The essential aspect of enhancing gear in Destiny 2 revolves around Enhancement Cores. These cores are vital for upgrading your armor and weapons to Masterwork level, which improves their overall stats significantly.
While players need Unstable Cores to infuse gear beyond 200 Power, Enhancement Cores are required for nearly all upgrades. Whether it’s weapons, armor, or Ghost shells, Enhancement Cores are needed for achieving Masterwork status and infusing items. Be mindful that higher-tier gear requires more materials for upgrades, so ensure you have plenty on hand if you’re targeting Tier 5 drops.
Below are all the ways you can acquire Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2.
Ways to Acquire Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2
Portal Activities
Unsurprisingly, engaging in activities within the Portal is one of the primary ways to earn Enhancement Cores. Upon completing these activities, regardless of the reward rank, there’s a chance you’ll receive Enhancement Cores. Additionally, you can find Enhancement Cores dropping from enemies during these activities as purple motes.
To maximize your Enhancement Core rewards from activities, equip the Core Harvest mod on your Ghost. This mod allows you to gain additional Enhancement Cores when participating in ritual activities, including those in the Portal.
Gunsmith Bounties
Banshee-44 is one of the few vendors still offering bounties. You can collect four calibration bounties daily, each rewarding one Enhancement Core. These bounties typically involve securing kills with specific weapon types, such as hand cannons or elements.
Dismantling Gear
A simple method to obtain Enhancement Cores is by dismantling surplus weapons and armor. Enhancement Cores can drop if the item is at least Masterwork Tier 4, so if you have unused Masterworked items in your vault, consider dismantling them for cores.
Xûr’s Unique Offers
During weekends, Xûr appears, offering various materials, weapons, and armor that can be purchased with Strange Coins. If you’ve already spent your Strange Coins on Exotic Class items or armor, Enhancement Cores may be a worthy investment.
Rewards Pass and Seasonal Hub
Both the Rewards Pass and the weekly Seasonal Hub reward tracks include Enhancement Cores. Make sure to log in weekly to complete challenges (which include both seasonal and hub challenges) to earn these rewards.
Exchanging Enhancement Prisms
Sometimes, obtaining Enhancement Prisms might be easier than finding Enhancement Cores. You can trade three Enhancement Prisms each week for five Enhancement Cores at Rahool located in the Tower. After using this trade, you can acquire a blue rarity armor piece from Collections, upgrade it to level eight, and then dismantle it for six Enhancement Cores (this requires spending an Enhancement Prism and two Cores).
Hawthorne’s Rewards
Suraya Hawthorne also maintains a vendor reward track that includes Enhancement Cores. While part of a clan, completing activities contributes to clan reputation and increases Hawthorne’s rank. Playing alongside clanmates provides a significant boost to your progression, making it ideal for those who enjoy running dungeons and raids.
