Master the economy and resource management in Destiny 2 to ensure your Guardian is always well-equipped. From Glimmer to Legendary Shards and rare materials, understanding how to acquire and spend these assets is crucial for progression. This guide helps you navigate the game's economy effectively.
Primary Currencies
These are the most frequently used currencies:
- Glimmer: The universal currency. Used for purchasing items from vendors, upgrading gear, applying mods, and more. It's relatively easy to acquire through patrols, public events, and dismantling unwanted gear.
- Legendary Shards: A vital currency obtained from dismantling Legendary and Exotic gear, completing certain bounties, and selling items to Rahool. Essential for purchasing Legendary engrams, mods, and materials from vendors.
Upgrade Materials
These materials are used to enhance your gear's power:
- Enhancement Cores: Primarily used for Masterworking armor and upgrading Exotic armor. Acquired from dismantling Masterworked gear, completing certain bounties (e.g., Gunsmith bounties), and Nightfall Ordeals.
- Enhancement Prisms: Used for Masterworking Legendary armor and upgrading Exotic armor to higher tiers. Obtained from higher-level Nightfalls, Iron Banner, and certain vendor engrams.
- Ascendant Alloys: A rare material required for Masterworking Exotic armor. Acquired from completing weekly campaign missions, certain seasonal activities, and purchasing from Master Rahool.
Other Important Resources
- Bright Dust: Used to purchase cosmetic items from Tess Everis in the Tower, as well as some shaders and emotes. Earned through seasonal challenges, weekly bounties, and Bright Engrams.
- Infusion Fuel: Higher Light Level weapons and armor are used to infuse your favorite gear, increasing its Light Level. Keep a steady supply of gear with higher Light Levels.
- Mod Components: Used to purchase mods from Ada-1 in the Tower. Acquired by dismantling gear and completing bounties.
Acquisition Strategies
Effective resource acquisition involves prioritizing activities:
- Glimmer: Run Public Events, complete Patrols, dismantle unwanted gear. Use a Glimmer mod on your Ghost.
- Legendary Shards: Dismantle all Legendary and Exotic gear you don't need. Focus on activities that drop Legendary gear frequently, like Strikes and Crucible.
- Enhancement Cores: Complete daily Gunsmith bounties, dismantle Masterworked gear, and run Nightfall Ordeals.
- Enhancement Prisms: Run higher-difficulty Nightfalls (Hero, Legend, Master). Participate in Iron Banner when it's active.
- Ascendant Alloys: Complete the weekly campaign mission on Legend difficulty, focus seasonal engrams at the HELM, and purchase from Rahool when available.
Spending Wisely
Prioritize your spending based on your current goals:
- Early Game: Focus on acquiring Legendary gear and increasing your Light Level. Glimmer and Legendary Shards are key.
- Mid Game: Start Masterworking essential armor pieces for survivability and ability uptime. Enhancement Cores and Prisms become important.
- Endgame: Ascendant Alloys are crucial for Masterworking Exotic armor. Focus on acquiring specific "god roll" weapons and armor pieces.
Vendor Focusing
Vendors at the HELM and in the Tower allow you to focus engrams into specific weapons or armor pieces. This is a more targeted way to acquire gear with desired perks, but it often requires spending Legendary Shards and other seasonal currencies.
Dismantling vs. Selling
Generally, dismantling gear yields more valuable materials (Legendary Shards, Enhancement Cores) than selling it to Rahool for Glimmer. Prioritize dismantling unless you are critically low on Glimmer.