While confusing, Charged with Light is one of the most powerful mechanics in Destiny 2. Guardians that can wrap their head around this strange mechanic can create some of the most powerful and versatile builds in the game.
Gaining constant damage resistance, health on grenade kills, Super energy, and damage buffs are just a few things that Charged with Light can provide. For those willing to learn, we’ll give a comprehensive breakdown of what exactly Charged with Light is and how to make use of it. If you’re only interested in what each mod does, check out our guide detailing the effects of every Charged with Light mod.
What Is Charged With Light?
Charged with Light is a unique buff that can be obtained and manipulated through Combat Style armor mods. Unlike other Combat Style mechanics, Charged with Light does nothing on its own. All benefits received from Charged with Light are solely dependent on your armor mods.
How Charged With Light Works
Here is a brief rundown of how Charged with Light works:
- Effect: Nothing on its own. Buff effects are solely dependent on your armor mods.
- Duration: Until they’re spent or you die. Charged with Light stacks don’t have an expiration timer.
- Maximum Stacks: x2, although this can be increased through armor mods.
Charged With Light Buffs Explained
Charged with Light is a malleable buff that grants effects based on which armor mods you’ve equipped. Potential buff effects include 20% increased weapon damage, 50% damage resistance after your shields break, the ability to generate Special ammo with Void damage, and much more.
All of these mods will consume Charged with Light stacks upon giving you that effect. While you can equip multiple buff-granting Charged with Light mods, your stack consumption will be so high that this is usually not recommended.
Note: All Combat Style mods that grant Charged with Light stacks have a green icon.
Obtaining Charged With Light Stacks
For your buff mods to work, you’ll need stacks of Charged with Light. Certain Combat Style mods will grant Charged with Light stacks upon doing something. Most of these mods ask for multikills with a certain weapon family, although there are a few exceptions.
Unless otherwise noted, every mod that grants Charged with Light stacks will only give you one stack. You can have as many of these mods equipped as you have Combat Style mod slots, although you must have a buff-consuming mod on your armor for these mods to work.
Note: All Combat Style mods that consume Charged with Light stacks have a yellow icon.
Elemental Affinities
Most Charged with Light mods are tied to a certain elemental affinity. A mod’s affinity determines what armor can accept that mod. Void armor accepts Void mods, Arc armor accepts Arc mods, and Solar armor accepts Solar mods. Universal mods, those without an elemental affinity, can be applied on any armor piece.
A mod’s elemental affinity also dictates certain qualities about that mod:
- Solar: Multiple copies of the same Solar mod stack.
- Arc: Equipping a second Arc mod in the same armor piece or another Combat Style mod slot will activate a secondary effect.
- Void: These mods are cheap but reduce one stat by ten points.
This rule only applies to Charged with Light mods; Warmind Cell and Elemental Well mods do not follow this behavior.
Charged With Light FAQ
Since Charged with Light has many moving parts, it’d be best to clarify a few details surrounding this mechanic before moving forward.
Does Charged With Light Work In PvP?
Yes! Charged with Light is the only Combat Style mechanic that works in PvP. Some of the mods, such as High-Energy Fire, are absurdly strong in PvP and worth using.
Can Charged With Light Give Me Multiple Buff Effects?
Yes, albeit they will consume so many stacks that it isn’t recommended.
Do Charged With Light Mods Stack?
Only Solar mods stack. Void, Arc, and universal mods do not.
What Armor Can Equip These Mods?
All Legendary armor obtained from Shadowkeep and beyond can equip Charged with Light mods. All Exotic armor obtained at any point can equip these mods as well. Charged with Light mods can be slotted into your Combat Style mod slot, the fourth mod slot on your armor.
For a detailed explanation on Combat Style mods, check out our guide.
Why Are Some Mod Icons Colored?
The color of a Charged with Light mod determines what it does:
- Green: Grants Charged with Light stacks.
- Yellow: Consumes Charged with Light stacks.
- White: Alters the way you earn or consume Charged with Light stacks. Warmind Cell and Elemental Well mods also use white icons.
How To Obtain Charged With Light Mods
The only way to obtain Charged with Light mods is to buy them from Banshee-44 in the Tower. He will sell two random mods each day, one of which can be a Combat Style mod. Check his stock daily to see if he’s selling any mods you need. Each mod costs ten Mod Components.
All Charged With Light Mods
There are 28 Charged with Light mods that be used to create the perfect build. Covering all of them here would be information overload for most players. If you’re interested in how every mod functions, check out our guide detailing how all 28 mods work.
Charged With Light Builds
Since Charged with Light works in PvP environments, there are quite a few builds that utilize this mechanic. We’ll cover three powerful build setups that, hopefully, will make this system much easier to understand. It’ll also give you an idea of just how powerful these mods can be when used properly.
