Every Possible Way to Collect Upgrade Modules in Destiny 2

A list of player tips & tricks for quickly farming Upgrade Modules

Co-authored by Glenn Carreau

Last Updated: November 13, 2023 References

You’re playing the expansive Destiny 2 and wishing you could strengthen some of your weaker weapons and armor with Upgrade Modules—but how can you get your hands on them? We’re here to help. Upgrade Modules are incredibly useful, with the ability to infuse low-level gear with the power of stronger, higher-level gear. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to find them—from simply buying them to using a Ghost Shell Modularity mod that gives them a greater chance to drop as loot. Read on for a comprehensive list of ways to collect Upgrade Modules in Destiny 2!

Things You Should Know

Buy Upgrade Modules from Banshee-44 and Ada-1 at the Tower. Both sell them for 1 Enhancement core, 10 Legendary shards, and 5,000 Glimmer.
Boost your Gunsmith rank to get modules as a rank-up reward from Banshee-44. You’ll also get them for ranking up with the game’s seasonal vendors.
Equip a Ghost Shell with a Modularity mod for a greater chance of earning modules when completing Strikes, the Crucible, and Gambit activities.

1

Purchase modules from vendors.

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Vendors Banshee-44 and Ada-1 both sell Upgrade Modules. The easiest way to get your hands on Upgrade Modules is to buy them outright from Banshee-44 (the Gunsmith) or Ada-1 (the Armor Synthesiser). Both vendors are located at the Tower and sell Upgrade Modules for the same price—so make sure you’re stocked with all the currency you’ll need before heading over.^{[1]
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Research source} The price for Upgrade Modules is:
- 1 Enhancement core
- 10 Legendary shards
- 5,000 Glimmer
- Remember, you’ll get 1 Upgrade Module per purchase. If you need some Glimmer, visit Rahool (also at the Tower) to stock up.
- You can earn legendary shards and enhancement cores from doing activities in the game, including Strikes, the Crucible, Gambit, and Dungeons.
  - All activities also come with their own benefits; for example, you can find unique Artifice Armor from playing Dungeons—and complete the Strange Key quest by running Strikes.

2

Boost your Gunsmith rank.

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Gunsmith rewards consist of modules and masterwork materials. Visit the Gunsmith (Banshee-44) for weekly bounties, each of which nets you 1 Upgrade Module as a reward (along with experience points, naturally). Furthermore, the Gunsmith’s reward track grants you 4 Upgrade Modules (along with Masterwork materials) each time you increase your Gunsmith rank, so it’s a good idea to gain reputation with Banshee-44.^{[2]
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- Completing bounties is one of the main ways to increase your ranking with the Gunsmith, which is convenient since you may also decide to complete bounties for the rewards they offer!
- Visiting Banshee-44 to dismantle weapons and armor also grants a small bonus to your rank, so consider cleaning out your Vault (storage) if you’ve got a lot of gear stockpiled.

3

Increase your seasonal vendor rankings.

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Vendors sometimes give Upgrade Modules as rank-up rewards. The game’s seasonal vendors, Zavala, Shaxx, and the Drifter, each give Upgrade Modules as rank-up rewards. You’ll get 3 modules as a reward if you’ve reset the respective vendor’s ranking system at least once while playing. Resetting a vendor’s reputation takes a long time, but this method is helpful if you’re already working on completing a ritual playlist.^{[3]
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- Commander Zavala represents the Vanguard. Complete Vanguard playlist activities to increase your Vanguard rank and get rewards from Zavala.
- Lord Shaxx represents the Crucible. Improve your Crucible rank and get rewards from Shaxx by completing Crucible activities throughout the Season.
- The Drifter represents the Gambit. Participate in Gambit matches to rank up your Gambit reputation and get rewards from the Drifter.
  - Winning Gambit matches will also help you with other quests—like finishing the Darkness in the Light.

4

Find modules in the Season Pass.

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Every Season Pass offers bundles of Upgrade Modules. While there are 2 versions of the season pass (Free and Premium, which is paid), Upgrade Module rewards are part of the free pass (meaning they’re available for every player)—though the Premium Pass does offer even more modules as rewards if you have it.^{[4]
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Research source} Each Season Pass contains bundles of Upgrade Modules that unlock at the following tiers:
- If you have the Free or Premium Pass, you can expect module bundles at ranks 2, 4, 8, 11, 14, 18, 21, and 26. In total, you’ll be able to earn 19 Upgrade Modules.
- If you have the Premium Pass, you’ll also get module bundles at ranks 19 and 34 for an additional 6 modules.

5

Play the Witch Queen campaign.

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The Witch Queen campaign drops Upgrade Modules after encounters. New campaigns have since been launched, but the Witch Queen campaign is still a fantastic source of Upgrade Modules. Campaign levels consist of multiple encounters per level, and every encounter spawns a reward chest when you clear it. The reward chests you get will always give you at least one Upgrade Module, and sometimes more.^{[5]
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- If you don’t mind a challenge, play the campaign on Legendary difficulty! You’ll get double the reward chests when you clear an encounter—which means you can also double the number of modules you loot.
- Playing the campaign will also enable your character to level up and collect other perks along the way, including the ability to summon a vehicle at level 20.

6

Use a Ghost Shell with a Modularity mod.

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Modularity mods increase the chance of earning Upgrade Modules. If you’re looking to farm as many Upgrade Modules as possible, try using a Ghost Shell with the Modularity mod. Modularity shells allow you to earn an upgrade module after playlist activities (such as Strikes, the Crucible, and Gambit). Each time you get a mod, it’ll cost 4 energy (which is the budget you can spend on applying mods) to equip.^{[6]
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- Ghost shells are aesthetic modifications to your character’s Ghost—though they also come with perks (such as the Modularity mod).
- There are different types of shells, each with certain requirements for earning modules. Each activity—Strikes, the Crucible, and Gambit—each has a Modularity mod shell.
  - So, for example, a shell that grants Upgrade Modules after a Crucible win wouldn’t work while playing Gambit.
- You need a Masterworked Ghost Shell to equip Modularity mods.
- Upgrade Modules can also be a regular reward for completing playlist activities, even if you don’t have a shell mod equipped. The shell mod simply makes modules more likely to drop!

7

Purchase a Concentrated Mattergem.

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Concentrated Mattergems give bosses a chance to drop modules. This is a consumable item that gives you a buff, granting boss enemies the possibility of dropping an Upgrade Module once defeated. However, the buff is expended after you defeat a boss, so you may need to buy many Concentrated Mattergems. They cost 200 Bright Dust, and they’re sold from Eververse (the Destiny 2 storefront).^{[7]
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- If you have plenty of Bright Dust, this may be worth the investment—but if not, this method may be too costly.
- Once you have a Concentrated Mattergem equipped, try flying to the Moon and finding hive chests. Hive chests open when you shoot the runes on them in the correct order, but if you get the order wrong, a boss enemy spawns.
  - So, to quickly farm modules, intentionally shoot the runes in the wrong order for a steady stream of bosses that might drop Upgrade Modules.