Anthem Masterwork - all the legendary weapons, components, and gear, best weapons ranked

Guide by Dave Irwin Former Guides Writer

Published on March 11, 2019

Anthem's best stuff comes in the form of both Masterwork and Legendary ranks. Each one gives a better output of damage and better inscriptions compared to the Epic gear, but they also come with an added bonus effect. These bonus effects can be quite hard to track, especially in-game, so we've compiled all of the Masterwork effects for the weapons, gear, and components in the game. We will also be ranking the Masterwork weapons in the game based on their effects.

Anthem masterwork/legendary items guide

Looking for help with missions, or how to get to grips with navigation in Anthem? Be sure to check out our Anthem guide for everything you need to know about BioWare's latest space adventure. As for how to obtain these items, you can look at our Anthem loot guide for tips on how to nab the best loot. Once you've obtained some decent kit, look at our Anthem Javelins guide for the best combinations.

Anthem Masterwork/Legendary guide contents

Masterwork Weapons

Best Masterwork Weapons

Masterwork Components

Masterwork Gear

Colossus Javelin using a high-explosive mortar.

Masterwork weapon list

Below are all of the masterwork, and similarly all the legendary weapons in the game. Note that Masterwork weapons can have similar effects on them, but are generally considered less powerful than the legendary counterpart. There are some other caveats too, including the fact that "Light of the Legion" is exclusive to the Legion of Dawn special edition of Anthem. You can find out how to unlock it in our Anthem Legion of Dawn guide. We've made the table below searchable, which you can use to find a specific weapon, or an effect that you wish to have in your build. For example, if you just want to see which weapons deal acid damage, you can search "acid" for the relevant items.

Masterwork/Legendary Weapon	Weapon type	Unique Effect	Notes
Avenging Herald	Heavy Pistol	When you hover in the air, increase your weapon damage by 200%.	Colossus can't equip this weapon.
Glorious Result	Heavy Pistol	Hitting multiple enemy weak points increases all weapon damage temporarily.	Colossus can't equip this weapon.
Close Encounter	Heavy Pistol	Dashing temporarily increases weapon damage.	Colossus can't equip this weapon.
Unending Battle	Machine Pistol	Hitting Elite or higher ranked enemies at point-blank range temporarily increases weapon and melee damage by 110% for 5 seconds.	Colossus can't equip this weapon.
Vassa's Surprise	Machine Pistol	Striking enemies with melee attacks restores ammo by 25%.	Colossus can't equip this weapon.
Retaliation of Garretus	Machine Pistol	Temporarily increase weapon damage by 125% for 10 seconds when suit health is critical.	Colossus can't equip this weapon.
Elemental Rage	Assault Rifle	Hitting elite enemies temporarily increases all elemental damage by 5% for 10 seconds.	Stackable up to 20 times at 5% each stack. Damage bonus does vary a little depending on the hit, so realistically it's more like 80-90% total increase for a Storm. (Thanks to the user "ExplodingWiener" for the info.
Ralner's Blaze	Assault Rifle	Ignite a target when you hit a target five times in a row.	Called a "hit-streak" in-game. Enemy is in a prime state for Fire.
Divine Vengeance	Assault Rifle	Every third weak point hit causes large fire explosions.
Pyrrhic Victory	Assault Rifle	Defeating an enemy or hitting them 10 times causes a force explosion.	Legendary only
Soothing Touch	Marksman Rifle	Scoring a hit temporarily reduces recoil by 50%.	Stackable three times and lasts 5 seconds.
Death From Above	Marksman Rifle	Increases weak point damage while hovering by 65%.	Can be used while holstered.
Thunderbolt of Yvenia	Marksman Rifle	33% chance to deal large electric damage.
Light of the Legion	Marksman Rifle	Emptying the magazine recharges the shields.	Legion of Dawn edition exclusive weapon - Legendary only.
Renewed Courage	Light Machine Gun	Last shots reduce recoil by 50% for the next 20 seconds.	Stackable twice.
Artinia's Gambit	Light Machine Gun	Detonates a combo explosion in the area while reloading.
Cycle of Pain	Light Machine Gun	Weak point hits temporarily increase weapon rate of fire.	Stackable up to five times.
Wyvern Blitz	Sniper Rifle	Hovering increases this weapon's weak point damage by 40%.
Truth of Tarsis	Sniper Rifle	Hitting weak points on enemies under a status effect will set off a chain combo.
Siege Breaker	Sniper Rifle	When on a hit streak of three, it will freeze the target.
Radiant Fortress	Shotgun	Hitting the majority of shots in a burst partially recharges your shields.
Papa Pump	Shotgun	Reloading increases force and delivers bonus damage for 5 seconds.	Stackable twice, can stun targets, including bosses.
Rolling Carnage	Shotgun	Dashing increases weapon damage by 50% for 20 seconds	Stackable three times.
Fist of Stral	Autocannon	Hitting enemies temporarily increases weapon damage by 10% for 5 seconds.	Stackable ten times. Only equippable by Colossus.
The Last Stand	Autocannon	When suit health declines all weapon increases 75% for 10 seconds.	Only equippable by Colossus.
Endless Siege	Autocannon	Increases magazine size by 100% and damage by 100%.	Only equippable by Colossus.
Sentinel's Vengeance	Grenade Launcher	Sticky grenades that detonate an area of acid after a kill-streak.	Only equippable by Colossus.
Insult And Injury	Grenade Launcher	Bouncy grenades. Defeating an enemy clears harmful status effects and boosts status effect resistance.	Only equippable by Colossus.
Balm of Gavinicus	Grenade Launcher	Fires mines that detonate manually. Hitting two enemies restores armour by 25%.	Only equippable by Colossus.

