Want to know how to get exotic weapons in Destiny: Rising? In this guide, I’ll break down all the methods in which you can earn the rarest weapons in the game as well as give you a quick rundown of each.
Similar to Destiny 2, exotic weapons are the pinnacle of Destiny: Rising’s armory. While the game introduces a new tier between legendary and exotic, called mythic, exotics remain the best weapons you can get your hands on.
A good thing to note is that, despite being a gacha, weapons are not part of the pull system. You only do so with characters. NetEase wants to preserve some of Destiny’s essence and make all weapons obtainable by simply playing the game instead of giving them their unique banners like Hoyoverse does with games such as Genshin Impact or Zenless Zone Zero.
With all that being said, let’s begin. While you’re here, consider checking out our best characters in Destiny: Rising guide and a full breakdown of the daily and weekly reset timers and all the content that gets a refresh.
How To Get Exotic Weapons In Destiny: Rising
Exotics in Destiny: Rising can be obtained by opening exotic engrams, completing different activities, grinding both the battle pass and main story, and even by simply signing in consistently. There is also a way to focus your exotic drops by earning Exotic Weapon Parameter fragments. More on that later. First, let’s break down every activity that gives you a chance to earn an exotic weapon or engrams.
Shifting Gates
The PvPvE Gambit-like mode can drop exotic weapons.
You need to reach reward level 5 to start getting exotic drops. Now, the chance to earn an exotic per match is 0.33% so it is extremely rare.
You’ll be able to get Adventure exotic weapons. Do note that you have to spend 20 Pinnacle Energy each time you want to get a chance at an exotic. Otherwise, you’ll only get access to common rewards.
Heroic Strikes
Heroic Strikes are harder versions of your standard strikes. In Destiny: Rising, they are short five minute three-man team missions. Your recommended power to tackle these is 25290PL.
You can unlock them when you reach Team Level 46 and unlock Chapter 5-1 of the main story. The exotic drop rate is a 1% chance of earning a Haven Ops exclusive weapon. You need 20 Pinnacle Energy per run.
Gauntlet: Blitz and Onslaught
Both Gauntlet activities reward exotic weapons. Blitz is a less mechanically intense and PL-demanding activity that has a 1% exotic weapon drop rate.
You can participate in it with a Lightbearer that’s 25780PL. You can unlock Heroic Gauntlet Blitz by reaching Team Level 46 and unlocking Chapter 5-1 of the main story.
The Gauntlet: Onslaught, also known as the Monolith’s Fall raid, requires you to get to Team Level 50 and a Power Level of 39600, so it won’t be easy to farm. A cool thing about this raid is that each encounter has its own separate loot and pinnacle rewards.
There is a total of three, with each having a 15% exotic drop rate. Furthermore, each encounter has an exclusive raid weapon up for grabs with a chance of being a guaranteed drop the more you complete its designated encounter.
Battle Pass & Main Story
Both the battle pass and main story have a weapon up for grabs. In the current battle pass, at the time of writing, you’ll be able to get the Furies III pulse rifle.
You can obtain it as soon as you reach level 10 in the premium battle pass or level 50 of the free track. Expect more exotics to be available in more passes down the line. As for the main story, you’ll be able to collect the Satiyaaliksni Smart Bomb exotic grenade launcher. It’s quite a mouthful, but it’s extremely useful, especially if you consider that it’s usable by your main character, Wolf.
Sign-In Bonus
If you sign in for 14 days into Destiny: Rising, you’ll get up to two exotics of your choosing. The first reward drops at day 7, and the second one on the final day.
The available weapons via this method are:
- The Huckleberry
- Borealis
- Crimson
All Exotic Weapons In Destiny: Rising
Now that you know how to get them, I’ll break down every available exotic weapon. If you’re looking for a specific weapon and want to know the exact drop source, you can check the preview rewards page of each activity.
For example, go to the Activities menu by opening your Ghost, tap on Shifting Gates, and then tap the bulleted list button next to the rewards preview. Here, tap on the exotic engram reward to open the pool of exotic weapons you can get by completing a Shifting Gates match.
Auto Rifles
- Sweet Business
SMGs
- The Huckleberry
- Riskrunner
Hand Cannons
- Crimson
- The Old Perfect
Shotguns
- The Chaperone
- Octant Riot Disperser
Grenade Launchers
- Satiyaaliksni Smart Bomb
Sniper Rifles
- Izanagi’s Burden
- Borealis
Fusion Rifles
- Jotunn
Linear Fusion Rifles
- Royal Contravene
Machine Guns
- Heir Apparent
- Gallows
Auto Crossbows
- Mahamayuri
Pulse Rifles
- Furies III
Sidearms
- Concerto
Scout Rifles
- Polaris Lance
Rocket Launchers
- Two-Tailed Fox
Swords
- Partridge Sky
And that’s it. Stick with us at Gfinityesports.com: your best source for all things Destiny: Rising.