The search for Black Spindle in Destiny 2 highlights what makes the game special

When Destiny 2: Warmind dropped early last month, it came with surprises hidden in the game’s data. Early on, players were able to datamine the exotic catalyst for Black Spindle, an exotic sniper rifle from the original Destiny. Eventually, players found the gun’s signature perk, White Nail, hidden in the data as well. But for all the evidence that Black Spindle is somewhere in Destiny 2, players still can’t earn it for themselves.

The Destiny secret-hunting subreddit, Raid Secrets, has been unable to find the gun in the game. It currently seems likely that Black Spindle has been locked behind some kind of timed barrier and will be released at a later time. However, it’s also possible that the community is simply missing something.

There are new theories on the subreddit daily and it keeps the community going. It’s part of what makes Destiny Destiny, and it brings back that new excitement with every step toward another wild goose chase.

Raid Secrets subreddit and treasure hunting in general has been going on since the golden age of Destiny. Players far and wide have come together to try and discover new items and surprises. Everything starts small, with a group of players piecing together a puzzle. But once the item is discovered, it blows up and hundreds of players swarm together to build strategies for optimization.

The original Black Spindle was a remake of the Crota’s End raid sniper, Black Hammer. Spindle was obtained by running an alternate path through a heroic story mission, which then launched the fireteam into a timed gauntlet. It was extremely difficult without a coordinated group and one of Destiny’s best secrets.

The secrets that players look for don’t always work out the way they want. Sometimes what looks like a cool new exotic is actually just a Bungie-made basketball court, or a hidden spear in upstate New York. But all of these things — exciting or not — were found because the community came together to discover something unique.

Black Spindle 2.0 is no different. Every out of place object or misconstrued bug can be seen by someone as a path to the Black Spindle. But as wrong as everyone has been over the past month and a half, it’s been an incredible rollercoaster to follow for devoted Destiny players.

The weapons and loot is what keeps players come back to Destiny 2 over and over again. But the way the community builds and forms around a singular goal — like trying to find a weapon that currently doesn’t exist — is something that will last long after players have collected everything there is to find.

Black Spindle is still out there, and players aren’t giving up hope until they find it. If you want to help look for it, Raid Secrets is always looking for fresh eyes.