Top 10 Rarest Shaders in Destiny 2

by | Feb 10, 2023

An extra personalized layer on top of armor sets and ghost shells, shaders allow you to take generic cosmetic items and make them yours. They allow Guardians to have color-matched weapons, rainbow armor glows, and more.

Everyone has their favorite shaders, but which ones are the rarest? We’ll cover the ten rarest shaders and tell you how to get them. By the way, as we want to focus on the hardest Shaders to acquire, none of these can be purchased on the Eververse store (but some of the best-looking shaders can).

Destiny 2 Rarest Shaders today

When identifying these shaders, you’ll be able to tell who has the most skills in your Fireteam. And if you manage to get one, you’ll also be able to show off a bit yourself!

 

Cognition of the Nine Shader art

10. Cognition of the Nine

When mentioning Trials of the Nine, many players may not even know what we’re talking about. This was a slightly modified version of Trials of Osiris and was only around for the first year of Destiny 2.

To obtain Cognition of the Nine, you had to go flawless in Trials of the Nine during Warmind. This means you needed to get seven wins in a row with no losses within four months. Ever since then, this shader has been unobtainable.

⛔ No longer obtainable…Bungie is slowly reissuing shaders from the earlier years of Destiny 2, which has made some players hopeful that Trials of the Nine shaders will return. However, for now, Cognition of the Nine remains one of the rarest shaders in the game.

 

Trials Jasper Shader art9. Trials of Osiris Shaders

Being an endgame activity, it’s no surprise that Trials of Osiris makes this list. But how come you don’t hear much about shaders from the mode? Well, that’s because these shaders aren’t obtainable in the way that most others are.

Most Trials of Osiris shaders, like Trials Jasper (pictured above), aren’t ones you can unlock in collections. Instead, they only appear on gear obtained via the Lighthouse chest after going flawless. If you dismantle the equipment the shader is on, you won’t get the shader.

In this way, these shaders work similarly to Memento shaders, where they’re locked to a specific piece of gear.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! To get this shader, collect your loot after going flawless. Flawless gear should come with the newest shader on it—just make sure not to dismantle it afterward!

 

Gleaming Keepsake Memento Shader art8. Memento Shaders

One of the newer cosmetic additions to the game, Mementos add some extra flair to your crafted weapons.

These consumables come with unique shaders, which can be applied once the crafted weapon hits level 30. You can only equip these shaders on crafted guns with the corresponding memento.

There are currently three mementos obtainable: a Gambit one (obtained randomly from matches), a Nightfall one (obtained after completing a Grandmaster Nightfall), and a Trials one (obtained by going flawless). The shader associated with the Trials Memento, Gleaming Keepsake, is pictured above.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! Even though this entry is kind of a cheat (as you can’t directly obtain these shaders), we thought it was worth mentioning. All three mementos are rare enough, but the requirement of getting to weapon level 30 makes them even more unique.

 

Iron Countershade Shader art7. Iron Banner Shaders

Each season comes with new Iron Banner gear, and these loot drops usually include unique shaders.

While each varies in rarity and obtainability method, all Iron Banner shaders are beautiful and highly sought after. Season of the Seraph’s addition, Iron Countershade, is available by resetting your Iron Banner rank nearly twice during the season.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! These shaders are always a grind, but they’re all unique and make armor and weapons look outstanding. If you’re looking to take your fashion to the next level, participating in Iron Banner every time it comes around may be worthwhile.

 

Gilded Frost Shader art6. Gilded Frost

Moving to the PVE side of things, this Europa shader is rarer than you may think.

Gilded Frost is obtained through the “Flawless Master of the Hunt” Triumph, which requires you to complete an Empire Hunt on Master difficulty without dying.

Part of the reason this shader is so rare is that the challenge is relatively difficult. Master mode is no joke, and the power level updates each season to keep it challenging. However, the other reason is simple: you don’t need this shader to acquire the Europa title, Splintered. Different shaders from Europa, which are instead required for the title, are significantly more common.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! While making this one look good on armor is hard, it looks good on most weapons. Gilded Frost isn’t the most flashy shader on this list, but you’ll know you have a rare item if you decide to obtain it.

 

Crucible Solemnity Shader art5. Crucible Solemnity

We’d be surprised if you’ve even heard of this shader before. Crucible Solemnity looks like any other Crucible shader but had one of the most obscure methods to obtain it, making it forgettable to most.

