If there's one thing I have consistently enjoyed over the lifespan of D2 and my time as a Guardian it is Buildcrafting. Doesn't matter how stale or redundant the Activities, Artifact or Meta are, I will find a way to craft unique builds that hold a measure of viability and potency within the game. How do I repeatedly do this throughout such restrictive metas and one dimensional Artifacts though? Well ever since Lightfall overhauled our Armor Mod system, buildcrafting has become incredibly formulaic. You see, there's only one entity that makes all builds functions on a consistent basis. And that Guardians, is our starting point. Orbs of Power. These are the bread and butter of buildcrafting in the current state of D2. Virtually every build in the game is dysfunctional without Orbs of Power. Our Armor Mods almost exclusively revolve around interactions with Orbs of Power. Without Orbs, builds simply do not function at a consistent level. So where do Orbs come from? Well the most basic and consistent means for Orbs of Power comes from Siphon Mods. Other sources are the Firepower & Heavy Handed Mods in the Arms, and the Reaper Mod in the Class Item, as well as the Benevolent Finisher Mod (which ironically demands Armor Charge). And then there's the Weapon Mod 'Synergy' for Kinetic Weapons and lastly the Weapon Perk Attrition Orbs. So while there's a bevy of options concerning where Orbs come from, only 2 of these are going to produce consistent Orbs of Power for a Guardian- a Siphon Mod, or the Reaper Mod (yes, I know what you're thinking). So how do Siphon Mods work? Well one simply runs an elemental siphon that matches one of their weapons, strings together 3 kills within 10 seconds and POOF- and Orb drops. Why is Reaper another consistent Orb source? Well one simply uses their Class Ability and then scores one kill within 10 seconds. While this is moderately excessive and unnecessary in PVE, in PVP this is one of, if not THE most consistent Orb generator! So with Orb creation established......what's the point??? Well you see, nearly all other Armor Mods in the game revolve around Armor Charge and Orbs. There's basically 4 different categories we're going to explore here. Kickstart Mods Surge & Font Mods Finisher Mods Energy/Health Return Mods Let's start from the top, Kickstart Mods- Simply put, Kickstart Mods refund Ability Energy when Armor Charge is present. These include the following 3 Mods- Grenade Kickstart, Melee Kickstart, and Utility Kickstart. One fabricates Armor Charge, then uses an Ability and has some measure of energy returned. So what this boils down to is simply faster Ability Cooldowns, sustaining more frequent ability usage. I don't know any Guardian that would complain about more frequent ability use, but I digress. Kickstart Mods simply increase ability uptime. Next up would be Surge & Font Mods- These give superficial boosts to Armor Stats and Weapon damage. They run on a timer and the Armor Charge one has decays over time. By gaining Armor Charge, one gains these superficial buffs until time is up. When buildcrafting, many players tend to lean hard into Kickstart Mods OR Surge/Font Mods. Rarely both. Because they are fighting against one another in large part. Surge & Font Mods lend well toward gunplay and passive Ability Regen, while Kickstarts lean toward Ability Spam and aggressive uptime with them. Regardless of which style you prefer, the passive nature of Surge & Font Mods lends well to activities and encounters where massive DPS is demanded with gunplay, or a quality weapon one desires building around is at hand. Finisher Mods- Finisher Mods are predominantly utility based Mods that enable a FT or Guardian with oddities (Ammo; Healing; Orbs; Ability Energy). These also expend Armor Charge and are a touch antithetical to Surge/Font Mods, but can work given the low cost some of them enable (1 Armor Charge expended, not all like a Kickstart). But like everything else mentioned here, these demand Armor Charge, and the most consistent source of Armor Charge is Orbs of Power. Lastly is Energy/Health Return Mods- Located in the legs, I am referencing a slew of mods here- Recuperation (hard meta), Absolution, Innervation, Invigoration, Orbs of Restoration, and Insulation. All of these grant energy back for Abilities simply from picking up an Orb of Power. Nothing else will procc or interact with these Mods- not subclass elemental drops (Void Breach, Ionic Traces, Firesprites, Stasis Shards). They unique in their interactions with Orbs of Power, and further enable ability uptime. So hopefully this outline here is accentuating the significance of Armor Charge and Orbs of Power. They are the bread and butter of buildcrafting. When Guardian understands this, then Buildcrafting itself becomes very straightforward. First one should really determine if they are aiming for Ability Spam or Gunplay. This determines if they are going