Destiny 2 Guide: Decoding All Seven Artifacts For The Final Update

Bungie is wrapping up the Destiny 2 saga by handing you the keys to the most chaotic sandbox in the history of the franchise.

The Monument of Triumph is the absolute end of the line. Because there are no future updates to balance around, the developers essentially stopped caring about power creep and threw seven historical seasonal artifacts right back into your lap. You now have an overwhelming amount of choices that span from the Season of the Deep all the way up to the Lawless era. I spent my time untangling this massive grid and translating the vague mechanical jargon so you know exactly how to forge your final build.

Navigating The Final Grid

Before you start wildly clicking nodes and locking yourself out of good synergies, you need to understand the strict equipping rules.

You can slot Tier 1 perks into all seven of your available slots. Moving up the chain, Tier 2 perks are restricted to your final five slots. The heavy hitting Tier 3 perks are strictly capped, meaning you can only activate two of them at any given time. I cataloged every single artifact and deeply translated their perks below so you can map out your perfect setup. If you need to figure out how these pair with the new armor reworks, check out my Destiny 2 Monument of Light all armor set bonuses breakdown.

Artifact Name	Origin Timeline	Boosted Elements	Boosted Weapons
NPA Repulsion Regulator	Season of the Deep	Arc, Void, Strand	Glaives, Auto Rifles
Queensfoil Censer	Season of the Wish	Solar, Stasis, Strand	Rocket Launchers, Grenades
Hunter's Journal	Episode Echoes	Prismatic, Solar, Arc, Void	Swords, Snipers, Autos
Slayer Baron Apothecary Satchel	Episode Revenant	Stasis, Void, Arc	Grenade Launchers, Shotguns
Tablet of Ruin	Episode Heresy	Arc, Strand, Void, Prismatic	Fusions, Glaives, Trace Rifles
Implement of Curiosity	Reclamation	Solar, Stasis, Strand, Kinetic	Bows, Swords, Micro-Missiles
Encrypted Data Disk	Lawless	Kinetic, Void, Arc	Swords, Snipers, Machine Guns

NPA Repulsor Regulator Perks

This setup shines when you want to dive straight into a mob using a Glaive and an Auto Rifle. It heavily rewards Void overshields and aggressive Arc amplification.

Perk	Functional Effect	Grid Column
Improved Unraveling	Forces your unraveling effects to chunk targets for extra damage.	Column 1
Volatile Flow	Grabbing any Orb of Power instantly loads volatile rounds into your Void arsenal.	Column 1
Unto the Breach	Putting down a void-debuffed enemy spawns a Void Breach if you are rocking a Void or Prismatic build.	Column 1
Amped Up	Drastically extends your amplified timer on Arc or Prismatic subclasses.	Column 1
Thunderous Retort	Casting an Arc Super while amplified or near death gives you a flat damage buff for the entire animation.	Column 1
Sustained Fire	Holding the trigger on an Auto Rifle to deal damage or heal allies grants raw damage resistance.	Column 1
Shatter Orbs	Matching elements to break an enemy shield pops out a fresh Orb of Power.	Column 1
Strand Soldier	Gaining Woven Mail instantly feeds Unraveling Rounds to your Strand weapons.	Column 2
Suppressing Glaive	Stabbing enemies with a Glaive suppresses their ability usage.	Column 2
Protective Breach	Walking over a Void Breach grants a fresh overshield or resets your current one.	Column 2
Counter Charge	Stunning any Champion hands you a free stack of Armor Charge.	Column 2
Bricks From Beyond	Killing elite enemies with Void guns helps generate Heavy ammo for your entire squad.	Column 2
Overload Grenades	Void grenades completely shut down Overload Champions and suppress enemy abilities.	Column 2
Targeting Autoloader	Getting kills with an Auto Rifle auto reloads the magazine and bumps damage output.	Column 2
Conductive Cosmic Needle	Strand debuffed enemies take way more punishment from your Arc and Void abilities.	Column 3
Shock and Awe	Arc kills scored while amplified call down jolting lightning strikes.	Column 3
Supernova	Eating a Void Breach turns your next Void attack into a massive weakening explosion.	Column 3
Squad Goals	Hitting a finisher passes your active Amplified, Woven Mail, or Devour buffs to your teammates.	Column 3
Lightning Strikes Twice	Tossing an Arc grenade turbocharges your recharge rate. Getting more Arc kills extends the timer.	Column 3
Passive Aggressive Guard	Holding a Glaive reduces all incoming close quarters damage.	Column 3
Void Weapon Channeling	Killing targets with Void weapons while holding a fully charged Void ability buffs your gun damage.	Column 3

