Bungie lets Destiny 2 players exploit infinite-damage bug

Players discovered a Destiny 2 bug after the Monument of Triumph update that allows multiple copies of the same seasonal Artifact perks to be active at once. The stacked perks generate large damage multipliers that can defeat raid bosses in seconds. Bungie confirmed on June 16 that it plans to patch the issue but will let players use the exploit in PvE for a short period.

The glitch affects seasonal Artifact mods, which normally provide single-instance perks. When identical perks stack, their effects combine and dramatically increase weapon damage and other output. Gameplay clips shared by users show bosses such as Atheon being defeated almost instantly when players activate the combinations.

To protect competitive play, Bungie disabled Artifact effects in Crucible and Gambit while it works on a fix. The developer expects to deploy a correction soon and has indicated the window for experimenting with the bug will be brief, likely within a week of the announcement.

In a post on X, Bungie wrote: “We’ve been seeing some interesting videos where Guardians are doing near infinite damage to bosses thanks in part to unintended Artifact perk stacking. Quite hilarious to watch, to be honest! While we’re planning a fix, we think this is a bit fun. Go ahead. Get out there, beat up on Atheon. Destroy some bosses. Do your thing… Have some fun. Be Brave.” The team added it is working on a patch.

Player reactions have varied. Some used the exploit to clear difficult encounters quickly. Others expressed concern about how prolonged use could affect endgame balance if the issue remained. Community discussion has nicknamed the effect “The Stackening.”

The bug arrived after the Monument of Triumph update, which launched on June 9 as the game’s final content drop. Bungie has said it will stop producing new expansions and seasonal content but will continue maintaining Destiny 2 for the time being. Separate reports indicate the studio may reduce staff this summer, with as many as half of employees and contractors potentially affected.

For now, Destiny 2 players can experiment with stacked Artifacts in PvE until Bungie issues the planned fix; Artifact effects remain disabled in Crucible and Gambit to preserve PvP balance.