Overview
In the latest expansion of Destiny 2, titled The Final Shape, the game transitions from a seasonal model to an episodic one, bringing with it significant changes. One notable update is the new Artifact system, specifically the Hunter’s Journal. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about this new Artifact, including how to unlock and maximize its perks.
Understanding the Hunter’s Journal in Episode: Echoes
The Hunter’s Journal functions similarly to past seasonal Artifacts but has been updated to fit the new episodic format. You unlock the Hunter’s Journal during The Final Shape campaign, and it tracks all XP earned to increase the Artifact’s level, thereby unlocking more perks and boosting your Power level.
The Artifact now features 25 perks across five columns, and these perks are always active, including in PvP. To unlock perks in a new column, you must first unlock perks in the preceding columns. You can have up to 12 perks active at any time. With each new act in the episode, additional perks will be introduced, evolving the Artifact further.
Resetting the Artifact: If you find that the current perks aren’t beneficial, you can reset the Artifact for free by selecting the “Reset Artifact” option. This allows for versatility, making it easier to adapt your build for different activities.
First Column Perks
- Pulse Rifle Anti-Barrier Rounds
- Your equipped Pulse Rifles can penetrate Barrier Champion shields.
- Pulse Rifles gain Overcharge status when applicable.
- Sidearm Unstoppable Rounds
- Aiming down sights with a Sidearm loads an explosive round that stuns Unstoppable Champions.
- Sidearms gain Overcharge status when applicable.
- Scout Rifle Unstoppable Rounds
- Aiming down sights with a Scout Rifle loads an explosive round that stuns Unstoppable Champions.
- Scout Rifles gain Overcharge status when applicable.
- Hand Cannon Overload Rounds
- Consecutive hits with a Hand Cannon stun Overload Champions.
- Hand Cannons gain Overcharge status when applicable.
- SMG Anti-Barrier Rounds
- Consecutive hits with an SMG stun Overload Champions.
- SMGs gain Overcharge status when applicable.
These perks enhance your weapons with anti-Champion capabilities, crucial for endgame PvE content like Nightfalls and Master Lost Sectors. Additionally, these perks provide:
- Anti-Barrier: Increased damage against immune objects and enemies, and 20% more damage to Titan Barricades.
- Overload: Reduced combatant damage and ability suppression for Guardians.
- Unstoppable: Guaranteed stagger on non-boss units.
Second Column Perks
- Enhanced Vex Damage
- Weapons with the Radiolaria Transposer trait deal more damage to Vex and extend the duration of radiolarian pools.
- Overcharged Arsenal
- Weapons with specified origin traits are always Overcharged.
- Elemental Charge Mod
- Significantly reduces the energy cost of Elemental Charge, setting it to 1 energy.
- Overflowing Magazine
- Rounds loaded by the Cast no Shadows trait can overflow the magazine.
- Solar Explosions
- Weapons with the Dealer’s Choice trait trigger Solar explosions on rapid kills or precision final blows.
Third Column Perks
- Elemental Multikill Siphon
- Multikills with weapons matching your Super element create an elemental pickup.
- Sword Overload
- Consecutive hits with a Sword stun Overload Champions.
- Stasis Burst
- Stasis weapon kills against slowed or frozen targets release a slowing burst.
- Shield Breaking Advantage
- Breaking a combatant’s shield grants increased stability, handling, and reload speed.
- Strand Weapon Explosion
- Detonating Tangles with a Strand weapon creates a larger explosion.
Fourth Column Perks
- Ability Energy on Stun
- Stunning a Champion grants energy to your least-charged ability.
- Sword Ammo Refund
- Rapidly defeating combatants with a Sword refunds some ammo.
- Void Overshield
- Defeating weakened targets while using a Void subclass grants a small Void Overshield.
- Radiant Orbs
- Picking up an Orb of Power while using a Solar subclass makes you Radiant.
- Amplified Armor
- Gain 30% damage resistance while Amplified (reduced to 10% in PvP).
Fifth Column Perks
- Super Damage Buff
- Casting a Super grants a damage buff to allies with non-matching Super elements.
- Sword Damage Boost
- Dealing damage with a Sword while you have Armor Charge grants a stacking damage buff.
- Increased Void Damage
- Void sources deal more damage to weakened targets.
- Enhanced Melee and Grenade
- Melee and grenade abilities recharge faster and deal more damage while under specific buffs.
- Transcendent Power
- Gain increased damage for grenades and melees while transcendent.
Conclusion
The Hunter’s Journal in Destiny 2: The Final Shape offers a robust and flexible system to enhance your gameplay experience. As you progress through the episodic content, continue to adapt and optimize your Artifact perks to suit your playstyle and the challenges you face.
General Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes and reflects the current understanding of the game mechanics at the time of publication. Always verify details and consult with professionals or additional sources for in-depth strategies.