to target Kickstart & Finisher Mods, or Surge/Font Mods. Let's explore the Ability Spam route first- Guardians who desire Ability Spam must make one decision first- WHAT ABILITY? What ability do you desire to spam? Is it Melees? Is it Grenades? Class? Regardless of the decision, this will determine how one then sets up their Armor Mods. Combining Exotic effects, with Subclass Fragments, with Armor Mods is a surefire way to set up Ability Spam Builds. If an Exotic refunds Melees and you want to spam Melees, then it can be more beneficial to kit around your Grenade/Class for uptime to compliment the Melee Spam. If there are unique Fragment interactions that refund a specific Ability you are Spamming, then perhaps you kit Armor Mods to refund the other. This min/maxes build uptime and potential. I'll give a quick example- As a Peregrine's Enthusiast, I have no use for kitting around my Melee (mostly). As long as I hit my high value target, I know my Melee will come back to me. This means I can kit for more Grenade/Class uptime within my build. And as a supplement, I can always run 1:2 Finisher, to tip back some of my Peregrine's should I whiff or connect with the wrong target. While this is specific to one Exotic, numerous other builds can take a similar mental approach. Let the Exotic and Fragments do the work for one Ability, and then let Armor Mods fill the gap for another. On the subject of Surge/Font Builds- These should generally be targeted when Gunplay is the primary goal of the Guardian. Whether it's an Exotic that accentuates it, or simply a really awesome weapon, Gunplay builds can take a more passive approach with Armor Mods, boosting Weapon DPS and Armor Stats in the process. Ultimately there is no wrong answer in choosing Ability Spam or Gunplay. The key is just to keep Orbs flowing in, and really commit to one OR the other in terms of set up. So what comes after the Gunplay vs Ability Spam debate? Really it boils down to what Exotic & what Subclass is one rolling with. Because certain subclasses have hard meta fragments that further ease and enhance buildcrafting across the board. Let's talk about a few of those! Arc- Arc doesn't have any hard demanding Fragments, although Spark of Recharge and Spark of Discharge are arguably the two best in the Subclass. Ionic Traces do nothing but help an Arc Build, and 400% Ability Regen when shields are broken is basically x1 HOIL at all times in Endgame PVE & in PVP (200%). Rolling out with both of these will only ever enhance any Arc Build in PVE. 10/10 would recommend. Solar- Solar has some of the most variety in terms of viable fragments, but two that really standout are Ember of Torches and Ember of Searing. Radiance is one of the single best buffs in the game, and it just so happens that Ember of Searing feeds one with it, as it returns one's Melee energy. With the community growing in understanding of the game in general, many players opt for Incandescent/Burning Ambition weapons within their Solar Builds, which further enables Ember of Searing, thereby maintaining Melee Energy for Ember of Torches. It's a self feeding cycle complimented by Gunplay and will pretty much never hinder a build. Void- Echo of Starvation. 50% of your HP and 8% Grenade Energy per kill when active. Activates from Orbs of Power (wink wink) and Void Breaches. No Void build is complete without this Fragment. In fact, I'd argue any Void Build without it is throwing. Stasis- Whisper of Torment. 5%-10% Grenade Energy every time one takes damage. Well in Endgame PVE and in PVP that's essentially ALL THE TIME. Anyone out here really complaining about MORE Grenade uptime? Strand- Thread of Warding- Picking up an Orb of Power (wink wink) grants Woven Mail for 5 seconds (ie 40% DR). Given how many interactions there are within the subclass concerning Woven Mail, via Aspects & Exotics, this Fragment is simply a must. I'd argue NOT using it is akin to NOT using Echo of Starvation on Void.....THROWING. Prismatic- Doesn't belong in the game. 'nuff said. So, having decided between Ability Spam vs Gunplay, what Ability to kit around, and what Fragments to lean into for complimenting one's build, we are essentially done. At this point it really just boils down to what Exotic Armor and what Exotic Weapon one leans into. This framework has enabled myself and my friends to consistently enjoy buildcrafting AND find success in Endgame regardless of the Meta. No, I'm not suggesting you try and run ANY Exotic Weapon+Armor Combo with this outline, but in general this will enhance any buildcrafting a Guardian engages. Determing what Exotic Armor piece is right for you is really dependent on what the state of the Exotic in question and one's playstyle (ie passive vs aggressive). Keep in mind this framework doesn't support the ideology that all Exotics are created equal and will thereby work. Couldn't catch me running One Eyed Mask in a GM.....