Bungie has done a great job turning Destiny 2 into the game it was always meant to be, and this happened over the course of years thanks to several Seasons and big expansions like Shadowkeep and Beyond Light. The game turned four years old last week, and a few days ago it was also the seventh anniversary of the first game, Destiny, which launched in September 2014. This year has been an intense one for Bungie, as there were other big anniversaries including the 30th anniversary of the company's founding and three years since Forsaken launched for Destiny 2.
Season of the Lost helps celebrate all these anniversaries thanks to the way it bridges old and new content, but also because it takes a look at what the game has been over the past four years. However, there is another anniversary that a few players have been talking about in the last few days: How Bungie has not made a new Exotic pulse rifle in Destiny 2 since Vigilance Wings. Some players might be surprised by this, as there have been Exotic pulse rifles released, but what players are unhappy about is the fact that none of them were brand-new; rather they were reprised guns from the first installment of the franchise.
Now is a Perfect Time to Have a New Exotic Pulse Rifle
Bungie is known for reprising Exotics from the first game in Destiny 2, either changed to better reflect the current meta or maintaining the same feel. However, Destiny 2 hasn't released a new Exotic pulse rifle since the game launched four years ago. There is also a surprisingly low number of Exotic pulse rifles in the game, as there are four Kinetic ones and a single Energy-based Exotic pulse rifle.
This is particularly bad because the game adds a lot of new Exotics, apart from all of the reprised ones. With each new Season, players can get the seasonal Exotic gun from the Battle Pass, and yet there has never been a single pulse rifle among those. Rather, the last one introduced in Destiny 2 is the one from Beyond Light - No Time to Explain. In February of next year, players will be able to get their hands on The Witch Queen expansion, but thus far it has been advertised as a DLC that features an Exotic SMG.
While SMGs also suffer from a lack of Exotic choices, as there are only three of them in Destiny 2 right now, all of them were original guns made for the game rather than reprised weapons. Because of how Seasons work, it's likely that players will have to wait for a new Exotic pulse rifle at least until Season 17, which would launch sometime in May 2022. That's not the most comforting option for pulse rifle lovers, especially because four-burst Legendaries were seemingly discontinued.
Ultimately, Bungie should try to break this awkward anniversary that's making some players unhappy, especially considering how well the game has been doing for a while. Bungie has been more in touch with the Destiny 2 community, and it does seem like it's listening to fans. Plus, a new Exotic pulse rifle could come as part of The Witch Queen's Raid, even though nothing is confirmed at this point. Still, here's to hoping this specific anniversary won't be celebrated again next year.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.