Best Masterwork weapons ranked

Since there is definitively one best weapon in the game currently, it only seems fair to give the other types of weapons their own separate rankings based on what each other can do. That said, we'll just go right into the best weapon from the off:

Best Heavy Pistol

Even with its big nerf that takes it from being game-breaking to just really good, Avenging Herald still has a fantastic weapon perk. Boosting damage by 200% just for hovering with the pistol is fantastic, since it's easy to execute. Glorious Result is now better since the damage boost given to all weapons is still significant, while the Close Encounter is great for melee-based builds for a Interceptor, but Avenging Herald combined with similar hovering perks on a Storm Javelin can still dish out the pain.

Best Light Machine Gun

Artinia's Gambit can be a little fiddly to use, particularly in a party setting. Recoil reduction can be beneficial to those using the Renewed Courage, but Cycle of Pain's slower rate of fire can make its perk a little more precise if needed. This one is down to personal preference.

Best Shotgun

All three weapons are great for melee builds. Radiant Fortress and Rolling Carnage can be great guns for jumping into a group of enemies. Papa Pump's force and damage bonus is also very good for what it is, so it's down to your own style of play and other perks equipped as to which one works best for you.

Best Machine Pistol

Retaliation of Garretus is good for those who want to be at longer range and has the best damage, provided you're comfortable with being at death's door most of the time. Unending Battle on the other hand is good for melee builds, such as the Interceptor.

Best Assault Rifle

All of them are really good, but the Divine Vengeance has the simplest to understand and the most flexible. Elemental Rage is well suited to Storms running many elements, while Ralner's Blaze automatically primes targets whenever its ability triggers.

Best Marksman Rifle

Light of the Legion is great for the early game but is dramatically outclassed by the others in terms of raw damage output. Death From Above combos well with similar hovering perks like Avenging Herald (though is not as good as a second Avenging Herald), while the chance to cause electric bursts from Thunderbolt of Yvenia is not to be understated.

Best Sniper Rifle

Wyvern's Blitz also does silly things while hovering, which when coupled with Avenging Herald is not to be passed up. Truth of Tarsis can be good when paired with lots of primers, but it requires reloading after every shot. While Siege Breaker's ability to freeze targets is good, it's main thing is that it is semi-automatic and can fire more rounds quickly, at the cost of damage. The freezing effect may be worth it though.

Best Autocannon

Endless Siege has the most boring ability, but it is very good. Compared with the Fist of Stral, the damage buff means you use fewer rounds to kill enemies, but have less ammunition in the chamber. The Last Stand can be really good for the Colossus, since you're constantly on low health anyway, but compared to the other two, it's a lot more risk for less reward.

Best Grenade Launcher

Sentinel's Vengeance is the easiest one to use and has the most universally good ability on top of it. Insult And Injury is awful against bosses and the ability doesn't help a great deal, so it's not worth going for. Balm of Gavinicus however can be good if you're used to remotely detonating mines, but it does take a lot more skill to execute than the Sentinel's Vengeance. The ability however does seem to be very good with the Colossus, so if you're good with these sorts of weapons, then go for the Balm of Gavinicus.

