Some of Destiny 2’s best PvE content can be found in high level Lost Sectors, Master Raids, and Nightfall Strikes that offer a more challenging experience. Within these activities, you are also likely to run into champions, tough opponents who can easily take you out if you bring the wrong team into a fight. Barrier, Overload, and Unstoppable champions can be found in Destiny 2, and each is a unique adversary that can melt your defenses down before you have a chance to realize you’re horribly outgunned.
However, champions aren’t invincible, and once you know what to equip your Guardian with, you can take them on decisively. Here’s how you can turn the tables on some of the deadliest enemies in Destiny 2.
what to equip
Defeating champions requires specific exotic weapons or special armor mods, which change each season. These can be acquired from the seasonal artifact, and you’ll need to level up this item to unlock the champion kill mods in the first column.
Each mod is designed to combat a specific champion’s special abilities with a certain weapon type, such as auto rifles for barrier champions in Season of Plunder. Once you have these mods equipped on your arm armor, your weapons will automatically load up anti-Champion rounds that can stop these enemies in their tracks. For example, anti-barrier projectiles will pierce through a barrier champion’s shields, and anti-overload projectiles will keep these sneaky enemies from constantly teleporting around you.
Once you’ve dealt enough damage, champions will go into a brief stun state and you can start concentrating on shrinking them down to size.
How to defeat unstoppable champions
The behemoths of Destiny 2, Unstoppable Champions can absorb a ridiculous amount of damage, won’t flinch when you throw everything you’ve got at them, and will chase you to the edges of a map. You can expect the strongest enemy types in Destiny 2 to be designated a Durable Unstoppable Champion, including Cabal Incendior, Hive Ogre, Scorn Abomination, and Taken Phalanx. To stop them, you’ll need to equip a seasonal Unstoppable Champion Stagger mod, which stuns these enemies and reduces their damage output.
The weapons that can take advantage of these mods will change each season, but there are a few exotic weapons that have built-in intrinsic anti-Unstoppable capabilities:
- Bastion — Fusion Rifle
- devil’s ruin — Weapon
- Leviathan Breath — Bow
- Crime — Hand cannon
For Season 19, you’ll be able to use Shotguns and Pulse Rifles to take out these champions:
- anti-hit shotguns — Weapon mode
- Anti-Unstoppable Pulse Rifles — Weapon mode
Additionally, hunters can equip the exotic gauntlets. Embrace of Athryswhich can grant staggered unstoppable champions with a powered up heavy knife.
How to defeat overload champions
Tenacious is a familiar word that can be used to describe Overload Champions, as these enemies can be a nightmare if you’re not prepared for them. Constantly regenerating health, teleporting across the battlefield, and unleashing a flurry of shots at any moment, Overload Champions are an agile threat. You’ll need to stagger them with the appropriate mod that unlocks on the seasonal artifact as you level up, and you can expect to come across several varieties of these champions.
Expect strong resistance from Fallen Captains, Scorned Bosses, Taken Hobgoblins, and Vex Minotaurs who display very aggressive behavior. To make hunting easier, you can also equip these exotic weapons that have intrinsic anti-Overload Champion perks:
- Divinity — Trace Rifle
- You Monarch — heavy bow
- thunder lord — machine gun
Warlocks can equip exotic boots. drying filamentswhich will interrupt Overload Champions whenever you and your allies are inside a buffing rift.
Bows and machine guns are the weapons of choice for Season 19 if you’re looking to stop Overload Champions in its tracks:
- Anti-Overload Arches — Weapon mode
- Anti-Overload Machine Gun — Weapon mode
How to defeat barrier champions
One of the most annoying enemies, especially if you’re facing a server, barrier champions will waste no time in popping a nearly impenetrable shield once you bring down their health bars. The only way to get through that defense is with the right Season mod, granting specific armor-piercing rounds. You’ll also want to quickly switch to that anti-shield weapon because once a Barrier Champion activates defense on him, he’ll start to regenerate health. Anti-Champion mods only work on them once they activate their shield, and popping it will briefly stun this enemy.
In addition to Servitors who have a nasty habit of constantly guarding their allies around them, you can also expect to run into Cabal Colossus, Hive Knight, and Vex Hobgoblin, all bearing the title of Barrier. For exotics, you can use these weapons that have shield-piercing rounds built in:
- Arbalest — Linear Fusion Rifle
- by eriana Vote — Hand cannon
- the lament — Sword
- Desire–ender — Bow
Titans can equip the exotic gauntlets. Second opportunitywhich grants a second Shield Throw melee charge and adds a shield-piercing stun effect on Barrier Champions.
As for the seasonal mods, you will be able to use medium and long range weapons when facing these tough enemies:
- Anti-barrier scout rifles — Weapon mode
- anti-barrier automatic rifles — Weapon mode
- Anti-barrier sniper rifle — Weapon mode
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