Weapon crafting has been close to the top of the Destiny 2 community’s wishlist since forever, and with the release of the Witch Queen expansion Bungie has finally delivered. Guardians can now forge weapons to their exact specifications without having to rely on the fickle hand of RNG to bless them with the perfect perk roll.
In this video and article, I’m going to take you on a crafting crash course. You’ll learn how to acquire the weapon patterns needed to get started, the materials required and where to find them. In the video I also reveal some killer perk combos to target on the best guns. There are three phases when making your perfect monster killer, so let’s get started.
1. Securing the weapon pattern
First, it’s important to note that not every weapon in the game can be crafted. There are currently 29 craftable weapons included, though Bungie plans to add more. While it is possible to unlock a few patterns through the completion of specific quests, weapon patterns are primarily unlocked via ‘Resonant’ weapons, which you can easily spot thanks to the red borders around their icons.
About this content
For the launch of The Witch Queen we’ve partnered with Bungie to create a series of guides and explainer videos. These are being made by some of the best known Destiny 2 content creators and experts. This particular piece comes from CoolGuy, whose gaming channel specializes in weapon and perk analysis to help make you a better player. For full disclosure anything published as part of this program will include this panel.
Each of the 29 craftable weapons has two versions: The normal drop and the Resonant red-bordered one. (Reminder that non-craftable weapons can also drop as Resonant.) You will need to ‘attune’ the Resonant versions by getting kills and completing activities with the weapon equipped before you can unlock the associated pattern for crafting that particular weapon.
Some Resonant weapons drop from specific playlist activities while others are found randomly in the open world. It’s also possible to receive them from a vendor rank-up package, raids and dungeons, and using Dares of Eternity keys. In short, just play the game and you’ll soon be swimming in Resonant guns.
Each weapon that can be crafted has a Pattern Progress requirement necessary to unlock it for crafting. To review the requirements, go to the Triumphs section in the main menu, and on the right you’ll find a tab called Patterns and Catalysts. All of the weapons available to Shape (ie craft) are listed here. Hover over your desired weapon to learn more about its pattern progress requirements.
While some Patterns, such as the Empirical Evidence sidearm, only require you to attune one Resonant drop, others, like the Pointed Inquiry scout rifle, can require up to three. And it appears that raid weapons will require a whopping five attunements to unlock.
2. Shaping your weapon
Once you’ve unlocked your chosen pattern, it’s a simple matter of crafting the basic version and then using it in the wild to level it up. Again, this involves getting kills and completing activities. As you level up, you’ll unlock more shaping options, including barrels, magazines, and enhanced intrinsic traits. Each time you reshape the weapon and swap in a new perk it will cost crafting materials to complete. There are various different mats involved, the most basic of which is Resonant Alloy, which is earned whenever you dismantle a legendary weapon. Here are the other types:
Ascendent Alloy is the rarest material, and unfortunately you’ll need one each time you want to add an enhanced trait to a weapon. It can be obtained from completing the weekly Campaign mission and the Throne World’s Wellspring activity on Master difficulty. You can also buy one per week at the Tower from Master Rahool. Lastly, another can be obtained when you rank the gunsmith up (but that is going to be the most onerous method).
The other elements—Ruinous, Adroit, Mutable, Energetic, and Drowned—are aligned with certain perk styles. For example, you’ll need Energetic Elements to upgrade and unlock any ammo or reload-related traits.
Once a Resonant weapon has been fully Attuned, you’ll have the option to extract its materials. When extracting, you’ll usually have two elements to choose from. Choose the element that matches the perk you’re trying to make, or just pick whichever you currently have least of. Most of the legendary elements only stack to 250, so you’ll find you fill up quite quickly.
3. Reshaping and refining your god roll weapon
Craftable weapons are meant to be reshaped and refined to allow you to dial in on the version that suits your playstyle best. You may also consider crafting weapons for a specific job, such as high DPS against a boss during a tight window. Maybe after some time playing with the gun, you realize it’s a bit sluggish. No problem, figure out what materials are required to add a perk that improves handling, then head back to the Relic on Mars and reshape.
Whether you’re a new or returning player, you’ll soon learn what kind of weapons suit you best. Maybe you’re more of a support player who likes plinking away at range, or maybe you like to build into high ability uptime, or perhaps it’s all about max DPS. Each weapon pattern offers perks that lean into a variety of playstyles. It’s up to you how to shape the pattern to your own will. This is the first time Destiny 2 players have been able to hand-pick the perks from all the possibilities on a particular weapon. Combine that freedom with the time you’re going to spend leveling the weapon up beforehand, and these crafted guns promise to become a defining part of the Destiny 2 experience.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to grinding for the Explosive Personality grenade launcher pattern.