With the quest for the exotic hand cannon Thorn, Guardians in Destiny 2 have several options for how to obtain this weapon. However, they still need to participate in PvP at least once. Read our guide on how to get the Thorn in Destiny 2.
On Tuesday, March 12, a new quest will launch in Destiny 2 for all owners of the Annual Pass. It is designed to lead Guardians through several steps to the exotic hand cannon Thorn, which makes its return in Season 6 of Destiny 2.
The Thorn quest brings a new quest design
What makes this quest so special? The unique aspect of the Thorn quest is that it allows players for the first time to choose how to approach certain steps.
Guardians have the choice in most extensive quest steps whether to enter the Crucible, engage in PvE group content, or go solo in PvE and complete the respective task.
Everyone can now choose how they earn the new exotic weapon based on their personal preferences. You are no longer forced into a playstyle or activity that you actually do not enjoy.
Here’s the catch: There is one exception to this new quest design. Players cannot completely avoid the Crucible.
One quest step requires participation in PvP. However, precautions have also been taken here to make this part more bearable for Guardians who are less enthusiastic about PvP.
How to get the Thorn in Destiny 2
The quest is titled “Independent Studies.” You must first follow a clue at a mysterious location in the EDZ on Earth. This is where the quest begins for you.
Here’s how to get the first quest step: The Thorn quest starts in the EDZ on Earth. Head towards the area called Trostland.
Run north to the salt mines, enter the saltworks and continue to the broken elevator, where you will find a teleporter. Use this.
Once you are ported, run up the hill until you reach an energy barrier. Keep to the left along the rock wall and jump through the small passage above. There you will find an abandoned hideout.
Search the campfire and you will receive the first step of the Thorn quest.
After that, the following steps will lead you to the new weapon exotic:
A melted metal lump: At the start of the quest, you will receive a burned weapon that you can identify as Thorn. It is broken but might still be repairable.
Therefore, you need to bring the damaged Thorn to the weapon master Banshee-44 in the Tower.
The Essence: Banshee instructs you to gather some components for the Thorn’s repair. First, you need Hadron Essence. Here are your options to obtain it:
- Complete bounties for Asher Mir on Io
- Defeat Warlocks in the Crucible
- Complete Nightfall Strikes
Successfully completing the Nightfalls is said to be the most effective way to progress.
The Steel: Now you need to gather Plasteel Plates. You have several options for that as well:
- Complete bounties for Sloane on Titan
- Defeat Titans in the Crucible
- Complete encounters in the Blind Well
Mastering the Blind Well contributes most significantly to your progress.
The Binding: As the third and final component, you need Sapphire Wire. You can obtain this material in the following ways:
- Complete bounties for Ana Bray on Mars
- Defeat Hunters in the Crucible
- Complete a wave of the Escalation Protocol
The most effective way is to fight your way through the waves in the Escalation Protocol.
Transform the Unknown into a Weapon: In this step, the Thorn must now be connected with the Light, which will inevitably lead you into the Crucible. Because there is no other option outside of PvP for this quest step.
Here you need to eliminate Guardians with Void energy or hand cannons in the Crucible. Precision shots with Void hand cannons are the most effective for progress.
Additionally, progress is multiplied in the Iron Banner and in competitive PvP matches. Apparently, there will be no loss of progress due to your own deaths.
With these options, even those who are not keen on PvP should have a good chance of mastering this step with some time and dedication.
One thing remains: To learn more about the weapon, you should now pay a visit to the Cryptarch Tyra Karn on the Farm and speak with her.
Chasm of Screams: In this final quest step, you must transform the repaired weapon into the true Thorn. To do this, you must defeat the Lieutenants Sardav and Telesh, as well as Savathûn’s Song in a harder version of the “Savathûn’s Song” strikes.
If you successfully complete this step, the Thorn will belong to you.
What do you think of these expanded options to earn the new weapon? And how do you view the PvP part of the quest?
