Grandmaster-level content.
One of the most sought-after boons is Grappler, which takes your grenade and replaces it with three charges of Grapple. While you lose the grapple melee ability, your grenades also recharge immediately when you touch a surface—great for speedrunning or evasive playstyles.
Activity Scores and Loot Rewards
While you use modifiers and finish the activity, Destiny comes up with a final activity score. The score works on the same basis as the Nightfall scoring system from previous expansions. You want to achieve at least an A rank to earn maximum rewards. A “B” rank is the minimum required to begin receiving worthwhile upgrades, but anything below B gives no bonuses.
Hitting an A rank consistently is the key to farming Tier 3–5 loot, depending on your base difficulty and modifiers. Anything beyond an A won’t yield additional benefits, so focus on optimizing difficulty rather than going overboard.
PvP Considerations and Rewards
Modifiers do not affect Crucible playlists, such as Trials of Osiris and Iron Banner. Loot is directly related to your Power level and performance in PvP. But your chosen base difficulty tier in PvE affects your reward rank, from Copper to Platinum, which has spill-over effects on the gear tier upon switching modes.
To access the best loot in The Edge of Fate, you’ll need to clear Grandmaster content with an A score while equipped with a Power level of at least 350. Even with the right Boons, this will test your build and coordination.
Destiny 2’s new difficulty modifier system adds a new level of play and replayability to PvE content. Whether you’re clearing missions for fun or pushing through for Tier 5 drops, the system allows you to customize your challenges and rewards in a way never before possible. Try out builds, discover modifiers that enhance your playstyle, and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself—Kepler’s best loot is ready for those willing to do so.
