Stygian Shards are a new resource that also acts as a type of currency in V Rising. Found exclusively in one area, they are fragments of Dracula’s legacy. They have various purposes, including leveling up your vampire in new ways. This is how to get and use Stygian Shards in V Rising.
How to Find Stygian Shards in V Rising
Stygian Shards are rewarded during Rift Incursions in the Ruins of Mortium area. These world events occur regularly, which you can follow with the Eye of Mortium, and come in two tiers. Tier 1 is for characters level 57+ and awards regular Stygian Shards. Tier 2 is for characters level 80+ and awards Greater Stygian Shards.
Participating in Rift Incursions is the only way to obtain these shards. Currently, there’s no known method of taking normal shards and making them greater.
To clear a Rift Incursion, go to the relevant tier location shown on the region map. Head to the ritual area where three Vampire Cultists have black tethers connecting them to a large Shadow Realm Rift above them. There’s another tether pointing the way to a secondary location, where Shadow Realm enemies are spawning out of an open rift.
Defeat the two spell casters, usually a Night Maiden or Blood Prophet, to stop new enemies from appearing. Once all foes are defeated, the rift will solidify and shatter, scattering Stygian Shards for you to collect.
Follow this process another time to close the second rift. The third time is the hardest, as the main rift at the ritual site is open. For the tier 1 event you’ll find a Lesser Blood Soul. This enemy is a leveled up version of previous V Blood bosses that you’ve faced. So far I’ve encountered Ruffus the Foreman and Quincy the Bandit King.
Defeating this blood-soul enemy drops three Blood Orbs to heal you. Take out any remaining foes, and the rift will close. The incursion at this location is complete. I’ve found that finishing two to three Rift Incursions earns me around 1,000 shards.
If you’re low on health, healing items, or your Blood Pool, you don’t have to clear all three points. You can finish just one and call it a day.
How to Use Stygian Shards in V Rising
There are three main uses for Stygian Shards.
- Buy Ancient Weapon Shards at Vampire Merchants.
- Summon Shadow Realm enemies for loot at the Stygian Summoning Circle.
- Purchase Passive Abilities to buff your character at the Altar of Stygian Awakening.
Each one has a specific use for Stygian Shards and Greater Stygian Shards.
Vampire Merchants
There are two vendors that’ll speak with you in the Ruins of Mortium. The one in the south only takes regular shards while the northern counterpart only takes greater ones.
The inventory is relatively the same for both, with those in the north just stronger. You pick which type of weapon shard you want to purchase. The actual shard is a mystery, making this a kind of blind pick. You do obtain an Ancestral Weapon shard when completing a Rift Incursion, so this is more of a gamble for a better version.
Southern Vampire Merchant – Level 20 weapon shard for 1,000 Stygian Shards
- Ancestral Reaper Shards.
- Ancestral Longbow Shards.
- Ancestral Whip Shards.
- Ancestral Spear Shards.
- Ancestral Slashers Shards.
- Ancestral Greatsword Shards.
- Ancestral Crossbow Shards.
- Ancestral Axes Shards.
- Ancestral Mace Shards.
- Ancestral Pistols Shards.
- Ancestral Sword Shards.
Northern Vampire Merchant – Level 20 weapon shard for 2,000 Greater Stygian Shards
- Ancestral Crossbow Shards.
- Ancestral Greatsword Shards.
- Ancestral Pistols Shards.
- Ancestral Maces Shards.
- Ancestral Axes Shards.
- Ancestral Reaper Shards.
- Ancestral Slashers Shards.
- Ancestral Longbow Shards.
- Ancestral Sword Shards.
- Ancestral Whip Shards.
- Ancestral Spear Shards.
Stygian Summoning Circle
The Stygian Summoning Circle is a crafter that allows you to call creatures from the Shadow Realm. Similar to the Tomb, adding in the correct ingredients causes the corresponding creature to appear. Each enemy drops different loot. You can find all the possibilities listed below.
- Blood Treant: x80 Plant Fibre and x250 Stygian Shard.
- Drops: 6-12 various seeds and Saplings.
- Blood Elemental: x20 Gem Dust and x250 Stygian Shard.
- Drops: x3 Regular Gems and a random amount of minerals.
- Blood Harpy: x4 Scroll and x250 Stygian Shard.
- Drops: x3 Study Books and a random amount of Paper and Scrolls.
- Blood Corpse Pile: x20 Bone and x400 Greater Stygian Shard.
- Drops: Random amount of Alchemy materials, including Scourgestone.
- Blood Golem: x20 Gem Dust and x400 Greater Stygian Shard.
- Drops: x3 Flawless Gems and a random amount of minerals.
- Blood Witch: x4 Schematic and x400 Greater Stygian Shard.
- Drops: x3 Athenaeum Books and a random amount of Scrolls and Schematics.
Altar of Stygian Awakening
Personally, the ability to gain passives that enhance your build is what I save my shards for. The Altar of Stygian Awakening is a general item. In build mode, you’ll find it listed in the Dominance tab under Production.
After building it, interacting with the altar brings up the various abilities you can learn. There are three tiers with a single ability for each type of magic available in the game.
Tier 1 Passive Abilities – 400 Stygian Shards per ability
- Blood Spray.
- Chaos Kindling.
- Arcane Animator.
- Spiritual Infusion.
- Chillweave.
- Lightning Fast Strikes.
Tier 2 Passive Abilities – 600 Greater Stygian Shards per ability
- Hunger for Blood
- Turbulent Velocity
- Soul Drinker
- Skin Walker
- Lingering Frost
- Elemental Resistances
Tier 3 Passive Abilities – 1,000 Greater Stygian Shards per ability
- Sanguine Mastery.
- Embrace Mayhem.
- Dark Enchantment.
- Flowing Sorcery.
- Cold Soul.
- Enhanced Conductivity.
That’s how to get and use Stygian Shards in V Rising. With multiple uses, stockpiling them isn’t a bad idea. For more on the Ruins of Mortium, new bosses, or what we think about the 1.0 version of the game, check out our V Rising guide page.
