Everything you need to know about Masterwork gear in ‘Destiny 2’

Destiny 2 rarely sees substantial changes to the way players gain experience or earn equipment, but in a December 2017 update, Bungie added a new tier of weapons and armor with the potential to change your strategy both in solo play and in multiplayer. “Masterwork” Gear, a customizable tier higher than Legendary items, offers additional benefits previously reserved for Exotic-level weapons and armor.

Masterworks, both weapons and armor, add lots of little details (and significant grind) to the Destiny 2 endgame: Your gear is more upgradable but gathering what you need to make those upgrades takes time. With Destiny 2‘s second expansion, Warmind, bringing Exotic weapon Masterworks into the fray, there is even more to wrap your head around. Here is what you need to know about Masterwork Gear to get your guardian in top shape.

What Masterwork Gear does … and what it doesn’t do

Before we dive into what Masterwork Gear offers players, it’s important to understand the nature of the upgrades. Masterwork items do not offer any damage or power level boost compared to standard Legendary or Exotic gear. The gear will still be around the same level as your current gear, and it could be lower in some cases. If you aren’t sure whether or not you’re going to use the weapon at all, it’s best to store it in your vault, as it can always be infused or broken down later on.

The good news: Legendary Masterwork items are technically considered modified versions of Legendary weapons and armor. As such, they do not count against the “one Exotic weapon” and “one Exotic piece of armor” rules. We coupled a Masterwork fusion rifle with an Exotic scout rifle, allowing us to cause serious carnage against enemies.

What enhancements do Masterwork Weapons offer?

Legendary Masterwork Weapons offer several bonuses on top of the attributes you find in standard Legendary Weapons. Perhaps most important is a Masterwork Weapon’s orb-generating ability: Earning a multi-kill with a Masterwork Weapon — killing two or more enemies in a few seconds — will automatically generate an orb of light that’s used for charging up your super ability. During solo play, this is a handy way to take down targets more quickly, but it’s more powerful during cooperative strikes. If you focus on smaller targets that can be multi-killed while your teammates attack a larger boss, you can generate a constant supply of orbs for them to use.

Each Masterwork Weapon also comes with one statistical bonus, offering anything from increased reloading speed to better weapon range, or even blast radius. According to players on Reddit, these are the stats that Masterwork Weapons can enhance:

• Impact (sniper rifles, fusion rifles, and swords only)
• Range (not available on rocket and grenade launchers)
• Stability (not available on swords)
• Handling
• Reload Speed (not available on swords)
• Magazine
• Blast Radius (rocket and grenade launchers only)
• Velocity (rocket and grenade launchers only)

The Masterwork Bonus cannot be upgraded, but if you aren’t happy with what you received, you can “re-roll” the upgrade by spending three “Masterwork Cores.”  Masterwork Cores can only be acquired by breaking down Masterwork Weapons. Breaking down a Masterwork Weapon generally yields one to three Masterwork Cores. With that in mind, you usually want to hold onto Masterwork Weapons or break them down, rather than re-rolling. It’s worth noting that re-rolling only comes into play with Legendary gear. Each Exotic Weapon has one and only one Masterwork, specifically created for it.

Like some emblems, Masterwork Weapons also track the kills you earn. These can be either total kills with the Masterwork weapon, or simply those you earned in the Crucible multiplayer mode. On the “details” page for your weapon, this tally will be visible directly under the weapon’s power level.

Exotic Masterwork Weapons add the same orb- and kill-tracking abilities found in Legendary Masterworks to an Exotic Weapon, as well as unique perks and stat upgrades. Unlike Legendary Masterworks, the upgrades are not random and cannot be re-rolled. On the other hand, the benefits are also more substantial. According to a PlayStation Access explainer video, for example, Vigilance Wing — a popular exotic pulse rifle — gains a full-auto option when fully upgraded.

What about Masterwork Armor?

Legendary Masterwork Armor offers a similar, albeit less variable bonus to standard Legendary gear. Masterwork Armor pieces grant a three percent damage reduction while using a super move. As a result, a complete Masterwork Armor set grants a 15 percent damage reduction.

