Xur has seen plenty of changes since Destiny 2’s Final Shape DLC, namely, becoming a permanent vendor at the tower complete with a reputation track, and more recently, allowing players to outright purchase Exotic Class items instead of grinding for them the original way. Overall, Xur’s recent reworks in Destiny 2 have been a great improvement for a character whose services slowly became outdated throughout the franchise’s lifecycle. Despite all the good changes Xur has gone through, though, one of this character’s recent antics has developed into quite the controversy for Destiny 2.
Xur is finally selling the famous Gjallarhorn Exotic again, this time in Destiny 2. However, what should have been a cause for celebration has turned into the opposite, with plenty of players upset by Bungie’s decision to fork over one of the most iconic Exotic weapons in the Destiny franchise for a measly 23 Strange Coins, whereas normally, this Exotic would cost players $24.99.
Destiny’s 10th Anniversary Recreates a Famous Destiny 1 Meme
In the first Destiny, Xur selling the Gjallarhorn was a highly celebrated occasion, since to this day the Gjallarhorn is considered one of the strongest Exotics from the original Destiny. So, the one time Xur ever sold this weapon, which also happened to be the first week of the game’s release back in 2014, was an important part of the franchise’s history, marking both the franchise’s launch and the legacy of the Gjallarhorn, which eventually made a return appearance in Destiny 2.
Buying the Gjallarhorn from Xur isn’t the only way to earn this Exotic in the original Destiny, though the chances of obtaining it naturally are incredibly low, especially considering that Exotics were much less plentiful compared to
Destiny 2
’s more generous loot system.
Flash forward to the current state of Destiny 2, September 2024 marks over ten years since the original Destiny was released – and ten years since Xur last sold the Gjallarhorn. Consequently, Xur selling the Gjallarhorn in Destiny 2 is a clever way to celebrate the Destiny franchise’s 10th anniversary by recreating one of the biggest Destiny memes.
Destiny 2’s Gjallarhorn Controversy Gives Future DLCs a Bad Look
However, what was supposed to be a clever throwback has turned out to be quite the controversy, with fans unhappy that Destiny 2 is giving players a weapon that could otherwise only be obtained by purchasing it in a DLC bundle. Specifically, players would normally have to spend $24.99 to get the Gjallarhorn via the Bungie’s 30th Anniversary Pack for Destiny 2, whereas the weapon is currently available for only 23 Strange Coins without the need to buy any DLCs.
While players can currently get the Gjallarhorn from Xur without owning the Bungie’s 30th Anniversary Pack, players won’t be able to obtain the Gjallarhorn’s Exotic Catalyst without owning the DLC.
There’s still other content included in the Bungie’s 30th Anniversary Pack that requires players to purchase the DLC, but the Gjallarhorn was a big selling point of the pack. Destiny 2’s meta may have shifted over the years thanks to new weapon types and other buildcrafting tools that weren’t present in the original game, but the Gjallarhorn is still very much a top-tier Exotic weapon in Destiny 2.
What makes things especially troublesome is that Destiny 2 already has a history of DLCs shrouded by controversy before the new Gjallarhorn situation. Destiny 2’s store page on Steam currently has a mixed review rating for the past 30 days, with some of the most popular negative reviews mentioning how Destiny 2’s Content Vault removed paid DLCs from the game without any notice or compensation for players who owned these DLCs. The Gjallarhorn controversy is a separate, unrelated issue, but overall, having a negative reputation regarding the game’s paid DLCs is a bad look for the future of the Destiny franchise.
