Destiny requires a lot of grinding and a big part of that grind is having to acquire resources to obtain better gear. Of these resources, Ascendant Shards are the most important and this is all the best methods to get them in Destiny 2.
When creating the best build possible, be that for Hunter, Warlock, or Titan, you’ll go through a lot of resources. It’s an inevitable part of Destiny that is integrated into the looter shooter’s core design.
From Enhancement Cores to Prisms and Upgrade Modules, there are plenty of resources that you’ll need to gather. However, none of these are as important as Ascendant Shards which are required to make meta builds.
With that said, here are the best ways to get Ascendant Shards in Destiny 2 so that you can create as many builds as you want.
Contents
- What are Ascendant Shards used for?
- How to get Ascendant Shards
- Master & GM Nightfalls
- Lost Sectors
- Fishing
- Vendor Rank Resets
- Season Pass
What are Ascendant Shards used for in Destiny 2?
Ascendant Shards are a rare resource that are used to purchase Exotics weapons and gear upgrades. As materials go, Ascendant Shards are the most important of all as they are necessary to create optimized builds and take on Destiny’s more challenging content.
Their primary uses are to upgrade armor to masterwork and to unlock new Exotic weapons from the Exotic Weapon Archive. However, Ascendant Shards can also be used to reroll already acquired Exotics at Rahool in hopes of receiving a better stat roll.
How to get Ascendant Shards in Destiny 2
These are all the methods to get Ascendant Shards in Destiny 2, listed in order of most to least effective:
Master & GM Nightfalls
Completing Master & Grandmaster Nightfalls is by far the most efficient way to farm Ascendant Shards, though doing so efficiently does have some requirements.
Consistently finishing high-difficulty Nightfalls requires a dedicated fireteam with optimal loadouts, reliable methods to stun champions and high survivability. This is especially true for Grandmasters which are considered some of the hardest content in Destiny 2.
To get the most out of high-level Nightfalls it’s best to complete them during Nightfall Bonus Rewards weeks. This temporary bonus doubles all rewards earned from Nightfalls including weapons, engrams, and Ascendant Shards.
Lost Sectors
Lost Sectors don’t drop Ascendant Shards, but they do provide a nice supply of Enhancement Prisms. Completing Lost Sectors on Legend difficulty (1830) is an effective way of stacking up Enhancement Prisms quickly, though Master difficulty (1840) is also viable after the loot buff in Season 23.
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Enhancement Prisms can then be traded in at Master Rahool at The Tower for Ascendant Shards. This transaction typically costs x10 Enhancement Prisms and x50,000 Glimmer per Ascendant Shard, but Rahool also offers a special deal each week where he’ll give an Ascendant Shard for x10 Enhancement Prisms and X10,000 Glimmer instead.
Fishing
Fishing is a surprisingly good method for Solo Destiny 2 players to get Ascendant Shards, especially for those who prefer to avoid LFG or team content. Depositing an Exotic Fish at the HELM gives a high chance of receiving an Ascendant Shard.
The exact drop rates for Exotic fish haven’t been confirmed but it’s thought to be around 1 in 100 per successful catch. Assuming average luck it’s possible to get 1-3 Ascendant Shards per hour which is incredible for such a laid-back method.
Vendor Rank Resets
You can reset every Vendor’s Rank once per season to receive a guaranteed Ascendant Shard. A vendor can be reset after reaching Level 16 though this is only possible once. After the first time, the final reward will be swapped for an Exotic Engram instead.
An Ascendant Shard can be earned from the following vendors:
- Banshee-44 (Gunsmith)
- Commander Zavala (Vanguard)
- Lord Saladin (Iron Banner)
- Lord Shaxx (Crucible)
- Saint-14 (Trials of Osiris)
- Sonar Station (HELM)
- The Drifter (Gambit)
Season Pass
Completing the Season Pass is one of the easiest methods of acquiring Ascendant Shards in Destiny 2, with the rare resource being a guaranteed reward for reaching specific ranks.
An Ascendant Shard is rewarded at the following Ranks of the Season Pass:
- Rank 85
- Rank 90
- Rank 94
Obtaining these rewards requires the Premium Season Pass which can be purchased for 1,200 Silver. Alternatively, owning the Lightfall Annual Pass will also grant access to the Premium tier rewards.
Be sure to check out our other Destiny 2 content to stay ahead:
Deepsight Harmonizers: How to farm, use, and what weapons to convert | Destiny 2 Season of the Wish: Release date, dungeon, ritual weapon, more | Exotic Mission Rotator | Best PvP Weapons | Best PvE Weapons | Best Titan Builds | Best Warlock Builds | Best Hunter Builds | Trials of Osiris map & rewards this week | Xur location today | How to claim Destiny 2 Prime Gaming rewards | Destiny 2 promo codes