What Is Artifice Armor in Destiny 2?
Artifice Armor is a special type of legendary armor that grants an additional mod slot, specifically for a +3 stat boost of your choice (Discipline, Intellect, Strength, Mobility, Resilience, or Recovery).
This unique slot is independent of regular armor mods and allows greater control over stat distribution — perfect for build crafting.
Example: A chest piece with 65 total stat points and an Artifice mod gives you effective 68 total, with better optimization.
How to Get Artifice Armor
Artifice Armor only drops from master difficulty dungeons and only the featured weekly rorator dungeons and the latest dungeon released allows access to Master difficulty.
Dungeons That Drop Artifice Armor:
- Grasp of Avarice
- Duality
- Spire of the Watcher
- Ghosts of the Deep
- Warlord’s Ruin
- Vesper's Host
- Sundered Doctrine
Requirements:
- You must complete the dungeon on Master difficulty, which has a higher Power Level requirement and tougher enemies.
- Armor is typically rewarded from encounter chests and weekly loot drops.
Xûr's Inventory:
Additionally you can also buy artifice armor from Xûr when he's available from Friday to Tuesdays. He doesn't always bring artifice armor and it's pretty rare, but when he does it's always a good idea to get 1 or more armor pieces for the characters that need it the most.
Why Artifice Armor Is So Valuable
Artifice Armor is a top-tier choice for hardcore players, and here’s why:
Key Benefits:
- +3 Stat Mod Slot – Push a key stat (like Resilience or Recovery) over key thresholds (e.g. 100 for max tier).
- More Flexible Builds – Allows min-maxing without compromising other mods like ammo finders or resistance mods.
- Future-Proofing – Helps you adapt builds as metas shift or mods change season-to-season.
This makes Artifice Armor a must-have for PvE endgame content, Grandmasters, solo builds, and PvP specialists who want that competitive edge.
When Artifice Armor May Not Be the Best Choice
Despite its advantages, Artifice isn’t always worth equipping.
Potential Drawbacks:
- Lower Total Stats: Some Artifice pieces roll in the 58–62 range, while crafted or world-drop armor may hit 65+.
- Unideal Stat Distribution: Even with the +3 slot, poor base stats can ruin synergy.
- Harder to Farm: Requires full Master dungeon clears, which are not solo-friendly for most players.
- An overhaul of the armor system is also expected in the coming months, which has caused some players to question the value of investing time in farming current Artifice Armor. The uncertainty about future changes has led to a mixed approach among players regarding gear acquisition.
Pro Tip: Always compare stat distribution — not just the total — before swapping in Artifice gear. A 65-stat chest with great spike values might outperform a 60-stat Artifice piece with flat rolls.
Upgrading Exotic Armor to Artifice
Fully masterworked Exotic armor pieces can now be upgraded to include an Artifice mod slot. This process requires an Exotic Cipher and 10,000 Glimmer. This change allows for greater flexibility in build crafting by enabling the addition of a +3 stat mod to Exotic gear.
Final Thoughts
Artifice Armor is one of Destiny 2’s most powerful build tools, but it shines brightest when paired with already strong base stats. For hardcore players chasing stat-perfect loadouts, Artifice is borderline essential — but casual players can safely skip it unless they’re pushing into high-end PvE or competitive PvP.