Destiny 2’s Season of the Drifter update arrived this morning, bringing a new twist to Gambit for Annual Pass players and a host of balance changes.
As usual, the new season of content comes with Exotics for players to collect. The new Exotic armor pieces are class specific gauntlets for Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks.
There are also two new Exotic weapons this season, including the returning Thorn hard cannon.
The only hidden weapon in the collection is Thorn. Its perks have already been data-mined, and are a bit different than last time it was available.
Thorn’s Exotic perk, Mark of the Devourer, causes shots to pierce the target and deal damage over time. When Thorn kills enemies, they drop Remnants on the ground, which refill the magazine and make Mark of the Devourer more powerful.
Bungie is adding Thorn into the game via an Exotic quest that starts on March 12.
The other new weapon is Arbalest, a Kinetic linear fusion rifle. This is the first Kinetic fusion rifle in Destiny 2. In addition to its unique slot placement, Arbalest has a perk called Compounding Force. The perk allows it to fire slug bullets instead of energy blasts, dealing heavy damage to enemy shields.
Nobody knows how to get Arbalest or if it’s even available in the game yet. Players will likely get their hands on it sometime this season.
The Hunter Exotic gauntlets are Liar’s Handshake. They have a perk called Cross Counter. When players use their Arc melee ability or enemies hit them with a melee, they’ll gain a buff to follow up with a powerful counterpunch that also heals them.
The Titan’s Exotic gauntlets are Stronghold, and have the Clenched Fist perk. When players guard with a sword, they gain increased movement speed. Guarding no longer drains ammo as well, and guarding right as they get attacked heals the player.
The Warlock’s Exotic gauntlets are Getaway Artist and come with the Dynamic Duo perk. Holding the grenade button lets players consume their Arc grenade, transforming it into a powerful Arc Soul turret that follows them for a short time.
Players can find these gauntlets by completing random activities or killing enemies. Exotics have an increased chance to drop when receiving powerful rewards.
While Bungie could add more Exotics in future patches, it’s likely these are the last batch until the Season of Opulence. Bungie has scheduled the release of The Season of Opulence for June of this year.