Guardians, are you ready to amplify your power and fill your inventory with some of the most sought-after gear in the game? Then you've come to the right place. Let's dive into the core of Destiny 2's endgame and learn how to earn those coveted Vanguard Engrams.
Step 1: Understand the Vanguard and Its Reputation
Before you can start stacking up those engrams, you need to understand the fundamental concept behind them: Vanguard Reputation. Think of it as your standing with Commander Zavala, the stoic leader of the Vanguard. The higher your reputation, the more rewards you unlock, and this includes a consistent stream of Vanguard Engrams.
So, what are you waiting for? Load up your favorite Guardian and head to the Tower! The journey to a full inventory of awesome gear starts now.
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| How To Earn Vanguard Engrams |
Step 2: The Core Activities for Vanguard Engrams
Your primary source of Vanguard Engrams will be through the Vanguard activities. These are the lifeblood of the playlist content and the most reliable way to increase your Vanguard Reputation.
Sub-heading: Vanguard Ops Playlist
QuickTip: Don’t just consume — reflect.
This is your bread and butter. The Vanguard Ops playlist is a matchmaking activity that throws you into a randomized Strike or Battleground. Completing these activities grants you a solid chunk of Vanguard Reputation.
Strike after strike: Completing activities in a row builds a Vanguard Activity Streak, which significantly boosts your reputation gains. The bonus increases with each successive completion, up to a maximum of a 5-streak. Don't break the streak by going to orbit for too long or jumping into a different activity!
Daily and weekly bounties: Don't forget to pick up bounties from Commander Zavala in the Tower! These are simple objectives you can complete during your Vanguard Ops runs, and they provide a nice little boost to your reputation and often, a direct engram.
Sub-heading: Nightfall Strikes
If you want to kick things up a notch and earn engrams at a much faster rate, the weekly Nightfall is where you need to be. Nightfalls are a more challenging version of a regular strike, featuring modifiers and a higher Power Level requirement.
The higher the difficulty, the bigger the reward: Nightfalls come in different difficulties: Hero, Legend, Master, and Grandmaster. The higher the difficulty, the larger the reputation multiplier.
Hero: A good starting point with matchmaking.
Legend: Provides a significant reputation boost and still has matchmaking.
Master and Grandmaster: These are where you get the most reputation per run. Master and Grandmaster Nightfalls have a higher reputation multiplier, with Grandmaster offering the biggest bonus. They also guarantee an Adept Nightfall weapon with a Platinum score, which is a great bonus!
Sub-heading: Vanguard Scoring
Within Vanguard Ops and Nightfalls, your reputation gain is also tied to your performance. Getting a high score by defeating enemies, landing precision kills, and generating Orbs of Power will give you a bonus multiplier at the end of the activity. Aim for that Platinum score by defeating all Champions in Nightfalls to maximize your rewards.
Step 3: Strategic Farming for Maximum Efficiency
QuickTip: Look for lists — they simplify complex points.
Now that you know where to go, let's talk about the best strategies for earning Vanguard Engrams as fast as possible.
Sub-heading: Double Vanguard Rank Weeks
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Keep an eye on the weekly rotations. Bungie occasionally enables "Double Vanguard Rank" weeks. This is your prime opportunity to grind! During these weeks, every bit of reputation you earn is doubled, allowing you to fly through the ranks and acquire a massive number of engrams. This is a must-do for any serious player.
Sub-heading: Choosing the Right Strike
Not all strikes are created equal when it comes to farming. Some are much quicker and more efficient to run repeatedly.
Short and Sweet: Strikes like "Lake of Shadows" and "The Arms Dealer" are notorious for being quick runs. When these are the weekly Nightfall, it's time to farm!
Avoid the Slog: Steer clear of strikes that are long and have frustrating boss fights, like "The Corrupted." They will slow down your farming and drain your motivation.
Sub-heading: Utilize Bounties and Challenges
QuickTip: Pause after each section to reflect.
Beyond the daily bounties, be sure to complete the weekly Vanguard challenges. These will often reward a Powerful or Pinnacle engram and a large chunk of reputation. Combine these challenges with your farming runs to be as efficient as possible.
Step 4: Focusing Your Vanguard Engrams
Once you've accumulated a stack of Vanguard Engrams, what do you do with them? You take them to Commander Zavala in the Tower and focus them.
Random Rolls: You can decrypt your engrams for a random roll on a Vanguard weapon or armor piece.
Targeted Focusing: If you have unlocked a specific Nightfall weapon or have a good reputation rank, you can focus your engrams to get specific weapons with different perk combinations. This is a crucial step for hunting that perfect God Roll! Keep in mind that focusing Adept Nightfall weapons costs more, including Nightfall Ciphers from Grandmaster Nightfalls.
Related FAQ
Here are some quick answers to common questions about Vanguard Engrams:
How to check my Vanguard reputation rank? You can check your Vanguard reputation rank by visiting Commander Zavala in the Tower. His vendor screen will show your current rank and the progress towards the next one.
How to get a Vanguard Activity Streak? Complete strikes or Nightfalls from the Vanguard playlist in a row. Don't leave the playlist or go to a different activity to maintain the streak.
QuickTip: Look for repeated words — they signal importance.
How to find out about Double Vanguard Rank weeks? Keep an eye on the in-game news feed, the official Bungie website, or community websites like "Today in Destiny" and "Light.gg" for weekly resets and bonus weeks.
How to get a Platinum score in a Nightfall? To get a Platinum score, you need to defeat all the Champions in the Nightfall before the final boss. Pay attention to the champion icons on your screen!
How to use Vanguard Engrams for Nightfall weapons? Once you have earned a Nightfall weapon at least once, you can go to Commander Zavala's vendor screen and use your Vanguard Engrams to focus for more rolls of that weapon.
How to get Nightfall Ciphers? Nightfall Ciphers are a currency that drops from completing Grandmaster Nightfalls and are used to focus for Adept Nightfall weapons.
How to earn Vanguard Engrams if I'm a solo player? You can still earn Vanguard Engrams by playing the Vanguard Ops playlist and the lower difficulties of Nightfalls, as they have matchmaking.
How to increase reputation quickly without Nightfalls? Focus on building a high Vanguard Activity Streak in the Vanguard Ops playlist and completing all of your daily and weekly bounties.
How to tell which strikes are the fastest to farm? Ask the community! Reddit forums like r/DestinyTheGame are great resources, and many content creators on YouTube create guides for the best farming strikes.
How to prepare for a farming session? Make sure you have bounties from Zavala, a good loadout for the strike you'll be running, and a fireteam if you're tackling Master or Grandmaster content.
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