Hello, Guardian! Are you ready to dive deep into the world of Destiny 2 and master the art of acquiring those coveted Vanguard Engrams? Whether you're a seasoned veteran or a new light stepping into the vast universe, understanding how to efficiently gather and utilize these engrams is crucial for powering up your Guardian. Let's get started on this exciting journey!
The Quest for Power: How to Get Vanguard Engrams in Destiny 2
Vanguard Engrams are a vital resource in Destiny 2, primarily offering Vanguard-specific weapons and armor. These can be incredibly useful for rounding out your loadouts, chasing specific perk rolls, or even acquiring highly sought-after Nightfall weapons. The key to accumulating them lies in engaging with the core PVE activities overseen by Commander Zavala.
Step 1: Embrace the Call of the Vanguard!
The very first step to getting Vanguard Engrams is simple: play Vanguard activities! This might seem obvious, but many new players might not realize the direct correlation. Vanguard Engrams are directly tied to your progression within the Vanguard Rank system, which is leveled up by completing specific PVE content.
Sub-heading: Understanding Vanguard Ranks
Think of Vanguard Ranks as your reputation with Commander Zavala. As you complete Vanguard activities, you earn Vanguard Reputation, which in turn increases your Vanguard Rank. Each time you reach a new rank, and particularly when you reset your rank after reaching the maximum, you'll be rewarded with Vanguard Engrams.
Step 2: The Primary Source: Vanguard Ops Playlist
The most consistent and straightforward way to earn Vanguard Engrams is by repeatedly engaging with the Vanguard Ops playlist. This playlist consists of various Strikes and Battlegrounds, offering a varied PVE experience.
Sub-heading: Optimizing Your Vanguard Ops Runs
- Speed is Key: While not every run will yield an engram directly at the end, faster completions mean more runs in less time, thus increasing your overall reputation gain and chances for engram drops.
- Bounties are Your Friends: Before diving in, always pick up all available Vanguard Bounties from Commander Zavala in the Tower. Completing these alongside your playlist activities provides a significant boost to your Vanguard Reputation. Daily and weekly bounties offer substantial rewards!
- Vanguard Streaks: Pay attention to your Vanguard Streak! Completing consecutive Vanguard activities without leaving the playlist will increase the amount of Vanguard Reputation you earn. This multiplier is invaluable for efficient farming.
- Fireteam Bonus: If possible, run with a fireteam. While not directly affecting engram drops, having a coordinated team often leads to faster and more efficient completions, indirectly helping your engram acquisition rate.
Step 3: Elevating the Challenge: Nightfall Strikes
For Guardians looking for a more rewarding and often guaranteed source of Vanguard Engrams, Nightfall Strikes are your go-to. These are harder versions of regular Strikes with specific modifiers that increase the challenge and the rewards.
Sub-heading: Difficulty Matters in Nightfalls
The higher the difficulty of the Nightfall you complete, the greater your chances of earning Vanguard Engrams, and often multiple engrams per completion.
- Hero Difficulty (Matchmade): A good starting point. You'll still get engrams, and it's matchmade, making it accessible for solo players.
- Legend Difficulty: Offers better chances and a more significant reputation boost. Requires a pre-made fireteam.
- Master Difficulty: Even higher chances of engrams and reputation. Requires a well-coordinated fireteam and higher Power Level.
- Grandmaster (GM) Nightfalls: These are the pinnacle of Vanguard content. Completing a Grandmaster Nightfall, especially with a Platinum score (defeating all Champions), almost guarantees multiple Vanguard Engrams and even Adept versions of Nightfall-specific weapons. While challenging, the rewards are often worth the effort, particularly during "double loot" weeks.
Sub-heading: Capitalizing on Double Loot Weeks
Keep an eye out for "double Nightfall drops" weeks announced by Bungie. During these periods, completing Nightfalls will yield two weapon or armor drops per completion, significantly accelerating your farming for specific Nightfall weapons and accumulating Vanguard Engrams. This is the absolute best time to grind Nightfalls if you're targeting specific loot.
Step 4: Commander Zavala - Your Engram Deconstructor and Focus Point
Once you've accumulated a stash of Vanguard Engrams, it's time to visit the man himself: Commander Zavala in the Tower. He's not just the leader of the Vanguard; he's also your primary vendor for all things Vanguard.
Sub-heading: Decrypting Your Engrams
Simply interacting with Zavala will allow you to decrypt any Vanguard Engrams you have in your inventory. These will typically reward you with random Legendary Vanguard weapons and armor.
