We will show you how to obtain the exotic SMG “Xenophage” in Destiny 2. Read here how the quest “The Journey” works and why the power weapon is so popular.
To get the exotic SMG “Xenophage” from Shadowkeep, you need to complete the quest “The Journey” (eng. The Journey). During the lengthy series of tasks, you will complete numerous activities on the Moon.
We have a video for you below that explains all the quest steps. To help you navigate, we provide timestamps. This way, you can easily find your current task.
Visiting the new dungeon “Pit of Heresy” is also one of the quest steps. Ideally, you should have unlocked the new location. Here’s how you can do it:
Here’s how you start the quest “The Journey”: To receive the quest “The Journey”, you need to loot a chest. The chest is located where Eris Morn stands in front of the mysterious pyramid ship.
You will always enter this location through the portal if you are completing a weekly quest from Eris. But you can also visit the area without the portal.
Start in the area “Harbor of Sorrow” in the upper part of the Moon map. From there, enter the Hive Fortress and always keep left, then turn right in the area “Endless Abyss” into a hidden passage.
Once you arrive, activate the four statues on the left and right in succession until they glow blue. Then you can open the chest on the observation platform. Inside is the exotic quest “The Journey”.
Exo-Quest “The Journey” (The Journey)
Step 1 – Step out of the Darkness: You need to pick up a burning sphere in the area “Anchor of Light” and ignite hidden bowls with it.
The altar with the burning sphere is located in the smaller building next to the facility with the tall transmitter.
You can find the route with the bowls in the video below or with the help of the map.
Step 2 – Pathfinder
Next, you need to enter the four Lost Sectors on the Moon. After each sector boss, an exit will open up. Near this exit route, there are Hive symbols on the wall.
Behind the runes lies a switch puzzle. The arrangement of the symbols is 3×3, meaning 9 fields. You need to make the sign displayed at the top (number 10) appear in all 9 fields, so that you only see one rune 10 times in front of you.
If you shoot one of the 9 symbols, the visible runes will change. To avoid blasting randomly, we have an ideal order for all sectors:
- K1 Communion: 5:21 (UL, UR, OM, OM)
- K1 Logistics: 6:04 (OL, UL, MM, MR)
- K1 Crew Quarters: 6:47 (OR, ML, MM, UM, UR, UR, UM, UM)
- K1 Revelation: 7:36 (RM, LM, MM, MM, LM, OM, UM, MM)
The letters represent the position of the symbols in the 9-field grid. (O= top, U=bottom, L= left, R=right, M=middle. In our example, the top is the reference symbol and UM stands for bottom and middle (UM).
Step 3 – Descent
Now you will go into the new dungeon “Pit of Heresy”. To progress the quest, you need to complete the first encounter of the activity.
Everything you need to know about the dungeon “Pit of Heresy” can be found in our guide:
You find yourself at a steep rock wall with various rooms and elevators. The first phase requires you to defeat three mini-bosses. Which level you need for this can be recognized by the glowing Hive runes.
Each of the three bosses must be defeated using a special sword. The weapon is dropped by roaming Hive Knights. The sword has new abilities and must be used as follows:
- Witch (Omen of the Broken Blade) – the witch can be wounded with the ranged attack. Use the heavy attack for this.
- Knight (Might of the Broken Blade) – The knight can only be wounded with melee strikes. Hit the aggressive boss with normal attacks or the charged super.
- Screamer (Oracle of the Broken Blade) – The hovering screamer will shoot at you. You must rebound these shots back at it using the sword block. It’s best to have a player draw aggro.
After you have taken down all three Hive bosses, there will be a loot chest and a passage will open. You will see a lot of doors and openings in front of you.
The correct opening is located at the top left. On the ground, you will find a Hive symbol and the next quest step.
Step 4 – Discovery
You need to delve deeper into the dungeon until you reach a branched cave system. This area consists of very narrow corridors in the center. Outside, there is an open area with patrolling ogres.
In the greenish outer area, there is a cliff on the left. Here you need to interact with Hive symbols on the ground. After a short time, three floating platforms will appear. At their end, an altar with a burning sphere awaits you.
This fireball must be brought to a secret door. Because the passage only opens when the bowls next to it are ignited. Be careful of the invulnerable ogres. You can find the exact path in the video guide again.
Step 5 – Volmâr, the Corrupted, killed: Afterwards, you can test your combat skills. The challenger is a Hive witch. However, the nice lady cannot simply be attacked blindly.
The witch is immune. To break her shield, you need to pick up a sphere in the middle of the room. This will ignite the altars distributed in the area.
However, you need to pay attention to activating the correct altar. Each altar is assigned to an element. You can see the element assignments in the anteroom. On the left side of the screen, you can see which buff is currently active.
- Fiery Terror: Solar Damage
- Raging Terror: Arc Damage
- Abyssal Retribution: Void Damage
- Neutral Terror: Kinetic Damage
Once you have activated an element buff, you can only deal damage to the witch with that element. However, you are not under time pressure during the fight. If you don’t have a suitable weapon for an element, simply wait for the next buff.
Step 6 – Incomplete: Return to Eris Morn and collect your well-deserved reward: the heavy SMG “Xenophage”.
Video Guide by Nexxos Gaming
Here you will find the detailed video guide from our partner Nexxos Gaming.
- From minute 1:30 you see the way to the four statues (start the quest).
- From minute 3:00 you see the path you need to run in the “Anchor of Light” (Step 1).
- From minute 5:00 you see the symbol puzzles of the four Lost Sectors (Step 2).
- From minute 9:00 you see how to defeat the mini-bosses in the dungeon. (Step 3)
- From minute 10:30 you see which door you need to enter in the dungeon (Step 4).
- From minute 11:00 you see which paths you should take in the tunnel labyrinth (Step 5).
- From minute 12:30 you see how the secret boss is defeated (Step 6).
Reward for your efforts: Xenophage
Xenophage is one of the strongest and most popular weapons in Destiny 2. The exotic has a storied history:
- At launch, Guardians wondered if the gun was simply bad or bugged.
- Over time, Bungie granted the SMG some buffs and the exotic sandbox changed in general.
- Then the experts had to admit: Formerly the weakest exotic is now a serious boss killer
This is what makes the insect SMG special: The weapon belongs in the power slot and requires heavy ammunition to fire its devastating solar projectiles. For an SMG, the new rate of fire of 120 is very slow. However, its impact with 100/100 is at maximum limit.
Xenophage has these perks:
- Pyrotoxin Rounds – fires powerful explosive ammunition
- Target Lock – increases the already high range when aiming (71/100)
- High-Caliber Rounds – shots push enemies further back
Xenophage does not need to land critical hits to deal full damage. Additionally, the weapon has effectively infinite range and deals area damage with its powerful shots.
Have you started the long hunt for the popular exotic power weapon? Was our guide helpful and what do you think of the SMG Xenophage?
