Are you ready to dive into the world of Vanguard and get your hands on some sweet, sweet loot, Guardian?
Vanguard Engrams in Destiny 2 are your key to unlocking a variety of powerful weapons and armor, especially those coveted Nightfall weapons. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a new light, knowing how to acquire and use these engrams is crucial for gearing up and chasing that perfect "god roll" for your favorite guns.
Here is your comprehensive, step-by-step guide to becoming a master of Vanguard Engrams!
Step 1: Get in the Vanguard Groove!
The first and most important step is to immerse yourself in Vanguard activities. We're talking about anything related to Commander Zavala and his playlist. To earn Vanguard Engrams, you need to earn Vanguard Rank reputation. It's a direct correlation: the more reputation you earn, the more rank-ups you get, and the more engrams you'll find waiting for you at the Tower.
Vanguard Ops Playlist: This is your bread and butter. Jump into the Vanguard Ops playlist from the Director. These are standard Strikes that you can matchmake into. It's a quick and easy way to rack up completions and earn reputation. The more you play, the faster your rank goes up.
Nightfalls: This is where the real rewards are. Nightfalls are tougher versions of Strikes with modifiers that make them more challenging. They also offer a significant boost to Vanguard reputation, and on higher difficulties, they have a chance to drop unique Nightfall-exclusive weapons.
Vanguard Bounties: Before you start any activity, always pick up bounties from Commander Zavala in the Tower. These daily and weekly bounties give you a nice chunk of reputation upon completion, speeding up your progress significantly.
Pro-Tip: Keep an eye on your activity streak! Completing multiple Vanguard Ops or Nightfalls in a row without leaving the playlist will build up a streak, which in turn gives you a significant reputation bonus. Don't leave the playlist unless you absolutely have to!
Step 2: Rack Up That Vanguard Rank
Every time you gain a new Vanguard Rank, you'll be rewarded with a Vanguard Engram. This is a primary source of your engrams. You can track your progress towards the next rank by visiting Commander Zavala in the Tower.
Reaching Max Rank: Once you reach the max rank (Rank 16), your rank will reset, and you'll earn a "Prestige" or "Reset." This gives you a large lump sum of reputation and rewards you with a powerful engram.
Resetting Your Rank: The more you reset your Vanguard Rank within a season, the better the perks on the weapons you get from Zavala's engrams and focusing options will be. It's a grind, but it's worth it for those enhanced perk options.
Step 3: Decrypt and Focus Your Engrams
Once you have your Vanguard Engrams, you have two main options:
Sub-heading: Option A: The Basic Decryption
You can simply visit Commander Zavala and "decrypt" the engrams for a random Vanguard weapon or armor piece. This is the simplest method, but it relies heavily on RNG (Random Number Generator). You might get something great, or you might get a duplicate with a terrible perk roll.
Sub-heading: Option B: The Power of Focusing
This is the most efficient and recommended way to use your Vanguard Engrams. Engram Focusing allows you to spend your engrams, along with other currencies like Glimmer, to acquire specific weapons and armor from the Vanguard loot pool.
Visit Commander Zavala: Head to the Tower and interact with Commander Zavala.
Navigate to the Focusing Tab: In his vendor screen, you'll see a "Focusing" tab.
Choose Your Target: You'll see a variety of Vanguard and Nightfall weapons and armor available to focus. The Nightfall weapons that are currently in the weekly rotation will often be available to focus once you have acquired them at least once.
Pay the Price: Focusing has a cost. For a standard Vanguard weapon, it usually costs 1 Vanguard Engram and some Glimmer. For Nightfall weapons, the cost is often higher, requiring more engrams and Glimmer, and sometimes even a special currency like Nightfall Ciphers for Adept versions.
Important note: Once you get a Nightfall weapon drop, you can then focus it at Zavala using your Vanguard Engrams. So, even if you get a bad roll from a Nightfall run, you can use your banked engrams to try for a better one!
Step 4: The Grind Never Stops!
