A Guardian's Guide to Claiming Vanguard Glory in Destiny 2
Hey there, Guardian! Ever feel like you're putting in the work, grinding through strikes, and battling bosses, but you're not getting the rewards you deserve? Don't worry, you're not alone. Many Guardians, both new and veteran, can get a bit lost in the Tower when it comes to claiming their well-earned Vanguard rewards. Let's fix that. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about claiming your Vanguard loot, from rank-up rewards to bounties and engrams.
Are you ready to claim what's rightfully yours and show the enemies of the Last City who's boss? Let's dive in!
Step 1: Find the Man, the Myth, the Titan Vanguard – Commander Zavala
First things first, you need to know where to go. The heart of all Vanguard operations lies with Commander Zavala. He's the stoic leader of the Vanguard and your main point of contact for all things strikes and Vanguard-related.
Where is he? You can always find Commander Zavala in the Courtyard of the Tower. Simply load into the Tower, and you'll see him standing on the raised platform, overseeing the city. He's hard to miss, with his massive Titan armor and commanding presence.
What does he do? Zavala is more than just a quest-giver. He's the vendor for Vanguard activities, bounties, and rewards. His rank track is a crucial part of your progression, and reaching new ranks with him unlocks a variety of rewards, including powerful gear, Masterwork materials, and even the seasonal ritual weapon.
Step 2: Understanding and Increasing Your Vanguard Rank
Before you can claim rewards, you need to earn them. Your Vanguard Rank is a measure of your reputation with the Vanguard. As you play Vanguard activities, you earn reputation, which in turn increases your rank.
How do you earn Vanguard Rank? The primary way to earn Vanguard Rank is by playing Vanguard activities, which are found in the Vanguard section of your Director. These include:
Vanguard Ops: The standard strike and battleground playlist.
Nightfalls: A tougher version of strikes with higher Power requirements and modifiers.
Onslaught: A wave-based defense activity.
Boost your reputation gains! You can maximize your reputation gains by:
Completing higher-difficulty Nightfalls: The tougher the Nightfall, the higher the reputation multiplier. A Grandmaster Nightfall offers the highest multiplier (x1.5).
Building an Activity Streak: Complete multiple Vanguard activities in a row without leaving the playlist, and you'll earn a bonus to your Vanguard Rank. A streak of five will grant you a nice +15 Vanguard Rank bonus.
Aim for a high score: In Vanguard Ops and Nightfalls, your score determines a bonus reputation multiplier. Aim for a score of at least 30,000 for a solid boost.
Look for "Double Vanguard Rank" weeks: Keep an eye out for these special weeks announced by Bungie, where your reputation gains are doubled! This is the perfect time to grind out your ranks.
Step 3: Claiming Your Vanguard Rank-Up Rewards
Now for the good stuff! As you increase your Vanguard Rank, you will see a progress bar on Commander Zavala's vendor screen. When that bar fills up and you level up, you can claim your rewards.
The Process:
Open the Director: Press the button to open your Director (the map screen).
Navigate to the Tower: Select the Tower from the map.
Find Zavala: Go to the Courtyard and interact with Commander Zavala.
Claim Rewards: On his vendor screen, you will see a row of rewards along the bottom. Any reward you have unlocked will have a claim icon. Simply click on it to claim your item.
Resetting Your Rank: Once you hit the maximum Vanguard Rank (Legend), you can "reset" your rank to start over. This is a crucial step for earning the seasonal ritual weapon and its ornaments. When you reset, you can claim an Ascendant Shard, a highly valuable Masterwork material, and start the rank track from the beginning, earning all the rewards again. You can reset your rank multiple times per season.
Step 4: Claiming Vanguard Bounties and Engrams
Beyond the rank-up rewards, there are two other important sources of Vanguard loot: bounties and engrams.
Sub-heading: Completing and Claiming Bounties
What are bounties? Bounties are small, repeatable tasks that you can pick up from vendors like Commander Zavala. They reward you with XP, Glimmer, and Vanguard Reputation upon completion.
How to claim them: Unlike rank-up rewards that you claim from the vendor, bounties are claimed directly from your Quest tab in the Director. Once you've completed a bounty's objective (e.g., "Defeat 100 combatants in Vanguard playlists"), a notification will appear on your screen. You can then open your Director, go to the Quests tab, and claim the completed bounty for your reward.
Sub-heading: Decoding and Focusing Vanguard Engrams
What are Vanguard Engrams? As you play Vanguard activities, you will earn Vanguard Engrams. These are a special type of engram that can be taken to Commander Zavala for decoding. They contain Vanguard-themed weapons and armor.
Decoding vs. Focusing:
Decoding: You can simply decode a Vanguard Engram at Commander Zavala to get a random piece of Vanguard gear. This is a good way to get started with the loot pool.
Focusing: This is where it gets interesting! If you've already acquired a specific Vanguard weapon or armor piece, you can spend your Vanguard Engrams and Glimmer to "focus" them into a specific item. This is a great way to hunt for a perfect roll on a specific weapon you want. To focus an engram, go to Zavala's vendor screen, select the "Engram Focusing" tab, and choose the item you want to receive.
Step 5: Don't Forget the Legacy Season Pass Rewards!
Did you miss out on a previous season's rewards? Maybe you didn't play for a while or just didn't claim all the goodies from the Season Pass. Good news! You can still claim them.
How to do it: You can use the official Bungie website or third-party tools to access and claim rewards from previous seasons.
Go to the Bungie website: Navigate to the official Bungie.net website and log in with your account.
Find the Season Pass page: Go to the "Season Pass" section of your profile.
Claim your rewards: You can often claim rewards from the previous season directly from this page. For seasons even further back, you might need to use a browser extension like the "Destiny 2 Season Pass Wayback Machine" to access the older reward tracks.
This is a fantastic way to grab missed exotics, ornaments, and valuable materials that you've already earned. So, before you spend your hard-earned Cipher in the Exotic Archive, check this out!
10 Related FAQs
How to get Vanguard Engrams in Destiny 2? You get Vanguard Engrams by completing any Vanguard activity, such as strikes, Nightfalls, and Onslaught.
How to increase Vanguard rank fast in Destiny 2? The fastest way to increase your Vanguard Rank is by farming high-difficulty Nightfalls, especially during a "Double Vanguard Rank" week. Maintaining a high activity streak and getting a good score in each activity will also significantly speed up the process.
How to claim Vanguard bounties in Destiny 2? Vanguard bounties are claimed directly from your Quest tab in the Director once their objectives are complete.
How to get Vanguard weapons in Destiny 2? You can get Vanguard weapons as random drops from completing Vanguard activities or by decoding and focusing Vanguard Engrams at Commander Zavala.
How to get the ritual weapon from the Vanguard? You must increase your Vanguard Rank to the maximum (Legend) and then reset it. The ritual weapon is one of the rewards you can claim from Commander Zavala's rank track.
How to find Commander Zavala in Destiny 2? Commander Zavala is always located in the Courtyard area of the Tower.
How to claim rewards from the previous Season Pass in Destiny 2? You can claim rewards from the previous season by logging into your account on the official Bungie.net website. For older seasons, you may need a third-party browser extension.
How to get Nightfall weapons in Destiny 2? Nightfall weapons drop from completing Nightfall Strikes. Higher difficulties, especially Grandmaster with a Platinum score, increase the drop chances and can award Adept versions. You can also focus Vanguard Engrams for specific Nightfall weapons at Zavala after you have acquired them once.
How to reset your Vanguard Rank in Destiny 2? Once you reach the maximum rank (Legend), simply interact with Commander Zavala, and you will see the option to reset your rank and claim an Ascendant Shard.
How to get Vanguard reputation fast? Focus on completing Nightfalls with a high score and maintaining an activity streak. You gain a significant reputation bonus for these activities.
