A big part of Destiny 2: Beyond Light is unlocking epic weapons to use on enemies and other players. Throughout the game, there are a variety of different guns available for dishing out damage. From hand cannons to shotguns, fans can create all kinds of strategies. One of the recent missions in Destiny 2 unlocks an Exotic sniper rifle, Cloudstrike. The various quest steps can be somewhat tricky, so fans should use this guide to access the gun quickly.
Unlike some other Exotic weapons, players cannot get Cloudstrike just by finishing one quest. Instead, Guardians will be grinding the Empire Hunts game mode for the sniper to randomly drop. The first step towards getting it involves speaking to the new Beyond Light NPC, Variks. After completing his questline after the campaign, Empire Hunts become available. Make sure to also finish up his Sabotage quests because those will be important later.
Updated November 24th, 2021 by Russ Boswell: Destiny 2 continues to grow and evolve for players, with Bungie releasing new and interesting exotic weapons for Guardians to get their hands on. A good example is the Cloudstrike Exotic Sniper Rifle, which is capable of decimating groups of enemies thanks to its lightning-infused buffs and exotic perks. Those looking up how to get Cloudstrike in Destiny 2 will benefit from this updated guide which now includes information on what exactly the Cloudstrike does, as well as its overall stats. Those that need to know how to get Cloudstrike in Destiny 2 should start here.
How To Get The Cloudstrike Exotic
Speak to Variks to start a mission titled Old Secrets, New Challenges. Fortunately, once picking this up a quest objective will appear to guide Guardians. Go to the spot shown on Beyond Light's Europa map and launch the mission. This will start the Exo Challenge, just follow along and complete this step like any other mission. Afterward, find the Exo Stranger and pick up another quest, A Hard Rain Falls. This requires players to kill enemies or beat activities in Eclipse Zones on Europa. Just bring up the Destination map for Europa, and view which zones of the area have the "Eclipse" status.
After finishing both these missions, the last set of Sabotage quests become available from Variks. Guardians need to beat Europan Explorer 1 and 2, in that exact order. The first one requires using a farming spot to get kills with Kinetic, Energy, and Power weapons. This should not take players too long, and once it is done head back to Variks. Grab Europan Explorer 2, and prepare to find and eliminate 30 powerful enemies in Empire Hunts. Pick up these assignments from Variks and look for orange and yellow bar tier enemies throughout. It will likely take some time, but feel free to hop out of these missions and redo them after beating the necessary targets.
Now that this is done, Guardians gain access to Elective Difficulty Empire Hunts. This is where Cloudstrike can actually drop, and will require grinding the missions until it does so. Keep in mind, the drop rate does not get higher if a harder version of the Hunt is beaten. So just grab the easiest ones to run the missions faster. Playing in a fireteam can help get this done quicker, but it really is just a matter of time. Now players just need to learn how to use the sniper rifle which launches a blast of lightning at nearby enemies.
What Does The Cloudstrike Do?
The Cloudstrike is an interesting Exotic Sniper Rifle that comes with the Mortal Polarity buff, which will cause a damaging lightning strike to crash down to the ground whenever a player scores a precision final blow. The bolt itself will strike at the location of whatever was dealt the final blow, and players that manage to chain successive precision shots can even summon a lightning storm (at target location) thanks to the Stormbringer buff. This makes the Cloudstrike a deadly Sniper Rifle that is capable of dealing AoE damage to surrounding enemies should players maintain accuracy and score tons of precision shots and final blows.
Here's a look at Cloudstrike's Stats:
- Impact - 55
- Handling - 51
- Reload Speed - 46
- Magazine - 7
- Range - 64
- Stability - 54
Cloudstrike's stats make it a mid-range Sniper capable of rattling off seven consecutive shots before players need to reload. Its lower impact is balanced by the introduction of the lightning strike and storm mechanics. Overall, it's a solid weapon for those looking to clear enemies in PvE and can make short work of crowds if players can keep their accuracy on point.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
