Ascendant Shards are Destiny 2's most coveted currency. Guardians need this resource to Masterwork their armor and purchase Exotics from the Tower's Exotic Kiosk. Newer players and veterans alike will want to get their hands on as many Ascendant Shards as possible.

Related: Destiny 2: Tips To Survive Grandmaster Nightfalls

If their rarity didn't make this clear, Ascendant Shards are extremely rare, only farmable by completing some of Destiny 2's pinnacle activities. However, these "golf balls" drop from more than just GM Nightfalls. Players can use certain vendors or complete one of Europa's hardest Triumphs to get their hands on this invaluable currency. Ranging from Nightfalls to the Season Pass, here is every way you can earn Ascendant Shards in Destiny 2.

Updated July 28, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Ascendant Shards are receiving a fairly major increase to their inventory capacity next season, allowing you to hold up to 30 Ascendant Shards at a time. To help you prepare, we've updated this guide with current Ascendant Shard drop rates. We've also made a few tweaks to drop sources that have been changed in recent seasons.

How To Earn Ascendant Shards

As the rarest Masterworking currency, Ascendant Shards are equally as hard to come by. Players will have to endure a drip-feed of this resource or conquer the toughest activities in the game. Ascendant Shards can be earned from the following:

Nightfall Completions

Shard Amount: 1-2 per run (based on difficulty)

Master Nightfalls runs have a drop chance that is listed as "uncommon." The Destiny community speculates that this is around a 33% drop chance for a Platinum completion. Grandmaster Nightfalls guarantee one Ascendant Shard for a Platinum completion. Of course, GM Nightfalls are the hardest variant you can attempt. Be sure you have a good build and fireteam before attempting these.

Related: Destiny 2: Every Possible Way To Obtain Spoils Of Conquest

Trials Of Osiris

Shard Amount: Chance of 1 per win on a seven-win Passage; 1 on your first weekly Flawless clear

Going Flawless for the first time in a week will grant one Ascendant Shard from the Lighthouse chest. Subsequent Flawless runs in the same week will only grant Enhancement Prisms. For those unfamiliar, going Flawless in Trials of Osiris requires seven consecutive wins in the game type. One loss will void a Flawless attempt—excluding your first two losses while using the Passage of Mercy.

You also have a chance of obtaining an Ascendant Shard upon winning a Trials game with a seven-win Passage. There is no limit to the number of Ascendant Shards you can obtain this way, making this the PvP alternative to farming Master or GM Nightfalls. Flawless Passages with seven wins seem more likely to drop Ascendant Shards after a win.

Ritual Playlist Vendors

Shard Amount: 1 per vendor each season

There are five vendors in the Tower with a unique rank-up reward track:

1. Zavala: Strikes and Nightfalls
2. Shaxx: Crucible (PvP)
3. Drifter: Gambit
4. Banshee-44: Gunsmith
5. Saint-14: Trials of Osiris

Playing any of these modes—excluding Banshee, who gains rep solely through dismantling gear—will increase your rank with that mode's respective vendor, allowing you to claim unique rewards. When you reach a rank of 10,000 with a certain vendor, you can reset your rank with them in exchange for an Ascendant Shard. You can only do this once per vendor per season. Subsequent rank resets in the same season will grant an Exotic Engram instead.

Rahool Currency Exchange

Shard Amount: 1 per purchase

Players can purchase Ascendant Shards from Rahool in the Tower, provided they have enough materials. To purchase an Ascendant Shard, you'll need the following:

• 10 Enhancement Prisms
• 50,000 Glimmer

You can purchase as many Ascendant Shards as you desire, but this method is quite expensive. We only recommend doing this if you need one or two Ascendant Shards to finish Masterworking a set of armor.

Season Pass

Shard Amount: 3 per season

Those that own the current season can obtain three Ascendant Shards from the paid Season Pass track. They are given at the following ranks:

• Rank 80: x1 Ascendant Shard
• Rank 85: x1 Ascendant Shard
• Rank 94: x1 Ascendant Shard

Augmented Obsession Triumph

Shard Amount: 1 per account

If you complete Europa's Augmented Obsession Triumph, Variks will give you one Ascendant Shard as thanks. This is only given once per account, meaning you can't get three from talking to Variks on alternate characters.

Completing the Augmented Obsession Triumph requires all eight Augment Triumphs to be completed. Only one can be done a week due to a limit on how many Braytech Transponders you can buy from Variks. Similar to the Dreaming City eggs, you'll have to wait for certain Eclipsed Zones before you can destroy certain sets of drones.

For a full breakdown of how to earn this Triumph, consult our Augmented Obsession Triumph guide.

The Best Ascendant Shard Farm

Unfortunately, there's only one good Ascendant Shard farm in Destiny 2: Grandmaster Nightfalls. Each Platinum clear is guaranteed to drop one Ascendant Shard with a chance of a second one. A good team can clear an easy GM in around 15 minutes, give or take, allowing you to earn about four Ascendant Shards per hour.

That is still quite low, so we highly recommend that you wait until a double loot week is active before farming GMs. The "Next Week in Destiny" post that pops up on log-in will tell you of any upcoming double loot weeks. When one is active, you can earn eight to ten Ascendant Shards an hour, making it fairly easy to Masterwork a set of gear.

Next: Destiny 2: Armor Mods And Armor Charge Explained