Destiny 2: Enhancement Core Farming Guide

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Penned by Kody Wirth

Kody is our expert Destiny 2 and shooter genre writer. He lives in Oregon.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

There are so many different currencies and upgrade materials in Destiny 2, that it’s hard to keep track of what’s really important. Sure, you want to have an ample supply of Glimmer and Legendary Shards to make sure you can keep making purchases, upgrades, and switch out Mods. If you’re a fan of cosmetics, banking plenty of Bright Dust will allow you to grab the latest and greatest from the paid shop.

However, the most important thing for optimizing and upgrading your gear to prepare for end gameplay is Masterworking. That requires the basics, like Glimmer and Shards, but also introduces the need to stock up on Enhancement Cores. Let’s check out why this upgrade material is so vital and every single way you can obtain them. We hope you enjoy our Enhancement Core farming guide.

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What Are Enhancement Cores?

Enhancement Cores are an upgrade material necessary to upgrade and Masterwork weapons, armor, and Ghost Shells. They’re especially crucial for expanding your armor and Ghost Mod slots, allowing you to hold more useful Perks on a single piece of armor.

They’re introduced as a necessary currency when upgrading weapons to Tier 4-10, costing 17 Enhancement Cores to max out. Armor introduces them a bit later at Tier six and actually only costs you three Enhancement Cores. However, the caveat is that you’ll only be able to hit Tier 8 and will need to snag Enhancement Prisms to fully Masterwork a piece of Legendary gear. 

How to Get Enhancement Cores: 6 Best Ways to Farm Them

Enhancement Cores were once a frustrating resource to track down in large volumes. Thankfully, Beyond Light has expanded the number of methods for you to earn this resource that includes Mod use, finishing activities, and even cleaning out your inventory. Here is every single way that you can earn Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2. 

1. Complete Bounties

The best way to quickly farm Enhancement Cores are by completing bounties. Enhancement Cores are packaged in as a reward for Daily Gunsmith bounties and weekly Wanted bounties from Spider. Banshee-44’s are typically the easiest and most consistent method, where you can earn a single Enhancement Core by simply getting weapon type kills in a 24-hour period. 

Spider’s Wanted bounties on the other hand are far more specific and require you to hunt down High-Value Targets during Patrols or by completing Lost Sectors. While still viable and worth completing, it will take you away from other more lucrative activities. If you can, double up between the Dailies and the Wanted bounties to work on your weapon kills while clearing out specific enemies.

2. Dismantle Weapons

There’s nothing better than earning valuable materials by simply clearing out your inventory or Vault. In this case, any weapon that you dismantle that is Tier four or greater will give you an Enhancement Core. The higher the Tier, the more Cores you’ll earn from dismantling, with the max being seven for a Masterworked weapon.

Armor and Ghost Shells can also be dismantled, but for far fewer Enhancement Cores than when you dismantle weapons. Look for opportunities to earn already upgraded gear, or let go of upgraded weapons that you simply don’t use anymore. In any case, keep your inventory clean and reap the benefits of being able to upgrade.

3. Equip Ghost Mods

Ghost Shell Mod slots are an often overlooked benefit that can help you track down resources, earn more XP, and even increase the chance of spawning Enhancement Cores. These Core Harvest Mods are part of the Activity Mod slot and can only be acquired and activated after Masterworking your Ghost Shell. Once you do, you’ll have the option to equip Lesser Core Harvest for either Crucible, Gambit, or Vanguard activities.

It only costs 4 energy and increases your chances of earning an Enhancement Core with a precision final blow in a given activity. You can only have one active at a time, so be prepared to stick to one activity or regularly switch out the Mod every time you play a different game mode. 

4. Complete PvE Activities

While having a Harvest Mod equipped is a valuable, passive method to earn Enhancement Cores, you can actually play activities with a more consistent reward structure. In PvE, this includes completing higher-difficulty Empire Hunts, Legendary, or Master Lost sectors, or Adept/Hero level Nightfalls. These rewards are earned upon completing these activities, and while it’s a more refined loot pool, it can still be a random drop type. 

Equip those Harvest Mods, leverage weapons that make precision damage easier, and run with a Fireteam to increase how quickly you’re able to knock out each activity. Find which option works best for you and play it on repeat to streamline your farming activity. Just be sure that you focus on killing Champions to increase your chances of getting a drop.

5. Upgrade Vendor Reputation

One of the newest methods to earn Enhancement Cores is by upgrading your vendor reputation with the Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit. Each vendor now has a reward structure that actually makes upgrading your reputation worth it. At rank seven you’ll unlock three Enhancement Cores, with the opportunity to unlock a second wave if you max out your reputation and achieve the level a second time. 

This is definitely a more time-consuming method, but worth keeping in mind as you’re playing. Be sure to complete bounties and stick to one game mode to boost your reputation gains and quickly reach levels with Enhancement Cores.

6. Purchase From Spider

The last and most direct method is to purchase Enhancement Cores from Spider. Simply visit him on the Tangled Shore and purchase a single Enhancement Core for just 30 Legendary Shards. You can purchase up to five in a single day, but you’ll have to wait for the daily reset to purchase any more.

The only thing to keep in mind with this method is that Spider will soon be no more once the Forsaken campaign is vaulted. More than likely, this asset purchase will transition to a different vendor, but for now, be sure you take advantage of this direct route.

Join the High Ground

We hope you enjoyed our how to get Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2 guide. Enhancement Cores are a vital part of refining and building out end-game level gear. Hopefully, now, you have a handful of ways to start cranking out this upgrade material and are well on your way to Masterworking. Be sure to share this article on your favorite social platforms to help your Fireteam grind out some Enhancement Cores, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest on Destiny 2. 

Happy gaming!