Spend enough time with a Ghost you like and you won’t want to leave their side. But choosing a shell for your floating companion is more than purely aesthetic. There are traits to consider, and of course, just how hard each one is to get. You may love a shell, but grind for it for a couple of days and the love will fade away. To help any struggling guardians looking for the most stylish and practical shell they can cover their disembodied guiding voice with, I’ve come up with the ultimate rankings list. Browse along and see what grabs your attention, I’m sure there will be something here you just can’t pass over.
20. Generalist Shell
Obtained: All characters created after the New Light update get this shell during the tutorial mission; it’s the one equipped on your Ghost by default. While not the most unique or powerful of the Ghost Shells, it’s hard to deny the unassuming appeal of your first shell. It’s compact, it’s practical, what else do you need? Regrettably, it’s a terrible shell in terms of traits. And by that I mean it has none. Couldn’t they at least give it Speed Demon or something?
19. Peerless Precision Shell
Obtained: This Exotic shell used to drop from Steadfast Engrams in Season 4. If your aim is to never miss a shot, there’s nothing more representative than this target-looking Ghost Shell. As its description says, it’s a shell “for Ghosts who never lose sight of their target”. To help you in your endeavor to become a peerless, precise shooter, this shell has a couple of useful traits, along with a random mod. Omni-Telemetry lets you produce Weapon Telemetry with all types of weapons, and Speed Demon makes your Sparrow spawn faster and reload your weapons as you ride.
18. Lunar Shell
Obtained: Keep an eye on the Eververse, and buy this whenever you see it on sale. Worth it! One of the most interesting-looking shells available for Guardians is the Lunar Shell, an Exotic that looks more like a witch’s crystal ball or a Piece of Eden than a shell But that’s perfectly fitting into Destiny’s universe of techno-mysticism. The Lunar Shell has one of the most valuable traits you can get on a Ghost Shell, Guiding Light, which gives you an invaluable 10% XP bonus that you’ll love when grinding seasonal rewards. It also provides the Speed Demon bonus and another random mod.
17. Eyeball Shell
Obtained: This shell may drop from any Bright Engrams you get your hands on. Not to be confused with the considerably more eyeball-looking Okular Fortitude Shell (also a pretty solid Ghost Shell), this item has a spherical design reminiscent of something Portal’s Aperture Science might produce. Unlike other shells with set bonuses, the Eyeball Shell provides two random bonuses. So you could have two of them that are entirely different from each other. Neat!
16. Knight’s Peace Shell
Obtained: This used to be a reward from going Flawless in the Trials of the Nine back during the Warmind season. The Knight’s Peace Shell shines bright like a diamond and claims a place as one of the prettiest ghost shells in D2. Along with Omni-Telemetry so you can produce Weapon Telemetry for Banshee-44, this Exotic shell has the excellent Guiding Light trait and a random mod from a pool of cache and resource detectors for different destinations like Io or the EDZ.
15. Star Map Shell
Obtained: This shell used to drop from Illuminated Engrams during the Curse of Osiris season. In accordance with its name and description, this shell has a dark blue color with luminous accents reminiscent of the night sky. If you’re the kind of Guardian who wants to chart the stars, you can’t go wrong with the Star Map Shell. It’s one of the few shells with the Treasure Hunter trait, which detects caches within 50m in any location and increases Glimmer gain. Amazing whenever you’re grinding for resources. Otherwise, it has the Omni-Telemetry ability and a random mod that’ll give you additional faction consumables in one of several possible destinations.
14. Alchemical Dawn
Obtained: You’ll get this unique shell from completing Crucible matches and earning rank-up packages from Lord Shaxx. According to its description, this Exotic Ghost Shell is ideal “for Ghosts who are ready to see fire rain”. Bad ass. The Banshee’s Favorite trait will help you generate Telemetry at a faster rate than usual from any kills you get with Energy weapons. It also has the Vanguard and Crucible Scanners, which net you more faction consumables during such activities, and a random Scanner mod for one of the game’s many destinations.
13. Starlight Shell
Obtained: Despite drop rates being abysmally low, this shell can be obtained from completing activities in the Dreaming City, chief among them the Ascendant Challenge. This rough-looking steel shell offers two entirely random mods. As such, it may seem weird to give it such a high spot on our ranking, but being able to farm it statistically guarantees you’ll get a good roll eventually.
12. Kill-Tracker Ghost Shell
Obtained: This Legendary shell used to be available as a pre-order benefit only, but can now be acquired from Lord Shaxx at the cost of some Legendary Shards. This is one of those items you get exclusively to brag to other Guardians about your prowess in the Crucible and overall badassery. Not only does it track your total kills in both Vanguard and Crucible activities, but it also provides two random mods. If you’re lucky, one of them will give you 10% extra XP in the Crucible. It looks great in its default blue and orange color, but this shell takes wonderfully to most shaders too. The possibilities are endless.