To get the most out of Vanguard Engrams, you need to keep playing. The more you engage with the Vanguard playlist, the more opportunities you'll have to earn reputation, rank up, and get those sweet engrams.
Target Double Loot Weeks: Keep an eye out for "double Vanguard drops" or "double Nightfall drops" weeks. Bungie often has these events, and they are the best time to grind for engrams and Nightfall weapons.
Form a Fireteam: While you can matchmake for Vanguard Ops and Nightfalls, playing with a coordinated fireteam can make runs much faster and more efficient, especially on higher difficulties.
Master the Nightfalls: Don't be afraid to try higher difficulty Nightfalls like Legend or Master. A "Platinum" clear (killing all Champions) in a Grandmaster Nightfall guarantees an Adept weapon drop, which is a powerful version with enhanced stats and the ability to use Adept mods.
Step 5: Get Your God Roll
The ultimate goal of all this farming is to get a "god roll" – a weapon with the best possible perks for your playstyle. Once you have a stash of Vanguard Engrams, you can focus them repeatedly to get different perk combinations until you get the one you want.
Unending Tempest (SMG): A fantastic Arc SMG. Look for perks like Dynamic Sway Reduction and Target Lock for PvP, or Subsistence and Jolt for PvE.
The Hothead (Rocket Launcher): A top-tier Arc rocket launcher for DPS. Seek out perks like Impulse Amplifier and Clown Cartridge or Explosive Light.
Hung Jury SR4 (Scout Rifle): A classic Kinetic Scout Rifle. Rapid Hit and Kinetic Tremors is a deadly combination for PvE.
The Slammer (Sword): A new legendary sword. Look for Relentless Strikes and Bait and Switch for boss damage, or Eager Edge for enhanced mobility.
FAQ: Vanguard Engrams in Destiny 2
How to get Vanguard Engrams quickly?
The quickest way is to run Vanguard Ops while completing Vanguard bounties. For a bigger reputation boost, run Nightfalls on the highest difficulty you can comfortably clear with a Platinum score.
How to decrypt a Vanguard Engram?
Simply visit Commander Zavala in the Tower. The Vanguard Engrams will be stored in his vendor inventory. You can then choose to decrypt them for a random roll or focus them for a specific item.
How to focus Vanguard Engrams?
Go to Commander Zavala in the Tower, open his vendor screen, and navigate to the "Focusing" tab. Here, you can select the specific Vanguard or Nightfall weapon or armor you want to acquire by spending Engrams and Glimmer.
How to get Nightfall weapons from Vanguard Engrams?
Once you have acquired a Nightfall weapon as a drop from a Nightfall activity, it will become available as a focusing option at Commander Zavala. You can then spend Vanguard Engrams to get more rolls of that specific weapon.
How to increase Vanguard Rank fast?
Complete Vanguard Ops and Nightfalls. Maintain a high activity streak, complete bounties from Zavala, and play on the weekly "double reputation" weeks to maximize your gains.
How to get Adept Nightfall weapons?
Adept versions of Nightfall weapons only drop from Grandmaster Nightfalls with a Platinum score. Once you have an Adept version, you can sometimes focus more copies from Commander Zavala using Vanguard Engrams, Glimmer, and Nightfall Ciphers.
How to check Vanguard Engram count?
Your Vanguard Engrams are not stored in your inventory. They are automatically added to your Vanguard vendor pool at Commander Zavala. You can see your total count by visiting him in the Tower.
How to get a "god roll" from a Vanguard Engram?
You need to focus the same weapon repeatedly at Commander Zavala using your engrams and Glimmer. This is a game of chance, so keep focusing until you get the combination of perks you desire.
How to get the most out of Vanguard Engram focusing?
Wait until you have a few Vanguard Rank resets in a season. This will give you a chance for the focused weapons to roll with enhanced perks, making your god roll chase more rewarding.
How to use Vanguard Engrams for armor?
Yes, you can also focus armor at Commander Zavala. This is a great way to acquire the full Vanguard armor set with good stat rolls.