For those wondering… the answer is yes! We have entered the worm era of Destiny.
Whether you’re worming it up with the new Parasite grenade launcher, or running worms like squishy footballs in the new Witch Queen campaign, it is fair to say fans’ hunger for premium worm content has been sated.
As a Destiny 2 player, you have embraced the game’s satisfying gunplay, bombastic abilities, and stunning interdimensional yarns about life, death, and power over the years. And now? Now you have proof of the resounding message that the game’s story and world are meticulously constructing: worms are cool.
The Whisper of the Worm
Witch Queen brought about significant shifts in protocol when obtaining exotics, and that confusion can easily lead players to miss out on a pretty sweet gun. Whisper of the Worm, an exotic sniper rifle in the power slot, is still with us, here to dole out damage and bless us with its wormy goodness.
The gun itself has quite a history within the game, dropping way back in 2018 with its own special mission called “The Whisper.” It was half puzzle and half parkour-maze, which was revolutionary at its time. Players had to do the mission twice to get both the sniper rifle and the catalyst, but as players completed it, the weapon quickly ascended to the upper ranks of DPS royalty.
In 2022, thankfully, you don’t have to go through the whole song and dance to get the gun. Just head over to the Monument to Lost Lights and grab it for an Exotic Cipher, two Ascendant Shards, 250 Baryon Bough, and 150,000 Glimmer.
The catalyst can be obtained via random drop from completing playlist activities like Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit (and also requires 500 kills to unlock).
Easy peasy, right? Now let’s break it down.
Perks
“White Nail” refills the magazine with one free and two reserve bullets on three precision hits. This is excellent for sustained boss damage if you are accurate.
The fully upgraded catalyst adds the “Whispered Breathing” perk: Aiming down the sights without firing for a moment gives extra range and precision damage (while in ADS). In the 2021 buff, Bungie reduced the time it takes to activate the perk from 2.1 seconds to 1.2, in addition to the 10% increase in PvE damage to the gun itself.
The gun also comes with “Mulligan,” which has a chance to return ammo to the magazine if you miss a shot.
Still not sold? Here’s some additional motivation to get the gun.
Whisper of the Worm is Back, Baby
First and foremost, Whisper is still a really (really) good weapon. This is actually saying a lot considering the ups and downs the gun has experienced since its inception.
Initially, its trademark “White Nail” perk would give you a free magazine (three bullets) out of thin air after three rapid precision hits. Expectedly, this perk was nerfed in 2019 over ammo economy concerns.
Fortunately, that buff we mentioned from 2021 gave our sweet wormy friend a bump in damage and perk updates. As noted above, “White Nail” now takes two bullets from reserves and conjures up one for free. Whisper also does 10% more PvE damage and has a faster activation time for the “Whispered Breathing” perk, making the gun a competitive damage option in Witch Queen.
For any numbers nerds out there, here is Aztecross comparing damage with other popular DPS choices:
(Note: the perk only grants one free bullet, not two)
While the gun does massive damage against pretty much anything breathing, there are always other options to choose from. However, heavies like Gjallarhorn and Parasite run the risk of killing you in the aftermath, so Whisper is a notably cleaner DPS option with the added utility of a sniper rifle. In the same way Gjallarhorn is an efficient ad cleaner, Whisper of the Worm can be used against pesky enemy snipers and Shriekers, especially in pinnacle PvE content.
On a smaller note, while heavy ammo drops less often, Whisper’s placement in the power slot frees up build space for other weapons. So, for example, if you want some long-range insurance for anything unexpected in a Strike, Raid, or Gambit match, Whisper may be a perfect candidate.
Worm Versus Player
As far as PvP goes… it works. But it’s like opening a jar of pickles with a handgun. Does it do the job? Sure. Is it overkill? Absolutely.
For argument’s sake, having an extra sniper rifle on hand is never a bad idea (and the damage can end enemy supers quickly). Not to mention, if you really wanted to, you could always run a build with three sniper rifles as a brute-force method of getting sniper kills for a quest.
Or, if you’re merely looking to eradicate opposing guardians while representing the glorious worm brand, then who can really stop you?
The Whisper Family
On a worthy side note, the gun is a piece of Destiny history.
Despite being introduced in 2018, the gun is actually a reincarnation of 2015’s Black Spindle sniper from Destiny 1. Both Whisper and Spindle share the “White Nail Perk” and were released through unique quests. For those interested, we recommended taking a look at Datto’s coverage from way back when.
But, believe it or not, the rabbit hole goes deeper.
Black Spindle is another reincarnation of an older Destiny 1 weapon. Black Hammer, the matriarch of this sniper family, dropped in 2014 from the Crota’s End Raid and was reintroduced as the Black Spindle exotic in 2015. Whisper’s “Bound Hammer” weapon skin could also be a reference to this original Destiny 1 weapon.
The fact that Whisper of the Worm is a part of a more than seven-year lineage is reason enough to pick it up.
Any Last Worms?
Whisper of the Worm is an excellent damage dealing option in Witch Queen and is pretty easy to obtain compared to other exotic power weapons. When you break down the time invested (compared to Whisper’s potential utility), it’s a steal.
While guns like Parasite are getting a lot of attention, I would like to remind Destiny 2’s thriving worm community that Whisper is a worm elder, in a sense. It is part of a royal lineage spanning two games. The gun represents Destiny’s storied past, one filled with secrets, nerfs, buffs, and, most importantly, worms.
Here’s to helping make sure it’s never forgotten.
