Every Guardian’s armor gives boosts to three stats: Intellect, Discipline, and Strength. When someone explains that their Guardian has a 5/5/2 split, they’re saying they have maxed out Intellect and Discipline, while also unlocking two tiers on Strength. This build is possible in a variety of permutations, such as 2/5/5 or 4/4/4.
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Above and Beyond
By now, players are familiar with selecting certain armor pieces, artifacts and ghosts to get the desired stat split. But to actually reach the full potential of tier 12 (abbreviated as t12), players must use armor pieces that have the maximum potential for stats. Some piece are only capable of reaching 80-90% of max stats at the highest light level. To put it simply, not all armor is capable of reaching the maximum.
This is a factor completely invisible in-game, requiring the use of a third party app to examine which pieces of armor are capable of reaching such heights. To find out the stat potential of your armor, use one of these third party programs that have built systems for displaying the necessary numbers:
- Destiny Item Manager
- Ishtar Commander for Apple and Android
- Tower Ghost
These Infinite Lines Gauntlets on my Titan only reach 85% of the maximum. They’ll do the job for now and likely get me to t10 and t11, but I might want to keep a lookout for some gauntlets in the 90% range to improve my build.
u/Mercules904 has created spreadsheets listing the best armor pieces for each class!
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Worth It?
The perfect T12 requires very careful and lengthy grinding. Building the perfect set up (including both stats and the perks on each piece of armor) will require serious dedication no matter how much you play.
For some min-max perfectionists, t12 is a fantastic goal to impose on oneself in a game that’s all about the grind to begin with. In times between new content, t12 can give players an objective and therefore add more fun back into Destiny.
In a perfect world, it would be nothing but beneficial. But when it comes down to it, some players might never get the “perfect” set up. While some armor pieces might provide enough stat boosts to reach t12, it might also require the sacrifice of some perks, namely weapon reload speed and special ammo inventory. If you ask me, I’d rather have a t11 build with the right ammo and reload than a t12 that sacrifices perks.
When it comes down to it, countless factors influence a player’s success in the game. Using the best available weapons, gear and setups is a must in order to win, but it doesn’t necessarily guarantee success. It’s a wonderful goal to aim for and something to work towards indirectly as you acquire new armor. And for the perfectionists and diehard fans, it’s another way to make your Guardian truly become Legend.