You can modify Masterwork Armor by combining one Masterwork Core with 10 Legendary shards. Modifications tweak stats to create either heavy, light, or restorative armor.

Beware, though, because Bungie said a bug sometimes causes the upgrade to occur without adding new stats. Luckily, none of your cores or shards seem to get used if this occurs, so just make sure to double-check your gear after you’ve finished the upgrade.

How do I get Masterwork Gear?

Legendary Masterworks

Masterwork Gear can only be earned by Guardians at power level 250 or above. Once you’ve crossed that threshold, which is particularly easy now if you have the Curse of Osiris expansion, you will be able to earn Masterwork Weapons by decoding legendary (purple) engrams. These could come from random drops in the middle of a strike or as a reward for completing a milestone, or even be purchased directly from the Cryptarch at the Tower using Legendary shards. You’ll be able to tell a weapon is a Masterwork by the gold border around its picture in your inventory.

Don’t forget about the reputation tokens you’ve earned on the game’s various planets, either. Though the items you earn from these are likely far below your current power level at this point, they still have a chance to become Masterworks, and you can then infuse them to bring them up to your current power level. It will take you a little bit longer to make your way across each planet in order to speak to the vendor, but you’ll be saving your Legendary shards for more important things.

The chance of earning Masterworks through any of these methods is quite low — you can go through 20 or 30 engrams without ever finding one. However, the drop rates for Masterworks increase during high-level activities. Bungie specifically said players will have better luck finding Masterworks during the “Leviathan” raid and the Trials of the Nine multiplayer event, but similar endgame events such as the “Eater of Worlds” and “Spire of Stars” raid lairs and the Iron Banner tournament may offer better drop rates as well.

Exotic Masterwork Weapons

In season 3 of Destiny 2, Bungie added Exotic Masterwork Weapons. Rather than dropping randomly, each Exotic weapon you acquire has or will have the capacity to become a Masterwork Weapon (not all Exotics will have a Masterwork version available at the jump).

To upgrade an Exotic weapon, you must find its corresponding Exotic Masterwork Catalyst, an item that will trigger a mission or otherwise grant you instructions telling you what you need to do. Like the upgrades, both the catalyst and the instructions are different for each weapon. Some catalysts will be in specific places — Bungie said some weapons will have clues on them if you inspect them closely — while others will drop at random. After acquiring and applying the Masterwork Catalyst to your weapon, there will be a set number of more direct steps to complete in order to grind the Masterwork to its final, most masterful state.

One more thing you should know: Unlike Legendary Masterwork gear, you cannot customize the upgrades on Exotic Masterworks. Each piece of Masterwork Gear has one, custom-tailored Masterwork.

Can I upgrade a Legendary weapon to make it a Masterwork?

If you dream of making your favorite assault rifle a Masterwork, then prepare for some good news! All Legendary weapons can be upgraded to Masterwork Weapons by powering them up with 10 Masterworks cores. Again, you earn Masterwork cores by breaking down your Masterworks, so be absolutely sure that the weapon you’re upgrading is something you plan to use for the foreseeable future.

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How to connect your PlayStation 4 controller to a PC

Sony launched the PlayStation 4 more than four years ago, and included a next-generation controller with the next-generation console. The DualShock 4 debuted with an impressive set of features, allowing it to quickly supplant the DualShock 3 among Sony loyalists. Though slightly heavier than its predecessor, the controller showcased improved analog sticks and triggers, not to mention the addition of a capacitive touchpad.

Perhaps one of its greatest features was Sony’s commitment to making the DualShock 4 compatible with Windows-based PCs. That promised compatibility proved elusive, however, and only recently surfaced. But now that Sony has officially released an external dongle for PCs — and third-party applications such as Steam and DS4Windows continue to improve support for the controller — there are more ways than ever to connect your DualShock 4 to your Windows PC. Here’s how.

