How to Get Legendary Shards in Destiny 2

Destiny has changed the currency system in their new game. Glimmer will always be the base currency,
but now strange coins and Exotic Shards have been replaced by Legendary Shards. This new currency
has two uses: purchase items from Xur, or infuse your gear to make it more powerful.

One of Destiny’s most famous vendors has returned: Xur. For those of you who don’t know who Xur is,
he is described as an Agent of The Nine. We don’t know who The Nine is, or what they do, but their
vendor brings us lots of shiny Exotic gear. It’s rumored that Xur won’t just be carrying gear, he’ll also be
carrying Weapon Ornaments. However, Xur has brought a change with him in Destiny 2: he no longer
accepts Strange Coins as currency.

In the previous game, Bungie had Exotic Shards and Strange Coins. Many of you have noticed that these
items are no longer around. Instead, we have Legendary Shards. Many people have heard of Legendary
Shards, but what exactly are they? Their description explains that they are “remnants of powerful items”
which means they can only be one thing: leftover materials from powerful gear. These are used to infuse
your gear and make it more powerful, but they’re also used to purchase powerful gear from Xur. This
begs the question: Do you save them up for Xur and buy powerful gear from him, or do you make your
current gear more powerful? How you use them is up to you, but we’ll make sure you know how to get
them so you can make that choice.

The easiest way to get Legendary Shards is probably the most obvious: dismantle Legendary or Exotic
gear. These are the purple and gold weapons and armor in your inventory. This can be a difficult
decision, since this gear doesn’t start dropping until you reach the level cap. Then you need to do
Strikes, Nightfalls, Raids, and Crucible matches to earn this gear. Is it worth dismantling all this hard-
earned gear? Perhaps. We suggest making sure you don’t need or want the gear before you dismantle it,
so it you don’t regret it later on.

Another way to earn Legendary Shards is by decrypting Engrams that you receive when leveling up your
rank with the Faction Vendors. While you’re working on ranking up with the Faction Vendors, you can
also loot the Lost Sector and Planetary chests, which do have a chance to drop Legendary Shards. You
can also get them from completing Flashpoints. These drops are rare, however, so we don’t recommend
this method for those of you trying to get as many Legendary Shards possible in a short amount of time.
Most of us understand that farming for Legendary and Exotic gear will be the best way to get Legendary
Shards, just like it was the best way to get powerful gear back in Destiny 1. While farming for this gear
there is also a chance for Legendary shards to drop during certain events. Strike and Nightfall bosses will
have chances to drop Legendary Shards, and so will Raid encounters and chests.

As it was with Destiny 1, the easiest way to get the most powerful gear is through Strikes and Raids at
the hardest difficulties. More powerful gear means more Legendary Shards, and more Legendary Shards
means more products you can purchase from Xur, or more ways to infuse your gear and make it more
powerful. We suggest collecting as many shards as you can before he comes back on Friday, so it’s not
that difficult of a choice.