Masterwork components list

When you get to playing Grandmaster Level 1 or higher difficulty, you'll be able to obtain Masterwork, or even Legendary items. These include gears, which upon equipping, have some unique effects that drastically alter just how useful they can be. Be sure to experiment with combinations that could amplify your damage output.

To make it easier, I've listed all of the currently known Masterwork or higher ranked components in the game in the table below. There is a filter enabled on this table and I recommend searching by each of the Javelins (details can be found in our Anthem Javelins guide) by type for all the Masterwork components available to that Javelin. We've made the table below searchable, which you can use to find a specific component, or an effect that you wish to have in your build. For example, if you just want to see which components might be good for a melee build, you can search "melee" for the relevant items.

Component Name	Javelin	Masterwork/Legendary Effect
Combined Arms	Ranger	Killing an enemy with the Assault Launcher increases damage dealt via your grenades by 50% for three seconds.
Tip of the Spear	Ranger	Combo damage is increased by 50% and performing combos restores nearby allies's armor by 40%.
Vanguard's Badge	Ranger	Melee kills restore 20% of your shield.
Defensive Bulwark	Ranger	Getting a kill-streak of three instantly restores all of your Javelin's shield.
Airborne Advantage	Ranger	While hovering, your gear recharges twice as quickly.
Demolition Tribute	Colossus	Each melee kill restores 20% of your total health.
Reinforced Hull	Colossus	Removing a status effect increases damage dealt by 20%. Occurs once every 10 seconds.
Emblem of Destruction	Colossus	Killing five or more foes with your ultimate recharges your ultimate by 3330%.
Catalytic Overdrive	Colossus	Detonating a combo increases ability damage by 40% for 20 seconds.
Grand Entrance	Colossus	Landing creates a small explosion when falling from a high point.
Stalwart's Badge	Colossus	Ability damage is increased by 40% for five seconds when your shield breaks.
Elusive Talisman	Interceptor	Performing a triple dash instantly reloads the weapon you are holding.
Survival Algorithm	Interceptor	Clearing an ally of any status effect recovers 20% of your shields. Occurs once every 10 seconds.
Tailsman of Power	Interceptor	Attacking an opponent using Interceptor's Strike gear causes its Assault gear damage to increase by 50% for five seconds.
Way of the Bold	Interceptor	Killing an enemy with a melee attack restores 20% of your total health.
Way of Integration	Interceptor	Hitting two enemies with your gear increases all further damage dealt to enemies by 30% for five seconds.
Way of Resolve	Interceptor	Dodging increases melee damage by 40% for 10 seconds.
Way of the Swift	Interceptor	Attacking an opponent using Interceptor's Assault gear causes its Strike gear damage to increase by 50% for five seconds.
Amulet of Winter	Storm	Hitting an enemy with an ice attack gives you 20% increased weapon damage for 20 seconds.
Mark of Wrath	Storm	While your Focus Seal is on cooldown, the Blast Seal's damage is increased by 50%.
Gunslinger's Mark	Storm	Weak point damage dealt to enemies increases by 60%. (Currently turned off)
Mark of Clarity	Storm	Clearing a status effect heals you for 20% of your total health. Occurs once every 10 seconds.
Token of the Master	Storm	Dealing damage with a Focus Seal attack increases damage dealt by your Blast Seal by 60% for five seconds.
Tome of Precision	Storm	Killing an enemy via its weak spot with a sniper rifle increases your electrical damage by 60% for five seconds.

Masterwork gears list

When you get to playing Grandmaster Level 1 or higher difficulty, you'll be able to obtain Masterwork, or even Legendary items. These include gears, which upon equipping, have some unique effects that drastically alter just how useful they can be. Each one has a huge effect on your loadouts. Look at our Anthem Loadouts guide to work out how to experiment with combinations that could amplify your damage output.

To that end, I've listed all of the currently known Masterwork or higher ranked gears in the game. There is a filter enabled on this table and I recommend searching by Javelins (details on all four in our Anthem Javelins guide) by type for all the Masterwork variants of the gears available to that Javelin. We've made the table below searchable, which you can use to find a specific component, or an effect that you wish to have in your build. For example, if you just want to see which components might be good for your build that exploits electricity, you can search "electric" for the relevant items.

