Obsidian Shards in Guild Wars 2 are some of the most important crafting items in the game. They are used to create Mystic Clovers and 250 Obsidian Shards are required for the Gift of Mastery to create a legendary weapon. These high-level items are very sought after by players, so gathering them for endgame crafting recipes is a big deal. These items can be kind of hard to come by. You need to know where to farm to get your hands on them. This guide will walk you through all the methods that you should spend your time using to get them.
What Chests drop Obsidian Shards?
Many of these chests are home instance items. This means you need to first find the chest, and then consume a special single-use key to unlock it. Of the many chests out there, some players swear by alt parking, or having a character parked next to a daily chest and logging them in to claim the rewards. The issue with this is how inefficient it is. Still, we’ll include chest locations for those that want to try it out.
- Buried Locked Chest – Home Instance, Found in Dry Top in the Maguuma Wastes
- Forged Chest – In the Shattered Ravines in the Crystal Desert. Part of the Junundu Rising meta event. The boss Realm Keeper for the corresponding side has been killed. There are ones found at the Northern, Eastern and Western Maw.
- Found Bandit Chest – Home Instance
- Glorious Elonian Chest – Crystal Oasis
- Grand Forgotten Chest – Desert Highlands
- Grand Temple Chest – Desert Highlands
- Hidden Stores – Hidden Stores can be found in the Acrid Springs hidden inside the large rock just southwest of the vista. A veteran Veteran Sulfur-Crazed Matriarch Protector and 3 other Sulfur-Crazed Harpies may spawn upon approaching or opening the chest.
- Lookout Supplies – Found at two spots in the Desolation. One is in the Alkali Pan, at the top of Junundu Lookout. The second is found in the Shattered Ravines, at the top of the tower with Desolation Griffon Expert.
- Lost Bandit Chest – Silverwastes, requires Bandit Key
- Lost Stash – Lost Stash is a chest that can be found at Matriarch’s View in the Desolation, next to a group of Harpies
- Zinn’s Stash – Zinn’s Stashes are chests found in Draconis Mons. They are uncovered by using an Ancient Asuran Power Source and the accompanying Scan skill.
Outside of these zones, WvW reward tracks are a great source of different crafting items and currency. As you gain Pips in activity, you can earn quite a bit through the various reward chests. The Hero Weapon Reward Track has many different options for reward chests. You can get rare weapons, and of course, Obsidian Shards. The Gift of Battle Item Reward Track and the Guildrider Warclaw Skin Reward Track also had them.
What about buying them?
There are plenty of NPC sellers in GW2 who will trade you for some item, and give you Obsidian Shards in return. Volatile Magic is one of the best ways to get more Obsidian Shards in Guild Wars 2. Here are the NPCs that will sell you the Shards for 100 Volatile Magic and 96 Copper:
- Alaleh – Chalon Docks – Domain of Istan
- Ethall – Atholma – Sandswept Isles
- Karnn Fallenskull – Hall of Monuments – Eye of the North
- Kynon – The Forge – Thunderhead Peaks
- Nalar – Allied Encampment – Domain of Kourna
There are other sources as well. Some people like to trade 3 Laurels for 3 Shards via Laurel Merchants found in each city. You could also hit up the Quartermasters in the Silverwastes and buy them in exchange for Bandit Crests. Silverwastes is probably the best place to go, as the Bandit Chests have always been a great loot source. You can earn tons of loot here, and you can then buy all the Shards you need.