Weapon Crafting, referred to in universe as Shaping is a feature introduced with The Witch Queen expansion which allows players to make, upgrade, and customize their own weapons. It can be accessed by interacting with the Relic found in The Enclave in Savathûn's Throne World near the left-hand side of the map. The Relic where weapon crafting is performed is found behind large black doors down the steps in The Enclave.

Crafting a weapon

In order to unlock weapon crafting, players need to complete the first mission of The Witch Queen Campaign, after which they will be taught the process through crafting The Enigma.

Weapon Crafting

Weapon crafting is a seven step process. As the player levels a weapon, they can return to the Relic to modify their weapon with new options.

  1. Select an intrinsic Frame. This does not mean one can choose weapon archetype, rather it serves to provide a selection of unlockable stat boosts.
  2. Select a Barrel perk.
  3. Select a Magazine perk.
  4. Choose a Trait perk.
  5. Choose another Trait perk.
  6. Optionally choose a Memento, if available.
  7. The selected customizations can now be finalized.

Deepsight Resonance

Deepsight Resonance is a new weapon feature also added with the Witch Queen expansion. Weapons with extractable Patterns have a chance to drop with Deepsight Resonance, marked by a red border around the icon of the gun. In order to extract the pattern, players can dismantle the weapon, or if they wish to keep using it, they can fill up the bar labeled Attunement Progress to progress the pattern without destroying the weapon. Once a weapon's pattern is fully extracted, future copies will no longer drop with Deepsight Resonance.

Patterns

Patterns are needed to craft weapons and are unlocked by extracting Deepsight Resonance from a certain amount of the same gun. For example, in order to craft an Austringer, you will need to extract the resonance of five Deepsight Austringers in order to unlock the pattern. Your progress for patterns can be seen by going to Patterns & Catalysts under the Triumphs page. Some weapons require more Deepsight Resonance extractions than others in order to unlock their pattern.

Alloys

Alloys are a random material drop from dismantled Legendary weapons. These alloys are needed to select between different Intrinsic Traits. Resonant Alloys are needed to craft most weapons, while Harmonic Alloys are needed to craft Raid weapons and drop by dismantling craftable raid weapons.

Ascendant Alloys

Ascendant Alloys are needed to craft weapons with Enhanced Perks. They can be obtained from Master Rahool (once per week), the weekly campaign missions, some seasonal activities, the Master version of The Wellspring, as well as from Banshee-44's or the Seasonal Vendor's track.

Weapon Upgrading

Weapons can have their perks changed and upgraded by going to the Reshape tab when interacting with the Relic. Note that you cannot reshape weapons that are locked and/or that are currently equipped.

Leveling Up

Newly crafted weapons will only start off with a handful of perks and intrinsic traits. In order to unlock all the available perks from your weapon, you must level up the weapon by getting kills or completing activities with the weapon. You may also spend resources to upgrade your weapon, with increasing costs as level increases. You can track your progress by checking the "Weapon Level" progress bar beneath the weapon's Power Level. Your perk options will increase per level and all perks and their enhanced versions will be unlocked by level 16.

When a weapon reaches level 7, it can be reshaped to have an enhanced intrinsic trait, giving it bonuses like a Legendary weapon's Masterwork. When a weapon reaches level 20, this intrinsic trait will have its value increased. Intrinsic traits cost Resonant Alloys, or Harmonic Alloys in the case of Raid weapons.

Enhanced Perks

Enhanced Perks are upgraded perks that are slightly better than their non-enhanced counterparts. In order to reshape a weapon with Enhanced Perks, you will need Ascendant Alloys to do so.


A weapon with an enhanced intrinsic trait and an two enhanced perks will gain a golden border, like fully upgraded Masterwork weapons.


Mementos

Mementos are rare drops that can be obtained from the core playlists activities Crucible, Gambit, and Strikes as well as Nightfalls and Trials of Osiris. Applying a Memento to your weapon unlocks a kill tracker, weapon title, and unique shader. Mementos can also be upgraded, unlocking the aforementioned perks with more leveling.

  • Level 1 - Activity Kill Tracker
  • Level 20 - Weapon Title
  • Level 30 - Shader

Exotics

Some Exotic weapons can be crafted. Exotics will not have enhanced perks, and their Exotic catalysts will be inserted as part of the crafting process, depending on the weapon. Mementos cannot be inserted in Exotic weapons.

Craftable Weapons

Primary

Auto Rifles
Submachine Guns
Bows
Hand Cannons
Pulse Rifles
Scout Rifles
Sidearms
Submachine Guns

Special

Fusion Rifles
Glaives
Grenade Launchers
Shotguns
Sniper Rifles
Trace Rifles

Heavy

Grenade Launchers
Linear Fusion Rifles
Machine Guns
Rocket Launchers
Swords

Trivia

  • There used to be several different Elements (Ruinous, Adroit, Mutable, Energetic and Drowned) to be used in crafting alongside Resonant Element (then called Neutral Element), but they were removed with the beginning of Season of the Haunted.
    • Resonant Elements were ultimately removed with the release of Lightfall, replacing them with Glimmer.
  • Harmonic Alloy use to be called Drowned Alloy before Season of Plunder.

References