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How to quickly level up crafted weapons - Destiny 2

Learn the best and most efficient way to level up weapons quickly in Destiny 2 so you can hit new Weapon Levels and unlock Enhanced Perks.

Sam Chandler

April 18, 2022 11:15 PM

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Leveling up crafted weapons in Destiny 2 is vital for unlocking new perks. The faster you level up a crafted weapon, the quicker you will be able to acquire the enhanced perks, which will in turn boost the effectiveness of these weapons even more. For that reason, figuring out the best way to quickly level up a weapon is a great idea. Thankfully, there are a few excellent options when it comes to earning a lot of XP for these weapons.

These methods aren’t just limited to crafted weapons. If you have a weapon that needs Attuning, these strategies will help you fill the Attunement Progress bar, rewarding you with crafting materials and sometimes weapon patterns. Make sure you check out our Weapon Crafting guide for everything you need to know about this new system.

Leveling up weapons: Attunement and Weapon Levels

Before we get into the best methods, it’s worth covering how leveling up weapons in Destiny 2 works. Essentially, using a weapon (or having it equipped in a slot when completing an activity) will slowly fill up the Attunement Progress or Weapon Level bar.

Filling a weapon’s Attunement Progress bar will allow you to extract crafting materials from it. On the other hand, increasing a weapon’s Weapon Level will unlock additional perks at the Relic for further shaping and reshaping.

Most players will be looking to level up a weapon quickly to hit new Weapon Levels to unlock Enhanced Perks. These perks require Ascendant Alloy, so make sure you’re collecting a good stockpile of this rare resource.

Check a weapon’s level

You can check a weapon’s level by inspecting the weapon in your inventory. Simply hover over the weapon to see the percentage and a progress bar. You can also inspect the weapon and see the Weapon Level on the right side of the screen, above the weapon’s stats. Hover over the XP bar to see how far through the current level you have progressed. This will help you track the XP value of various activities.

How to quickly level up weapons

Now for the main reason you’re here: leveling up weapons quickly. As the tooltip in-game suggests, leveling up weapons in Destiny 2 is as easy as using it in combat, but you will also get progress for completing activities. You likely already knew this, so let’s look at the best methods.

Firstly, the Shuro Chi checkpoint in the Last Wish raid is the best way of leveling up guns – and Exotic Catalysts – extremely quickly. The doorway spawns a lot of Shadow Thrall and the following hallway is full of stronger foes to dispatch. Defeat the enemies and either let one defeat you or wait for the timer to wipe you and then rinse and repeat.

The drawback to the Shuro Chi checkpoint is that it can be tough to get enough ammo, especially for Power weapons. You can use a Raid Banner, but those are costly unless you have plenty of Legendary Shards. Make sure you equip relevant ammo finder mods if you’re leveling Energy weapons.

Another excellent option is to use the Dares of Eternity. Not only will Dares of Eternity help you increase Xur’s Rank, you will be completing an activity – which rewards another bump in XP. On top of this, it is easy to get unlimited heavy ammo by completing the obstacle course after the first round. This will help you blitz through Power weapon leveling.

But before you do either of these farming methods, it’s a good idea to knock out your weekly challenges. Each weekly challenge will reward you with either a Pinnacle drop or Powerful rewards. Plus, each activity you complete is another bump in XP progress for your Weapon Level. For example, completing a single Crucible match can earn you in excess of 15 percent towards your weapon’s level.

Leveling up weapons in Destiny 2 is now as important as making progress in other areas. By quickly leveling a gun, you can increase its Weapon Level and unlock new Enhanced Perks, which will help boost a weapon’s efficiency. Be sure to look over our Destiny 2 Guide for more coverage of all areas of the game.

Sam Chandler

Guides Editor

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 a Guides Editor. 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