The Season of the Drifter has officially begun in Destiny 2, bringing with it a bevy of new content. Between the new Gambit Prime and Reckoning game modes, players will have plenty of challenging gameplay to surmount. And what better way to overcome such obstacles than with an array of new Exotic items. The Destiny 2 Season of the Drifter patch dropped earlier today and confirmed at least five new Exotics for players to earn or discover, though acquiring them will be another matter entirely.
Of particular interest to original Destiny fans is the return of Kinetic Hand Cannon Thorn. Thorn was first earned in Destiny via an Exotic bounty and Bungie has attempted to recreate that in Destiny 2 via a questline named Independent Study. Only time will tell if Thorn’s return in Destiny 2 will hearken back to the gun’s time as an overpowered must-have weapon or its post-nerf existence stuffed into players’ vaults.
Before detailing the remaining Exotic items releases as part of the Season of the Drifter, there’s one mysterious detail to take note of. In addition to the five Exotics that have already been named and detailed, there’s also a “Classified” slot that has been left hidden. While some have said this might be tied to the Thorn, others believe it will be another Exotic quest planned to be revealed at a later date. Bungie does have two Exotic quests listed on its Annual Pass roadmap for Season of the Drifter, after all.
As for the remaining four Exotics now available in Destiny 2’s Season of the Drifter, they’re fittingly split into a single armor piece for each class and one additional weapon on top of Thorn. However, beyond Thorn, all of these exotics will require players to earn them through the traditional method of grinding and crossing your fingers:
Thorn (Hand Cannon) Mark of the Devourer: Rounds pierce targets and deal damage over time. Kills with this weapon leave behind Remnants. Soul Devourer: Absorbing a Remnant strengthens Mark of the Devourer and partially refills the magazine. Arbalest (Linear Fusion Rifle) Compounding Force: Fires slugs that cause massive damage to elemental shields of enemy combatants. Disruption Break: Breaking an enemy’s shield with this weapon makes them more vulnerable to Kinetic Damage for a brief period. Liar’s Handshake (Hunter Gauntlets) Cross Counter: Using your Arc melee ability or being hit by a melee attack will allow you to follow up with an extremely powerful melee counterpunch that will heal you. Stronghold (Titan Gauntlets) Clenched Fist: Guarding with Swords increases move speed and does not drain ammo. Shots blocked immediately after guarding will heal you. Getaway Artist (Warlock Gauntlets) Dynamic Duo: Hold to convert your Arc Grenade into a supercharged Arc Soul. The Arc Soul functions as an autonomous turret.
Mark of the Devourer: Rounds pierce targets and deal damage over time. Kills with this weapon leave behind Remnants. Soul Devourer: Absorbing a Remnant strengthens Mark of the Devourer and partially refills the magazine.
Compounding Force: Fires slugs that cause massive damage to elemental shields of enemy combatants. Disruption Break: Breaking an enemy’s shield with this weapon makes them more vulnerable to Kinetic Damage for a brief period.
Cross Counter: Using your Arc melee ability or being hit by a melee attack will allow you to follow up with an extremely powerful melee counterpunch that will heal you.
Clenched Fist: Guarding with Swords increases move speed and does not drain ammo. Shots blocked immediately after guarding will heal you.
Dynamic Duo: Hold to convert your Arc Grenade into a supercharged Arc Soul. The Arc Soul functions as an autonomous turret.
Each of the armor Exotics seems to be a unique, if niche, opportunity to shake up gameplay. A Titan player with quick reflexes could become a serious threat when pairing Stronghold with a sword. And chasing a Warlock who is wearing the Getaway Artist may lead to grenade deaths of an unexpected nature. Meanwhile, both Arbalest and Thorn sound very exciting, particularly for PvE. But Bungie’s balance for the weapons will ultimately decide their strength.
That makes up all of the Exotics included with Season 6 in Destiny 2. Players can pick up the Thorn quest and complete it right now. And as for that mysterious Classified Exotic, watch Bungie’s social media in the weeks to come for more information.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
