The quest to get Gjallarhorn and other Exotic weapons in Destiny

The question on the best way to get the coveted rocket launcher is a frequently heard one. This is a guide on the most efficient way to pick up Exotic weapons.

First, you’ll need to accept that you are completely at the mercy of Destiny‘s Random Number Generator (RNG) when it comes to Exotic loot drops. One of my friends that I regularly play the game with didn’t get a Gjallarhorn to drop until he had passed 1,300 hours in the game. It became a badge of honor of sorts for him after a while.

Now compare that with my son’s friend, who only picked the game up at Christmas. His luck was much better and picked up not just one Gjallarhorn but two in a relatively short time frame.

While getting Gjallarhorn as a loot drop is annoyingly random, there are ways to be more efficient about trying to obtain it. The non-matchmaking activities in Destiny are the best, and you will need certain checkpoints for the Raids. Seek checkpoints you need via Looking for Group (LFG) sites like Reddit Fireteams, the100, and DestinyLFG.

Here are the best methods to obtain Exotic weapons in Destiny ranked from easiest / most likely to result in an Exotic weapon to least likely to result in an Exotic weapon. Obviously, running through these activities on multiple characters will increase your chances.

Obtain the Gorgon Chest checkpoint in Vault of Glass. Hunt down someone on a LFG site that has the Gorgon Chest checkpoint for the easiest chance at an Exotic. There’s usually at least one or two available at any time. Just be sure to give the person holding the chest a big thank you.

Complete the Deathsinger and Crota checkpoints in Crota’s End. These back to back checkpoints in The Dark Below raid provide a decent chance at an Exotic weapon. Defeating the Deathsinger is relatively easy.

Defeat Atheon in Vault of Glass. Bringing down Atheon is a tougher chore than Crota and requires a good fireteam. But, it can be just as rewarding.

Complete the Weekly Nightfall and Weekly Heroic. Running through the Nightfall every week should be a given for Destiny players. The same is true with the Weekly Heroic. The former is more likely to result in an Exotic drop it seems, but both are relatively easy to complete.

Play Crucible and Iron Banner. The chances of an Exotic weapon dropping are pretty low for Crucible and Iron Banner, but it is entirely possible. Gjallarhorn and Truth have both dropped while playing multiplayer. The 1.2.0 update for House of Wolves expansion is supposed to improve the drop rate for Crucible, but we’ll have to wait and see if that includes Exotics.

The House of Wolves isn’t out yet, so it’s not clear where the Exotic drops will fall here. That said, you should expect them to be part of the loot table for Prison of Elders and Trials of Osiris. This article will be updated once the drops for both are better understood.

Hopefully, this was some help for those trying to obtain the Gjallarhorn or other Exotic weapons. There’s not much you can do to get around the Destiny RNG.