Masterwork/Legendary gear name	Javelin	Gear Type	Masterwork Effect
Argo's Mace	Ranger	Blast Missile	An electric explosion occurs after an enemy is defeated by any means.
Avenger's Boon	Ranger	Pulse Blast	Hitting an enemy increases melee damage by 110% for 20 seconds.
Ember's Lance	Ranger	Spark Beam	Detonate a fire explosion on a small hit-streak (3 enemies).
Recurring Vengeance	Ranger	Seeker Missile	Ability cooldown is refreshed when defeating an enemy once every 7.5 seconds.
Tactical Onslaught	Ranger	Venom Darts	Venom Darts permanently have an extra charge (during the mission).
Cold Blooded	Ranger	Frost Grenade	Afflicting an enemy with ice increases melee damage by 135% for 10 seconds.
Grand Opening	Ranger	Seeker Grenade	Defeating enemies from above grants 75% increased weapon damage for 20 seconds.
Last Argument	Ranger	Frag Grenade	Hitting enemies adds 700% Ultimate charge.
Explosive Blaze	Ranger	Inferno Grenade	When afflicting two or more enemies with fire, this creates a flame explosion.
The Gambit	Ranger	Sticky Grenade	Hitting an enemy with this grenade detonates an ice explosion.
Best Defense	Colossus	Siege Artillery	Armor is restored by 35% when striking an enemy with a rocket.
Black Powder	Colossus	Flak Cannon	Regain a charge after defeating an enemy. Can occur once every 4 seconds.
Fist of the Crucible	Colossus	Flamethrower	Flamethrower damage is increased by 40% for 10 seconds after defeating an enemy. Stackable up to five times.
Solvent Green	Colossus	Venom Spitter	Combos do 200% more damage when Detonated.
Final Judgement	Colossus	High Explosive Mortal	Hitting two enemies increases all damage by 35% for 20 seconds.
Rubidium Furnace	Colossus	Firewall Mortar	Applying a fire effect to 2 enemies refills a charge. Occurs once every 20 seconds.
Titan's Hail	Colossus	Burst Mortar	Burst Mortar can now trigger explosive combos.
Vassa's Arc	Colossus	Lightning Coil	Three hits at once causes a large electrical explosion.
Voltaic Dome	Colossus	Shock Coil	Enemies are frozen once hit.
Sudden Death	Interceptor	Tempest Strike	A flame explosion occurs when striking an enemy.
Sanadeen's Respite	Interceptor	Plasma Star	Hitting an enemy's weak point restores 5% of shields.
Serpent's Veil	Inteceptor	Venom Bomb	Melee weapon defeats increase all acid damage by 100% for 10 seconds.
Viper's Bite	Interceptor	Venom Spray	Hitting an enemy with Venom Spray adds 700% Ultimate charge.
Absolute Zero	Interceptor	Cryo Glaive	Hitting an enemy from above detonates an ice explosion.
Black Ice	Storm	Glacial Spear	Defeating an enemy freezes others nearby.
Chaotic Rime	Storm	Frost Shards	Freezing an enemy grants 125% increased Blast Seal gear damage for 20 seconds.
Seal of the Open Mind	Storm	Shock Burst	Hitting an enemy from above refills a charge. Can occur once every 5 seconds.
Stasis Charm	Storm	Arc Burst	Hitting an enemy with the Arc Burst creates an electric explosion.
Ten Thousand Suns	Storm	Burning Orb	Whenever an enemy is hit, gain 5% additional damage for 5 seconds. Stackable up to 20 times.
Binary Star	Storm	Living Flame	Launch two Living Flames instead of one.
Hailstorm's Renewal	Storm	Ice Blast	Defeating an enemy from above instantly restores 75% shield energy.
Ponder Infinity	Storm	Lightning Strike	While hovering, electric damage is increased by 60%.
Winter's Wrath	Storm	Ice Storm	Defeating an enemy from above refills charges. Can occur once every 10 seconds.
Venomous Blaze	Storm	Flame Burst	Acid damage is applied to enemies after 3 consecutive hits.

And those are all the Legendary and Masterwork items. You can head back to our Anthem Loadouts guide to see what else you can do to upgrade your Javelin, while our tips on Anthem Strongholds will fill you in on another really good way to nab some decent stuff.