Your weapons define your strength in Destiny: Rising. If you want to push your Power Level higher, you'll need to upgrade your arsenal, and the game gives you multiple systems for doing exactly that. This guide covers everything from basic Enhancement to raising Gear Level and handling Exotic weapons.
Two Weapon Leveling Systems
Destiny: Rising has two separate weapon leveling systems that work very differently. Understanding the distinction early on will save you wasted resources.
Enhancement boosts a weapon's base stats and applies to every copy of that weapon across your entire roster. Enhance one Auto Rifle, and every character running that same gun gets the upgrade.
Gear Level increases a specific weapon's power through infusion using duplicate weapons. Unlike Enhancement, Gear Level only affects the individual weapon you upgrade. Your other copies stay the same.
Both systems use different resources and serve different purposes in building your Power Level.
How Enhancement Works
Enhancement is your main method for increasing weapon DPS and damage output. It runs on Enhancement Prisms.
Accessing the Enhancement Menu
You can get to Enhancement two ways:
- Open your Inventory through the Ghost menu in the top right corner, then select the weapon you want to upgrade.
- Check your character page for green upward-pointing arrows on your gear. That arrow means the item can be upgraded. Select it, then click the small "Enhance" prompt or the large grey "Modify" button in the bottom right.
Prism Types by Weapon Category
Enhancement Prisms come in categories based on weapon type. You need the right prism for each weapon:
| Prism Type | Compatible Weapons |
|---|---|
| Weapon Enhancement Prism - Rapid Fire | Auto Rifles, Pulse Rifles, and similar rapid-fire weapons |
| Weapon Enhancement Prism - Spread | Light Grenade Launchers, Grenade Launchers, and Rocket Launchers |
The game organizes prisms by firing style, so pay attention to which type matches your favorite weapons.
What Enhancement Costs
Each Enhancement needs two things:
- The matching Weapon Enhancement Prism type
- Glimmer
Results Screen
After completing an Enhancement, you'll see a summary showing:
- Power increase
- Damage increase
- DPS increase
Enhancement offers one of the fastest early-game power spikes, making it valuable for new players pushing through initial content.
Level Requirements
Enhancement has tiers that unlock based on your Team Level. You can't apply a +6 Enhancement until your Team Level hits 41, for example. The game shows these requirements when you try to enhance beyond your current tier.
Levels progress incrementally (+5, +6, and so on), with each tier locked behind a Team Level threshold.
Where to Get Enhancement Prisms
Main Campaign Rewards: Your primary source during early progression. The game hands out Enhancement Prism Choice Chests after you complete each Chapter.
Enhancement Prism Choice Chests: These let you pick which prism type you want. Use them strategically. Only open them when upgrading weapons for characters you actually enjoy playing. Don't waste them on characters collecting dust.
Various Activities: Extra prisms drop from different game activities. The Modify menu shows which activities provide specific prism types.
How Gear Level Works
Gear Level is a separate progression track that boosts a specific weapon's power through infusion.
The Difference from Enhancement
Gear Level upgrades only apply to the weapon you upgrade. If you own two copies of the same gun, raising the Gear Level on one doesn't touch the other. Pick weapons you plan to stick with before investing.
Infusing Duplicate Weapons
To raise a weapon's Gear Level:
- Open the weapon's Modify menu
- Select "Raise Gear Level"
- Pick from your available duplicate weapons
The game shows which weapons qualify for infusion. Not every weapon in your inventory appears here, only compatible duplicates that can actually boost the Gear Level.
Higher-level duplicates raise your target weapon to match. If you have a Level 25 weapon you love, infusing a Level 30 duplicate bumps your weapon to Level 30.
You can infuse multiple duplicates in one session to push even higher. Just remember: more pieces means more Glimmer cost.
Exotic Weapons
Exotics follow different rules. You can't use regular duplicate weapons to raise an Exotic's Gear Level.
Ascension Cells
Instead of duplicates, Exotics require Ascension Cells for Gear Level increases. These items replace duplicates in the infusion process.
