Enhancement Cores are one of the most important crafting materials in Destiny 2, used for upgrading and crafting weapons, armor, Ghost Shells, Enhancement Prisms, and Upgrade Modules. They're one of the only materials that Guardians can't have enough of, and but luckily, there are many methods to obtain Enhancement Cores. Destiny 2 Season of the Lost has increased the ways these materials can be earned in-game.
Unlike Ascendant Shards or Enhancement Prisms, Enhancement Cores can be used to Masterwork Legendary Weapons. The higher Tier the weapon, the more Enhancement Cores are needed to get it to the next set of Tiers. Masterworked weapons generate Orbs of Power after getting multi-kills in Destiny 2, which can be used for a number of ability improvements important for endgame content.
There are 13 ways to earn Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2, including:
- Banshee-44 daily bounties
- Crucible, Gambit, and Vanguard ranks
- Dismantling Tier 8 and above Armor
- Dismantling Tier 5 and above Weapons
- Adept and Hero Nightfalls
- Empire Hunts
- Legend and Master Lost Sectors
- Spider and Spider's Wanted Bounties
- Lesser Core Harvest Ghost Mods
- Season Pass
- Weekly Clan Challenges
- Decrypting Engrams
- Finest Matterweaves
Players should complete a variety of these activities to get the greatest number of Enhancement Cores.
How to Get Enhancement Cores in Destiny 2
Both Banshee-44 and Spider have bounties players can purchase that reward Enhancement Cores upon completion. Banshee's bounties can be purchased for 250 Glimmer, while Spider's will require three to five Ghost Fragments, depending on the bounty. Additionally, five Enhancement Cores can be bought per character per day from the Spider at 30 Legendary Shards apiece. This is a great way to spend the extra Legendary Shards for players who have a large number saved. Banshee-44 can be found in the Tower, while Spider is located on the Tangled Shore.
Changes to the Vanguard playlist have made the rewards in line with those of Crucible and Gambit. This makes it easier to earn Enhancement Cores quickly in Season of the Lost. Crucible, Gambit, and Vanguard ranks all reward Enhancement Cores after reaching rank 4 and have more available after the reset at rank 16. These Enhancement Cores can only be re-earned after the rank is reset, but there is no limit to the number of resets that can happen. Additionally, more Enhancement Cores can be earned when the correct Lesser Core Harvest Ghost is used with the right activity.
All Adept and Hero Nightfalls, Empire Hunts, and Legend/Master Lost Sectors can award Enhancement Cores. Nightfalls may be the best option to earn the greatest number of Enhancement Cores, especially during weeks where Nightfall rewards are doubled. Using a Finest Matterweave before or during these activities creates a high chance of bosses dropping Enhancement Cores. More Finest Matterweaves can be earned randomly by dismantling high-tier weapons and armor. Master and Grandmaster Nightfalls in Season 15 will not award Enhancement Cores.
Dismantling Tier 8 and above armor, or Tier 5 and above weapons, will yield Enhancement Cores. The higher tier the gear, the more Enhancement Cores are awarded. For those with extra Enhancement Prisms, Rare Armor can be upgraded to Tier 8 for fewer Enhancement Cores than players would get for dismantling it. An Enhancement Prism is lost in this trade, so it's best to save this method for when players have an excess of Enhancement Prisms.
Weekly Clan Challenges require a Clan Rank 4, but up to seven Enhancement Cores can be earned through these challenges. Players can pick up the Clan Challenges after joining a clan from Suraya Hawthorne in the Tower. The final ways to earn Enhancement Cores are through decrypting engrams and the Destiny 2 Season Pass. While decrypting engrams, like the engrams that create Override weapons, will award Enhancement Cores at random, the Season Pass awards a large quantity of them in both the free and paid versions. Players can complete the Season Pass quickly to earn the greatest possible number of Enhancement Cores by completing Seasonal Challenges.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, and Google Stadia platforms.