Destiny 2 will redefine a number of systems from the original game, with one of those changes being the introduction of a new kind of currency in the game called Legendary Shards. Besides Glimmer, Legendary Shards will serve as one of the primary items needed for a number of functions. One of those uses of Legendary Shards will be to buy items from Xur, replacing Destiny 1's Strange Coin currency.

Bungie has chosen to go from Destiny 1's system of providing high value currency that is more rare (Strange Coins) to Legendary Shards in Destiny 2, which will be more abundant, but will be worth less overall. That means players will find Legendary Shards more often but they will need more to buy items. Because of that, knowing where to find them will be vital.

Finding Legendary Shards

Here are all the places Legendary Shards can be found:

  • Dismantling Legendary weapons and armor (awards 2 Legendary Shards)
  • Dismantling Exotic weapons and armor (awards 10 Legendary Shards)
  • Nightfall Strikes
  • Flashpoints
  • Lost Sector chests
  • Raid chests
  • Raid encounters
  • Strike bosses (rare drop)
  • Planetary chests (rare drop)
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Farming Legendary Shards

Farming Legendary Shards will be tough when first starting out in Destiny 2, but as players level up—and more importantly, level up multiple characters—farming will become more lucrative.

  1. The surest way to collect Legendary Shards will be to run the weekly activities that are guaranteed to drop them, and to do so on multiple characters. That means doing the Nightfall, the raid, and Flashpoints on up to three characters every week.
  2. It will also be important to do the Lost Sectors on every character. These can't be farmed, as Lost Sectors are one-time experiences with loot that does not refresh. Lost Sectors are found on the four destinations and need to be completed closer to the endgame, when players are leveled up and able to tackle their challenges.
  3. The next best way will be dismantling unneeded Legendary and Exotic gear. Again, this may be tough early on because players will want to prioritize leveling up and using unwanted gear for infusion, but anything unneeded should be dismantled to gain Legendary Shards.
  4. The last option is to grind and farm planetary chests and strike bosses, but considering that these only give a rare chance for Legendary Shards to drop, this should be a last resort for players, as it is unlikely to be very lucrative.

Destiny 2 releases September 6, 2017 for PS4 and Xbox One, and on October 24, 2017 for PC.