Destiny 2: The Witch Queen weapon crafting details revealed

In a new blog post, Destiny 2 developer Bungie has detailed how the game’s new weapon crafting systems will work in Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. After the first two missions of the DLC (which are free-to-play for all players), players will be introduced to the Enclave, the location where players will be able to craft weapons. Following this, players will be able to earn or find Patterns (weapon blueprints) by completing quests or accomplishing gameplay objectives. Players can then use these Patterns to create new weapons at the Enclave, provided they’ve collected enough materials (an in-game tutorial will explain how to find them).

To further tweak the perks and traits of your crafted weapons, you’ll need to play until weapons with the Deepsight Resonance ability drop from activities and gameplay (indicated by a red outline). These weapons will come with a gameplay objective, and when you complete it, you’ll be able to extract the essence of that weapon’s perks and then apply those perks to weapons you’ve created at the Enclave. Note that every trait won’t be compatible with every Pattern (for example, an explosives-exclusive perk like Chain Reaction couldn’t be applied to an Auto Rifle).

Players can further enhance their weapon by leveling it, which requires them to use the weapon for a significant period of time. Each level your weapon gains boosts its stats and unlocks new ways for you to tweak your weapon’s performance. Bungie is also implementing the ability to reshape your weapon if you want to mix things up after you finish crafting them. Note that players will also be able to alter the performance of some Exotic weapons through crafting by adjusting their barrels, magazines, and stocks.

Players will also have opportunities to earn Mementos for their crafted weapons. These are unique customization skins and trackers that require the player to rank their weapon up by playing one of Destiny 2’s various activities. When The Witch Queen launches, only a Gambit memento will be available, but more will come with Trials of Osiris and Grandmaster Nightfalls. The developers have plans to introduce more mementos at a later date.

Bungie is also introducing Origin Traits to weapons once Destiny 2: The Witch Queen launches, which are traits that provide notable stat boosts and are determined by the weapon’s source. For example, weapons exclusive to completing Nightfalls will have the Stunning Recovery trait that partially refills your magazine, triggers health regeneration, and temporarily boosts your Recovery stat after stunning a Champion. Weapons created by Destiny 2’s in-universe weapon manufacturers — Suros, Häkke, Omolon, and Veist — will come with their own unique Foundry Origin Trait.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is slated to release on Feb. 22, 2022 across Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Stadia, and it represents the start of a new era of Destiny 2 filled with plenty of content and brand new systems such as weapon crafting. The standard edition of the DLC costs $40, and Destiny 2: The Witch Queen preorders are live now.