Rise of Iron will be released in just over 1 month!
Are you ready for launch day? Whether you’re aiming to make a raid attempt on September 23rd, or just want to get as much new gear as possible that first week, the recommendations below have you covered.
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Pre-Launch Checklist
- Do Pre-order. If you’re planning to buy the expansion and don’t pre-order, you’re missing out on the Iron Gjallarhorn & Sparrow.
- Do clean out your Vault. If you want to get really serious, this is also a great time to clear out any excess infusion fuel taking up space in your vault. We all end up with a lot of guns that we’ll never use and that don’t have any sentimental value, and you’re going to dismantle them at some point. Why wait any longer?
- Do stock up on Materials. Every week, spend your marks on whatever planetary materials you have the least of. There’s no reason to save up marks, and with all of the dismantling you should be doing now they’re going to build up faster than ever. Don’t be like me in The Taken King, desperately buying materials every week to unlock perks on my new gear!
- Don’t keep leveling weapons and armor. Unless there’s some key piece you’ve been chasing forever, you’re better off saving up your Motes and Materials to use on leveling new gear (or ranking up Factions) when Rise of Iron becomes available.
- Don’t rank up Factions with donations. Speaking of, unless you have just a couple ranks to go before you get an Exotic Quest, it’s not worth speeding up the ranking process at this point. Save up until launch day and enjoy the fountain of new Weapons, Armor, Ghosts, Sparrows, Shaders and maybe even free Light Level boosts!
- Do buy as much Heavy Ammo Synth as your Vault can hold. Heavy Ammo Synth is the most efficient means of storing up faction reputation when it comes to bang for your buck. There are a dozen guides on Reddit explaining why this is better than everything other option, but check out the chart below for the best sources (and some to avoid).
- Don’t go into Rise of Iron with 0 Strange Coins! Yes, buying up Heavy Ammo Synth from Xur is a fantastic deal when it comes to storing up Faction Reputation, but at some point you need to give your thumb a break! Make sure you have at least 30 Strange Coins going into the launch. You’ll undoubtedly get more during that first week, but that way you can pick up any new Exotics or Engrams Xur makes available on Friday.
- Do buy as many Weapon Parts as you can. You don’t want to run short of parts for Infusion or unlocking perks in the first week or two of Rise of Iron. Second, Weapon Parts are the second best way to convert Glimmer into Faction Rank and can fill in a gap left after you turn in Heavy Ammo Synth.
- Don’t go into Rise of Iron without a full piggy bank! While it’s not absolutely necessary, you’ll want to be pretty close to maximum Glimmer and Marks when you download the new expansion so that you can buy new Vendor gear and unlock weapons without worrying about farming money. I recommend worrying about this only during that final week before launch.
- Do “edge” your Faction Ranks up and fill up your Bounty slots. With completed bounties, that is! Filling up your Bounty Slots in the last week before the update is just another way to store up Faction Rep, but you can also save up Shaxx’s Weekly Bounty in the hope of getting a reward on an updated Loot Table (or at least with higher Light).
- Don’t decrypt Exotic or Legendary Engrams. No, they probably won’t give you new gear from Rise of Iron, but they will give you easy Cryptarch Rep plus there’s a chance they’ll decrypt at higher Light Levels since all gear is staying current.
- Do take some time off from Destiny. Having said all of this, try to not make a chore out of the game. If you start to feel that way, or get burnt out, play something else for a while.
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Best Sources of Currency
| Activity | Rewards | When… |
| Prison of Elders 28 | Anyone can run this level fast, and it’s the most reliable source of Strange Coins in the game right now. It’s also great for Motes, Glimmer, Engrams, Bounties and Black Wax Idols. | -Downtime
-Xursday |
| Patrol Missions | A coordinated fireteam of 3 can farm hundreds of Rep per hour in Patrol, plus Glimmer, Engrams, Materials, Motes, Bounties, and sometimes Black Wax Idols. | -Downtime
-Edging Factions |
| Crota’s End/Vault of Glass | Raid Shards and Energy are the ultimate Glimmer / Mote storage medium, easily converted through the speaker. | -Raid Day
-Glimmer Farming |
| Nightfall/Shaxx Weekly | The most useful reward from these two is Strange Coins, as odd as that might sound to veteran players. | -When mods / bounties are easy
-With a fireteam |
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Best Sources of Heavy Ammo Synth
Heavy Ammo Synth is a simple and easy way to store up Faction Rank, as many of you already know. For those who aren’t so familiar, 1 HA Synth equals 25 Rep at the Faction of your choice, meaning 100 HA Synths equals 1 full Rank and a Faction reward Package. This might sound like a lot, but they build up really quick with a little effort.
| Eris | Xur | Variks | Gunsmith |
| 1 HA Synth /
5 Black Wax Idols |
3 HA Synth /
1 Strange Coin |
1 HA Synth /
250 Glimmer + 1 Ether Seeds |
1 HA Synth /
950 Glimmer |
| Buy | Buy | Buy | DO NOT BUY |
Once you’ve stocked up on Heavy Ammo Synth, head to the Gunsmith where you can buy Weapon Parts until you’re broke!
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Post Launch Plans:
- Campaign: Go rock the storyline missions and initial quests to get raid unlocked ASAP and gain Light Level. Some early Quests and Missions may give you gear at predetermined Light Levels, so we’re doing them first to take full advantage.
- Faction Ranks: Visit your favorite Faction Vendor and just go nuts getting as much new stuff as you’re able to get. Hopefully this will also skyrocket your Light Level.
- Patrol the Plaguelands: Complete your Artifact Weeklies on all characters right away to get all 3 for the week.
- Archon’s Forge: While you’re on Patrol anyway, head to the Archon’s Forge and start grinding up Light.
- Exotic Quests and Other Missions: We’re bound to get all kinds of fun new endgame quests and missions. Complete these where possible, but in the first week it’s probably best to just seek out the most efficient activities to boost light and do them as much as possible until light 375. Without knowing how high anything can go, you should probably be aiming for 365 minimum to get into the Raid, but higher is always better.
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