PvE – Juggernaut
If you don’t want to radically alter your playstyle to make use of Charged with Light, this build is for you. Charged with Light stacks are used to grant a massive damage resistance buff that is always available.
Mods
- Protective Light: The heart of this build. It grants 50% damage resistance when your shields break.
- Taking Charge: Allows Orbs of Power to grant you Charged with Light
The next three mods are not required, but they make your damage resistance buff last much longer:
- Supercharged: Increases your stack cap to four.
- Charged Up: Increases your stack cap to five.
- Stacks on Stacks: You gain x2 Charged with Light from your Orbs of Power.
All you need to do is grab Orbs of Power whenever they’re generated. If you can generate enough orbs, you can reach x5 Charged with Light with ease. When combat gets tough, you’ll receive a 50% damage resistance buff for 20 seconds, making you incredibly tough to kill. Pair it with a method of healing to become nigh-invincible in most PvE activities. This build is fantastic for solo flawless dungeon attempts, Grandmaster Nightfalls, and contest mode raids.
PvE – Infinite Ammo
Are you a fan of Shotguns or Fusion Rifles? Do you hate using Primary weapons? This build is right up your alley. Thanks to the Heavy Handed mod, you’ll be able to use two Special weapons simultaneously and not run into ammo issues.
Mods
- Heavy Handed: Make sure the secondary bonus is active. This will give you one ammo for both of your Shotguns or Fusion Rifles whenever you kill someone while surrounded.
- Quick Charge: Double kills with Shotguns or Fusions will give you x1 Charged with Light stacks. This works with Exotics. Quick Charge also activates Heavy Handed’s secondary bonus.
The next three mods aren’t needed, but they’re handy for this build:
- Protective Light: You’re going to lose your shields often. Gaining a 50% damage resistance is a huge life-saver.
- Stacks on Stacks: Gain x2 Charged with Light stacks on a double kill.
- High-Energy Fire: Your weapons gain a 20% damage buff near permanently so long as you keep achieving double kills.
Since Quick Charge is such a good source of Charged with Light stacks, you can get away with using two mods that consume your stacks. Protective Light will give you a major defensive buff when combat goes south, and High-Energy Fire will give you the firepower you need to melt majors and bosses quickly.
When paired with ammo finder and the Special Ammo Finisher mod, the absurd ammo generation allows you to use Shotguns and Fusion Rifles as if they were Primary weapons. It isn’t viable for Grandmaster content or anything demanding, but this build is surprisingly fun in most PvE content. If you have a means of healing yourself, very few enemies will stand a chance against you.
PvP – Charged With High-Energy Fire
Do you want to become a mobile Empowered Rift that can two-tap enemies constantly? Interested in giving your entire team a 20% damage buff after casting your Super? This build can do both.
Mods
- High-Energy Fire: Gain a 20% damage buff while you’re Charged with Light. This allows 120 RPM Hand Cannons to two-tap enemies, and it lets 72 RPM Sniper Rifles one-tap Guardians.
- Charge Harvester: Every kill and assist will contribute towards granting you a Charged with Light stack.
- Taking Charge/Any Charge-Granting Mod: Pick your favorite mod that grants Charged with Light stacks. Taking Charge, Precision Charge, and Quick Charge are a few fantastic choices.
The next two mods make this build even better:
- Powerful Friends: Gain +20 Mobility, and give nearby allies Charged with Light whenever you become Charged with Light.
- Radiant Light: Gain +20 Strength, and give nearby allies Charged with Light when you cast your Super.
Additionally, you can also replace any mod you don’t like with Stacks on Stacks to make High-Energy Fire active more often.
There’s no weird gameplay loop here: kill enemies to gain a 20% damage buff occasionally. Kills while you have Charged with Light will also help you gain Charged with Light, allowing you to continue the cycle of two-tapping enemies. The neutral game bonuses from Powerful Friends and Radiant Light also make this build desirable in Trials of Osiris and Iron Banner.
If your fireteam is also running this build, everyone in your team will gain Charged with Light whenever someone casts their Super or become Charged with Light, allowing you to give everyone a 20% damage boost just by casting your Super. Needless to say, that can swing entire rounds in your team’s favor.
Next: Destiny 2: Beyond Light Complete Guide And Walkthrough
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- Destiny 2
- Destiny 2: Beyond Light
Charles Burgar is an expert on all things tech and gaming. Graduating from Pikes Peak Community College in 2018 with an Associate of Science, Charles has spent his time dissecting popular video games, movies, and technology. With an understanding of games for as long as he can remember, Charles has a large interest in understanding what makes things fun. He is currently a Freelance writer for TheGamer and Game Rant.
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