Queensfoil Censer Perks

If you want to clear a room using heavy explosives, grab this setup. It turns your Rocket Launchers into absolute nukes while letting you spam Solar ignitions and Stasis freezing effects.

Perk	Functional Effect	Grid Column
Fever and Chill	Landing precision shots feeds you Radiant on Solar guns and Frost Armor on Stasis guns.	Column 1
Torch	Having the Radiant buff lets you deal heavier damage to Strand or Stasis debuffed enemies.	Column 1
Heart of the Flame	Popping a Solar Super makes your squad Radiant and boosts your own Super damage output.	Column 1
Armorsmith	Popping an enemy shield boosts your melee power and gives you damage resistance.	Column 1
Wished Into Being	Ability kills drop Orbs of Power when your Super is almost fully charged.	Column 1
Kindling Trigger	Solar weapons scorch targets automatically while you are Radiant.	Column 1
Blast Radius	Getting quick kills with Rocket or Grenade Launchers instantly feeds you Armor Charge.	Column 1
Unraveling Orbs	Picking up an Orb or Tangle loads Unraveling Rounds into your Strand guns.	Column 2
Pillar of Ice	Killing frozen targets leaves Stasis crystals behind.	Column 2
Revitalizing Blast	Stunning a Champion wipes your own shield stun and causes them to violently ignite.	Column 2
Anti-Champion Nosecone	Rocket Launchers shred Champions for bonus damage.	Column 2
Dragon's Bite	Popping a shield with Strand or Stasis can randomly suspend or freeze the enemy.	Column 2
Creeping Chill	Killing slowed targets with Stasis releases a freezing burst that gives nearby friends Frost Armor.	Column 2
Perpetual Destruction	Chain kills with standard Rocket Launchers to reload faster and refund heavy ammo.	Column 2
Horde Shuttle	Shooting unraveled targets spawns Threadlings that sever whatever they bite.	Column 3
Hail the Storm	Shattering Stasis crystals sends out dangerous ice shrapnel and deals extra burst damage.	Column 3
Rays of Precision	Landing Solar headshot kills while Radiant causes the victim to explode.	Column 3
Solo Operative	Playing without a fireteam gives you a flat damage buff after scoring precision kills.	Column 3
Argent Ordnance	Eating an Armor Charge buffs your Rocket Launcher damage and reload speeds until you stow it.	Column 3
Frigid Glare	Stasis headshot kills trigger a freezing pulse while you have Frost Armor active.	Column 3
To Shreds	Shooting severed enemies unravels them entirely. Killing them drops a Woven Mail aura for your team.	Column 3

Hunter's Journal Perks

The Echoes artifact is arguably the most versatile of the bunch. It caters directly to Prismatic subclasses and Sniper Rifle mains who want to wipe out entire rooms from a safe distance.

