How to Get Ascendant Shards in Destiny 2: Quick and Fast Methods


December 25, 2023


Are you min-maxing your armor? Or do you just want to get an exotic weapon from previous expansions? Ascendant Shards enable both.
The problem is there are only 5 ways to farm them. In today’s guide, you’ll discover how to get Ascendant Shards in Destiny 2 with the quickest methods. Let’s start!

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What Are Ascendant Shards Used For?

They have 2 uses. The first one is for armor masterworking (leveling). Each armor piece has 10 levels, and to upgrade it to the maximum, you need several Ascendant Shards: 1 for legendary and 3 for exotic items.

Secondly, you need Ascendant Shards to buy skins from previous add-ons. Such are:

  • Tarrabah – a submachine gun charging while shooting or receiving damage. When the meter is full, a reload will unleash a buff, which increases your damage for 8 seconds;
  • Lumina – a solar hand cannon that makes enemies drop remnants after killing them. When you collect these, you heal an ally and buff yourself and him with the strongest in the game + 35% damage effect;
  • Ticuu’s Divination – a bow whose hip fire shoots 3 seeking arrows. They debuff a foe, making your next aimed shot explode on hitting them;
  • And tens of other different exotics.

Do you want these? Then, keep reading to find the best way to get Ascendant Shards. Or, you can skip that and hire game boosters, so they get you the maximum possible number of shards in several days.

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Every Possible Way To Obtain Ascendant Shards

Shards have 5 farming methods, including:

  • Battle Pass;
  • Buy from vendors;
  • Reset a rank;
  • Complete a Nightfall;
  • Dismantle gear.

All these methods are different in difficulty and time requirements. We’ll explore them deeper. Read on to find the best (most consistent), easiest and fastest way how to get exotic shards in Destiny.

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The Best Ascendant Shard Farm

Based on our experience, the best place where to get Ascendant Shards is at Nightfall strikes. It’s a replayable instance. So, the number of shards you get depends on how long you’re willing to grind.
To unlock Nightfall, complete a campaign. Then, visit Commander Zavala and complete his milestone for 2 strikes. Next, he’ll want you to hit light level 230. When you do, revisit him, and you’ll unlock Nightfall strikes.
Nightfalls are available in various difficulties. Only starting from a Master difficulty, Nightfall enemies get an uncommon chance to drop shards. At Grandmaster, the chance is increased to common.
Regardless of the difficulty, you increase a shard drop chance by getting a platinum ranking. To do it, defeat all the champions during a Nightfall run.
A pro tip: pay attention to BANSHEE-44 events. Randomly, she’ll add a double-reward feature on Nightfall strikes, drastically improving a shard farm.

How To Earn Ascendant Shards

Ascendant Shards aren’t only enemy drops. You can also earn them. They are rewards for 80, 85, and 94 Battle Pass paid levels.
The first thing you want to get there is to buy a Battle Pass, which is $20 – $22. Then, you increase its level. The fastest way to do it is through seasonal challenges.
Some of them suit PvE players and require you to stun champions, open chests in Riven’s Liar and The Coil, complete Nightfall strike on Grandmaster, etc. For PvP, you’ll have to win multiple rounds in Trials of Osiris, defeat guardians with solar damage in Crucible, etc.
It’s also effective to raise Battle Pass with bounties. Their objectives are similar to seasonal challenges but are refreshed more often.

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Easiest Way to Get Ascendant Shards

Undoubtedly, the easiest way to get ascendant shards is to buy them from vendors. These are BANSHEE-44 and ADA-1 in Tower. You can get a shard for 10 Enhancement Prism, 100 Spinmetal Leaves, and 50,000 Glimmer.

Here’s how to get these resources:

  • Enhancement Prisms are purchased in Tower from Master Rahool, rewarded for hitting ranks in Crucible, Vanguard, Gambit, and Trials of Osiris, hitting seasonal pass ranks, dismantling 9 level+ armor, etc.;
  • To get Spinmetal Leaves, you’ll have to collect them from Cosmodrome plants;
  • Glimmer is a common D2 currency granted by any activity.

Don’t want to farm these? Get a boost! Check our “Is G2G Legit?” page and learn if it suits your Destiny 2 needs. However, you can also use this and other sites we review for Albion boosting, Dark and Darker boosting, getting exotic SMG Division 2, Diablo 4 mounts, and other game services.

Fastest Way to Get Ascendant Shards

As many think, the fastest way to get Ascendant Shards is by dismantling armor. Indeed, it’s quick. You just need to bring your level 10 armor to the table and break it for 1 shard.
But there’s a problem. To raise your armor to level 10, you have to invest a ton of resources, including 3 Ascendant Shards. So, we highly recommend dismantling armor for shards only when you know you’ll never need it. Otherwise, it’s a waste.

Where You Can Scrape Final Ascendant Shards

The final way how to farm Ascendant Shards is by rank resetting. Do it by completing:

  • Gambit – a mode that blends PvP and PvE elements into a race;
  • Crucible – high-end PvP mode;
  • Strike – end-game PvE mode.

Once you hit a maximum reputation with any of these, vendors reset their shards. You can repeat this process once per season.

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Conclusion

Farming Ascendant Shards shouldn’t be a challenge for you now. This page has uncovered all 5 ways to get Ascendant Shards to upgrade your gear and buy legacy exotics. Methods differ. But with their detailed explanations, anyone can pick a farm he likes.
Was this page helpful? Askboosters has many other gaming tips and tricks in the “Guides” section. It will explain how you can play WoW on Steam Deck, the strongest Overwatch 2 characters, gold farming methods in Lost Ark, and much more.

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Author:
Michael Peters

Site Editor at askboosters.gg
Michael Peters is a video game enthusiast who demystifies the complexities of the games in reviews. He is a seasoned writer with over five years of experience in the gaming industry. He writes more about games, boosting, and leveling services. Michael leverages his in-depth gaming knowledge to provide valuable information to video gamers.


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