In Destiny 2, players still remember a very special Exotic after 7 years. We shed light on the story of a weapon that was absurdly strong and rare. MeinMMO also wants to know from you: Should Gjallarhorn ever come back to Destiny 2?
This is the legend: No weapon is as well-known in Destiny as the Gjallarhorn. The exotic rocket launcher is one of the oldest power weapons and made its debut in 2014. Even today, the thought of its fame brings a smile to the Guardians’ faces.
None of the nearly 100 exotic weapons are as well-known, even outside of Destiny, and regularly appear on the top lists of the most iconic video game items (via dailydot and twinfinite).
Therefore, MeinMMO sheds light on the myth surrounding Gjallarhorn in this article. You can expect immeasurable power, pure despair, and cultic reverence. After all, the Gjallarhorn is the only weapon that has its own holiday, celebrated annually.
An Exotic breaks the rules of Destiny
How strong was Gjallarhorn? To say the Exotic was strong would be an understatement. The rocket launcher fires homing projectiles. These shells then split into many small rockets that chase their targets by themselves. The firepower of these “pack missiles” could pulverize even raid bosses in seconds.
- Moreover, Guardians could quickly reload the Exotic, but always had 2 rockets in the chamber – in case something could still crawl after the first nuclear strike.
- The damage was so high that many game mechanics could simply be circumvented or rather broken.
- The never-before-seen mechanics in the raid could thus easily be bypassed. Gjallarhorn earned the nickname “the golden crowbar.”
With the acclaimed expansion “King of the Taken“, the Gjallarhorn was left behind. The Exotic made its return at the end of 2016 as a guaranteed quest reward. This new and now black version was still strong, but no longer absurdly powerful. However, in the collective memory, the Gjallarhorn is likely forever cemented as the ultimate weapon.
The curse of power: The entire PvE of year 1 of Destiny was overshadowed by Gjallarhorn. But there were also downsides. Because for many teams, you needed a ticket – indeed, without Gjallarhorn, you often couldn’t participate in the endgame.
Some players wanted to quickly run through the raid, grab their loot, and not mess around with mechanics. Teammates shooting with “normal” weapons were just an impediment. They wasted time.
A kind of 2-Guardian society developed: The Guardians who had the OP rocket launcher and those who wished to have the Exotic. Everyone wanted to play at the top, so everyone wanted the Gjallarhorn. The hype surrounding the weapon became a real engine, and the joy upon obtaining it was nearly endless.
“Is my account cursed?” On loot bad luck and dances
Where could the Exotic be found? The Gjallarhorn could drop from various sources: from exotic engrams, as loot in the raids Glassed Chamber and Crota’s End, in The Prison of Elders, and after PvP matches. However, it would be an understatement to say that the drop rate was low.
The chance of getting a Gjallarhorn was like winning the lottery. Strange rituals developed to increase the drop rate. In the raid, there was dancing in front of chests. But it had to be the right dance to break the loot curse – otherwise, one could only explain the loot bad luck by saying the account must have been cursed.
There’s another source: Xur. The mysterious merchant, who still visits every Friday, could randomly bring Gjallarhorn. Xur did this exactly 2 times in his entire career:
- In the 2nd week after the release of Destiny.
- One week before the expansion “King of the Taken” was released.
When the Gjallarhorn was sold for the first time, most Guardians knew hardly anything about Exotics or didn’t have enough resources to pay Xur. Players who looked at Xur’s inventory with enough “strange coins” but decided against a purchase regretted that decision forever.
The cult: Now it gets absurd
This is how the holiday came about: When Xur offered the Exotic for the 2nd time, all dams broke. A cry spread through the Destiny universe, across the internet and over schoolyards: “Holy crap, Xur sells Gjallarhorn!” Week after week, players visited the NPC, hoping Xur would show the same generosity as he did back in 2014.
Now the time had come and it was hardly believable. This August 15, 2015 was immediately declared a holiday. Even today, we celebrate the G-Day every summer. On this day, different rules apply for Guardians. You can read more about it here on MeinMMO: Destiny 2 celebrates G-Day – A day to remember an OP weapon.
In hindsight, it turned out that Bungie likely bribed Xur to give players a week of real fun. Because the expansion “King of the Taken” was on the horizon, and as mentioned, there was no more room for Gjallarhorn – Guardians were supposed to learn mechanics instead of breaking them.
In short: The cult around Gjallarhorn was born because the weapon was extremely powerful and just as rare. Nostalgically idealized, the weapon stands for everything that makes loot in Destiny so special: An object that you are proud of, that you can always use, and that you eagerly anticipate with every drop.
Even in 2021, the Gjallarhorn is still worshiped devoutly by Guardians. A Destiny dev recently tweeted that he would now deal with the exotic rocket launcher regarding the days-long Sueskanal blockade. This shows well that the golden crowbar is simply associated with being a problem solver.
Gjallarhorn in Destiny 2?
Destiny 2 has now brought back many iconic Exotics from Destiny 1. Guardians can play with Thorn, Hawkmoon, and The Last Word. Almost all known weapons and armor are available in both titles. However, Gjallarhorn is not among them.
Bungie also often makes fun of itself and plays with the hype around the rocket launcher. Leakers are trolled with Gjallarhorn references.
But Guardians also wonder with every strong Exotic: “Do we have Gjallarhorn 2.0 in hand?” Especially with new rocket launchers, the comparison is almost mandatory. Currently, the raid Exotic Eyes of Tomorrow holds this title. The similarities are certainly undeniable. Both weapons have multiple homing rockets, deal solar damage, and were somehow broken.
What are the chances? The return of Gjallarhorn to Destiny 2 cannot be ruled out. After all, Bungie is gradually bringing back more highlights from the original in an enhanced form. In Season 14, the Glassed Chamber will reopen its doors in May 2021. And the Chamber was one of the sources for Gjallarhorn.
Do we even want that? However, the more important question is, should Bungie bring back Gjallarhorn? As strong as it is in memories, the Exotic definitely won’t be – after all, it was no longer that powerful in year 3 of Destiny 1. A wrong comeback would destroy much of the mythos.
Many Guardians therefore wish that Gjallarhorn never comes back. Others, however, want that piece of history back. Many players also never had the opportunity to play with Gjallarhorn and look forward to every Exotic in their collection.
We need your opinion on the Gjallarhorn return
This is how you can participate: MeinMMO is now asking you how you feel about the return of the most famous Destiny weapon.
Each reader has one vote. Simply choose the appropriate answer from the poll. Please explain your choice in the comments. Thank you for participating!
