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

Summary

Xur has returned to Destiny 2 with new exotic and legendary gear for players to check out. Season 22 is also introducing new content to the Crucible, including a new Vex Network inspired map and a game mode called Relic.
Xur's role includes offering weekly quests, exotics, and legendary gear. Players can earn a new cipher by completing strikes, crucible or gambit matches, and gain bonus points for playing with clan mates or completing challenging activities.
This week, Xur is selling the Crown of Tempests (Warlock helmet), Shinobu's Vow (Hunter gauntlets), ACD/0 Feedback Fence (Titan gauntlets), as well as the Merciless fusion rifle. Hawkmoon and Dead Man's Tale are also available with randomized rolls. Xur's exotic stock can be purchased using Legendary Shards and Glimmer.

Xur has returned again to Destiny 2, complete with new exotic and legendary gear for players to check out for a limited time. Destiny 2 fans got some big pieces of information this week about the future of the game ahead of the highly anticipated Showcase Event coming in a couple of weeks. Game Director Joe Blackburn posted a State of the Game update, giving fans insight into nearly all aspects of Destiny 2 including how Ritual activities are changing, a sneak peek of the future, as well as some other updates as well.

The blog post even covered some new content coming to the Destiny 2 Crucible, something that many players have been asking to see for quite a while now. While it's not an avalanche of new content, Season 22 is adding a new Vex Network inspired map called Multiplex, which takes advantage of a lo-fi, neon visual style reminiscent of Neomuna. A new game mode called Relic is also on the way, letting players attack each other with special weapons like the Scythe from Season or the Haunted or the Aegis from the Vault of Glass. Finally, a new modifier called Checkmate places an emphasis on weapons and putting longer cooldowns on player abilities.

In the meantime, 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 August 4, 2023.

Where is Xur?

This weekend, Destiny 2 players will need to head to the Watcher's Grave in Nessus to find Xur.

destiny 2 xur nessus tree — Destiny 2 xur nessus tree

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.

Exotic Armor

Crown of Tempests - Warlock helmet

Exotic Perk:

Conduction Tines - Arc ability or jolt final blows increase the recharge rate of your Arc abilities and extend the duration of Stormtrance.

Typically, a very strong exotic helmet for Stormtrance Warlocks, this one has an unfortunate roll with a very high mobility stat, though it does make up for it with really high Recovery and Intelligence as well. Players can play around with mods to increase Resilience or Discipline as needed, so it's worth a buy for those without it or replacing a worse roll.

Stat Values (67 Total):

Mobility +17
Resilience +2
Recovery +16
Discipline +2
Intellect +20
Strength +10

Shinobu's Vow - Hunter gauntlets

Exotic Perk:

New Tricks - Improves Skip Grenade, and you gain an additional Skip Grenade charge. Skip Grenade returns energy when it damages enemies.

It's a very high roll this week but the item itself is VERY situational, so for players not using Skip Grenades then there's zero reason to use this. For those who utilize Arcstrider builds, this is definitely worth the pickup this week.

Stat Values (68 Total):

Mobility +18
Resilience +3
Recovery +14
Discipline +19
Intellect +2
Strength +12

ACD/0 Feedback Fence - Titan gauntlets

Exotic Perk:

Fury Conductors - Melee hits build energy. Being struck by a melee attack reduces incoming damage and unleashes the energy in a devastating explosion.

A great roll for a Titan exotic that is more fun to use than being high in the game's current meta at this time. It's a solid buy, but probably not an exotic that will replace the other top tier ones for now.

Stat Values (67 total):

Mobility +2
Resilience +20
Recovery +12
Discipline +14
Intellect +12
Strength +7

Exotic Weapon

Merciless is a heavy weapon that has high damage output, especially against a single target. It's a solid choice regardless of the mode, though Nightfalls and strikes make it a powerful option.

destiny 2 merciless exotic — Destiny 2 merciless exotic

Conserve Momentum continually charges the weapon faster when players get non-lethal hits, with the cycle resetting once the final kill is achieved. Pair that with its other perk, Impetus, players gain increased damage for a short time after quickly reloading following a kill.

Weapon perks:

Chambered Compensator
Extended Mag
Fitted Stock

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:

Extended Barrel
Alloy Magazine
Moving Target
Heavy Grip

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

Dead Man's Tale Rolls:

Corkscrew Rifling
Accurized Rounds
Subsistence
Short-Action Stock

Here's the complete rundown of Xur's exotic stock in Destiny 2 for August 4, 2023:

Crown of Tempests (Warlock helmet) – 23 Legendary Shards
Shinobu's Vow (Hunter gauntlets) – 23 Legendary Shards
ACD/0 Feedback Fence (Titan gauntlets) – 23 Legendary Shards
Merciless (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