Destiny 2: Xur Exotic Armor, Weapon, and Recommendations…

Xur has returned again to Destiny 2, complete with new exotic and legendary gear for players to check out for a limited time. Guardian Games kicked off this week in Destiny 2, bringing back the Olympics inspired event where each class competes for medals to see who will reign supreme for another year. While it's still fairly early going, the Titans have come out to a very strong start likely due to the players banding together to honor the memory of Zavala's voice actor, Lance Reddick.

Meanwhile, Bungie has also been slowly teasing Season 21, with the latest showing an image of what appears to be Sloane, an NPC who was thought to be lost when Saturn's moon Titan was lost to the Darkness before Beyond Light. New details also emerged of upcoming changes to Destiny 2 supers and abilities in Season 21 as well, with Bungie opting to buff a number of them especially those that are being under utilized as of late.

For now, the weekend merchant Xur has made a return to the world of Destiny 2. Follow this guide for his most current weekend location, news on his exotic cipher quest, as well as a review of all the exotic and legendary gear he's brought for the weekend of May 5, 2023.

Where is Xur?

Over this weekend, players should head to Watcher's Grave on Nessus to find the merchant up the massive tree towards the back of the zone.

From the Director, head to Nessus and load into Watcher's Grave. Run towards the back of the zone where a massive tree is found. Jump up until players find the huge branch where the merchant is hanging out.

Class Armor and Exotic Cipher

Xur's role continues to offer the usual weekly quests, exotics, and legendary gear. Not only are these quests required to purchase a second fated engram, but they're necessary to acquire legacy exotic gear from the Tower kiosk. Players can earn a new cipher by completing strikes and winning crucible or gambit matches. Gain bonus points for playing with clan mates or finishing more challenging activities.

Xur continues to sell even more gear outside his usual content. In addition to his normal exotic gear, Xur now has Legendary Weapons and Armor for sale in exchange for Legendary Shards and Glimmer.

Xur holding an exotic engram in Destiny 2 with a pile of exotic engrams behind him. — Xur holding an exotic engram in *Destiny 2* with a pile of exotic engrams behind him.

Exotic Armor

Phoenix Protocol - Warlock chest armor

The solar specific Phoenix Protocol is back with Xur this week. Battle-Hearth gives Dawnblade Warlocks a return on super energy for any kills or assists they make while standing inside the Well of Radiance.

While certainly not a meta exotic at this point, Phoenix does have its uses for super generation and may be worth a look for high-end content like Grandmaster Nightfalls. However, Phoenix Protocol is absolutely worth a pickup this week as the stat roll is incredibly high with a 67 overall and a massive 23 in Intellect.

Stat Values (67 Total):

Mobility +15
Resilience +8
Recovery +11
Discipline +8
Intellect +23
Strength +2

Ophidia Spathe - Hunter chest armor

Ophidia Spathe comes with Scissor Fingers, which grants Hunters two throwing knives per charge instead of the typical one.

For those who enjoy rolling the Gunslinger subclass, the Ophidia Spathe synergizes particularly well with the Way of a Thousand Cuts and Gambler's Dodge. It essentially allows the player to nearly continuously throw knives. The roll this week is actually pretty good, coming in at a 65 overall with high Mobility, Recovery, and Strength, which is again good for melee.

Stat Values (65 Total):

Mobility +15
Resilience +2
Recovery +17
Discipline +2
Intellect +13
Strength +16

Eternal Warrior - Titan helmet

The Eternal Warrior helmet, which was made for Striker Titans, is back in stock this weekend. Its intrinsic perk Resolute gives the player an overshield after Fists of Havoc is activated. While a cool looking exotic item, it's ability just really isn't as impactful as others available to Titans. An overshield is always helpful, but it's not likely going to turn the tide in any significant way.

While the exotic is nothing spectacular, the other issue is that it features a fairly low roll at only a 61 and the problem of the highest stat being mobility. As such, this is an item that can be skipped by Titan players.

Stat Values (61 total):

Mobility +16
Resilience +4
Recovery +10
Discipline +6
Intellect +13
Strength +12

Exotic Weapon

It's back, again! The Queenbreaker heavy linear fusion rifle has been popping up quite a bit in 2023 and not much has changed since it last arrived towards the end of March. It allows players to pick how they want the gun to fire. Through Marksman sights, players can stack additional damage with long-range sights that also display ammo and charge levels. The tradeoff is that it takes the gun a little longer to fully charge before firing. Combat sights give the player faster charges and greater handling, though they can't zoom in as far.

destiny 2 forsaken queenbreakers bow exotic fusion rifle

The exotic perk for this weapon is called Wire Rifle which fires a long range precision Arc bolt that blinds enemies on hit. Players can also change the sights on it which impacts charge time and damage. This is a bit of a skill weapon, so it won't be for everyone. However, those who give it a chance will find that it's pretty useful in the right situations, even though it requires heavy ammo.

Additional perks:

Enhanced Battery
Fitted Stock
Hip Fire Grip/Quickdraw

Hawkmoon and Dead Man's Tale Rolls

Since Season 16 removed the Presage and Harbinger exotic missions, Xur is also selling both Hawkmoon and Dead Man's Tale with randomized rolls. Players should visit him each weekend as he'll be carrying different rolls.

Hawkmoon Rolls:

Polygonal Rifling
Alloy Magazine
Hip-Fire Grip
Polymer Grip

The Dead Man's Tale exotic scout rifle from Destiny 2.

Dead Man's Tale Rolls:

Fluted Barrel
Ricochet Rounds
Killing Wind
Fitted Stock

Here's the complete rundown of Xur's exotic stock in Destiny 2 for May 5, 2023:

Phoenix Protocol (Warlock chest armor) – 23 Legendary Shards
Ophidia Spathe (Hunter chest armor) – 23 Legendary Shards
Eternal Warrior (Titan helmet) – 23 Legendary Shards
The Queenbreaker (Heavy Linear Fusion Rifle) - 29 Legendary Shards
Hawkmoon (Hand Cannon) - 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Legendary Shards, 1 Exotic Cipher, 1 Ascendant Shard
Dead Man's Tale (Scout Rifle) - 125,000 Glimmer, 200 Legendary Shards, 1 Exotic Cipher, 1 Ascendant Shard
Exotic Engram - 97 Legendary Shards/1 Exotic Cipher
A Question - Exotic Cipher Quest