The best ways to farm Exotics in Destiny 2 have changed over the years. What worked for Engram farming a few years ago isn’t the most efficient method today. In fact, these highly sought-after items are technically easier to get than ever before. All Exotic Engrams you collect, whether out in the world, from a vendor, or via an activity reward, go straight into your inventory without decrypting. You can focus them to receive a reward from a specific group of items or take your chances with the RNG gods.
The Best Ways to Farm Exotics in Destiny 2 (2023)
This Destiny 2 Exotics farming guide goes over the guaranteed ways to get as many Engrams as you could ever want. Again, it’s worth underlining that each method is deeply governed by RNG, so my guarantee can only go so far as “these are the best and easiest ways to farm Exotics in 2023.” Focus on:
- Completing high-difficulty Nightfall activities (Master and Grandmaster).
- Reaching Level 16 with each vendor.
At the bottom of this guide, we also list other good choices for raking in Exotic Engrams if you tire of the methods below or have trouble completing them.
Related: How to Get Austringer in 2023
The Top Way to Farm Exotics in Destiny 2
I can confirm the best way to farm Exotics in Destiny 2 hasn’t changed in 2023 — completing high-difficulty Nightfall activities still gives you the best chance at Engram drops. Farming Master and Grandmaster Nightfalls almost guarantees you at least one Exotic Engram per completion, and depending on which activity is up that week, that could easily be three to five Exotics an hour.
An Even Better Method? Double Nightfall Rewards Week
You can take these rewards even higher whenever Destiny 2 has a double Nightfall rewards week. A double Nightfall rewards week tends to happen two or three times every season — or roughly once a month. While Double Rewards is active, you get double rewards, as the name suggests. You can easily max out not only your character Engram inventory but your Postmaster, as well.
Often, my strategy is to harvest Exotics when double rewards are active alongside double Vanguard Reputation, as collecting vendor rep is the second best way to farm Exotics in Destiny 2.
The Easiest Way to Farm Exotics in Destiny 2
The easiest way to farm Exotics in Destiny 2 is also one of the most tedious, but if you must have as many of the things as possible, there are few better methods than:
- Getting every vendor to Rank 16, resetting, and repeating the process as many times as you can stomach.
- That means playing enough that Zavala, Shaxx, Drifter, and every seasonal vendor in the H.E.L.M. reaches Rank 16 at least twice.
By the end of an expansion year, you can get seven essentially free Exotic Engrams, provided you put in the dozens of hours to reset each vendor twice. Bear in mind that seasonal vendors only disappear at the end of an expansion year, so if you like playing all of the seasonal content the whole year, you can get even more Engrams without needing to focus on a single activity type.
Other Best Exotic Engram Farms in Destiny 2
There are other options for the best Exotic Engram farms in Destiny 2 that don’t take a ton of effort:
The Season Pass
Even if you don’t buy a particular season, you still get two free Exotic Engrams. That number jumps to eight, and coupled with the seasonal vendor rewards… yeah, you can get a lot with the seasonal content.
Complete Vendor Challenges
Every week, you get three Vendor Challenges for completing three activities in the core ritual playlists. You don’t have any time or win limit on the Strikes or matches; you must only complete them. And you can earn up to 360 Bright Dust if you also complete eight Bounties per playlist.
Complete Vex Incursion Zone on Neptune
Only available to owners of the Lightfall expansion, Vex Incursion Zone has a rare Public Event called Vex Strike Force that rewards a guaranteed Exotic if you complete it. The activity is fairly demanding, so I always bring friends. In the spirit of efficiency, you should, too.
Wait for Them to Drop
The final and most iconic way to get Exotic Engrams is to wait for one to drop from a random enemy as you play the game. I admit: their drop chances are incredibly low from world enemies, but the real Destiny experience is farming trash mobs for hours, hoping for the one drop to rule them all.
And those are the best ways to farm Exotics in Destiny 2. Nothing too fancy here, just lots and lots of invested time. Of course, as a live service game, you need to dedicate a lot of time to your Guardian(s) anyway, so if you do, go for it. If you’re looking for more content on Bungie’s blockbuster franchise, check out our guides on how to get the Wicked Implement Exotic, the best DPS weapons for the Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon, and more in our D2 guides hub.
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