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?

More on the topic

Destiny 2 – 6 Tips on How You Should Prepare for Forsaken Now

von Tom Rothstein

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment

In an interview at Gamescom 2018, Bungie revealed some new details about how they want to make the lore of Destiny 2 tangible in-game with Forsaken. They are making big claims. It is said that reading the lore made someone cry at their desk.

Once again, Bungie has emphasized that they want to present the extensive and exciting lore of Destiny 2 better in the game with Forsaken and make it more tangible for players. In a Gamescom interview with the site GamesRadar, Forsaken chief Steve Cotton and project lead Scott Taylor revealed new details.

With Forsaken, there is as much lore in the game as in a novel

Lore collection works like a small book: Scott Taylor initially outlined how the upcoming lore collections will work. These collections will be available to all Guardians with the Day-One Patch 2.0.0.1 for Forsaken starting September 4.

“The system you use to collect the lore in the game functions and feels like a small book that you can open and read stories in. There are short stories but also long tales that you can discover in the world and then look up in the game,” Taylor said.

This is how you collect lore: The project lead then went into more detail about the sources for the lore. Those who loved the hunt for dead ghosts, classified fragments, or inactive SIVA bundles in Destiny 1 can look forward to Forsaken, as they will finally get their fill.

“You collect it (the lore) when you defeat bosses or by collecting items like dead ghosts or small drones in the world. They tell short stories. These can consist of one part or three parts. Perhaps you can find out what Uldren did between the Taken King and his presence in the Prison of Elders. All of that is now in the game – and it’s addictive.”

As much lore as in a novel: To conclude, Taylor emphasized how much lore is in the game with Forsaken.

“It has the aesthetics of a book. You can open it in the game and it will tell you a story about each of the Barons before you take them down – why they were in prison and what happened to them. There’s as much lore in the game as in a novel.”

Steve Cotton added: “We haven’t even read everything. But the team responsible for localization came to us and said, ‘We are working on the stuff and it’s really good. I cried at my desk. These are great stories.'”

Is a long-standing community wish coming true? It seems that fans will finally get with Forsaken what large parts of the community have continuously demanded since Destiny 1 – an extensive lore that you can find in the game and refer back to whenever you want.

With the hunt for dead ghosts and other collectibles, collectors and adventurers will also have more to do.

More on the topic

Destiny 2: Hot for Gambit? Try it out before Forsaken!

von Sven Galitzki

What do you think of these changes? Do these features enhance the Destiny experience for you?

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment