Destiny 2’s best damage buffs and debuffs explained

Destiny 2 buff and debuff list

Searching for Destiny 2 buffs and debuffs? There are plenty of buffs and debuffs in Destiny 2, and they can have a huge impact on your damage output. Some buffs stack multiplicatively, while others stack additively, and understanding how they work is essential if you want to maximise your damage.

While some buffs come from weapon perks and subclasses, most buffs and debuffs come from armour mods and abilities. There are also some buffs and debuffs that come from Game mechanics, such as the way that the Striker Titan’s Magnetic Shield works. We’ve broken down buffs and debuffs by category, and we’ve even provided a list of notable damage perks so you can quickly see how much of a damage increase you’ll get from each one.

Weapon damage buffs

Weapon damage buffs increase the damage output of your weapons.

There are many weapon damage buffs in Destiny 2, and they can come from weapon perks, subclass perks, armour mods, and even weapons and armour that you have equipped.

These buffs all stack with each other, but they stack multiplicatively, so a 50% buff from a subclass perk will result in a total 100% damage increase.

Here are some of the most notable weapon damage buffs:

Weapon damage buffs and empowering buffs stack with each other, but they stack multiplicatively, so a 50% damage buff from a subclass perk and a 25% damage buff from an empowering buff would result in a total 125% damage increase.

Weapon damage perks stack with empowering buffs, but they do not stack with each other. The strongest buff applies to all weapons, so a 50% weapon damage perk and a 25% damage buff from an empowering buff would only result in a 50% damage increase to all weapons.

Weapon Surges provide damage buffs to specific elements, and there are four tiers of bonus damage that you can receive when your energy bar fills up during a weapon Surge.

Weapon Surges don’t stack with each other, but they do stack with weapon damage buffs and empowering buffs.

Debuff effects

Negative effects that increase enemy damage taken are called debuffs. These can come from weapon perks, subclasses, armor mods, and even certain Exotic weapons and armor.

For the most part, debuffs stack with buffs, so if you land a 40% damage buff and also apply a 40% debuff to your enemy, they will receive 80% more damage than they would have without the debuff.

There are some exceptions to this rule, such as the Sunbreaker’s Empowering Hammer, which provides a 25% damage increase to all weapons, but does not stack with other Empowering buffs.

A list of notable damage perks and their buff percentages:

Empowering buffs

Radiant buffs provide a 25% damage increase to all weapons.

Empowering buffs don’t stack with each other, only the strongest buff applies, unless the item description says otherwise.

Weapon Surges