With the release of the Forsaken expansion for Destiny 2, numerous aspects of the game have been adjusted and changed. The infusion of weapons and armor now works a bit differently. We explain what you should pay attention to when infusing.
What is Infusing? In Destiny 2, infusing or infusion refers to the mechanic where you sacrifice stronger weapons or armor pieces at a higher power level to raise the power level of certain weaker items. This allows you to continuously use and keep relevant your favorite equipment while progressing in your power level.
However, there are some factors that need to be taken into account since the release of Forsaken that are new.
1. How Infusing Works in Forsaken
Infusing Armor: Not much has changed in infusing armor. Aside from the increased costs and more materials needed, the process itself remains unchanged. You can infuse a stronger item into a weaker item from the same slot, raising the power level of the target item to the level of the “sacrifice”.
You can infuse a glove into another glove or a helmet into another helmet. Cross-slot infusing does not work. Infusing a leg armor piece into a class item will not work either. It is also not possible to infuse across classes. Therefore, you cannot sacrifice a Warlock helmet for a Hunter helmet.
Infusing Weapons: Infusing weapons now works a bit differently. While previously you could only infuse weapons of the same weapon type (exception: special weapons), in Forsaken, the respective weapon slot is crucial.
All weapons from the kinetic slot can be infused into each other – for example, hand cannons into auto rifles, shotguns into bows. The same applies to the energy and power weapon slots. Here, guardians enjoy greater freedom.
2. Don’t Infuse Too Early
Infusing at will is no longer possible: Infusing is no longer something you can casually do with almost every newly acquired strong item in Forsaken. The targeted raising of the power level of your favorite weapons and armor should always be well considered.
As a counterbalance to the greater freedoms, infusing has become noticeably more expensive and now requires not only glimmer and legendary shards but also planetary materials and especially masterwork cores. You will need to prioritize which items are most important for you and your playstyle.
Wait before Infusing: It is therefore advisable to generally refrain from infusing until you have at least reached the first soft cap at power level 500. Many guardians even recommend waiting longer to infuse – until power level 520 or even beyond.
Starting to infuse before PL 500 is not really worth it – on the contrary. If you start strengthening your favorite items during the “hot” leveling phase, you will use up your supply of masterwork cores (if available) and materials faster than you would like. Moreover, you will receive sufficient loot up to power level 500 at relatively short intervals that will always bring you a bit closer to the soft cap.
3. Collect Planetary Materials Earnestly
Destination Materials are Important: The destination materials, such as Dawning Shards or Etheric Spirals, have now come to the forefront when infusing. They are additionally needed to infuse weapons and armor pieces in Forsaken. In other words, you should diligently farm destination materials and not redeem them with the vendors.
Fortunately, you can quickly increase your stock of materials. You can get destination materials on the respective planet – among other ways through targeted collection, completing public events or patrols, and looting chests. It is also advisable to use a ghost that marks the materials or chests at the corresponding destination for you.
Looking for Specific Materials? Here’s Where to Get Them:
- Earth – Dawning Light Shard
- Io – Phaseglass Needle
- Titan – Alchemical Dust
- Nessus – Microphasic Dataweave
- Mercury – Simulation Seeds
- Mars – Seraphite
- Dreaming City – Etheric Spiral
- Forsaken – Baryon Stem
4. Stockpile Masterwork Cores
Masterwork Cores are Extremely Important in Destiny 2: Forsaken – also for infusing. Firstly, because they are relatively rare, and secondly, because you will generally need a large quantity of them. For they are not only irreplaceable for infusing, but are also needed in large quantities to make legendary weapons and armor into masterworks.
If you want to perfect your equipment down to the last detail and keep it at the best possible power level, you need as many of them as possible. However, the sources for masterwork cores are fairly limited.
Here’s How to Get Masterwork Cores in Forsaken:
- You can buy masterwork cores from Spider – the new NPC in the Dreaming City. The first core costs you 10 legendary shards. Note that the price of each subsequent core after the first purchase doubles. However, the price resets every day at 7 PM. It is advisable to purchase one to two masterwork cores from Spider daily.
- You receive masterwork cores by dismantling legendary masterwork weapons or armor.
- Masterwork armors from Year 1 always give you one core when dismantled. Year 1 masterwork weapons grant you one to two cores when dismantled.
- After reaching character level 50, obtaining masterwork cores in Forsaken becomes a bit easier. When dismantling high-level legendary Year 2 items that already have several masterwork tiers, there’s a chance for masterwork cores – even if the respective items have not yet reached the complete masterwork upgrade level (Level 10). According to player reports, the chance for cores also increases with the masterwork tier of the item.
- If you use the consumable “Finest Material Weave”, there’s a chance a masterwork core will drop on a boss kill. However, the buff lasts only until the drop. You can obtain the rare item randomly by dismantling legendary gear.
5. Infusing Duplicates is Particularly Worthwhile
Even the 10th Better Devils is Worthwhile: Duplicates of weapons and armor pieces are interesting not just due to random rolls. Infusing duplicates of an item can also be beneficial. Because infusing duplicates consumes no materials and only costs 5,000 glimmer.
Use Duplicates Wisely: So, if you have a perfectly rolled Better Devil and now find an example with a higher power level but with perks that are uninteresting to you, you can use the duplicate for infusing and save masterwork cores, destination materials, and legendary shards.
