Destiny 2's Xur, Agent of the Nine, has been a staple since the franchise's first game. By now, in Destiny 2, Xur is often found in one of three locations, starting on Friday and lasting until the weekly reset on Tuesdays. While he used to appear in several places requiring players to hunt him down actively, he now seems almost like clockwork on Nessus, the Tower, or the European Dead Zone. While this makes his locations easier to find, the upcoming Lightfall expansion should reintroduce the previous hiding mechanics, perhaps with new areas.
Xur is an enigmatic figure whose coming and goings depend on the planetary alignments featured in the game, hailing from the Jovians, a place far beyond the Reef. Guardians have yet to explore his home territory, whose secrets remain mysterious, though humanity colonized them during the Golden Age. Post-Collapse little is known, as much of society does not venture this far into the Solar System, and a group known as the Nine now rule the Jovian worlds.
Xur's History in Destiny
In Destiny 2's past, the Guardian Orin was sent by Queen Mara Sov to investigate the Nine's role in the disappearance of her lover, Sjur Eido. Orin crushes Xur's windpipe when he begs for forgiveness for who he calls them, which is presumably the Nine. When free from Orin's grasp, Xur attempts to show her a silver jar from his robes - an action Orin misinterprets as hostile and thus strikes Xur with her Warhammer, crushing his spine.
While Xur survives the attack, he now has a permanently hunched posture, a telling character trait, mainly when players hunt for him. Within Destiny 2 currently, not only does Xur appear in several locations around the Solar System, but he serves the Starhorse, a paracausal entity appearing as a celestial horse. This coincides with hosting the game show Dares of Eternity, which players can access from the Destinations tab in the game.
Why Xur's Locations and Hunt Should Change for Lightfall
While Xur previously used to be found in several locations besides Nessus, the Tower, and the European Dead Zone, many of these past locations were removed when their corresponding planets went missing. Within the game, this is explained as the Darkness swallowing or eliminating the worlds; however, in reality, it was when Bungie vaulted their content to make room for future expansions.
Now, almost like clockwork, Xur appears in one of the three previously mentioned locations, with virtually no variation as to when he might occur where. Instead, it seems that Nessus, the Tower, and the European Dead Zone locations are on a rotational schedule, and Xur is always in the same spot. In the past, players had to hunt him down actively, creating an exciting mission because Xur always carries Exotic wares and quests for Exotic Ciphers for players to obtain with Legendary Shards. Now, the thrill of the hunt is gone.
The upcoming Lightfall story expansion, which will take players to an entirely new location in Neptune, has the chance to revitalize the hunt for Xur. That's not to say he can't appear at some previous spots, but it would be enticing for new and old players to think critically once again and sift through the clues as to where Xur might be. It would make the Exotic rewards more worthwhile and provide a sense of accomplishment for tracking him down.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
