Destiny 2 fans have spent the past week figuring out how to get the best equipment. Some live in the Crucible, farming Player-Versus-Player matches until they’re decked out in the finest armor, while others have been shooting countless Cabal in the hopes of an epic drop. No matter what kind of player you are, you’re still a slave to the Engrams , Destiny's version of a loot box.
In the first game, every item dropped would be inside an Engram and needed to be opened by a faction leader. Destiny 2 simplifies things, so only Rare, Legendary and Exotic items need to be encrypted. There’s no reason to fly all over the universe just to unlock a common chest piece that’s been rotting away in your inventory.
Three main types of Engrams that drop randomly in the world: Bright, Legendary and Exotic. Other Engrams can be obtained by completing tokens and completing whatever mundane tasks Faction Leaders want you to complete.
Legendary Engrams- These contain purple gear, which can be used to power up Exotic weapons or broken down into Legendary Shards. The most common can be obtained from public events, killing hard enemies or completing Faction Leader rewards.
Exotic Engrams- The rarest drop in the entire game can technically be found in all the same places, but much less frequently. I’ve been playing since the Beta and still haven’t seen one drop in the game world. If you need one of these to complete a quest, like the one needed to get a Sturm and Drang , you either have to pray to the luck gods or use the one given to you by Commander Zavalas after finishing the main campaign. If you find one, consider yourself a lucky person and maybe go buy a lottery ticket.
Bright Engrams- The loot boxes that seem to be pissing off the internet the most , can be bought with silver (which costs real-world money), obtained randomly or by leveling up past 20. Inside are Shaders, which can be used to change the color of anything you have: emotes, ships and weapon mods. Some people view these as “pay to win,” but they are more cosmetic than useful most of the time. Having a pretty ship and particle effect is awesome, but it doesn’t make your ship go any faster or your gun shoot farther.
Here are a few tips for opening Engrams and making sure that you get the best loot possible.
The item’s power level inside the Engram is determined when it’s obtained, not when it’s opened. That means, there’s no reason to hoard your loot until you’re a high enough level. All you’ll do is waste what’s inside, potentially becoming too strong to use the gear.
You don’t have to equip your best gear when getting an Engram, it takes into account everything that’s in your inventory, according to Destiny 2’s Project Lead Mark Noseworthy.
Legendary and Exotic Engrams only drop after level 20, though they can contain items of a lower level. If you’re power leveling a second character, either to get ready for the Raids coming in the next few weeks or just because you want something new, make sure to save them.
Every five minutes, the loot inside an Engram resets, meaning you can potentially get a different item. If you’re tired of pulling Coldhearts, inspect the Engram before opening and it should tell you what’s potentially inside.
