Destiny 2 is finally buffing the worst Exotics of all time

Destiny 2
(Image credit: Bungie)

Destiny 2 Season 13 will make some much-needed improvements to the trio of Aeon Exotics, which have long been memed as the worst Exotics in the game. 

Currently, the Aeon Exotics generate ability energy for you and your team when you use certain abilities, and teammates who are also wearing an Aeon Exotic get a bit more energy than normal. Warlocks generate grenade energy when they throw grenades while wearing Aeon Soul, for instance. The problem is that this energy boost is incredibly minor, so much so that wearing an Aeon Exotic – let alone filling your team with them – is objectively bad. That's finally changing.

Per the latest TWAB, the current Aeon effects are being thrown out and replaced with three unique Exotic mods which can only be socketed on Aeon armor. All three Exotics will have the same mods, so you can use any of them on any class or subclass. Here are their effects:

  • Sect of Force: rapid precision hits with a weapon temporarily increase your reload speed and weapon swap speed. When you stun a Champion or defeat a boss or miniboss, nearby teammates gain a burst of grenade and melee energy. Aeon cult allies (that is, teammates also wearing an Aeon Exotic) who do not have the Sect of Force role equipped also gain a burst of Super energy.
  • Sect of Insight: successive precision weapon takedowns have a chance to drop an Orb of Power for your allies. When you use a finisher on an elite enemy, you generate special ammo for teammates. Finishing a boss or miniboss will generate heavy ammo. Nearby Aeon cult allies who do not have the Sect of Insight role equipped also gain a bonus to weapon damage for a short time after you use a finisher.
  • Sect of Vigor: you gain class ability energy when your allies die, and your class ability will be fully charged when you revive a teammate. When you use your Super, nearby allies get a burst of healing.  Nearby Aeon cult allies who do not have the Sect of Vigor role equipped also gain an overshield. 

As Bungie explained, these special mods were designed so that players are rewarded for assigning all three roles within teams of three – when making a Nightfall team, for example. All of these effects also stack, and like the armor sets issued alongside Gambit Prime, they give you a unique role to fulfill. We've never seen Exotics like these before and they sound mighty strong on paper, so it's wild to think they were forged with the worst Exotics in Destiny history. 

If you're looking for more Exotics, have a gander at this week's Destiny 2 Xur location and inventory. 

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

Latest in Destiny
Key art for Destiny 2's Heresy Episode.
"A fun example of a bug becoming a feature": Destiny 2 accidentally made Exotic Glaives free to all classes, and Bungie says "we're going to let this ride"
Destiny 2 Episode 3 Heresy screenshot of Eris Morn
Destiny 2's new Episode suggested the upcoming Apollo expansion will launch on July 15, but that date has mysteriously been scrubbed from the game
Destiny 2 Guardian in Taken energy
Bungie yanked Destiny 2 servers offline for emergency maintenance as Episode 3: Heresy got off to a rocky start, but it looks like we're back in business
Destiny 2 Star Wars armor sets
"Oryx is back": Destiny 2's final Episode takes the MMO to the site of the iconic Taken King expansion for a Coil-inspired roguelite mode, and also Star Wars armor
Destiny 2 guardian in scorn armor
How to get Destiny 2 Twitch Drops and link your accounts
Destiny 2 Kell's Fall art
The Destiny 2 dev behind Titan's game-changing Banner of War was also on its new Exotic shotgun Slayer's Fang: "I gotta live up to this, especially as my first gun"
Latest in News
inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
The creator of upcoming life sim Inzoi says he was "recklessly brave to even think about creating a game of this scale"
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog