Destiny 2: How to Get Masterwork Cores

Destiny 2 Masterwork SMG

Collin MacGregor

The latest update for Destiny 2 has officially arrived and it’s introducing a number of balance changes to the game. Outside of just adjustments to specific weapons and playlist activities, this hotfix has also introduced the new Masterworks mechanic. Focused solely on weapons, these enhanced firearms allow users to increase a basic statistic like Reload Speed or Range. These weapons can give players a fairly significant power boost in both PvE (Player vs Environment) and PvP (Player vs Player) activities.

To unlock Masterwork weapons players will need to be at least 250 Light, but completing the Curse of Osiris DLC is not required. Once you pass this rank, the ability to obtain these items begins and users will now start randomly obtaining Masterwork weapons from either decrypted Legendary Engrams or from faction packages. The drop rate for these items are rather low, so don’t expect to get a ton of Masterwork items unless you are extremely lucky. However, players can also upgrade previous Legendary weapons to the Masterwork status.

This is done by using Masterwork Cores which can only be obtained by deconstructing Masterwork level weapons.

If you want to raise the stats of one of your favorite guns it will cost some Legendary Shards and 10 Masterwork Cores. It will take around 5 to 6 dismantled Masterwork weapons to enable an upgrade of a normal Legendary weapon. There is no set amount of cores you’ll obtain from deconstructing Masterwork guns, but they usually average between 1-3. It does not matter what type of weapon or the Light level you obtain it at. You can also use Mastercores to reroll a Masterwork weapon’s stats or to change it to a Crucible or Vanguard focused gun. Outside of basic stat tracking and the generation of orbs, there is no inherent benefit to picking one over the other.

If you want to obtain Masterwork Cores you’ll need to start farming Legendary Engrams. There are a lot of ways to go about this, but one of the most consistent methods appears to Heroic Strikes. These have a higher drop rate for Legendary Engrams, especially after the nerf Public Events suffered to their rewards. While Heroic Adventures do reward Legendary Engrams at the end, they can take a fair amount of time. Plus these activities are not affected by the Fireteam Medallion, which ups your fireteam’s chances of a reward.

By far the best way to get Masterwork weapons is either completing Raid activities or participating in the Trials of the Nine. Both of these have a far higher drop rate for these special guns, meaning it’ll allow players to dismantle more of them for cores. Sadly, players cannot earn these items through quests, dismantling Exotic weapons, or anything related to armor pieces. Masterwork weapons will be the only option for those trying to obtain these rare items. However, it is worth it for those who do play a lot of PvE as the additional orb generation can greatly help a fireteam in higher-end activities like the new Raid Lair.

For more Destiny 2 news, guides, and features make sure to visit Heavy’s gaming section.