With the upcoming season of the Vagabond comes another iconic weapon from its predecessor – the Thorn. Our author Sven explains why he has never looked forward to anything as much as the return of this shoot piece in Destiny 2.
Currently, very little is known about the upcoming Season 6 and the accompanying second premium DLC “The Joker’s Wildcard”.
What is already certain is the return of the Thorn – one of the most popular and simultaneously most hated hand cannons in the Destiny series.
That’s why I am especially looking forward to Season 6: I must admit, I was also looking forward to the currently concluding Season 5 and had a lot of fun – even though I am a little deflated towards the end.
With the Season of the Forge, Destiny 2 has come closer to my personal vision of Destiny regarding weapons, equipment, raids, and setting. I was also very excited about the return of the hand cannon “The Last Word”.
But since the end of January, my eyes have been firmly fixed on Season 6. After leaks already hinted at the return of the Thorn, it was officially confirmed on January 28 – soon I can finally hold my absolute favorite weapon of the Destiny series in my hands again.
This is what the Thorn can do: The Thorn is an exotic hand cannon from Destiny 1. Its hallmark are the thorn-like, poisoned projectiles that inflicted damage over time on enemies in addition to regular kinetic damage.
It was often possible to take out enemies who had already taken cover or to “avenge” one’s own death posthumously.
The Thorn dominated in year 1 for a long time alongside other hand cannons like the Hawkmoon or The Last Word in the Crucible and was considered one of the best and most popular weapons in PvP.
However, this hand cannon was also hated and reviled by just as many players. Because it was very difficult to counter.
Later, it was nerfed by Bungie and left behind until it was brought back with the expansion “The Rise of Iron” in year 3. However, it could never regain its dominance from year 1.
That’s why I love the Thorn: The Thorn holds a very special place for me and is by far my absolute favorite weapon in the entire Destiny series.
On one hand, this weapon got me into Destiny PvP and made the Crucible an indispensable part of my virtual Guardian life.
The Thorn quest was so rare and special, and the PvP part (for me) so difficult that I made it my life’s mission to master it. As an average PvP player, I really bit my teeth on this challenge. And to this day, I can hardly think of anything I would be prouder of as a Guardian than finally holding this weapon in my hands.
On the other hand, I simply fell in love with the overall package of design, sound, and the unique mechanics. The Thorn from year 1 perfectly embodies my personal understanding of Exotics and aesthetics. To this day, no other weapon evokes comparable emotions in me.
I initially played the Thorn solely due to its dominance. However, after some time, I found just as much joy in playing against it. Few things have brought me as much fun and satisfaction as matching up against a Thorn carrier in a direct duel or even taking him down with a weaker gun.
How will the Thorn be implemented in Destiny 2? One of the most exciting questions for me is how Bungie will implement the Thorn in Destiny 2.
I personally hope for the year-1 Thorn from the predecessor to return, but that is unlikely to happen. There is simply no room for such overpowering effects in Destiny 2 PvP. At least not yet.
However, even in year 3, I still enjoyed playing the Thorn for nostalgic reasons and was still quite successful with it. I would still be very pleased with a somewhat weakened poison effect form like the exotic Bow Le Monarque in Destiny 2.
Moreover, it gives me confidence how Bungie has implemented the returning “The Last Word”. This exotic weapon works a bit differently now than it did in Destiny 1, but in my opinion, it hasn’t lost any of its character or charm.
Also, the heavy machine gun Donnelord, which also came back from Destiny 2, is really well implemented. This weapon is currently among the best and is also one of my favorite Exotics in Destiny 2. At least in this aspect, I haven’t completely lost my trust in Bungie and hope for a cool Destiny 2 Thorn.
This leaves me with a bitter aftertaste: Currently, it is not yet known how the Thorn will come into play during Season 6.
However, it is highly likely that, like The Last Word, it will receive its own exotic quest tied to the second premium DLC “The Joker’s Wildcard” and thus to the paid Annual Pass.
While I personally find the converted €10 for the second premium DLC worth it to hold my great Destiny love in my hands again, Destiny veterans are basically paying for this weapon exotic for the third time now.
I would personally prefer Bungie to serve this weapon to all players as a free feature. That would be a more than appropriate gesture in my opinion.
While it is very unlikely that this will happen, it is not completely excluded. Because as part of Season 6, there is supposed to be a new exotic quest for all base game owners, in addition to the exclusive exotic quest for Annual Pass owners.
There is still a chance that the Thorn will celebrate its return for free and available to everyone. And possibly there will already be first official details soon. Because Bungie wants to announce this week how things will continue in March for players with new content.
What do you think of the return of the Thorn? Are you tired of all the old weapons from Destiny 1? Or are you also excited about this icon and curious how Bungie will implement it in Destiny 2?
