Destiny 2 Thorn Quest Guide

With Season of the Drifter now fully live we’re able to take hold of some of the new Exotics that Season 6 of Destiny 2 has brought with it. As you’re probably expecting, one of those is Thorn, a returning Exotic from Destiny 1, but it won’t be live until the 12th of March. This Exotic Hand Cannon was actually teased with the announcement of The Last Word returning to Destiny 2. 

In order to actually acquire Thorn you’ve got to go through a quest, and it’s got a fair few steps. We’re going to cover those steps here in this guide so you can plough through them and earn Thorn as fast as possible when the quest goes live.

1 – A Melted Hunk of Metal

This step requires you to go an visit Banshee-44 in the Tower. I imagine you’ll have to get an item to drop from a certain activity first, but we’re not 100% sure on that yet.

The flavour text for this step fo the quest is as follows: “Despite the burn damage, you recognize this weapon as a Thorn, a legendary weapon capable of severing Guardians from the Light. The Shadows of Yor, followers of an infamous Guardian-killer, are well-known for carrying Thorns. This one is broken, but you think it may be possible to fix it. A reputable (and discreet) gunsmith would know where to start. Bring the ruined Thorn to Banshee-44 in the Tower.“

2 – The Essence

This quest step requires you to gather Hadronic Essence. To do this you can complete Asher Mir Bounties on Io, defeat Warlocks in the Crucible, or complete Nightfalls. I’d say doing this step when Io is the Flashpoint would make it more worthwhile, but you could easily do your Daily and Weekly Crucible Bounties and hope you kill lots of Warlocks too, just to optimise your time.

The flavour text for this quest step is as follows: “Banshee has recommended a number of rare components that you should be able to use to restore your ruined Thorn to working order. First on the list is Hadronic Essence, a dense lattice of exotic baryons and mesons, once commonly favored as an infusion in Warlock fieldweave. Gather Hadronic Essence by completing bounties for Asher Mir on Io, by defeating Warlocks in the Crucible, or by completing Nightfall strikes. Nightfall strikes grant the most efficient progress.“

3 – The Steel

This quest step is similar to the last one in that you need to go out and gather items. This time you’re picking up Plasteel Plating. You can do this by completing Bounties for Sloane on Titan, defeating Titans in the Crucible, or completing Blind Well runs in The Dreaming City. Again it seems to make sense to combine this with the Flashpoint when it’s on Titan.

The flavour text for this quest step is as follows: “Next on the list of required components is Plasteel Plating, a durable hybrid plastic favored by Titans for its balance of strength and workability. Plasteel is not commonly available for artisan use these days: the Red War wiped out the DIY supply chain within the City. Gather Plasteel Plating by completing bounties for Sloane on Titan, by defeating Titans in the Crucible, or by completing encounters at the Blind Well. Heroic Blind Well encounters grant the most efficient progress.“

4 – The Binding

This quest step is yet another gathering one, but this time you need to pick up Sapphire Wire. You can do this by either completing Bounties for Ana Bray on Mars, defeating Hunters in the Crucible, or finishing Escalation Protocol Raids on Mars.

The flavour text for this quest step is as follows: “Last on the list of Guardian-grade components is Sapphire Wire, another hard-to-come-by item formerly favored by Hunters because of its versatility. Sapphire Wire, like Plasteel Plating, was another casualty of the Red War… but you feel confident that you can scrounge some up. Gather Sapphire Wire by completing bounties for Ana Bray on Mars, by defeating Hunters in the Crucible, or by completing an Escalation Protocol wave. Escalation Protocol waves grant the most efficient progress.“

5 – Weaponize The Unknown

This quest step is very Crucible focussed. You need to head out and get kills in the Crucible using Void weapons or Hand Cannons. There’s actually a bonus to progress if you use a Hand Cannon with Void damage on it, which I think is bloody brilliant. Any progress made in Iron Banner or in the Competitive playlist will multiply the progress you make too.

The flavour text for this quest step is as follows: “Your project is going well. The gun is now mechanically sound, but it is simply a gun: it has no intrinsic power of its own. You’ll need to reconnect it to the Light somehow, and the vast dark secrets of the Void seem like the most promising route. Defeat Guardians in the Crucible using Void energy or Hand Cannons. Precision streaks using Void Hand Cannons grant the most efficient progress. Note that progress is multiplied in the Iron Banner or in Competitive Crucible matches.“

6 – Something Yet Remains

This is an easy step, go and talk to Tyra Karn. I don’t think anything more needs to be said.

The flavour text for this quest step is as follows: “Your Thorn hums with the hungry indifference of the Void, but it lacks something essential. You know the original Thorn was intimately connected to the Hive, though you don’t know exactly how. Wandering around the Tower to ask your mentors about the provenance of a banned weapon strikes you as a bad idea, but— There are quieter places to ask questions. Places off the beaten path, where knowledgeable Cryptarchs have settled down to do their work in peace and quiet… Pay a visit to Tyra Karn at the Farm. The Farm is accessible via the EDZ Director.“

7 – The Chasm of Screams

This step is pretty tough. You need to head out to Titan in freeroam and defeat Sardav and Telesh. Next up you need to complete the Strike, Savathun’s Song. It’s thought that there probably won’t be any matchmaking for this step, so go in with a fireteam or go in extremely prepared.

The flavour text for this quest step is as follows: “While you were speaking to Tyra, she mentioned something called the Hated Path, a sort of primer to transform an ordinary Hand Cannon into a Thorn. Bathe your Light in horrors. Feed your weapon with death. Bind it with sickness. Horrors, death, sickness… that all sounds like the Hive nests on Titan to you. Defeat the Arbiters, Sardav and Telesh, then defeat Savathûn’s Song in an epic reprise of strike “Savathûn’s Song” on Titan.“

After this final step you’ll see Thorn drop and it will be yours! It’s tough that we need to wait until next week before we can attempt this quest, but I think we need the space just to get our Power Levels up a bit.

We’ll check back next week once the quest is live and update the guide on Destiny News Hub if we’ve missed anything or think some more information needs to be added. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Image Source: PCGamesN