How to use transmog in Destiny 2: Armor Synthesis guide

Brad Norton

A transmog system is finally in Destiny 2 with the Season of the Splicer update but it’s a little more complicated than you might think. Here’s a complete guide on how Armor Synthesis works.

After years of requests, Bungie has finally implemented a transmog system in Destiny 2. This means you can change the appearance of almost any armor piece to match your favorite style while keeping the desired perks and stats.

Guardians had been waiting on such a feature for years and now it’s finally in effect. However, before the transmog system even went live, it was met with a wave of backlash due to its convoluted nature.

If you’re just dropping back into Destiny 2, it can be rather confusing trying to figure out how it all works. To help you understand Armor Synthesis, we’ve got you covered with an in-depth guide.

How to transmog armor in Destiny 2

Destiny 2 Armor Synthesis
You can now change the appearance of any armor set in Destiny 2.

While you can’t just copy over the visual style of one armor set to another, much to the dismay of the community, the process is still possible after you jump through a few hoops. You’ll need to kill a bunch of enemies, gather a variety of materials, and then finally use new items at the Tower. 

Below is a step-by-step breakdown of the full process.

  1. Kill enemies across various activities in Destiny 2
  2. Gather Synthstrand from defeated enemies
  3. After you have 150 Synthstrand, head to the Tower and grab some Bounties
  4. Complete Bounties to gather Synthcord
  5. Head to the Loom in the Tower to convert your Synthcord into Synthweave
  6. Use Synthweave on any piece of armor in your Collection to make it a Universal Armor Ornament.

It’s a lengthy process that can require a few hours of your time with each Bounty. Just make sure you’re always picking up new Synthstrand so you don’t have to spend too much time farming random enemies.

Buying Synthweave Templates in Destiny 2

Destiny 2 eververse
You can skip the Armor Synthesis process in Destiny 2 by visiting the Eververse store.

If the process above sounds too time-consuming for your liking, there’s a way to bypass it completely. Instead of grinding through each step, you can simply purchase Synthweave Templates from the Eververse store.

These are sold individually or in bundles of five. A single template will run you 300 Silver while a bundle of five will cost 1,000 Silver.

Armor Synthesis Cap explained

Whether you follow the process above or buy your way to templates, one thing remains consistent: there’s a limit. Ultimately, you can’t transmog every armor piece in the game just yet. Instead, Bungie has implemented a cap for each season.

If you complete all 10 bounties across three classes, you’ll be looking at a maximum of 30 possible Synthweaves per season. This applies to all season moving forward, however, the current Season of the Splicer is a little different.

As a bonus to celebrate the new feature, players can grab 20 Syntweave per class through Season of the Splicer.

Shader changes in Destiny 2 Season of the Splicer

Destiny 2 customization
Shaders are now easier to apply than ever before.

With customization changes across the board, shaders have also been tweaked in the new season. Rather than being one-time consumables that had to be repurchased through the Collection, shaders are now permanent unlocks. 

Once you’ve acquired a shader, it’ll be visible in the Guardian Appearance Screen. From here, you simply need to pay a set amount of Glimmer to apply any given shader. It’ll run you 500 Glimmer per armor piece or 2500 to apply for your full armor set.

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About The Author

Brad Norton is the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. He graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has been working full-time in the field for the past six years at the likes of Gamurs Group and now Dexerto. He loves all things single-player gaming (with Uncharted a personal favorite) but has a history on the competitive side having previously run Oceanic esports org Mindfreak. You can contact Brad at brad.norton@dexerto.com