Prior to the launch of Season 11, Bungie explained that it would give Destiny 2 players a way to acquire select gear from past seasons as well as a few other sources. The devs also said that players would have the option to “nudge” their rewards towards a specific loot source, but at the time it was unclear how that would work.
Now that Destiny 2: Season of Arrivals is live, players should have acquired at least one Umbral Engram. The first drops as part of the Season’s introductory quest and will be the way that players can influence their loot drops this season.
However, the process of focusing an Umbral Engram is a little complex. Players will also need to acquire upgrades in order to fully determine what they want, and that requires leveling up the Season Pass.
How to Get an Umbral Engram
The first step is to obtain an Umbral Engram, which can drop from any activity. Since most players are typically trying to boost their Season Pass rank and power level at the start of a Season, they should end up with plenty of Umbral Engrams. It’s also important to note that the first three Umbral Engrams decoded will scale with the player’s power level.
Players can also obtain more Umbral Engrams by upgrading the Prismatic Recaster. Spending Twisted Energy will unlock further ranks with the Recaster, which, in turn, unlocks more ways to acquire Umbral Engrams. Players can obtain Twisted Energy by completing bounties from the Prismatic Recaster.
How to Use the Umbral Decoder
Once players have an Umbral Engram they can focus it using the Drifter’s Umbral Decoder. This setup should be familiar to any Destiny 2 players that have been keeping up with the new seasons, as the layout is mostly the same to the Seraph Bunkers or planetary Obelisks from Season 9.
The Umbral Decoder focuses an Umbral Engram into a specific type of drop. Players can choose from Season of Arrivals gear, Gambit engrams, or a variety of different types of engrams.
Each week, players will have a specific amount of weekly focuses available to them (it’s unclear how many they can accumulate at writing), and they can purchase additional focuses using a new currency called Altered Elements. The Prismatic Recaster has its own set of bounties and one of the rewards for completing them are Altered Elements
At the start, players can only focus their Umbral Engrams into the top row of options through Basic Umbral Focusing. Eventually, though, the other two rows will become available, but only to those who have the Season of Arrivals Season Pass.
At rank 32 of the Season Pass, Destiny 2 players will unlock Improved Arsenal Focusing, which allows them to focus an Umbral Engram into weapons from past seasons of Destiny 2. And then at rank 72 of the Season Pass, players will unlock Improved Armor Refocusing, which will allow them to focus Umbral Engrams into armor that favors a specific stat like Discipline, Intellect, Recovery, etc.
Putting it all together, Destiny 2 players will:
- Get an Umbral Engram as a drop.
- Take the Umbral Engram to the Prismatic Refractor.
- Focus the Umbral Engram on a specific reward source.
Umbral Engrams are Destiny 2’s option for players that want to acquire some legacy gear before the game shifts into Year 4. Bungie promises big changes with the launch of Beyond Light, so players may want to stock up their arsenal before pushing back the darkness.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.