Engram

From Destinypedia, the Destiny wiki

Example of an Engram. In this case, the golden color indicates it is Exotic.

Engrams are crystals;[1] that are encoded with the patterns of armor, weaponry and other as-yet-undisclosed items. There are five known types of Engrams: Encoded, Encrypted, Decoherent, Legendary, and Exotic.[2]

Encoded Engrams are sold by the Cryptarch, and are coded with the patterns of known items, such as a particular section of armor or class of weaponry. Once purchased by the Player, the Engram is converted into a random example of that item by the Cryptarch.[2] While decoding an Engram will generate a random item, it's still possible to know the type of item that will be discovered. Each Engram will indicate whether the item is armor, a primary weapon, a special weapon, or a heavy weapon. The quality of the item is also identified, as Engrams use the same color coding as weapons and armor: White for basic, green for uncommon, blue for rare, purple for legendary, gold for exotic.[3]

Encrypted Engrams are defined in-game as having "unusual properties". These must also be taken to the Tower where the Cryptarch will convert them if (in certain cases) only after he has attained the necessary Rank. The Cryptarch is also known to have these rarer Engrams for sale from time to time, which are more common if his skill is higher.[4][2]

Engrams are also found as loot, and appear as colored crystals on the ground (white for encoded, green for encrypted, blue for decoherent, purple for legendary, yello for exotic). Enemies may drop them randomly, or they may be picked up from boss encounters or inside chests. Any engrams that the player hasn't picked up may show up in the Postmaster's office.

Decoding Engrams

Engrams have a chance of being decoded into an item that is higher or the same quality as the engram itself. That item will almost always correspond to the type of engram it comes from; the exception to this is that sometimes a rare engram will decode into a Mote of Light or Strange Coin instead. Also, certain items will never be decoded from an engram and can only be acquired a certain way; this applies to any item acquired through a raid, exotic bounty, the Iron Banner, Trials of Osiris, or as a reward for a story mission.

Engram Types

Engram Type Color Item Quality Cryptarch Rep Availability
Encoded White Common +5 Random drops until level 15, purchase from Cryptarch
Encrypted Green Uncommon +10 Random drops, purchase from Cryptarch; automatically decoded after level 15
Decoherent Blue Rare +75 Random drops after level 15, story mission rewards, faction rank-up rewards
Legendary Purple Legendary +150 Random drops after level 15, purchase from Cryptarch, faction rank-up rewards
Sublime Purple Legendary +150 Random drops on PlayStation only; contain PlayStation-exclusive armor pieces
Exotic Yellow Exotic +300 Purchase from Xûr, Agent of the Nine for 19 Strange Coins each to acquire Year 2 exotic armor[5]
Legacy Yellow Exotic +300 Purchase from Xûr, Agent of the Nine for 31 Strange Coins each to acquire Year 1 exotic weapons
Deceptive Green Exotic +300 A green-painted Exotic Engram given as a gift by Master Rahool during the Veteran's Tour Quest for players who qualified for the Founder's Fortune Pack; contains a random Year 1 exotic weapon

References