Masterworking Crafted Weapons – A Guide to Destiny 2‘s New Endgame Gear
As a hardcore Destiny 2 player and content creator, I live and breathe min/maxing endgame builds. The new weapon crafting system introduced in last year‘s The Witch Queen expansion added an exciting new gear progression system – but also a complex one.
In this guide, I‘ll provide extensive details on masterworking crafted weapons to push your loadouts to the next level.
What Makes a Weapon "Masterwork" Quality?
Before we dive into crafting specifics, let‘s quickly define what constitutes a masterwork weapon. Masterworks have:
- Higher Rarity Tier – Visible through gold borders on icon/model
- Enhanced Stats – Small buffs to impact, range, stability, etc.
- Access to Enhanced Perks – Upgraded versions of regular perks that provide 10-15% more utility
- Bonus Reputation Gains – Provides extra faction rep from activities
To elevate a weapon to this upper echelon requires investing in the crafting system. Let‘s breakdown exactly what that entails.
Crafting Requirements for Weapon Masterworks
Reaching the masterwork threshold on a crafted weapon requires:
Level 20 for Stat Boost
A weapon‘s level caps out at 20 organically through activity usage. This provides minor 1-3 point buffs to all stats.
Two Enhanced Traits
These enhanced versions of regular perks add damage, reload speed, or other numeric improvements.
Enhanced Intrinsic Trait
This upgrades an intrinsic perk like a weapon‘s frame or origin trait.
[Example image showcasing a masterworked weapon‘s gold border]So in summary, a level 20 weapon re-shaped with enhanced versions of two traits and an intrinsic perk will unlock the masterwork visualization. Let‘s see what that reshaping process entails.
Step-By-Step Guide to Upgrading Crafted Weapons
Here is the full process for taking a crafted weapon to masterwork status:
1. Level Organically to 20
- Requires ~8,000 XP without boosts
- Weekly story mission provides big XP payout
2. Reshape with 1 Enhanced Trait
- 1 Neutron Alloy, 15,000 Glimmer per reshape
- Enhanced traits unlock randomly through levelling
3. Continue Levelling to Unlock All Traits
- Second enhanced trait unlocks around level 27
- Intrinsic trait unlocks at level 30
4. Final Reshape to Masterwork
- Apply second enhanced trait and enhanced intrinsic
- 30 Neutron Alloys, 100,000 Glimmer
- Unlocks masterwork!
Based on player data, reaching level 30 takes around 5-10 hours of endgame activity grinding. The time investment is significant, but pursuing multiple masterworks provides excellent account power gains.
Crucible Survey Data on Community Weapon Preferences
In a survey of 500 players last season, over 60% used masterworked crafted weapons as their primary PvP loadout. This demonstrates the power and versatility of upgraded crafted gear:
| Weapon Frame | Percent Usage |
|---|---|
| Auto Rifle | 21% |
| Hand Cannon | 18% |
| Pulse Rifle | 16% |
Now let‘s analyze why these weapons are so popular compared to other legendary options.
Benefits Analysis of Masterworked Weapons
The main advantages unlocked by crafting masterworks are:
10-15% Buff to All Enhanced Perks
Whether boosting reload speed, aim assist, or utility perks like Incandescent, those extra points make a difference. Across an entire loadout, they provide a tangible leg up in difficult PvE content.
3-5 Point Stat Increases Across All Categories
Raising range, stability, handling, and other stats keeps your guns competitive against difficult PvE enemies. They also help gain an edge against elite PvP opponents.
Increased Reputation & Reward Drops
An underrated benefit – masterworks give bonus faction rep and slightly higher playlist reward drops. Over time, this allows fasterfarming of vendor rank-up engrams.
Intrinsic Origin Traits
Upgraded intrinsic traits like Häkke Breach Armaments on taken allow even stronger synergies between your full loadout.
How Crafted Masterworks Compare to Other Weapons
While exotic gear still occupies the pinnacle of overall power, high-end crafted weapons stand firmly alongside top-tier raid and Trials drops thanks to their enhanced perks and versatility.
However, crafted masterworks do pull firmly ahead of basic legendary weapons from world drops and vendors. The customization and 10%+ extra potency on perks make them favorable options for harder content.
In summary, expect crafted masterworks to output damage and utility rivaling the best weapons outside of exotics. Their flexibility through reshaping also allows more creativity in capitalizing on seasonal mods and artifact builds.
Conclusion
Reaching the masterwork threshold with Destiny 2‘s new craftable weapons demands patience – but pays off through improved stats, powerful enhanced perks, bonus reputation gains and a flashy gold border for bragging rights.
While not mandatory, maintaining a set of frequently used masterworks provides potency allowing you to push through the hardest content while moving your Guardian closer to max power level.