Finding Ascension Cells
These are harder to come by than standard duplicates. Look for them in:
- Premium Battle Pass rewards
- Regular Battle Pass rewards
- Rarity Shop purchases
- Exotic Weapon Shop
The Modify menu for Exotic weapons shows exactly where to find Ascension Cells, and you can navigate directly to those sources from the interface.
Weapon Traits and Light Level
Trait quality significantly affects a weapon's Light Level contribution. Traits come in different rarities, and the combination matters.
How Trait Rarity Affects Power
Purple (Epic) traits provide more Light Level than Blue (Rare) traits. On purple-rarity weapons:
- Three purple traits and one blue trait beats two purple and two blue
- More purple traits means more Light Level power
- Two blue traits noticeably drops Light Level compared to more purple
When comparing weapons, prioritize those with more purple traits for maximum Light Level.
Recommended Perks
The game marks certain traits as "Recommended Perks" for specific characters. These indicators show which perks sync well with that character's abilities or playstyle.
When picking between weapons at similar Light Level, favor those with recommended perks for the character who'll use them.
Getting Better Weapon Drops
New weapons come from various activities:
Public Events: A solid source for weapon drops. Running public events across the world yields frequent rewards.
Exploration: Roaming the maps and checking out different areas pays off with weapon drops. The game rewards curious players.
World Activities: General gameplay steadily builds your weapon collection over time.
Weapon drops are RNG-based, so specific weapons and trait combinations vary randomly. Keep playing activities to build up your options.
Resetting Weapons
Destiny: Rising lets you get back resources you've invested in weapons.
How to Reset
To reclaim materials from an old weapon:
- Open the weapon's Modify menu
- Find the small downward arrow option
- Select it to reset the weapon
Resetting returns all invested resources with zero loss. This is clutch when you find a superior weapon and need materials to upgrade it.
Since Enhancement Prisms take effort to farm and you've got a whole roster to manage, the reset function helps stretch limited resources.
Weapon Mods
The game has a Weapon Mods system for additional customization, but it's locked behind progression:
- Complete Chapter 5 of the main campaign
- Hit specific level requirements
The Modify menu shows your current progress toward unlocking Weapon Mods and what objectives remain.
Progression Strategy
Early Game
Enhancement delivers the fastest power gains during initial progression. Use Enhancement Prism Choice Chests from campaign rewards on weapons for your main characters.
Focus Enhancement resources on:
- Characters you actually enjoy playing
- Weapon types you use across multiple characters (taking advantage of Enhancement's universal boost)
The Simplest Upgrade
The most straightforward path: just equip higher-level weapons as you find them. If you're using a Level 10 weapon and find a Level 35 drop, swap it in for instant power.
Check your inventory regularly for weapons with green arrows showing available upgrades.
Mid-Game Optimization
As you approach Light Level requirements for advanced activities (like the 20,000 threshold for certain content), more careful planning becomes necessary:
- Start investing in Gear Level for weapons with ideal perk combinations
- Prioritize weapons with recommended perks for each character
- Factor trait combinations into upgrade decisions
Managing Your Resources
Enhancement Prisms require effort to acquire. With a full roster, you can't upgrade everything simultaneously. Make smart choices:
- Focus on main characters first
- Use reset to reclaim resources when better weapons drop
- Save Enhancement Prism Choice Chests until you know which characters deserve investment
Quick Reference
| Method | Description | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Equipping Better Drops | Swap in higher-level weapons as you find them. No cost, instant power. | Single weapon |
| Enhancement | Spend Enhancement Prisms and Glimmer to increase weapon stats. Gated by Team Level tiers. | All identical weapons across roster |
| Gear Level (Standard) | Infuse duplicates to raise a specific weapon's level. Keeps preferred perks while boosting power. | Single weapon only |
| Gear Level (Exotics) | Use Ascension Cells instead of duplicates. Requires farming cells through Battle Pass, shops, or other sources. | Single exotic weapon |
Using all four methods together keeps your progression moving efficiently through Destiny: Rising's content. Mix and match based on your available resources and current goals.