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Decoding the Legendary Shard Economy: Your Guide to Acquisition in Destiny 2

Want to get your hands on Legendary Shards in Destiny 2? You’re in the right place. These shards are an essential currency for crafting, upgrades, and acquiring some of the best gear the game has to offer. Let’s break down where you can get them.

The answer, while straightforward, has nuances: the primary method for acquiring Legendary Shards isn’t directly buying them from a vendor. Instead, you obtain them mostly by dismantling Legendary and Exotic gear. However, there are ways vendors play into acquiring them. Some vendors will allow you to indirectly exchange glimmer and planetary materials for shards. Keep reading to find out more.

The Indirect Route: Vendors and Legendary Shard Acquisition

While no vendor directly sells Legendary Shards for Glimmer as the primary transaction, some provide avenues to indirectly acquire them. Here’s the breakdown:

Spider (Historically): In the past, Spider, the Fallen vendor in the Tangled Shore (prior to its vaulting), offered a rotating “Material Exchange“. While he rarely, if ever, directly sold Legendary Shards for Glimmer, he would sometimes offer exchanges where you could trade planetary materials ( Dusklight Shards, Seraphite, Helium Filaments, etc.) for Glimmer, which you could use to buy Legendary items to then dismantle for Shards. Since the Tangled Shore has been vaulted, Spider is no longer in the game, and thus cannot be used.
Rahool, the Cryptarch: Master Rahool in the Tower doesn’t directly sell Legendary Shards for Glimmer. Instead, he provides special orders like Enhancement Prisms and Ascendant Alloys that cost 400 Legendary Shards each. However, he also offers a service where you can buy 10,000 Glimmer for 10 Legendary Shards. This implies that it would cost 3000 Glimmer to exchange for one shard.
Xur: Agent of the Nine: Xur is a special vendor who appears from Friday to Tuesday. He sells Exotic and Legendary items in exchange for Legendary Shards. This is where the secondary method of acquiring Legendary Shards comes into play: By acquiring weapons and armor to then dismantle for shards.

Dismantling Gear: The Primary Source of Legendary Shards

The most reliable way to obtain Legendary Shards is by dismantling Legendary (purple) and Exotic (gold) gear. Every time you dismantle a Legendary item, you’ll receive a set number of shards. Exotic gear yields a larger number of shards compared to Legendary gear.

Legendary Gear: Provides approximately 4 Legendary Shards per dismantled item.
Exotic Gear: Provides approximately 6 Legendary Shards per dismantled item.

Remember to always check the stats and perks on your gear before dismantling. A seemingly useless item might have a roll that’s valuable in a different build or to another player.

Beyond Dismantling: Other Sources

Beyond vendors and dismantling, there are other indirect ways to bolster your Legendary Shard supply.

Season Pass: Progressing through the Season Pass often rewards you with Legendary gear and weapons, which can be dismantled.
Vendor Engrams: Increasing your reputation with vendors like Zavala, Shaxx, and the Drifter can earn you engrams. These engrams can contain Legendary gear ripe for dismantling.
Activities: Completing various activities (Strikes, Crucible matches, Gambit matches, Raids, Dungeons) awards gear. Often, this gear can be used to dismantle into Legendary shards.
Vault Cleaning: Veterans often have hoards of old weapons in the vault which can be dismantled. This can be a great way to acquire a large quantity of Legendary Shards.
Umbral Engrams: Focusing Umbral Engrams can give you Legendary gear.

Before the Great Shard Purge: The Removal of Legendary Shards

It’s crucial to note that Bungie has plans to remove Legendary Shards from Destiny 2 starting in Season 23. The decision stemmed from a desire to simplify the game’s economy and address imbalances caused by farming exploits. Players are encouraged to spend their accumulated shards before their removal.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Legendary Shards

Here are some frequently asked questions that should provide additional guidance:

1. Why are Legendary Shards being removed?

Bungie is removing Legendary Shards to simplify the game’s economy and prevent exploitation of farming methods. The goal is to streamline the resource system and create a more balanced gameplay experience.

2. What should I do with my Legendary Shards before they are removed?

Spend them! Focus Engrams, buy materials from Rahool, acquire weapons from Xur, and purchase essential items from other vendors. Don’t let your shards go to waste.

3. How many Legendary Shards do I get from dismantling a Legendary weapon?

You typically receive 4 Legendary Shards from dismantling a Legendary weapon or armor piece.

4. How many Legendary Shards do I get from dismantling an Exotic weapon?

You typically receive 6 Legendary Shards from dismantling an Exotic weapon or armor piece.

5. What is the best way to farm Legendary Shards?

Efficiently farming shards involves a combination of activities: completing activities that award legendary engrams, dismantling exotics, and focusing vendor engrams.

6. What activities provide the most Legendary gear?

Raids and Dungeons are good for obtaining Legendary Shards because they offer multiple gear drops per run. Also, completing bounties and increasing rank at vendor locations such as Crucible, Gambit, and Strikes awards additional Legendary gear.

7. Can I buy Enhancement Cores with Legendary Shards?

Yes, Master Rahool sells Enhancement Cores for 30 Legendary Shards each, but there’s a weekly limit.

8. Is there a maximum number of Legendary Shards I can hold?

No, there is no known limit to the amount of Legendary Shards you can hold. This is in contrast to Glimmer, which has a cap.

9. What can I buy with Legendary Shards?

You can use Legendary Shards to buy materials like Enhancement Prisms and Ascendant Alloys from Master Rahool, purchase gear from Xur, focus Engrams, buy Upgrade Modules, and more.

10. What are Legendary Shards used for?

Legendary Shards are primarily used for purchasing high-value materials, focusing Engrams, buying raid banners, and acquiring essential resources for weapon crafting and upgrades.

11. Where is Xur located?

Xur’s location changes weekly. He appears from Friday to Tuesday at various locations, indicated on the map.

12. How often does Xur appear?

Xur appears every weekend, starting at 12 PM EST on Friday and disappearing at 12 PM EST on Tuesday.

13. Is it worth dismantling duplicate Exotic gear?

Yes, dismantling duplicate Exotic gear is a great way to earn Legendary Shards, especially if you don’t need multiple copies for different builds.

14. What is Weapon Focusing?

Weapon Focusing allows you to focus engrams at vendors to obtain specific weapons and armor. This costs Legendary Shards, among other resources.

15. Can I get Legendary Shards from dismantling shaders?

No, dismantling shaders typically yields Glimmer, not Legendary Shards.

Conclusion

While vendors don’t directly hand out Legendary Shards in exchange for Glimmer or other basic currencies (Rahool’s Glimmer exchange is an outlier), they are critical to the overall system. Dismantling unwanted Legendary and Exotic gear remains the primary method for acquiring shards. Before Legendary Shards are removed, make sure you have spent them wisely. Perhaps by taking advantage of learning through gaming, for example! You can find more resources about the topic on the Games Learning Society website at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. Happy shard hunting, Guardians!

Which vendor sells Legendary Shards?