11. Constricting Shell
Obtained: This Legendary shell is part of the Eververse’s Season of the Worthy merchandise, and can only be bought from that store. Featuring an amazing design depicting a snake organically wrapped around the shell and the Hunters’ logo on the back, this is easily one of the coolest ghost shells for anyone proud of their Hunter heritage. In addition to Speed Demon and a random mod, this shell gives you access to the Public Defender trait which considerably increases loot from public events. This can make grinding them quite profitable.
10. Rust Punk Shell
Obtained: Can\ be found in both Nostalgic and Etched Engrams, which you’ll have to take to Tess Everis at the Eververse shop to decrypt. If you’re going for a steampunk-themed Guardian look, you can’t go wrong with this rusty-looking shell. That said, what ultimately elevates this ghost shell is definitely the Treasure Hunter trait. It’s incredibly useful and quite uncommon.
9. Sanctified Vigilance
Obtained: Used to drop from Fond Memories Engrams decrypted at Eververse during the Season of the Dawn. This intricately ornamental black shell with golden accents is perfect for Guardians who don’t mind looking too elegant for any occasion. Public Defender is easily this shell’s most valuable feature, along with Omni-Telemetry and a random mod.
8. Crimson Shell
Obtained: This Ghost Shell was available for purchase from the Eververse during the Crimson Days (St. Valentine’s Day) celebration, in Season of the Dawn. Edgy Guardians will feel naturally drawn to this Exotic shell’s pointy edges and menacing red-tinted glow. In terms of bonuses, it has the super-valuable Guiding Light for 10% more XP from all sources, and Banshee’s Favorite is always useful to grind Weaponsmith rewards. It also provides an extra random mod.
7. Predator Sun Shell
Obtained: This Exotic drops from Solstice Engrams, only available from Tess Everis during the Solstice of Heroes event. There are few other Ghost Shells with such a dark, ominous-looking design. It’s reminiscent of a black sun with ritualistic meaning, which makes it perfect for Guardians with an interest in the occult. Luckily for all macabre-enthusiast Guardians, the Predator Sun Shell isn’t only appealing but useful thanks to Public Defender increasing Public Event rewards, a random mod, and Omni-Telemetry like most other top-tier shells.
6. Traitor Primus Shell
Obtained: The Traitor Primus Shell is part of the seasonal Eververse merchandise from the Season of the Dawn. Described as being perfect “for Ghosts who know only endless ambition”, this shell has an intimidating look that’s also literally among the largest. It doesn’t even fit in the item’s picture! Like many other shells, this one enables your Ghost to produce more Weapon Telemetry thanks to the Omni-Telemetry trait. In addition it has the Public Defender trait, which makes it ideal for farming Public Events, and a random mod.
5. Contender’s Shell
Obtained: This shell can only be obtained by running the Leviathan raid. While your ghost will look like a Smartphone in a protective case rather than a mystical aspect of the Traveler, this shell is an absolute must if you’re farming equipment from the Leviathan Raid. In addition to tracking the number of times you’ve done the raid, its Seeker of Brilliance trait enables Bright Engrams to drop in the last chest. Plus on top of that, Seeker of Opulence makes all Exotic drops from Leviathan 50% more likely to be Year 1 Exotics you don’t already own.
4. Cosmos Shell
Obtained: This old-timey shell used to drop from Bright Engrams in Season 2. Humans have always marveled at the majesty of the universe around them and its mysteries, and this didn’t change with the arrival of the Traveler and subsequent rise of the Guardians. This is ideal to show your love for the cosmos by encasing your Ghost in the shining stars. The Guiding Light trait used to be exclusive to the Cosmos Shell, and it remains its most appealing feature, as you just can’t beat a 10% increase in XP gain. It also has Omni-Telemetry and a random mod which will help you find resource caches in one of the game’s planets.
3. Almost Mighty Shell
Obtained: This shell is part of the Eververse’s wares during the Season of the Worthy. Easily the funniest shell in the entire game is this Exotic from Season 10. It’s a parody of the Almighty, the Red Legion’s system-destroying superweapon… except it’s just a ball with two measuring sticks attached to it. Thought you were getting an Almighty shell? Well, you thought wrong. Ironically with the Treasure Hunter and Banshee’s Favorite traits, this is actually a pretty mighty Ghost Shell, and one that you shouldn’t pass up if you see it in the Eververse.
2. Sagira’s Shell
Obtained: Get this amazing shell by completing all 11 of Osiris’ Lost Prophecies for Brother Vance while on Mercury. A fan-favorite for its connection to Osiris’ witty and loyal companion, Sagira’s Shell looks just like the legendary Guardian’s Ghost. While both of its traits are region-locked to Mercury, they remain incredibly useful, increasing glimmer and faction consumable acquisition, as well as revealing caches and resources in a 75m radius. If only this also made your Ghost sound like Sagira…
1. Omolon Shell
Obtained: This shell was added to the Eververse’s wares during Season of the Dawn. The Omolon Shell is the only one in the entire game bringing together both the Guiding Light and Treasure Hunter traits, arguably the best you can get on a shell. That said, I think it’s fair to say what makes this shell so exceptional is that it looks exactly like a Pokéball if you use the Crucible Vermillion shader on it. Just imagine how much clout you’d have rocking this!
