Modding advice - altering NPC drops / editing crafting recipe

[Isra93]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on how to create a simple mod which alters the way the iconic weapons are obtained.

In short I want weapons (like Buzzsaw) which only drop as crafting specs to work the same way as most other iconics (like Widow Maker) - the base weapon drops and when you pick it up you also unlock the upgrade specs. No hard stat investment required unless you want a high quality version, enabling all iconic weapons to be obtainable by any build.

If someone knows how to make this mod, I have little to offer besides my gratitude. I'm really here to see if someone can point me in the right direction on how to do this myself by giving some quick advice or linking relevant articles. I have done some google-ing, but not found much to guide me - most of what I found is focused on modding textures, meshes etc. and not things like loot tables.

Thanks chooms.