It's 2026, and Destiny 2's episodic model has completely changed the game for Guardians like me. Gone are the days of predictable seasonal resets. Now, with Episode: Echoes, the narrative and gameplay systems evolve organically across three distinct acts. The centerpiece of this new approach? The Hunter's Journal Artifact. It's not just a tool anymore; it's a living, breathing companion on my journey through the Pale Heart and beyond. Unlocking it was a pivotal moment in The Final Shape campaign, and since then, every bit of XP I earn feels meaningful, pushing its level higher, unlocking new perks, and granting that sweet, sweet bonus Power. It's a grind, but man, what a rewarding one. The artifact feels more personal than ever.

The first thing that blew my mind was the structure. Thirty perks, neatly organized into five columns, and I can have up to 12 active at any given time. The best part? These perks are passive and always active, even when I'm getting my butt kicked in the Crucible. The progression is hierarchical, though. To unlock the juicy stuff in later columns, I had to invest points in the earlier ones. It's a classic 'pay-to-play' system, but with brainpower instead of Silver.

• Column One: Unlocked from the get-go. My bread and butter for dealing with Champions.

• Column Two: Requires 3 unlocked passives from Column One. Starts introducing some niche synergies.

• Column Three: Needs 5 unlocks from previous columns. Here's where the build-crafting really kicks in.

• Column Four: Demands 7 previous unlocks. These perks are often game-changers for specific subclasses or weapons.

• Column Five: The pinnacle, requiring 10 unlocked passives. This is where the true power fantasy lives.

And the beauty of the episodic model? Each new act in Echoes added new perks to the Artifact. It wasn't a static list I memorized in May; it was a system that grew with the story. I had to stay on my toes and rethink my loadouts as new rows appeared. Resetting is a breeze, though—just hold the button in the menu. It costs nothing, and I've lost count of how many times I've respecced going from a Grandmaster Nightfall to a casual Crucible match. Flexibility is key, Guardian.

Column One was my introduction to endgame readiness. This is where you get your anti-Champion mods. Choosing between Anti-Barrier Pulse Rifle, Overload Auto Rifle, or Unstoppable Scout Rifle sets the tone for your entire session. But it's not just about stunning those big yellow bars. These perks come with hidden benefits that are absolute lifesavers:

Perk Type	Primary Effect	Hidden Bonus Effects
Anti-Barrier	Pops Barrier Champ shields.	Shoots through immune shields (bye-bye, Phalanxes!), +20% dmg to Titan Barricades.
Overload	Stuns Overload Champs.	Debuffs enemy damage by 25%, stops their abilities, slightly slows Guardian ability regen in PvP.
Unstoppable	Stuns Unstoppable Champs.	Guarantees a stagger on any non-boss enemy in PvE. Pure crowd control.

Plus, any weapon with an active anti-Champion mod gets the Overcharge tag in endgame activities, netting a flat 25% damage boost. It doesn't stack with surges on my legs, but it does stack with everything else like Radiant or Frenzy. That's a big deal for squeezing out every last bit of DPS.

Column Two felt like it was made for the dedicated loot chasers and mod enthusiasts. Logic Reductor was a must-have when farming the new Echoes weapons, giving a nice bump to their unique Vex-themed trait. Overcharged Armory was my best friend in Master content, ensuring all my shiny new Final Shape and Warlord's Ruin gear was always hitting with that overcharge bonus. But the real quality-of-life kings here were the Authorized Mods. Authorized Mod: Elemental Charge and Authorized Mod: Charged Up reducing mod energy costs to just 1? That's a no-brainer. It freed up so much space on my armor for other fun mods. Saint's Inspiration turned my old Season of Dawn weapons into bullet hoses, and while Winning Hand's Solar explosions on Pale Heart weapons weren't setting the world on fire, hey, free AoE damage is free AoE damage. You won't catch me complaining about a little extra 'oomph'.

Now Column Three is where my builds started to sing. Elemental Siphon is low-key one of the most versatile perks ever. Getting three rapid kills with a weapon matching my Super's element just showers me in ability energy—Tangles for Strand, Firesprites for Solar, you name it. Overload Sword let me live out my fantasy as a Champion-slashing samurai, though timing those three hits could be tricky. Creeping Chill? Absolutely busted with Wicked Implement in PvP, slowing entire teams. Press the Advantage was my go-to neutral game perk; breaking any shield gave me a sweet stat boost that felt like it had 100% uptime.

The real showstoppers, though, were Incendiary Rifle Rounds and Sustained Fire. Landing a precision hit with a Solar Sniper to scorch a target? Chef's kiss. Pair that with Whisper of the Worm or Still Hunt, and you're triggering Ignitions for massive damage. And Sustained Fire... getting a 40% damage resistance buff just for holding down the trigger with an Auto Rifle? In today's meta, that's a get-out-of-jail-free card in tough PvE content. It made my sweet business an absolute tanking machine.

If Column Three defined my build, Column Four perfected it. Counter Energy is, without a doubt, S-tier. Every time a Champion gets stunned—by me or my fireteam—I get 30% energy for my least-charged ability. In a Grandmaster, this meant my grenades and melees were almost always up. It's bonkers. Radiant Orbs is another permanent fixture on my Solar and Prismatic builds. Picking up an Orb to get a free 25% weapon damage buff for 10 seconds? Yes, please. It even makes my Golden Gun hit harder.

The survivability perks here are no joke either. Void Hegemony gives nice little overshields for cleaning up weakened foes. Galvanic Armor grants 30% damage resistance while Amplified (Arc go zoom!). And Solar Fulmination makes every Ignition I cause just that much more spectacular and deadly. Targeting Autoloader had a misleading description, but once I figured it out—stacking buffs with Auto Rifle kills for more damage and auto-reloads—it turned my standard AR into a veritable killing machine.

Finally, we reach the peak: Column Five. These are the perks that make you feel like a true paracausal demigod. Prismatic Transfer turns my Super cast into a team-wide buff, giving allies a 20% damage boost if their Super element is different from mine. Support Hunter for the win! Argent Blade is a Sword-lover's dream, consuming Armor Charge for a stacking 10% damage buff that plays nice with every other damage buff in the game. For boss DPS with a Sword, this is non-negotiable.

Expanding Abyss supercharges the Weaken debuff when I'm using Void weapons, making my debuffs hit even harder. Shieldcrush is two fantastic perks in one, supercharging my melee when I have a defense buff (Woven Mail, overshield) and my grenades when I have an offense buff (Amplified, Radiant). The synergy potential is off the charts.

As a Prismatic enthusiast, Transference is my jam. More grenade and melee damage while Transcendent, and weapon kills refund Transcendence energy? It makes maintaining that ultimate state so much smoother. Sniper's Meditation rewards skilled play with up to 15% more Sniper damage, and Shock and Awe lets me live out my Thor fantasy, causing Arc final blows to explode and Jolt everything in sight.

Looking back, mastering the Echoes Artifact has been a journey of constant adaptation and discovery. From the essential Champion counters in Column One to the world-breaking synergies in Column Five, it's a system that rewards deep engagement. The episodic evolution kept it fresh, forcing me to experiment long after the initial campaign ended. In 2026, your Artifact isn't just a list of perks you unlock and forget; it's the very heart of your Guardian's identity and power. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a new set of perks from the latest act to go test. Eyes up.