Perk	Functional Effect	Grid Column
Elemental Siphon	Chain kills with Kinetics or guns matching your Super to spawn elemental pickups.	Column 1
Energy Diffusion Substrate	Adds a flat damage resistance buff against everything the game throws at you.	Column 1
Creeping Chill	Killing chilled enemies triggers an icy blast that gives nearby allies Frost Armor.	Column 1
Press the Advantage	Shattering a shield buffs your weapon handling and beefs up your Sword guard.	Column 1
Threaded Blast	Shooting a Tangle with Strand damage causes a massive, high damage detonation.	Column 1
Incendiary Rifle Rounds	Landing Solar Sniper headshots immediately scorches the target.	Column 1
Sustained Fire	Continuously firing an Auto Rifle at enemies or allies grants damage reduction.	Column 1
Counter Energy	Whenever anyone in your group stuns a Champion, you get free ability energy.	Column 2
Blade Stamina	Chopping down mobs with a Sword refunds your heavy ammo.	Column 2
Void Hegemony	Putting down weakened enemies feeds you Void Overshields on Void or Prismatic builds.	Column 2
Radiant Orbs	Touching an Orb of Power makes you Radiant while running Solar or Prismatic setups.	Column 2
Bad Amplitude	Hitting a Champion with any Arc ability instantly jolts them.	Column 2
Solar Fulmination	Increases the blast radius and pure damage of your Solar ignitions.	Column 2
Targeting Autoloader	Auto Rifle kills bypass reloads and temporarily buff your damage output.	Column 2
Prismatic Transfer	Popping your Super gives a massive weapon buff to allies running different elemental classes.	Column 3
Argent Blade	Burns an Armor Charge to drastically enhance your Sword damage and energy regeneration.	Column 3
Expanding Abyss	Your Void attacks hit much harder against already weakened targets.	Column 3
Shieldcrush	Having defensive buffs buffs your melee speed and damage, while offensive buffs enhance your grenades.	Column 3
Transference	Buffs ability damage during Transcendence and refunds energy when the state drops.	Column 3
Sniper's Meditation	Landing sniper shots builds a massive stacking buff to handling, reload, and damage.	Column 3
Shock and Awe	Arc kills while amplified summon chaotic lightning strikes against surrounding enemies.	Column 3

Slayer Baron Apothecary Satchel Perks

Before you lock yourself into a passive support role, check out the raw damage output this Revenant artifact provides. It heavily modifies Grenade Launchers and Shotguns, turning you into a close range executioner. If you want to see how these stack up in a boss rush, check out my Destiny 2 Pantheon 2 bosses loot god rolls guide.

Perk	Functional Effect	Grid Column
Wind Chill	Fast Stasis hits build Frost Armor, and hitting frozen targets dumps Stasis Shards on the floor.	Column 1
Crystalline Converter	Turns collected Shards into explosive Stasis crystals on your next powered melee attack.	Column 1
Total Carnage	Hitting a finisher on an elite heals you and hardens your defenses.	Column 1
Power from Pain	Wiping out weakened enemies triggers Devour and leaves a Void Breach behind.	Column 1
Trace Evidence	Killing blind or jolted enemies drops Ionic Traces that automatically feed you Armor Charges.	Column 1
The Thick of It	Securing kills while surrounded hands you free Armor Charges and buffs Sword handling.	Column 1
Killing Breeze	Rapidly killing enemies gives you a noticeable mobility bump.	Column 1
Frost Renewal	Taking heavy damage while armored triggers a freeze burst and shields your allies.	Column 2
Hail the Storm	Shattering Stasis crystals causes them to explode into highly damaging shrapnel.	Column 2
Debilitating Wave	Finishers emit a massive shockwave matching your equipped Super element to blind or slow enemies.	Column 2
Weakened Clear	Hitting a boss with a Grenade Launcher automatically reloads your other guns and weakens the target.	Column 2
Retinal Burn	Burns an Armor Charge to make your Arc precision hits blind anything nearby.	Column 2
Curative Orbs	Breaking an enemy shield drops an Orb of Power, and grabbing pickups heals you.	Column 2
Void Renewal	Void kills spawn Breaches while Devour is running, and grabbing them reloads your heavy weapons.	Column 2
Brain Freeze	Frozen targets project a massive fog aura that actively slows nearby enemies.	Column 3
Supernova	Picking up a Void Breach turns your next Void attack into a massive weakening pulse.	Column 3
Conductive Cosmic Crystal	Arc and Void abilities deal completely unbalanced damage to Stasis-debuffed mobs.	Column 3
Served Cold	Stasis Shards refund class energy, while Void Breaches instantly refund melee energy.	Column 3
Kinetic Impacts	Spamming a Grenade Launcher creates shockwaves that easily stun Unstoppable Champions.	Column 3
Arc Compounding	Arc weapons absolutely shred any target suffering from the Blind debuff.	Column 3
Old God's Rite	Shooting a Void gun after grabbing a Breach unleashes a swarm of tracking projectiles.	Column 3

Tablet of Ruin Perks

This Heresy era artifact exists to make Fusion Rifles and Trace Rifles completely overpowered. You get massive ammo refunds and huge damage spikes against debuffed enemies, turning you into a walking battery.

Perk	Functional Effect	Grid Column
Hold the Line	Reloads Machine Guns and Glaives instantly when surrounded and heals you on kills.	Column 1
Dielectric	Killing Arc-debuffed enemies builds Bolt Charge and spits out free Orbs of Power.	Column 1
Volatile Marksman	Landing Void headshots feeds you Volatile Rounds and refunds class ability energy.	Column 1
Unraveling Orbs	Touching an Orb or a Tangle loads Unraveling Rounds directly into your Strand weapons.	Column 1
Photonic Flare	Hitting severed or exhausted targets with Arc completely blinds them.	Column 1
Elemental Siphon	Matches your kinetic kills to your Super element to drop fast elemental pickups.	Column 1
Perpetual Destruction	Chain non-Exotic rocket kills to magically refund your heavy ammo reserves.	Column 1
Vile Weave	Throwing a Tangle severs the target, and picking them up slashes your cooldown timer.	Column 2
Maligned Harvest	Applying Volatile heavily weakens your target, giving you a free overshield in the process.	Column 2
Flashover	Maxing out your Bolt Charge buffs your lightning strikes and triggers Amplified automatically.	Column 2
Horde Shuttle	Shooting unraveled targets spawns aggressive Threadlings that sever on contact.	Column 2
No Bell	Glaive melee kills reward you with Special ammo, and blocking buffs your stabbing damage.	Column 2
Harsh Refraction	Trace Rifles deal massive bonus damage to targets suffering from matching elemental debuffs.	Column 2
Gold From Lead	Walking over Special ammo boxes gives you a decent chance to find free Heavy ammo.	Column 2
Particle Reconstruction	Melting bosses with Fusion Rifles refills your magazine directly from reserves and buffs damage.	Column 3
Elemental Supercharger	Wiping out severed enemies with Super-matching weapons juices your Super regeneration rate.	Column 3
Heavy Ordnance Regeneration	Firing Rockets or Machine Guns grants damage resistance and fast grenade cooldowns.	Column 3
Defibrillating Blast	Stunning a Champion maxes out your Bolt Charge, instantly jolting targets and healing your character.	Column 3
Void Flux	Killing weakened targets spreads Volatile to everything nearby in a massive explosion.	Column 3
Limit Break	Popping your Super while matching its element or while near death spikes your output damage.	Column 3
To Shreds	Unravels severed targets, and killing them drops a Woven Mail aura on the floor for your team.	Column 3

Implement Of Curiosity Perks

Direct from the Reclamation era, this artifact is custom built for Kinetic junkies and Bow enthusiasts who want to stagger champions with micro-missiles and bathe the map in elemental explosions.

