Where Vanguard engrams come from
Vanguard engrams are rank-up rewards from Commander 
Zavala in the Tower. Update 9.7.0 restored his Vanguard Reputation Rank Reward Track.
- Complete
Vanguard Ops activities. Each completion adds Vanguard Rank points. - Each rank-up on the track pays out at Zavala.
- The engram contains a random Legendary Vanguard weapon or armor piece.
Every completion counts, so a string of short Ops activities fills the track steadily.
Vanguard Ops played on your account
A PRO runs the Ops playlist for the rank-ups that pay Vanguard engrams. You focus them at Zavala.
What Zavala focuses with them
Decrypting an engram gives a random drop. Focusing lets you pick the item. Zavala's focusing covers all tiered Solo Ops, Fireteam Ops, Arena Ops and Pinnacle Ops gear. That includes tiered gear from The Edge of Fate, Ash & Iron and Renegades.
| Your Power | Focused weapon | Focused armor |
|---|---|---|
| 300 to 399 | Tier 3 | Tier 3 |
| 400 to 519 | Tier 4 | Tier 4 |
| 520+ | Tier 4 | Tier 5 |
Focused weapons can be upgraded to Tier 5 later. Armor cannot, so focused armor goes straight to Tier 5 at 520 Power.
That makes Power the real lever. Engrams saved until 400 Power buy Tier 4 weapons instead of Tier 3.
Ask LFCarry which path →Say which Ops weapon you want and your Power level. A Pro farms the engrams and ciphers it needs.
Vanguard Ciphers: the key for Pinnacle and Arena gear
Pinnacle Ops and Arena Ops gear needs 
Vanguard Ciphers on top of the engrams. The ciphers drop from Pinnacle Ops and Arena Ops activities. You present them to Zavala in the Tower.
Old Nightfall Ciphers in your inventory turned into Vanguard Ciphers automatically.
For the hardest Ops content and its drops, see the Grandmaster Nightfall guide.
Why Vanguard engrams are worth farming
Focusing turns a random loot table into a pick. With gear from 3 releases in 1 focus list, engrams are the direct path to a specific Vanguard weapon.
Zavala also sells the previous week's missed Vanguard Arsenal Credits for Chronologs:
- 100 Chronologs for the 1st credit, which unlocks 3 weapon choices.
- 50 Chronologs each for choices 4 and 5.
Vanguard Alerts pay 200 Chronologs, once a week. The weekly rotation page shows what resets each Tuesday.
Farming Vanguard engrams with LFCarry
The rank track is a grind of short Ops runs. A Pro plays the Vanguard Ops on your account and cashes in the rank-ups at Zavala.
- Vanguard engram farm. Pick how many engrams you want.
- Custom farming. For ciphers, Power or any other grind on the same account, priced by the hour.
Prices on the cards are live. If you plan to focus, say your Power level in the chat.
From the source
Official“Vanguard Reputation Rank Reward Track has been restored. Tiered Focusing will utilize Vanguard engrams. Pinnacle Ops and Arena Ops gear will require Vanguard Ciphers which can be obtained via Pinnacle Ops and Arena Ops activities.”
Official“Weapons will be focusable at Tier 3 or Tier 4. Tier 3 = 300-399 Power. Tier 4 = 400+ Power. Tiered weapons may be upgraded to Tier 5. Armors will be focusable based on Power level. Tier 3 = 300-399 Power. Tier 4 = 400-519 Power. Tier 5 = 520+”
FAQ
Rank up Commander Zavala's Vanguard Rank. Vanguard Ops completions add the rank points, and each rank-up pays out at Zavala.
A random Legendary Vanguard weapon or armor piece. Spent at Zavala, they focus a tiered Ops item of your choice.
Focusing Pinnacle Ops and Arena Ops gear. They drop from Pinnacle Ops and Arena Ops activities.
They were converted to Vanguard Ciphers automatically in Update 9.7.0.
Tier 3 from 300 to 399 Power and Tier 4 from 400 Power. You can upgrade them to Tier 5 afterwards.
Yes. A Pro plays Vanguard Ops on your account and claims the rank-ups at Zavala. The offer card shows the live price.
See the engram farm →A Pro plays Vanguard Ops on your account and cashes in the rank-ups at Zavala.
- Page opened. Vanguard Rank rank-ups, focusing tiers by Power, Vanguard Ciphers and the Chronolog credit offer.