Loot

Loot is the collective term for various items, abilities, and currency that can be found or awarded to Guardians for completing quests. Before being collected, loot appears in the world as glowing polyhedra. Defeating bosses will reward Guardians with rare loot, such as exotic weapons and armor. Loot can also be found in chests hidden around the world; many include glimmer, but some also include a piece of gear. Items and weapons may be traded between player characters under a single account by use of a vault, armor can only be used by the class it is designed for, at this time nothing can be traded between different players within the Tower.

Enemy drops

 * Primary Ammo (white box)
 * Special Ammo (green box)
 * Heavy Ammo (purple box)
 * Glimmer (Dropped by majors and ultras by default. Normal enemies require a glimmer-multiplying consumable to drop glimmer.)
 * Orbs of Light (per enemy killed with a Super, available only to other players)

Weapons
See weapons. Guardians can carry primary weapons, special weapons, and heavy weapons.

Armor
See armor.

Currency

 * Glimmer
 * Motes of Light: Stored in Materials
 * Strange Coins: Stored in Materials
 * Crucible Marks: Earned in the Crucible, used to purchase Crucible and Faction gear.
 * Vanguard Marks: Earned in Strikes, used to purchase Vanguard gear.

Engrams
Engrams can be collected from bosses, random enemies, or chests. Engrams will appear in a player's weapon or armor inventory.

Consumables
Consumables are one-time-use items that grant various bonuses. Guardians can carry 15 consumable items.

Ammo Synthesis: Replenish ammo for one weapon. Has a 5 minute cooldown after use.
 * Ammo Synthesis
 * Special Ammo Synthesis
 * Heavy Ammo Synthesis

Weapon Telemetry: Speed up the upgrade progression of a weapon for 30 minutes. Can be purchased from Xur or acquired from disassembling a fully-upgraded legendary weapon.
 * Auto Rifle Telemetry
 * Fusion Rifle Telemetry
 * Hand Cannon Telemetry
 * Machine Gun Telemetry
 * Pulse Rifle Telemetry
 * Rocket Launcher Telemetry
 * Scout Rifle Telemetry
 * Shotgun Telemetry
 * Sniper Rifle Telemetry

Glimmer Multiplier: Draw more glimmer out of enemies when killed for 10 minutes.
 * Black Wax Idol
 * Blue Polyphage
 * Ether Seeds
 * Resupply Codes

Experience Multiplier: Get more experience out of enemies killed.
 * Bone Trinkets
 * Campaign Medals
 * Spent Displacer
 * Void Shackles

Artifacts: Dropped by Majors or Ultras, sell these to the Cryptarch for 200 glimmer each.
 * Axiomatic Beads
 * House Banners
 * Network Keys
 * Silken Codex

Cosmetic: Cosmetic consumables with varying effects.
 * Emerald Coil
 * Flight of Shadows
 * Infusion of Light
 * Plasma Drive
 * Stealth Drive
 * Void Drive

Materials
Materials are used in upgrading equipment. Materials can be found out in the wild, as rewards for Public Events, or from disassembling items. Guardians can carry 200 materials.

Salvage Materials: These are acquired by disassembling Uncommon or better armor and weapons. Used to upgrade Rare or better armor and weapons.
 * Hadronic Essence
 * Plasteel Plating
 * Sapphire Wire
 * Weapon Parts

Planetary Materials: Acquired by finding resource nodes or opening loot chests on planets, or purchasing from one of the Quartermasters. Completing the Daily Heroic Story Mission or a bounty for patrol missions also yields 10 materials from that planet. Used to upgrade Legendary or better armor and weapons.
 * Helium Filaments
 * Relic Iron
 * Spinmetal
 * Spirit Bloom

Legendary Materials: Acquired by completing high-level activities such as the Daily Heroic Story Mission, Nightfall Strike, or in chests in Raids, or disassembling Legendary armor and weapons. Also a potential reward for Public Events. Used for the final set of upgrades on Legendary armor and weapons.
 * Ascendant Energy
 * Ascendant Shard
 * Embalming Orb
 * Etheric Light
 * Radiant Energy
 * Radiant Shard
 * Runed Core

Exotic Materials: Acquired by purchasing from Xur or disassembling Exotic armor and weapons. Used for the final upgrade on exotic armor and weapons, as well as for ascending them.
 * Exotic Shard

Mission rewards
Mission rewards are items collected from completing missions. These can be turned in to vanguards for rewards. Ten mission rewards can be carried at once.
 * Warping Claws - The Dark Within - Turn in to Vanguard for choice of Uncommon armor
 * Ancient Recording - The Last Array - Turn in to Banshee-44 for choice of Uncommon Heavy Weapon
 * Dead Ghost - The Dark Beyond - Turn in to the Speaker to receive a writ for arms, which in turn is given to Banshee-44 for choice of Uncommon Special Weapon.

Bounties
Current bounties are stored as items in a player's inventory, which then have to be returned upon completion. A player can carry 5 bounties of any type at any one time. These can be abandoned at any time to free up slots and, if they are still available from the bounty vendor, picked up again with all progress reset to zero.