One of the newest features in Destiny 2’s Warmind DLC is the introduction of the Masterwork system for Exotic weapons. Previously only available for Legendary weapons and armor, Bungie has decided to bring this upgraded feature for the game’s most powerful firearms. However, unlike the Legendary loot, making an Exotic weapon a Masterwork is a multi-step process that will take some time.
Keep in mind not every Exotic weapon in Destiny 2 is currently available as a Masterwork, but Bungie has plans to roll this feature out for all of them eventually. This means if your favorite Exotic doesn’t have this then you’ll have to wait. Below are all of the Exotic Masterworks we know of so far and we will update this list as more are added.
We will include the new Warmind Exotics once we have confirmation that they can become Masterworks. To determine if your Exotic can become a Masterwork go into your Inventory and examine the weapon. There should be a new box that is blank next to the elemental type of the gun. This will also list what is required to complete the first step of the Masterwork quest.
- D.A.R.C.I.
- Crimson
- The Wardcliff Coil
- Skyburner’s Oath
- Coldheart
- Merciless
- Vigilance Wing
- Tractor Cannon
- Borealis
- Risk Runner
- Prometheus Lens
- Colony
- Jade Rabbit
- Worldline Zero
- The Huckleberry
In order to actually make these weapons a Masterwork you will need to first finish the quest tied to the weapon. This can include slaying enemies in the Crucible, killing regular enemies, or killing bosses during Strikes. What you are looking for are Catalysts, which can be randomly dropped or in some cases guaranteed. The time it takes to actually obtain a Catalyst will vary from player to player. It’s largely RNG dependant, so just stick with it.
You then apply the Catalyst to the weapon to move onto the next step.Every weapon details what that quest is when you examine it, so make sure you know what to do before proceeding and hunting down Catalysts. When an Exotic weapon has a Catalyst it will instantly have the orb creation mechanic found on other Masterworks.
Once this step is done you’ll have another series of quests you’ll need to finish in order to make that weapon a true Masterwork. After you complete these objectives then the weapon will be upgraded for you and become much more powerful.
Update
One aspect we recently discovered is that you don’t even need to have the Exotic on you for the Catalyst to drop. This means these are simply random pieces of loot that are extremely rare. However, where and how a certain Catalyst dropped is still tied to a specific activity.