In Destiny 2, players have only a handful of Exotic swords, all of which pale in comparison to the Exotic trio of the original Destiny. After three years of players missing these beloved Exotic swords, Bungie has recreated them in the best way possible for Destiny 2: Season of Arrivals. Dark-Drinker and Bolt-Caster are back, but this time, theyre Legendaries.
The original Exotic trio
Destiny: The Taken King added swords to the Destiny universe. Players felled the Hive god Oryx and made one of three elemental swords from his corpse. Through a lot of grinding and a lengthy quest, players could transform those swords into one of three Exotics: Raze-Lighter, Dark-Drinker, and Bolt-Caster.
Each of these swords had a unique trait. Raze-Lighter could deliver a massive uppercut attack, Bolt-Caster could fling a lightning disc across an arena, and Dark-Drinker, the fan favorite, could spin in a circle to deal massive damage. Dark-Drinker became one of the de facto weapons for raiding, as it gave any player the ability to take down a tough enemy on their own. It was even the best option on the original Destinys final raid boss, Aksis, in the Wrath of the Machine raid.
The rebirth of Dark-Drinker and Raze-Lighter
The Dark-Drinker 2.0, Falling Guillotine
Image: Bungie via Polygon
Before Season of Arrivals, every sword in Destiny 2 had the same heavy attack, which mirrored Raze-Lighters old uppercut attack. The Worldline Zero Exotic sword lets players spin, but its more about moving quickly than dealing damage. Similarly, the Black Talon Exotic sword replaced Bolt-Caster, allowing players to deal damage from afar. But nothing matched the power of the original three Exotic swords.
But in Season of Arrivals, Bungie added two new swords with brand new archetypes. Temptations Hook has a Caster Frame, which causes the heavy attack to launch a ranged bolt and bypass enemy shields. The Falling Guillotine has a Vortex Frame, which spins the sword in a massive circle for its heavy attack. Because Frames in Destiny 2 arent unique to a single weapon, its likely Destiny players will find new Vortex and Caster Frame swords in later seasons.
What made Dark-Drinker so special?
Destiny 1 players entering the pit on the Dreadnaught, part of the Exotic sword quest
Image: Bungie
In the original Destiny, I only had Raze-Lighter for the longest time, not realizing how powerful Dark-Drinker was when I made my once-per-character decision on the sword I wanted.
When I recently returned to the original Destiny, I went through the trouble to pick up Dark-Drinker. After using it in a single raid, I understood why some players practically never took it off. Going back to Destiny 2 to prepare for Season of Arrivals, I found a Dark-Drinker-sized hole in my heart.
Its even better as a Legendary
Falling Guillotine lives up to the legacy that Dark-Drinker built. While not quite as powerful as Dark-Drinker, Falling Guillotine is not an Exotic, meaning it opens up a lot of potential builds. Since players can only have a single Exotic weapon equipped at once, a favored Exotic really limits players options.
But because Temptations Hook and Falling Guillotine are Legendary weapons, I can run them with the new Witherhoard grenade launcher, Thorn, or any number of other great Exotics.
Falling Guillotine makes me the most excited Ive been about a Destiny Legendary weapon since Bungie stopped making Pinnacle weapons each season, and its quickly becoming my favorite weapon in Destiny 2. And, unlike the original and Exotic Dark-Drinker, I wont need to ditch this new sword when I pick up a shiny new Exotic later this season or in Beyond Light this fall.
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