Once you hit level 20 in Destiny, the grind for Legendary gear is not just something that players want to do, it’s something they have to do if they intend on continuing to rank up. Legendary armor, for instance, comes with higher levels of Light, which in turn helps to reach that maximum Light level of 34. The problem is, a lot of average players struggle with acquiring this gear, unsure of what they need to do in order to get it. Today, we’re going to list off all of the most common ways that you can earn Legendary gear doing all of your favorite Destiny activities.
DLC Quests
The Dark Below and House of Wolves expansions both came with quests that allowed players to get their hands on some Legendary gear. In this case, we’re speaking about the Murmur Fusion Rifle and the Vestian Dynasty Special Weapon. They won’t help your Light level, but they will help you to increase the amount of damage you do, and are well suited to bring down certain enemy shield types.
To get your hands on the Murmur you’re going to have to jump through a few hoops. Is it worth it? It is if you don’t have any other Legendary options, and if you just want to enjoy the experience. Once you fill out your inventory with other high-end weapons, however, you’ll find the Murmur barely gets used.
The Vestian Dynasty is an absolute must-have for any Guardian, and it’s far easier to acquire. Just visit the Reef the first chance you get, doing everything that Petra Venj has for you. This will eventually lead you to a story-mission called A Kell Rising. When you complete that and visit Petra Venj at the Reef one more time, the Vestian is yours. It’s an absolute beast against the Fallen, and even does Arc damage to help you take down the shields of those Pesky Captains. You want this gun.
Vanguard Dragon Strike Playlist
Of course, those two guns alone won’t really help you. You’re going to need Primary and Heavy Weapons of the Legendary variety. In fact, when you get to some of the higher difficulty activities, you’re going to need Exotics and maximum damage. Baby-steps.
Depending on your level, hit up the Strike Playlist that best suits you. The key that you’re looking for is an option that allows you to be competitive, but gives you a shot at getting something Legendary. For this you really want to be in at least the Vanguard Tiger (Level 24 Strike), but realistically should be in the Vanguard Dragon (Level 28 Strike). This particular Strike Playlist comes with the following rewards.
- Vanguard Gear
- Cryptarch Engram
- Vanguard Marks +6
- Vanguard Reputation +25
Everything on this list is helpful to someone who wants Legendary gear. You could get it dropped through the Vanguard Gear or Cryptarch Engram you get after each Strike, but you can also earn Vanguard Marks and Vanguard Reputation that will allow you to buy this gear for yourself.
In order to get into this Strike Playlist you must be at least Light level 25, and even then it will be tough. Look for Strikes like The Devil’s Lair, Summoning Pits, or even the Nexus, as each of them have fool-proof cheese spots that make completing them easy. Also, if you are alone and get paired with two high-level Guardians, just stay safe and allow them to do all the heavy lifting. We call this a “carry” in Destiny. We’ve all been carried and we’ve all had to carry someone, so don’t feel bad.
Purchase from the Vanguard
If you grind out the Vanguard Dragon Strike Playlist, or complete Vanguard Bounties, you will earn Vanguard Marks and Vanguard Reputation. These two things combine to allow you to buy things from your Vanguard representative at the Tower. You just have to have enough of both.
Visit the Hall of Guardians at the Tower and speak with the Vanguard representative for your class. There is a separate vendor for the Hunter, Warlock and Titan. They will have a list of armor that you can buy (ignore the uncommon stuff). For Helmets you will need 120 Vanguard Marks (you can only earn 100 in a week), and a Vanguard Rank of 2. Once you reach that mark, however, you can buy the helmet and instantly have 36 Light attached to that one piece of armor. This is a major step in the right direction when it comes to leveling up. The best part is, each piece of armor you buy from your Vanguard representative can be upgraded to hold 42 pieces of Light, as long as you have Etheric Light.
You can only hold 200 Vanguard Marks at a time, and as mentioned you can only earn 100 in any given week, so you can only purchase two pieces of armor per week (75 Vanguard Marks for everything but the Helmet). Still, if you grind the Vanguard Dragon Strike Playlist, you will be hauling in the Legendary gear in no time at all.
The Vanguard Quartermaster
You can find the Vanguard Quartermaster in the Tower Hanger. This vendor will sell you Legendary weapons for your Vanguard Marks and Vanguard Reputation, but the items tend to be more expensive. Honestly, if you have the coin to spare, go for it, but if you aren’t yet wearing all Legendary armor that is at least Light level 36, skip over Roni 55-30 (Vanguard Quartermaster) completely. The only time we ever visit the Vanguard Quartermaster is when we have nothing else to spend our Vanguard Marks on and we’re at the limit of 200. You can get Legendary weapons from playing the Vanguard Dragon Strike Playlist, or even from the Prison of Elders, which brings us to our next point.
The Prison of Elders
A guaranteed way to get some cool gear is by running the Prison of Elders for the very first time and having a Treasure Key with you. You will likely get a Legengary, but you are guaranteed to get an Exotic. Each time you run the Prison of Elders after the first time, you will most likely get a Legendary weapon (if you have a Treasure Key). This is a great way to beef up your arsenal if it’s lacking, but you will most likely run out of keys after a short time. You can counter this by hunting and killing some of the Queen’s Wrath Bounties that Petra Venj gives you at the Reef.
Buy from Variks, the Loyal
If you are able to complete the level 32, 34 or 35 Prison of Elders, you may not need this help, but we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t at least mention this. You see, the level 32 Prison of Elders run will give you an Armor Core, and the level 34 will give you a Weapon Core. The level 35 will give you both. These items can be turned over to Variks (Weapon Core for the weapon he’s selling, Armor Core for the armor he’s selling) in exchange for goods. The weapons he sells are all maxed out at 365 damage, and the armor is already upgraded to Light 42. This means that running the Prison of Elders on some of the higher difficulties is the best way to earn the gear you want. Some of it by random drop in the Treasure Room, and some of it through purchase at the Reef afterwards.
The best part about this is that hitting Light 34 is your primary concern (or should be), so you can get to that point by running the level 32 Prison of Elders, which is obviously easier to be competitive in if you are a slightly lower level. The problem is Variks only sells one type of armor (Helmet, Gauntlets, Chest and Legs) per week, so it could take you a month to get all the gear you need. Still, even one piece can help to bump you up a level and open up some additional activities.
Of course, those aren’t all the ways that you can get Legendary gear. There are always the random drops you get for killing that lonely Dreg on Earth. However, these are some of the more common ways to get what you want, and for the most part it removes the RNG (random number generator) loot system from the equation. Well, sort of. You are for sure going to get Legendary gear following our tips, but you won’t always know what gear that is until it drops.
For more information on Destiny, be sure to visit our Destiny: House of Wolves Walkthrough and Guide. We can help you through many of the activities that get you the gear you so desperately seek.
