Here's how to get your hands on Thorn in Destiny 2.
Our Destiny 2 Thorn quest guide contains all the quest steps to get hold of the Thorn Exotic Hand Cannon in Destiny 2’s Season of the Drifter.
Bungie’s reintroduction of legacy Exotics continues in Destiny 2’s Season of the Drifter and none other than the notorious Thorn is coming back.
Those from the original Destiny will remember the utter insanity of the Crucible when Thorn came to town. Practically everyone was taking advantage of its powerful perks to two-shot each other, which was both agonising and also ridiculous amounts of fun.
Thorn’s largely remaining the same for Destiny 2 as it still retains its damage over time perk (Mark of the Devourer) and the other perk which feeds it (Soul Devourer). Essentially, any shots you land on an enemy will deal damage over time ticks, and if you manage to drop them, they’ll leave Remnant fragments. Pick these up and it’ll refill a portion of Thorn’s magazine and buff its next damage ticks too.
Bungie’s not handing it out for free, though. You’ll need to complete a lengthy questline to obtain it, but we’ve got all the info you need right here so you can plan accordingly.
Here’s how to complete the Allegiance questline!
How to get Thorn
Below we’ve listed all the Thorn quest steps. Credit goes to light.gg for the info.
Quest Step #1: “Independent Study”
This video by Esoterickk shows you where to start the questline off.
- You’ll need to head to the Salt Mines in the EDZ.
- Work your way in and keep going deeper until you reach a room filled to the brim with Fallen enemies. The path should swing right, and you’ll be flanked by crates and platforms.
- In this room there is a Transmat machine, or essentially, a personal teleportation device. Interact with it and it’ll teleport you to another location in the EDZ.
- Follow the path up and you’ll notice the road to the right is blocked by a huge energy field. Instead, look over to your left and you’ll notice a small path running along the cliff edge.
- Proceed along this path and you’ll come across a ruined camp. There will be a burnt out fire just ahead.
- Stand on the fire and interact with it to kickstart the quest.
Quest Step #2: “A Melted Hunk of Metal”
”Despite the burn damage, you recognize this weapon as a Thorn, a legendary weapon capable of severing Guardians from the Light. The Shadows of Yor, followers of an infamous Guardian-killer, are well-known for carrying Thorns. This one is broken, but you think it may be possible to fix it. A reputable (and discreet) gunsmith would know where to start.”
– Bring the Ruined Thorn to Banshee-44 in the Tower.
Quest Step #3: “Something Yet Remains”
”Your Thorn hums with the hungry indifference of the Void, but it lacks something essential. You know the original Thorn was intimately connected to the Hive, though you don’t know exactly how. Wandering around the Tower to ask your mentors about the provenance of a banned weapon strikes you as a bad idea, but— There are quieter places to ask questions. Places off the beaten path, where knowledgeable Cryptarchs have settled down to do their work in peace and quiet…”
– Pay a visit to Tyra Karn at the Farm. The Farm is accessible via the EDZ Director.
Quest Step #4: “The Binding”
”Last on the list of Guardian-grade components is Sapphire Wire, another hard-to-come-by item formerly favored by Hunters because of its versatility. Sapphire Wire, like Plasteel Plating, was another casualty of the Red War… but you feel confident that you can scrounge some up.”
– Gather Sapphire Wire by completing bounties for Ana Bray on Mars, by defeating Hunters in the Crucible, or by completing an Escalation Protocol wave. Escalation Protocol waves grant the most efficient progress.
Quest Step #4: “The Chasm of Screams”
”While you were speaking to Tyra, she mentioned something called the Hated Path, a sort of primer to transform an ordinary Hand Cannon into a Thorn. Bathe your Light in horrors. Feed your weapon with death. Bind it with sickness. Horrors, death, sickness… that all sounds like the Hive nests on Titan to you.”
– Defeat the Arbiters, Sardav and Telesh, then defeat Savathûn’s Song in an epic reprise of strike “Savathûn’s Song” on Titan.
Quest Step #5: “The Essence”
”Banshee has recommended a number of rare components that you should be able to use to restore your ruined Thorn to working order. First on the list is Hadronic Essence, a dense lattice of exotic baryons and mesons, once commonly favored as an infusion in Warlock fieldweave.”
– Gather Hadronic Essence by completing bounties for Asher Mir on Io, by defeating Warlocks in the Crucible, or by completing Nightfall strikes. Nightfall strikes grant the most efficient progress.
Quest Step #6: “The Steel”
”Next on the list of required components is Plasteel Plating, a durable hybrid plastic favored by Titans for its balance of strength and workability. Plasteel is not commonly available for artisan use these days: the Red War wiped out the DIY supply chain within the City.”
– Gather Plasteel Plating by completing bounties for Sloane on Titan, by defeating Titans in the Crucible, or by completing encounters at the Blind Well. Heroic Blind Well encounters grant the most efficient progress.
Quest Step #7: “Weaponize The Unknown”
”Your project is going well. The gun is now mechanically sound, but it is simply a gun: it has no intrinsic power of its own. You’ll need to reconnect it to the Light somehow, and the vast dark secrets of the Void seem like the most promising route.”
– Defeat Guardians in the Crucible using Void energy or Hand Cannons. Precision streaks using Void Hand Cannons grant the most efficient progress. Note that progress is multiplied in the Iron Banner or in Competitive Crucible matches.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll receive Thorn – nice.
