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How to open engrams - Destiny 2

Opening engrams in Destiny 2 isn't immediately obvious for new players but it is essential for leveling.

Sam Chandler

June 17, 2020 5:45 AM

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Engrams are the life blood of leveling in Destiny 2, and you can’t access those juicy goods without knowing how to open engrams. For new players, these mysterious dodecahedrons offer no hint as to how to open them. To make matters more complicated, with numerous types of engrams to open, and various vendors to take them to, working out which engram goes to which vendor can be a bit of a nightmare.

How to open engrams

In order to open engrams in Destiny 2, you must take them to the correct vendor. The number of vendors and types of engrams fluctuates from season to season. In the case of Season of Arrivals, there is a new type of engram that can only be opened by Drifter’s weird machine. Here are the types of engrams and who can open them:

• Exotic Engrams (yellow) – These auto decrypt when you pick them up
• Prime Engrams (purple and white) – Master Rahool (previously, Tyra Karn could decrypt them)
• Umbral Engrams (purple and black) – Umbral Decoder (in the H.E.L.M.)
• Bright Engrams (white) – Store tab in Director
• Powerful Engram – These auto decrypt when you pick them up
• Pinnacle Engram – These auto decrypt when you pick them up

When you visit the vendor, click on the engram you wish to decrypt. The engram will open and you will receive your item. If you’re lucky, it will be in a slot that you needed or the item you were chasing.

While these are the main engrams you will be dealing with, there are also a variety of engrams introduced throughout Destiny 2’s life. During the Dawning, Crimson Days, and Festival of the Lost, new engrams are added specifically for those events with limited-time rewards.

For new players, working out how to open an engram (or who to take it to) can be a bit complex. To make matters even murkier, the likes of the Umbral Engrams can be focused to drop specific gear. However, most of the time, the one person you’ll want to take your engrams to is Master Rahool in the Tower, he’ll sort it out. Take a moment to look over the Shacknews Destiny 2 guide, we’ve got content to help you from your humble beginnings to when you become raid boss slaying monster.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler