Contrails: Unleashing the Power of Destiny 2’s Season of the Lost Mods

Destiny 2 Season of the Lost has brought forth a plethora of exciting new mods, including Elemental Well mods and Stasis mods specifically designed for Stasis armor. While the introduction of a new elemental type for armor may require some upgrades, the rewards are undeniably worth it. These mods are not just ordinary additions to the sandbox; they are game-changers that bring immense power to your gameplay experience.

Grenade Kickstart: Unleashing the Madness of Grenade Spam

Before Beyond Light launched, many players, myself included, scoured Destiny 2 in search of ways to rain down an onslaught of grenades. As we explored the Behemoth Titan subclass, we discovered that it lacked a freeze ability on its melee, making it the only Stasis subclass unable to freeze with melees, except for supers and grenades. With the subclass’s focus on shattering, a reliable freeze ability became crucial. Oh, how we wished for a mod like Grenade Kickstart back then.

Grenade Kickstart offers a clear solution to maintaining grenade uptime. This mod returns approximately 13-14% of your grenade energy each time your grenade energy depletes entirely. The phrase “fully expended” is the key here. Whether you throw your grenade or consume it, you will benefit from this mod. Even abilities like Devour can trigger Grenade Kickstart.

For those seeking even more grenade power, stacking two copies of Grenade Kickstart will provide a slightly lower energy return of around 24%. This means you can potentially refund up to 48% of your grenade energy by combining Grenade Kickstart with mods like Bomber. To put it into perspective, achieving maximum discipline on a light subclass typically results in a 32-second cooldown. However, with the aid of Bomber and Grenade Kickstart, that cooldown shrinks to a mere 17 seconds. Quite the bargain, wouldn’t you agree?

Melee Kickstart: Empowering Your Melee Build

Similar to its grenade counterpart, Melee Kickstart operates on the same principles. With two of these mods equipped, you will receive a generous refund of approximately 13-14% of your melee energy. By combining this with the class item mod Outreach, you can achieve a remarkable 48% energy return. I have found these mods particularly effective on Stasis subclasses, where generating Stasis Shards further reduces melee cooldowns. The Revenant Withering Blade already packs a punch, and with a melee-focused Shadebinder build, you can now make the most out of it. However, the ideal home for Melee Kickstart might just be the new No Backup Plans exotic. Here, activating the top-tree Sentinel melee ability Defensive Strike through shotgun kills will not only refund a significant amount of melee energy but also grant the benefit of Melee Kickstart.

Utility Kickstart: Filling a Unique Niche

Utility Kickstart sets itself apart from the other Kickstart mods by being slotted into class items. Consequently, it finds itself competing with the existing Perpetuation class item mod. Combining the two mods for a 48% reduction in your class ability cooldown is not possible. So where does Utility Kickstart shine? Two advantages make it stand out: its low energy requirement and its ability to trigger when your class ability is consumed. Although the impact of this mod may be limited, characters using Promethium Spur or Icefall Mantle will benefit from the energy refund when their exotic effects end.

However, there is a catch. The Kickstart mods have an internal cooldown that prevents them from granting energy if you have already received an ability refund within approximately one second. This is especially noticeable when using exotics like Ashen Wake or Contraverse Hold. Defeating or hitting an enemy with a grenade while utilizing these exotics triggers their inherent grenade refund mechanic, but Grenade Kickstart remains inactive. To ensure your mods activate, try lobbing the grenade far enough that the mods trigger before it strikes an enemy.

The Kickstart mods, especially the grenade and melee variants, are nothing short of fantastic and well worth experimenting with. Unfortunately, they may not see much play when champions are involved, as arm mods are highly competitive due to the presence of anti-champion mods. Nonetheless, for normal gameplay, including content such as Dungeons or raids where champions are either absent or less threatening, Stasis Kickstart mods emerge as some of the best options to enhance your builds.

Update 9/9/21: In an earlier version of this article, the Kickstart mod regeneration amount was incorrectly listed as 10% per mod, up to 20%. The accurate values are approximately 13-14% for one mod and 24% for two mods.

In conclusion, Destiny 2’s Season of the Lost offers a treasure trove of mods that elevate your gaming experience. From maximizing grenade spam to empowering melee builds, these mods are poised to revolutionize your playstyle. So, embrace the power of Grenade Kickstart, Melee Kickstart, and Utility Kickstart, and let the contrails of your triumphs light up the skies of Destiny 2.