Commander Zavala

Commander Zavala
Information
Name	Commander Zavala
Title	Vanguard Tactical
Race	Awoken
Gender	Male
Location	The Tower
Description	The resolute Commander Zavala advises Guardians on all Vanguard-related activities.

Commander Zavala is the Titan Vanguard. He acts as the vendor for Vanguard activities, including strikes and Nightfalls. He offers strike-related rewards and bounties.

Location

• The Tower – In the Courtyard, standing at the balcony overlooking the City. He is directly across from the Courtyard landing zone.

Vendor Tooltip

This tooltip appears when hovering over the icon in the upper-left corner of the vendor screen:

Vanguard Ops

• Complete Vanguard activities to earn Vanguard Ops Ranks. Completing multiple activities in a row grants additional progress.
• Complete Nightfall activities to earn bonus Vanguard Ranks. Defeating all Champions within the Nightfall earns the most loot and highest multiplier.
• Use Vanguard scoring to earn Vanguard Rank multipliers based on the score attained.
• Complete Ranks to earn Vanguard Engrams.
• Earn Vanguard weapons at the end of matches, in engrams, or from focusing more weapon perks as you complete up to 4 Rank resets in a Season.
• Each week, a different Nightfall weapon can be found by completing Nightfall activities; find Adept Nightfall weapons when completing Grandmaster Nightfall activities.

Weekly Challenges

Name	Description	Objectives	Rewards
Vanguard Service	Complete bounties from this vendor to earn powerful rewards.	Bounties: 8	Pinnacle Gear (World Loot Pool gear) 120 Bright Dust

Vanguard Rank

"A Guardian's word is only as strong as their reputation. And the Vanguard doesn't forget." —Commander Zavala

Complete strikes and Seasonal activities to gain Vanguard Rank points. Complete them back-to-back to increase your activity streak. Earn more Rank points with higher streaks for higher difficulty Nightfalls.

Starting a different ritual activity may reduce your streak.

Players can increase their rank with Zavala by completing Vanguard activities, including strikes and Nightfalls. Completing activities will also increase the player's Vanguard activity streak, granting increased reputation rewards with each match, up to a maximum streak of 5. The player's current streak can be seen by hovering over the reputation icon on the Vanguard screen in the Director. Completing Crucible, Gambit, or Dares of Eternity activities will reduce the player's Vanguard streak while adding to those activities' streaks. Players can only have a total of 5 streak progress across all four activity types, rebalancing depending on the activities completed.

Each rank will reward a Vanguard Engram, stored on Commander Zavala's vendor screen, which can either be decrypted into gear from the current Vanguard loot pool, or focused into specific items in the Focused Decoding and Legacy Gear sub-menus. They have a maximum capacity of 99, and will disappear at the end of the season if not used.

Some weeks will feature a modifier that increases the amount of Vanguard Rank points gained. When this is active, an "Increased Vanguard Rank" modifier will be visible when launching Vanguard activities. This modifier will be active until the next Tuesday reset. Bonus Vanguard Rank weeks are usually announced the weekend before through a "Next Week in Destiny" alert in-game.

Rank can be reset to 1 after rank 16 is completed. Resetting rank once will give a chance for non-Nightfall weapons obtained from Vanguard activity completions, Vanguard Engram decryptions, and Focused Decoding to drop with additional Traits in the third and fourth perk columns. The chance and number of additional perks increase with each reset, up to 4 resets.

Ranks

Rank Number	Rank Name	Total Points Needed	Points Until Next Rank
1	GUARDIAN I	0	50
2	GUARDIAN II	50	75
3	GUARDIAN III	125	125
4	BRAVE I	250	250
5	BRAVE II	500	450
6	BRAVE III	950	600
7	HEROIC I	1,550	375
8	HEROIC II	1,925	600
9	HEROIC III	2,525	825
10	FABLED I	3,350	525
11	FABLED II	3,875	775
12	FABLED III	4,650	1,050
13	MYTHIC I	5,700	750
14	MYTHIC II	6,450	1,075
15	MYTHIC III	7,525	1,475
16	LEGEND	9,000	1,000
17	LEGEND (Maximum Rank)	10,000	N/A

Rank Rewards

Rewards can be obtained when certain ranks are reached. Rank will be automatically reset to 1 at the beginning of the next season, and any unclaimed rewards will be lost.