To obtain this, you needed to get kills in the Crucible while wearing a full Crucible armor set during Season 4. Because it’s an old shader and the objective was so specific, Crucible Solemnity continues to be one of the rarest shaders in the game.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! But don’t worry; if you don’t have it, you’re not missing out on much. Crucible Solemnity looks like any generic Crucible shader—the only difference is that you’d have bragging rights.

 

Watcher’s Shade Shader art4. Twitch Shaders

Did you know you can support your favorite Destiny 2 streamers while also receiving some cosmetics in return? With the Destiny 2 Twitch Extension, you can do just that.

Watcher’s Shade, pictured above, is one of the rewards you’ll get. However, you’ll also get an emblem, enhancement cores, and glimmer, making this a pretty sweet deal.

Find someone on Twitch streaming Destiny 2 with the Destiny Twitch Extension enabled to redeem this. Then, you’ll need to link your Bungie and Twitch accounts and gift two subs to their channel. Soon after, your rewards should be redeemable via Amanda Holliday in the Tower. For more information on this process, visit the official Bungie Help page regarding the extension.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! Less than 1% of Guardians have access to Watcher’s Shade simply because not everyone uses Twitch. If you frequent it, getting this shader and other rewards for helping a creator is an outstanding deal.

 

Dreaming Spectrum Shader art3. Dreaming Spectrum

If you’ve ever wanted to make your gear as stunning as the Dreaming City’s environment, Dreaming Spectrum is what you’re looking for.

Dreaming Spectrum is the base shader for Last Wish weapons, some of the most visually pleasing in the game. To unlock the shader, you’ll need to obtain a curated (masterworked) roll of any Last Wish weapon. These only drop from encounters, meaning you can’t go to a secret chest solo for a shot at them.

If you’re lucky enough to obtain one, simply dismantle the gun, and the shader will unlock in you Collections. Dreaming Cast is another rare shader with a similar process that only drops on armor.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! While Dreaming Spectrum is slightly less rare nowadays because of Last Wish’s age, it’s still relatively exclusive and is one of the prettiest shaders in the game. If you have the chance, run Last Wish to try and get your hands on this.

 

Ensilvered Snare Shader art2. Ensilvered Snare

It’s common knowledge that all dungeons have solo flawless emblems, but did you know that Grasp of Averice has another exclusive cosmetic?

Ensilvered Snare is obtained by completing the Grasp of Averice dungeon flawlessly. Like solo flawless challenges, this needs to be all in one run, and you cannot start from a checkpoint.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! If you decide to pursue and obtain this shader, you’ll be in a group with only 0.6% of Guardians. While Spire of the Watcher didn’t have one, we hope that Bungie decides to add more of these rare shaders to dungeons as an extra reward.

 

Ancient Defender Shader art1. Flawless Raid Shaders

Flawless raids are no longer required for titles, but they still grant some of the rarest rewards. These come in exclusive shaders, and each raid (except Last Wish) has one.

The rarest is King’s Fall’s Sundered Flesh, while Deep Stone Crypt’s Cryptic Legacy is the most common. Common isn’t a word that fits here, however, as Cryptic Legacy has only been acquired by 0.3% of Guardians.

✅ Still Possible to obtain! Pictured above is Ancient Defender, Garden of Salvation’s flawless shader (and the first to be added to this series). If you’re planning on going for these, remember that your run needs to start from the beginning of the raid, and no one in the fireteam may die at any point.

Shaders Ensilvered Snare featured

Ensilvered Snare Shader preview

While these challenges are some of the hardest in the game, the effort you put in is rewarded; these shaders are arguably some of the best-looking ones, too.

Shaders are such an integral part of each Guardian’s identity. Hopefully, you have some new ones to chase and can show your achievements to friends. If you’re looking for other rare cosmetics, check out our article on the rarest Destiny 2 emblems!

Before you go…

If you’re just starting out and simply want more shaders to play around with, Ada-1 sells different shaders every week.

If you’re looking for more ways to customize your Guardian and/or flex your skills, you can check out our Top 10 Rarest Emblems guide, or start with a Free emblem.

About The Author

Andrew Sideris
Andrew Sideris
With my over seven years of game knowledge, six months of writing experience for Blueberries.gg, and hundreds of Blueberries already guided through endgame content, I hope to allow newcomers to have the same great introduction I had all those years ago. You can find Andrew on Twitter.
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