Highlights
- Destiny 2's upcoming expansion, The Final Shape, will feature returning Exotic weapons from the original Destiny, with potential changes in behavior.
- The Dragon's Breath Exotic rocket launcher, known for its Solar damage, is expected to be even stronger in Destiny 2 and benefit from new Solar abilities.
- The Khovostov auto rifle, a treat for Destiny veterans, can be reconfigured in different firing modes and RPMs, and has a scavenger hunt quest to obtain the Exotic version.
Destiny 2 hosted a big reveal for the upcoming The Final Shape Expansion during the independent showcase in late August 2023, showing fans a preview of what to expect. Among the new content coming in the massive expansion is more returning Exotic weapons from the original Destiny that will eventually be available in Destiny 2. It’s worth noting that the developers have already stated for this round of returning Exotics that the weapons will likely see changes when coming to the new game.
Leading up to the Final Shape expansion, Destiny 2 already has plenty of Exotics from the original game, among a vast amount of new Exotic weaponry. There are still plenty more Exotics that have yet to return from the original game, but The Final Shape is still one step closer to restoring the full arsenal from the original game.
Every Returning Destiny 1 Exotic Weapon in The Final Shape
- Dragon’s Breath
The Dragon’s Breath Exotic is a Solar rocket launcher that occupies the heavy weapon slot. When this weapon comes to Destiny 2 it is expected to behave very similar to the Deathbringer Exotic Void rocket launcher from the Shadowkeep expansion because of the way the projectile differs from standard rockets, although it could face changes between the games. The old Dragon’s Breath shoots an initial rocket projectile that will drop a lingering Solar napalm canister after detonating. The detonation can be triggered manually mid-flight, or it will occur upon impact. For players who can time the detonation to trigger above groups of enemies, this can be a fun add-clear weapon, although using the direct impact will tack on more damage to well-defended targets.
Dragon’s Breath is a powerful tool in the original Destiny, but with all the new things that Solar damage is capable of, this weapon is expected to be even stronger when it becomes available in Destiny 2. Specifically, the Solar damage from this weapon will potentially be able to benefit from Scorch, Ignitions, and Firesprites for players with the right Solar 3.0 Subclass builds.
- Khovostov
Known as the Khovostov 7G-0X in the original Destiny and Khovostov 7G-02 in Destiny 2, the Khovostov is a kinetic auto rifle that fits in the primary weapon slot. This weapon is a treat for Destiny veterans and one that new players may recognize as well. The Khovostov is actually a white-rarity weapon, and it is the first weapon that players collect in the opening moments of both the original Destiny and the New Light campaign for Destiny 2. The Exotic version of this weapon in the original Destiny can be reconfigured to full, burst, or semi-automatic firing modes and the RPM can be changed from either 450 or 900 with related changes in the weapon’s overall stats. In the original game, players who kept their first Khovostov could dismantle it to immediately obtain the Exotic version, while everyone else had to complete a scavenger hunt quest for it.
- Red Death
Red Death is a kinetic pulse rifle in the primary slot, with an Exotic perk that heals the wielder after every kill. For players who aren’t familiar with the Red Death from the original Destiny, it’s essentially the pulse rifle version of Destiny 2’s Crimson Exotic hand cannon, both being three-round burst weapons that heal the user after each kill. The only difference between these two weapons is that Crimson can fully reload itself with a critical kill, while the original Red Death temporarily increases its reload speed shortly after scoring kills.
Given how Exotic pulse rifles like the Graviton Lance are currently dominating PvP in the Lightfall era of Destiny 2, this weapon is bound to be a powerhouse in game modes like Trials of Osiris and Competitive Crucible when it arrives. It may not have an Elemental damage type, but the fact that the Red Death can passively heal its user means that it will also come in handy in plenty of PvE content in Destiny 2.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