Sub-heading: Engram Focusing - Targeting Your Loot
This is where Vanguard Engrams become truly powerful. Zavala offers a "Focusing" option, allowing you to spend your Vanguard Engrams (along with Glimmer and Legendary Shards) to target specific weapons or armor pieces from the Vanguard loot pool. This is invaluable for chasing specific rolls or completing your collection.
- Current Season Vanguard Weapons: You can focus for the current season's Vanguard weapons, which are often strong in the meta.
- Legacy Vanguard Weapons: You can also focus for older Vanguard weapons from previous seasons.
- Nightfall Weapons: This is arguably the most important focusing option. If you've acquired a Nightfall weapon at least once, you can spend Vanguard Engrams (and Nightfall Ciphers for Adept versions) to get more rolls of that specific weapon. This is how you get your perfect god rolls!
Step 5: Beyond the Core: Additional Tips for Engram Acquisition
While Vanguard Ops and Nightfalls are your mainstays, there are a few other elements that contribute to your overall Vanguard Engram income.
Sub-heading: Vendor Rank Resets
Every time you reach max Vanguard Rank and then reset it, Zavala will provide you with a significant chunk of Vanguard Engrams. This is a major source of engrams, so actively working towards rank resets is a smart strategy.
Sub-heading: Seasonal Bonuses and Upgrades
Keep an eye on the Seasonal Pass and any seasonal vendor upgrades (often found in the H.E.L.M.). Some seasons offer perks that increase Vanguard Reputation gains or even direct Vanguard Engram rewards at certain Season Pass levels.
Sub-heading: Xur's Occasional Offerings
While rare, the mysterious vendor Xur sometimes offers Vanguard Engrams for purchase using Strange Coins (or other currencies). This isn't a reliable farming method but can be a quick way to top off your engram count if you're just short a few.
Step 6: Maximizing Your Gains: Strategic Play
To truly become an engram-generating machine, integrate these strategies into your gameplay routine.
Sub-heading: The Weekly Grind
Dedicate time each week to completing your Vanguard playlist activities and high-difficulty Nightfalls. Prioritize any Nightfalls that offer weapons you're hunting for.
Sub-heading: Build for Efficiency
Consider running a build optimized for quickly clearing PVE content. High-damage supers, crowd-control abilities, and good add-clearing weapons will make your runs faster and more enjoyable.
10 Related FAQ Questions
How to check my current Vanguard Rank?
You can check your current Vanguard Rank by navigating to the Director, selecting the "Tower" destination, and then interacting with Commander Zavala. His vendor screen will display your current rank and progress.
How to increase my Vanguard Streak?
Complete consecutive Vanguard Ops or Nightfall activities without returning to Orbit or joining another activity type. Each successful completion without interruption builds your streak.
How to get Nightfall Ciphers?
Nightfall Ciphers are a special currency primarily obtained by completing Grandmaster Nightfalls. They are essential for focusing Adept versions of Nightfall weapons at Commander Zavala.
How to get specific Nightfall weapons from Vanguard Engrams?
You must have acquired the desired Nightfall weapon at least once as a direct drop from a Nightfall. Once you have it, you can then focus Vanguard Engrams at Commander Zavala for additional rolls, provided you have the necessary Engrams, Glimmer, and potentially Nightfall Ciphers.
How to identify "double loot" Nightfall weeks?
Bungie typically announces these weeks through their official channels (Twitter, weekly blog posts like "This Week at Bungie"). Community websites and apps like "Today in Destiny" also track this information.
How to reset my Vanguard Rank?
Once you reach the maximum Vanguard Rank (usually Rank 16), you can reset it by interacting with Commander Zavala. This will reward you with a large number of Vanguard Engrams and allow you to start earning reputation and ranks again.
How to get better perk rolls on focused Vanguard weapons?
While focusing offers random rolls, resetting your Vanguard Rank multiple times can grant a bonus that gives focused Vanguard weapons a small chance of rolling with an additional trait option in the third or fourth perk column. This applies to weapons focused at Zavala, not just end-of-match rewards.
How to earn Glimmer and Legendary Shards for focusing?
Glimmer is earned from virtually all activities in Destiny 2. Legendary Shards are primarily obtained by dismantling Legendary weapons and armor. Engaging in any activity that drops Legendary gear will help you build up your reserves.
How to find Commander Zavala in the Tower?
Commander Zavala is located in the Tower Courtyard, directly ahead and slightly to the left as you spawn in. He stands beside the large Vanguard table.
How to avoid running out of inventory space for Vanguard Engrams?
Vanguard Engrams, like most ritual activity engrams, are automatically stored at the respective vendor (Commander Zavala) if your Engram inventory is full. However, it's always good practice to regularly visit Zavala and decrypt/focus your engrams to keep your inventory clear.
