In Destiny 2 Forsaken, Xur finally returns to his old self – at least almost. This is how the Exotic dealer changes in Year 2.
When Xur appeared in the first weeks of Destiny 2, he turned out to be a huge disappointment. The once mysterious vendor that countless Guardians eagerly awaited week after week in Destiny 1, only to curse him later, has long lost his mysterious status.
Looking at the Google interest in Xur over time, you can see his sad decline into irrelevance:
- Nearly the entire Year 1 of Destiny 1, Xur’s weekly appearance was a major event that the Guardians followed with curiosity – the interest was consistently high. This was certainly also due to the Gjallarhorn hype.
- In the months following the “The Taken King” expansion in the fall of 2015, interest in Xur steadily declined. After TTK, there followed months of content drought, which also affected Xur.
- The rise in the fall of 2016 marks the release of the “Rise of Iron” expansion, which lured some Guardians back to the game – and to Xur. However, interest in Destiny and Xur in Year 2 and Year 3 was no longer as high as in Year 1.
- At the launch of Destiny 2, interest skyrocketed again – the entire Guardian community wanted to know what the Agent of the Nine would bring in the sequel. But the Guardians were disappointed. The massive hype plummeted rapidly within the first weeks post-launch.
- Soon after, only a few players were interested in Xur’s weekly offerings.
Why is hardly anyone interested in Xur since Destiny 2?
Mystery Xur: In Destiny 1, the Agent of the Nine, with his extravagant appearance, was an exciting mystery.
This is what made Xur special in Destiny 1:
- Xur appeared somewhere in the Tower every Friday (later also in the Reef). No one knew exactly where. His location was not displayed on the map. Every Friday marked the start of the big Xur hunt. Those who found him first hastily wrote about it in the relevant forums.
- Xur had exciting items for sale. From powerful exotic weapons like the Gjallarhorn to exotic armor pieces with various stat rolls, to the Three of Coins – there was always talk about Xur’s offerings and which items were particularly worth it that week.
All of this led to Xur attaining cult status in the community. Websites, Facebook accounts, and even prophets specializing in Xur sprang up. Weekly discussions about Xur occurred and players logged in regularly to visit the old tentacle-faced vendor.
Imagine it’s Xur, and no one shows up
This changed in Destiny 2:
- In the first months after the launch of Destiny 2, Exotics were thrown at players. Many were no longer interested in Xur’s inventory, as they already had everything he could offer.
- Xur’s arrival is tied to the Flashpoints. So you know days in advance where the Agent of the Nine will appear this time. He is also indicated on the map with a symbol.
- The mystery of Xur thus evaporated. The noodle-faced vendor became more casual. He also remains a few days longer per week than in Destiny 1. The mysterious vendor turned into a boring permanent guest.
- Interest in Destiny 2 and the Exotics generally declined, which further harmed Xur’s standing.
Throughout the first year of Destiny 2, Xur’s offerings were adjusted multiple times – he received a Fated Engram, the Three of Coins, and a challenge card for the Nightfall – but this could not stop the negative trend.
Xur became an obsolete model.
This is how Xur changes in Destiny 2: Forsaken
With Year 2 and the Forsaken expansion, Xur is supposed to become the “old Xur” again: a mysterious vendor who brings cool stuff.
When does Xur change? According to Bungie, the changes will come as early as August 28 with the preparation update for Forsaken.
How does Xur change?
- Xur will no longer be displayed on the map with a symbol. He will play hide and seek with the Guardians again.
- Xur will no longer be tied to the Flashpoints. He can appear anywhere in Forsaken. So it will take a while to find the Agent of the Nine again.
- The Fated Engrams will only yield Exotics from Year 1. The new Forsaken Exotics cannot be contained in these Engrams.
What else changes? Bungie emphasizes that Xur follows a clear goal, but he himself cannot explain it. After all, his will is not his own. In other words, Bungie wants to wrap him again in a mysterious cloak.
A Twitter user posed several questions about the “new Xur”: whether he would have completely new locations in the worlds, whether he would appear in the first week of Forsaken, and whether he would still come at the same times. Community Manager dmg04 replied that from now on there would be no more information about Xur from Bungie – unless problems arise.
In short: Xur will finally become more mysterious in Destiny 2 Forsaken. And since the Exotics are now significantly rarer and better than at launch, a visit to Xur should soon be worthwhile again.
What do you think of these changes?