Perk	Functional Effect	Grid Column
Fever and Chill	Fast headshots hand you Radiant for Solar weapons and Frost Armor for Stasis weapons.	Column 1
Elemental Benevolence	Giving your fireteam an elemental buff secretly restores your own class ability energy.	Column 1
Frost Renewal	Taking headshot damage while armored emits a freezing pulse to protect you.	Column 1
Horde Shuttle	Shooting unraveled targets spawns aggressive Threadlings that sever on contact.	Column 1
Refresh Threads	Touching Tangles or pickups refunds your weakest ability cooldown while using a Strand Super.	Column 1
Pack Tactics	Threadling damage ramps up massively over time, eventually stunning Unstoppable Champions.	Column 1
Semi-Auto Striker	Headshots with Bows, Snipers, or Scouts feed you Armor Charge if you are running low.	Column 1
Threaded Blast	Shooting Tangles with a Strand weapon turns them into high damage nukes.	Column 2
Cauterized Darkness	Stasis or Strand debuffed enemies take vastly increased Solar damage.	Column 2
Elemental Daze	Stunning Champions forces them to explode and apply massive elemental debuffs around them.	Column 2
Shoulder to Shoulder	Standing near teammates while landing precision damage gives you raw damage resistance.	Column 2
Elemental Coalescence	Kills drop pickups perfectly matched to your equipped Super.	Column 2
That Fresh Bullets Smell	Grabbing ammo off the floor temporarily buffs all Kinetic weapon damage.	Column 2
Energy Acceleration	Hitting enemies with micro-missiles triggers heavy shockwaves that stun Unstoppable Champions.	Column 2
Radiant Shrapnel	Shooting enemies while Radiant causes them to erupt into scorching Solar projectiles.	Column 3
Shieldcrush	Having defensive buffs empowers your melee, while having offensive buffs empowers your grenades.	Column 3
Elemental Overdrive	Walking over a Tangle or elemental pickup buffs all guns that share that element.	Column 3
Tangled Web	Killing Strand debuffed targets generates Tangles that suspend everything in the room.	Column 3
Frigid Glare	Stasis headshot kills trigger a freezing pulse while you have Frost Armor active.	Column 3
Iron Lord's Vigor	Holding a Sword lowers incoming damage and refunds ammo on rapid kills.	Column 3
Argent Quiver	Burns Armor Charge to drastically enhance your Bow's draw speed and damage profile.	Column 3

Encrypted Data Disk Perks

Before you pass this up as a relic of the Lawless era, look closely at the insane ammo economy hidden in this grid. Between Kinetic hits spawning heavy ammo and rapid machine gun kills healing you on the spot, this setup practically plays the game for you.

Perk	Functional Effect	Grid Column
Press the Advantage	Popping enemy shields grants weapon stability and buffs Sword guarding.	Column 1
Kinetic Synthesis	Killing enemies with Kinetics drops custom bricks that magically refill your Special and Heavy reserves.	Column 1
Reload at Range	Chain Sniper or Bow headshots to stack a massive reload speed buff.	Column 1
Riposte	Attacking immediately after a Sword guard stuns enemies and Unstoppable Champions.	Column 1
Power from Pain	Killing weakened mobs instantly grants the Devour buff.	Column 1
Fierce Proxemics	Executing enemies with a finisher fully refunds your grenade and melee energy.	Column 1
Rapid Remedy	Mowing down mobs with a Machine Gun literally heals you on the spot.	Column 1
Dielectric	Killing Arc-debuffed enemies builds Bolt Charge and spits out free Orbs of Power.	Column 2
Armorsmith	Popping an enemy shield boosts your melee damage and grants damage resistance.	Column 2
Counter Energy	Whenever your fireteam stuns a Champion, your lowest cooldown automatically regenerates.	Column 2
Combination Argent Blade	Timing your Sword strikes carefully empowers the blade with nasty bonus damage.	Column 2
Singularity Blade	Swords and melees weaken targets while you have a Void buff, and kills trigger weakening bursts.	Column 2
Blinding Jolts	Taking down a jolted target automatically blinds the rest of the room.	Column 2
Precision Equity	Headshots charge up a massive custom Orb of Power that grants bonus gun damage when picked up.	Column 2
Elemental Orbs: Arc	Arc kills spawn elemental spheres that you can throw to violently jolt enemies.	Column 3
Kinetic Rupture	Pumping Kinetic rounds into bosses creates explosive ruptures that stun Unstoppable Champions.	Column 3
Sniper's Meditation	Landing sniper shots builds a massive stacking buff to handling, reload, and damage.	Column 3
Sword Storm Combo	Nailing a proper light-to-heavy combo summons floating penumbral blades that shred targets.	Column 3
Void Infestation	Dropping a weakened target fires a tracking missile that infects the next enemy in line.	Column 3
Tazer Tag	Punching enemies with Arc energy instantly jolts them and melts their health bar.	Column 3
Sticker Shock	Arc sticky grenades get a huge damage buff and shatter into homing micro-missiles on kills.	Column 3