Season of the Witch

	Rewards
	No Resets	1 Reset	2+ Resets
Every Rank	Vanguard Engram
Every Major Rank	Powerful Gear (World Loot Pool gear)	N/A
Rank 4	3 Enhancement Cores	3 Upgrade Modules
Rank 7	Cirrus Whisper (Shader)	3 Enhancement Cores
Rank 10	2 Enhancement Prisms	3 Enhancement Cores
Rank 13	Ever-Vigilant Projection (Ghost Projection)	2 Enhancement Prisms
Rank 16	Malediction (Hand Cannon)	Aged Allegiance (Malediction Weapon Ornament)	2 Enhancement Prisms
Reset Rank (Rank 16 Completed)	Ascendant Shard	Exotic Engram

Past Seasons

See also: Commander Zavala/Past Seasons

Wares

Quests

• High-Risk, High-Reward (Emblem) — Reward for completing a Nightfall strike.

Focused Decoding

Vanguard Engrams, earned by increasing one's rank with Zavala, can be focused into specific weapons and armor items with random rolls. Alternatively, they can be decrypted from the vendor screen to reward random drops from the current Vanguard loot pool. This loot pool is the same as the weapons and armor available under "Focused Decoding". To focus an engram into a specific item, the item must first be unlocked in Collections.

Weapons

These weapons can be obtained as drops from Vanguard activities or Vanguard Engrams. These weapons will have one trait each in the third and fourth perk columns. Resetting rank once with Commander Zavala will give a chance for these weapons to decode or drop with additional traits in these columns. More resets will increase this chance, as well as the number of additional perks, up to 4 resets.

Each weapon costs 1 Vanguard Engram, 25, and 5,000.

• Empty Vessel (Grenade Launcher)
• Fortissimo-11 (Shotgun)
• Luna Regolith III (Sniper Rifle)
• Nameless Midnight (Scout Rifle)
• Positive Outlook (Auto Rifle)
• Prolonged Engagement (Submachine Gun)
• Punching Out (Sidearm)
• Pure Poetry (Hand Cannon)
• Royal Entry (Rocket Launcher)
• Strident Whistle (Combat Bow)

Nightfall

These weapons are available from the current season's Nightfall strike weekly rotation. Each weapon costs 1 Vanguard Engram, 25, and 20,000.

• BrayTech Osprey (Rocket Launcher)
• Buzzard (Sidearm)
• Loaded Question (Fusion Rifle)
• Pre Astyanax IV (Combat Bow)
• THE SWARM (Machine Gun)
• Warden's Law (Hand Cannon)

Adept Nightfall

Adept Nightfall weapons can be obtained from Grandmaster Nightfalls. Only the Adept version of the current week's Nightfall weapon will be available for focusing.

Each Adept weapon costs 1 Vanguard Engram, 50, 50,000, and 10 Adept Nightfall Ciphers.

• BrayTech Osprey (Adept) (Rocket Launcher)
• Buzzard (Adept) (Sidearm)
• Loaded Question (Adept) (Fusion Rifle)
• Pre Astyanax IV (Adept) (Combat Bow)
• THE SWARM (Adept) (Machine Gun)
• Warden's Law (Adept) (Hand Cannon)

Armor

Each armor item costs 1 Vanguard Engram, 25, and 5,000.

	Titan	Hunter	Warlock
Helmet	Photosuede Helmet	Photosuede Mask	Photosuede Hood
Gauntlets	Photosuede Gauntlets	Photosuede Grips	Photosuede Gloves
Chest Armor	Photosuede Plate	Photosuede Vest	Photosuede Robes
Leg Armor	Photosuede Greaves	Photosuede Strides	Photosuede Boots

Note: The Photosuede Class Items ( Photosuede Mark, Photosuede Cloak, and Photosuede Bond) cannot be focused.

Legacy Gear

Vanguard Engrams can also be focused into weapons that are not in the Vanguard/engram pool, weapons that are not in the current Nightfall rotation, and older Vanguard armor pieces. These items can be focused without having acquired them in Collections. However, items will cost more to focus if they have not been previously obtained.

Legacy Vanguard Ops Weapons

If in Collections, a legacy Vanguard Ops weapon costs 1 Vanguard Engrams, 25, and 5,000.

• The Third Axiom (Pulse Rifle)
• Xenoclast IV (Shotgun)

Legacy Nightfall Weapons

If not in Collections, a legacy Nightfall weapon costs 5 Vanguard Engrams, 50, and 25,000.

If in Collections, a legacy Nightfall weapon costs 2 Vanguard Engrams, 25, and 10,000.

• D.F.A. (Hand Cannon)
• Duty Bound (Auto Rifle)
• Horror's Least (Pulse Rifle)
• Hung Jury SR4 (Scout Rifle)
• Mindbender's Ambition (Shotgun)
• PLUG ONE.1 (Fusion Rifle)
• Silicon Neuroma (Sniper Rifle)
• The Comedian (Shotgun)
• The Hothead (Rocket Launcher)
• The Militia's Birthright (Grenade Launcher)
• Uzume RR4 (Sniper Rifle)
• Wendigo GL3 (Grenade Launcher)

Legacy Armor

If not in Collections, a legacy armor item costs 3 Vanguard Engrams, 50, and 10,000.

If in Collections, a legacy armor item costs 1 Vanguard Engram, 25, and 5,000.

Legacy Armor I

	Titan	Hunter	Warlock
Helmet	The Shelter in Place	The Took Offense	Xenos Vale IV
Gauntlets	The Shelter in Place	The Took Offense	Xenos Vale IV
Chest Armor	The Shelter in Place	The Took Offense	Xenos Vale IV
Leg Armor	The Shelter in Place	The Took Offense	Xenos Vale IV
Class Item	Mark of Shelter	The Took Offense	Xenos Vale Bond

Legacy Armor II

	Titan	Hunter	Warlock
Helmet	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes
Gauntlets	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes
Chest Armor	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes
Leg Armor	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes
Class Item	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes	Vigil of Heroes

Legacy Armor III

	Titan	Hunter	Warlock
Helmet	Phobos Warden Helm	Phobos Warden Mask	Phobos Warden Cowl
Gauntlets	Phobos Warden Gauntlets	Phobos Warden Grasps	Phobos Warden Gloves
Chest Armor	Phobos Warden Plate	Phobos Warden Vest	Phobos Warden Robes
Leg Armor	Phobos Warden Greaves	Phobos Warden Strides	Phobos Warden Boots
Class Item	Phobos Warden Mark	Phobos Warden Cloak	Phobos Warden Bond

Quests

• A Spark of Hope
• On the Offensive

Vaulted

• Nightfall (Intro Quest)
• Loaded Question
• Season 5: Nightshade
• Redeployment
• The Wendigo
• First Strike
• Zavala Recruits
• A Loud Racket
• Season 8: First Watch
• Anything That Moves
• Honor Bound
• Raising Our Defenses
• City Defender
• In Rides a Pale Horse
• Exodus: Preparation
• Exodus: Evacuation
• Stand Against the Darkness
• Balistraria Wrap
• At Your Fingertips
• Strike Salvager
• Vanguard Vestments

Bounties

Daily

Zavala sells 4 randomly chosen Vanguard bounties daily for 250 each. They each reward XP+.

• Cold Calculations
• Controlled Destruction
• Elegant Weaponry
• Fast and True
• Finish Them
• From Downtown
• Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
• In Their Face
• Into the Abyss
• Kill It with Fire
• Lightning Raid
• Long Distance Plan
• Loose Ends
• Most Meticulous
• One Shot, One Kill
• Perfect Energy
• Pride Before Destruction
• Rapid Combustion
• Reversed Momentum
• Rocketing to Prominence
• Shattering Revelation
• Show Them the Light
• The Inner Storm
• Twisted Every Way
• Vanguardian

Additional

Zavala offers repeatable Vanguard bounties for 3000 each. They each reward XP and 10 Bright Dust.

• Arc Striker
• Auto Rifle Striker
• Bow Striker
• Cabal Striker
• Fallen Striker
• Finishing Striker
• Grenade Striker
• Hand Cannon Striker
• Hive Striker
• Melee Striker
• Pulse Rifle Striker
• Scorn Striker
• Scout Rifle Striker
• Sidearm Striker
• SMG Striker
• Solar Striker
• Stasis Striker
• Strand Striker
• Super Striker
• Taken Striker
• Team Striker
• Vex Striker
• Void Striker

Patch History

• 7.2.0.4
  • Added the Wendigo Grenade Launcher and Hung Jury Scout Rifle to legacy Vanguard Ops focusing
• 7.2.0.1
  • Ritual Vendor Challenges for completing 8 bounties on Vanguard, Crucible, or Gambit vendors have had their rewards updated to reward pinnacles
• 7.1.0
  • Vanguard Bounties:
    • Dailies
      • Some Vanguard daily bounties requiring killing blows can now be completed anywhere in the game, with significantly increased progress in Vanguard Ops and Nightfall activities.
      • Added bounty for killing elites, mini-bosses and Champions.
      • Added bounty for completing 2 Vanguard activities
      • Added bounty for kills with various elemental abilities, with bonuses for using a subclass verb.
    • Repeatable Bounties:
      • Enemy race kill bounties can now be completed by killing any enemy in a Vanguard activity, with significantly increased progress for killing the correct type.
      • Reduced the number of kills needed in the Super kill bounty.
      • Added bounty for getting fireteam kills.
• 7.0.0.1
  • Ritual vendors in the Tower (Zavala, Shaxx, Drifter, Banshee-44, Saladin, Saint-14) now have help tooltips describing the core ritual and reputation, as well as explaining some of the less visible features.
  • UNLISTED: Vanguard Engrams from Commander Zavala can now be focused into Vanguard weapons and armor.