Option 1: Connecting with a Sony Wireless Adapter

The simplest, quickest way to get your PC and DualShock 4 controllers talking is with the official Sony Wireless Adapter ($25). This device is fairly inexpensive, and plugs directly into a standard USB port on your PC. To get it working, simply:

Step 1: Plug the adapter into your PC.

Step 2: Turn on your DualShock 4 controller, and the two should automatically detect one another.

That’s it! This is definitely the easiest solution, even if it is somewhat inconvenient. Also, keep in mind that the adapter measures about 3 inches long, meaning it will stick out of your PC or laptop like a big flash drive. Luckily, you have other options.

Option 2: Connecting with Steam

Steam, the most popular PC gaming portal, offers native controller support for the DualShock 4. It’s incredibly easy to use your DualShock 4 to play games on Steam — All you have to do is:

Step 1: Make sure your Steam client is updated.

Step 2: Just plug your controller into your PC.

Problem solved! Well, almost. Even if Steam is up-to-date, you may encounter a few hiccups while setting up your controller. Steam supports the DS4 as a platform, but that doesn’t mean every PC game works with the controller automatically. If you fire up Dark Souls III, you’ll see what we mean. Steam detects the controller, but Dark Souls III doesn’t. If you find yourself in that boat, or just want to use your controller wirelessly without using Steam, you’re not out of luck. DS4Windows might be the solution for you.

Option 3: Connect using DS4Windows

This solution requires a bit of setup, but it’s still the best way to get your PC and DualShock 4 controllers talking without any major headaches. You can connect your DualShock 4 controller to your PC using DS4Windows, a third-party application, in either wired or wireless mode (if your PC has Bluetooth). Unless you buy the adapter, this is the best option if you want you plan to play games through Origin, UPlay, GoG, or other PC gaming portals.

Step 1: Download the latest version of DS4Windows, which can be found on the application’s official website.

Step 2: Extract it using an archive manager such as WinRAR or 7Zip. You will then have two files, DS4Windows and DS4Update.

Step 3: Double-click DS4Windows to run the installer, which will prompt the following dialogue box:

Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions, beginning with driver installation. The installation is quick, so you won’t have to wait long. Click on Install 360 Driver if you’re running Windows 7 or older — the driver comes preloaded on Windows 8 and 10 machines.

Step 6: Once you’ve completed both installations, your controller is ready to be connected. Simply plug the DualShock 4 into your PC using a Micro USB cable (the same kind used for most Android phones). This will also charge the DualShock 4 battery, but in order to use the DualShock 4 wirelessly, you’ll need to pair the controller with your PC using Bluetooth.

Step 7: Hold the PS Button on your DualShock 4 for three seconds, or until the light bar begins to flash.

Step 8: Open the Bluetooth settings on your PC.

Step 9: Connect to Wireless Controller.

Step 10: If prompted to input a pair code, enter “0000”.

Step 11: Click Finish on the DS4Windows installer.

Customizing your setup

The primary DS4Windows interface allows players to adjust almost every facet of the controller, right down to the color of the LED light bar. The default controller profile should work for most recent PC games, especially if they’re designed to work with the Xbox controller already.

For games that aren’t easily adaptable to controllers, users can select specific premade profiles or create their own, assigning more or less any keystroke to any of the DualShock’s buttons. Touchpad sensitivity, macros, and game-specific profiles are supported — just look around to see what works best for you.

Troubleshooting

If you run into issues while using your DualShock 4 controller, you have a couple of options.

Step 1: First, under the settings tab is an option to Hide DS4 Controller. This is handy if your DualShock 4 is taking priority over other connected controllers — such as an Xbox 360 controller — or if you want to make sure your DS4Windows settings take precedence over Steam’s DualShock 4 configuration.

Step 2: Similarly, if the DualShock 4 isn’t working correctly while other input devices are connected, there is a button at the bottom of DS4Windows you can select to connect the DualShock 4 exclusively, making it the primary input source for games.

Step 3: The other file included in the DS4Windows installation, DS4Update, will check for and automatically download the latest version of DS4Windows. Be sure to run this every once in a while to keep the program current, which will help ensure the DualShock 4 continues to work properly with your PC.

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