In Destiny 2, items have several different tiers, with each one supposedly corresponding with stronger weapons and armor. At the top of the list are exotic items, with come with their own unique perks and abilities. These are the rarest items in the game; so much so that the player can only wield one exotic piece of armor and one exotic weapon at a time.
This makes the wares that the roaming Vendor Xur offers that much more coveted. Every week on Friday, the exotic vendor will wait at one predetermined point in the solar system in order to sell goods to all guardians who visit. The next weekly reset on Tuesday however, and he is gone until the next week.
Each week, Xur brings with him one exotic weapon, one exotic armor piece for each of the three classes, and a Fated Engram. This engram is a special one, as it is guaranteed to drop a previously unobtained piece of exotic gear if you have any left to acquire. This item is worth a hefty 97 legendary shards, but it is definitely well worth it for the chance of no duplicate exotic drops. You can find Xur this week right at home in the Hanger area of the Tower.
This week, for the weapon Xur is selling the Hard Light auto rifle. The intrinsic trait Volatile Light causes bullets to ricochet off of hard surfaces, over-penetrate targets, and have reduced falloff. In addition, you can change the weapon to any of the three damage types (at least the three introduced before the Beyond Light Expansion.)
This combines for a fairly versatile weapon that can be used in both PvE and PvP activities. It recently received a bit of a nerf but even still it’s not a bad choice by any means. The ability to change elemental types throughout an encounter makes it great for any activity with the “Match Game,” modifier, and the damage at range could give you an advantage against other auto rifle users in the Crucible.
First for the armor, Warlocks have the option to pick up the Phoenix Protocol chest piece. This exotic is nearly a must-have even though it has received a few nerfs over time. The perk Battle-Heath makes kills you get inside of the Well of Radiance all return Super energy. Time this right, and you can have Wells nearly back to back during swarm-heavy encounters. It definitely is worth the legendary shards if you find yourself playing Well-lock quite a bit.
Next up, the Khepri’s Sting gauntlets can help any wily Hunter gain the upper hand on their opponents. The perk Touch of Venom states, “Punching someone with full melee energy will instantly cast Smoke Bomb. Gain Truesight while in your own Smoke Bomb effect. Your smoke bombs deal increased damage.” This ends up being fairly heavily outclassed by other exotics despite its unique ability, and even more so in PvE activities.
Finally, Titan players have the option of grabbing the Lion Rampant greaves. The exotic perk Jump Jets provide increased mobility and more accurate hip-fire while jumping, and this makes them mostly useful during platforming activities. Platforming does have a place in certain Destiny 2 activities, so you should keep this exotic on hand when heading into one.
That about wrap’s up all about Xur and his exotic inventory for this week. Every Tuesday and Thursday, be sure to check back here for all of the latest Destiny 2 news.
