Destiny 2 Upgrade Modules: Infusing & Leveling Gear

If you searched for Destiny 2 upgrade modules, you probably mean the materials that raise a weapon or armor piece to your current power. The game does not have an item literally called an upgrade module. What it has is infusion, and the “modules” players talk about are the currencies the process consumes. This page covers each one and how to keep your stock healthy.

How infusion works

Infusion raises a lower-level piece to match a higher-level piece of the same slot. You need a higher-level duplicate of the same category — a higher-level hand cannon to infuse into your favorite hand cannon, for example. Same slot rules apply to armor, with a couple of exceptions that let helmets and arms cross class lines.

The cost has three parts. Glimmer is the baseline, consumed in an amount that scales with the power gap. Legendary Shards cover the middle. Enhancement Cores are the bottleneck for most players, especially early on, because infusion eats them in quantity. Exotics are more expensive and lean on rarer currencies, and fully masterworked gear costs even more to move.

Where the materials come from

Enhancement Cores are the ones to farm. They drop from a wide range of activities, and the reliable sources are high-level play: Nightfalls, strikes, and endgame content all hand them out. Legendary Shards come from dismantling legendary gear, which you will do constantly anyway. Glimmer is everywhere — do bounties and public events and you will rarely run dry.

Masterworking is the other upgrade path, and it is where cores really disappear. Fully masterworking a legendary takes a stack of cores plus Ascendant Shards, and exotics need Exotic Ciphers on top. Do not masterwork a piece until you are sure it is a keeper. Our power leveling guide covers the fastest route to a higher floor, and farm gear fast lists the current efficient farms.

Priorities for a healthy stock

Keep a core reserve before you start infusing everything. New players often burn their entire stock raising gear they replace a week later. Raise only what you actually use, wait until you have a stable loadout, then commit. If you are unsure what is worth keeping, the god rolls guide explains which perks make a piece worth the investment. The currency farming guide covers the rest.