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How to get Enhancement Cores - Destiny 2

Every source of Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2 as well as ways to farm up a decent supply.

Sam Chandler

May 16, 2024 7:15 PM

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Enhancement Cores are needed for just about everything to do with your gear in Destiny 2. Acquiring a stockpile of this upgrade material is going to be a top priority for a lot of players, especially for those pushing the higher levels of energy ratings on armor or crafting weapons. Thankfully, there are now more ways to get Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2.

How to get Enhancement Cores

What were previously known as Masterwork Cores are now known as Enhancement Cores. These are used to upgrade weapons and armor in Destiny 2. For weapons, Enhancement Cores increase the Masterwork Tier and for armor they increase the energy capacity. With the addition of The Witch Queen came weapon crafting, and with it another vital use for Enhancement Cores: adding Enhanced Perks to weapons.

As for the Enhancement Core sources, there are now more ways than ever to get them:

Best Enhancement core farming method: Dismantle weapons & armor

Dismantling weapons that are Masterwork 5 or higher and armor that is 8 Energy or higher will always drop at least one Enhancement Core. Sometimes, Banshee-44 will sell a weapon that is Masterwork 5. Whenever this happens, buy the weapon multiple times and dismantle them for a quick and easy influx of cores. This will only set you back Glimmer and Legendary Shards, so keep going until you run out. This is a great option for players wondering what to do with Legendary Shards before they are removed.

As for dismantling armor, that is a little more complicated (unless you have a lot of spare gear sitting around). The following process is only going to be useful if you have a decent supply of Glimmer, Legendary Shards, and Enhancement Prisms.

One of the best farming methods exploits this. Any blue armor you pull from Collections after leveling the season pass will have 5 Energy. Spend materials to get it to a Tier 8 piece of armor (7,277 Glimmer, 10 Legendary Shards, 3 Enhancement Cores, and 1 Enhancement Prism) and then dismantle it. You will receive 6 Enhancement Cores. This is only ideal for players with Enhancement Prisms and Legendary Shards to spare.

1. Acquire a 5 Energy blue armor piece from Collections under Leveling for 777 Glimmer
2. Upgrade armor to 6 Energy using 1,000 Glimmer, 3 Legendary Shards, and 1 Enhancement Core
3. Upgrade armor to 7 Energy using 2,500 Glimmer, 3 Legendary Shards, and 2 Enhancement Cores
4. Upgrade armor to 8 Energy using 3,000 Glimmer, 4 Legendary Shards, and 1 Enhancement Prism
5. Dismantle armor to receive 6 Enhancement cores

Banshee-44’s bounties

Banshee-44, the Gunsmith in the Tower, now offers bounties that reward Enhancement Cores. These bounties are as simple as getting kills with a specific type of weapon or element. He offers four a day, allowing you to get 28 Enhancement Cores a week or 84 if you're using three characters.

Purchase from Rahool

With the removal of Spider and the Tangled Shore at the start of Season 16, Rahool is now the one players will need to visit to purchase Enhancement Cores. Head to the Tower and speak with your favorite Cryptarch to purchase as many as you need. Keep in mind Enhancement Cores now cost Enhancement Prisms.

Finest Matterweave

The Finest Matterweave consumable is one of the easiest means of getting an Enhancement Core. After using this consumable, bosses have a chance of dropping a core. The consumable lasts until you receive a core, making it a guaranteed way of getting one by simply playing Destiny 2.

Clan vendor challenge

This means of getting an Enhancement Core is only really useful for those players in a clan. When your clan reaches Rank 4, you can begin picking up challenges from Hawthorne. Completing these yields an Enhancement Core.

Season Pass

For those that have the Season Pass, each one typically includes a handful of Enhancement Cores. This is just a nice little bump to your supplies and likely won't be the way you want to really stock up.

Ghost mods

Ghost mods, though not a source of Enhancement Cores, it will help you earn more. The Core Harvest mod on your Ghost will increase your chances of getting an Enhancement Core for completing ritual activities.

Playlist Vendor rewards

Vanguard, Crucible, Gambit, and even Dares of Eternity reward Enhancement Cores for ranking up. Whenever you hit a new rank with one of the vendors, return to them to claim your rewards. The first track includes one bundle of three Enhancement Cores. Once you reset the rank, there will be two bundles of three Enhancement Cores.

Legend & Master Lost Sectors, Nightfalls, Empire Hunts

While these aren’t the best way to farm Enhancement Cores, they do reward them. If you’re trying to farm for the latest Exotics, Lost Sectors tend to give Enhancement Cores more often than not. Similarly, Nightfalls and Empire Hunts reward cores on specific difficulties.

Getting Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2 has never been easier. Because they are critical in Masterworking weapons and increasing a piece of armor’s energy rating, it’s important to always have a decent supply. Take a moment to look over the Shacknews Destiny 2 guide for more resource farming techniques.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler