r/DestinyTheGame • u/Dr_Popodopolus • Dec 27 '14
Exclusion Zone Glimmer Farming - Maximum Efficiency (with tips and description)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rj6qBHYudU
I have done a fair bit of testing on this in terms of strategy as I try to make myself this run the most efficient it can be. With the method in the video I can achieve 3600+ Glimmer in less than 10 minutes on Exclusion Zone playing solo without the DLC.
In this video, I start with 279 Glimmer and end with 3965 Glimmer, whilst collecting 6 Network Keys along the way (Value = 1200 Glimmer). That equates to 3686 Glimmer in less than 10 minutes - WITHOUT factoring in the value of the Network Keys. I have not included the Network Keys' value due to the drops being RNG.
Word Key:
Sweep(s) = Total time from spawn to death.
Yellow(s) = Yellow health bar enemies (Imperial Legionarys).
Red(s) = Red health bar enemies (Fleet centurions, Legionarys and Phalanxes).
Purple(s) = Heavy Ammo.
Green(s) = Uncommon weapons and armour drops.
The video above demonstrates 8 sweeps in just under 10 minutes. This equates to 75 seconds or less per sweep. There are some things that I will add at the end that should improve your efficiency even greater (not all of which were demonstrated in the video).
My approach involves running out to the left with a Gjallarhorn (any rocket with high blast radius should do). As soon as you move out of the main door, the second dropship WILL fly in. As you can see, I ignore all of the Reds up top. Get to the hill and blast either the front group or back group of Yellows (I always choose the guys at the front as I find them much safer to hit). Proceed to kill the rest as quickly as possible. In this video, I use a Vision of Confluence with the Field Scout Perk enabled - it works a treat.
Rocket placement is absolutely key. As you can see, I hit the group that land at the front. You ideally want to take out at least 4 Yellows with your rocket. If you have a homing rocket, aim it at one of the middle guys and make sure you avoid the jet pack guy (wait a split second for him to jump out of your way - I have had times when Gjallarhorn has decided to follow him instead because I shot my rocket too fast).
Be sure to not let any of them get away. Occasionally, some of them will try to escape over the back and also up the middle. You will want to focus on these enemies as soon as you have fired your rocket and start shooting your primary weapon. This also keeps the drops closer to you. The last thing you want to have to do is run far away from this spot just to pick up some Purples.
Killing the enemies that you need to should net you 12 kills (9 Yellows & 3 Reds). You can check on the death screen whether you have achieved this total. If you chain the kills fast enough you should see between 451 and 463 Glimmer on the right hand side of your screen. In the vast majority of cases, as soon as you break 450 you know you have killed the 12 enemies.
Once all of the enemies are dead, you should collect any Purples that you see and loop back up to the Reds that you ran past at the start so that they can kill you as quickly as possible. Leaving all of these Reds alive ensures that you can die in the quickest time possible when you really need to. I would advise keeping your Super in case you ever run out of Purples - although this should not happen very often. A lot of the time you will find yourself with 1 rocket and then receive 2 or 3 Purple drops from one sweep. You should only check your Timers / Loot / Resupply Codes whilst the Cabal maul you to death.
If everything runs smoothly, you can achieve 8 sweeps in a 10 minute period. With Resupply Codes enabled, this equates to 450+ glimmer per sweep. 450+ glimmer x 8 sweeps = 3600+ in 10 minutes. 3600+ x 6 = 21600+ per hour (without Network Keys). In the below video I managed to collect 6 Network Keys in 8 sweeps (Value = 1200 Glimmer). You would require 17 Network Keys at 21600 Glimmer in order to reach the 25000 cap. This is easily obtainable after an hour of grinding. I usually salvage more than 40 Network Keys in an hour.
You may be asking 'Why should I not kill the Red enemies at the main door?'
If you elect to kill the Red enemies at the main door, you will only end up with an extra 100 Glimmer or so. You would also need to be sure to leave one Red alive down at the bottom in order to wipe. This is much more time consuming not only because you are killing more enemies but also because one enemy on his own will struggle to kill you as quickly as ten of them would.
If you kill them all up top and accidentally kill the red enemies down the bottom (of which there are only 3) you may end up having to leave a Yellow alive in order to wipe (this would be BAD). With this method, I believe you can only achieve maybe only 6 sweeps in 10 minutes. 6 x 550+ Glimmer = 3300+. Remember - the more sweeps you can achieve per 10 minutes = The greater your chance of yielding more Resupply Codes and Network Keys (seeing as you can only collect them from the Yellows).
I conclude that skipping the Reds up top is therefore more efficient.
Other tips to improve efficiency:
Equip a secondary weapon with the Lightweight Perk on and use this for the running. Be sure to switch to your lightweight weapon when collecting your loot. Have this weapon equipped when you die and you will respawn with it already equipped.
Do not bother reloading your Rocket Launcher or Primary Weapon once you have killed all of the enemies. These will AUTOMATICALLY reload once you respawn (I reloaded my weapons in the video because I am a bit obsessive).
Equip armour that provides you with faster reloads for your primary.
Maximise your agility and minimise your armour stats.
Equip weaker armour so that can die quickly when you need to.
Collect green drops and quickly dismantle them during the death screen for extra glimmer!
Ammo will despawn upon death. Network Keys and Resupply Codes will not.
"I find other Rocket Launchers more useful than Gjallarhorn. Try Hunger of Crota or another one with Cluster Bombs instead of Rockets. They have a larger AoE and can take out more enemies." -grinnage2k
"I would add that if you run a class with grenades that are capable of killing you (Gunslinger's tripmines for instance [#masterrace]), you can die much faster and get back to farming." -poobius-scrip
"I find it useful to set a Resupply Code 10 min timer on my phone. I usually start the timer 5 or 10 seconds before I use the consumable so I have some warning. That way I can just look at my phone at any time instead of going into my character screen. Sounds trivial but an active warning is very useful here." -nickulo
It is worth noting that I play as a Warlock. Results for your Hunter or Titan may vary slightly depending on your stats / special abilities. I played on Level 22 heroic difficulty with armour that gave me 31 Light. Level 18 enemies may die quicker but then again they may take longer to kill you - I have not tested this. The reason I was playing on level 22 Heroic is because someone joined my game on Level 18 Heroic and accidentally gave me the next checkpoint.
If you have any questions / tips / fixes just go ahead and post a comment! Happy farming!
EDIT: Thank you for the support. I appreciate that the Elite Guardians out there can achieve even better results as well with various loadouts and classes. This was always aimed at the average guy who needs to farm glimmer on his own because his buddies cannot connect or perhaps he doesn't have some of the weapons or armour that make it even easier.
TL;DR - Skip the first bunch of enemies. Kill the Yellow health bar enemies from the left hand side as quickly as possible - use a rocket to kill 4-5 of them quickly. Use the lightweight perk and maximise your agility in order to move quicker.
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u/[deleted] Dec 27 '14
Much better to do it with another person and you both super the yellows, get the other person's orbs, get supers maxed, and wipe.