How to get Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted exotics: All weapons & armor from Year 5

Complete guide to Destiny 2’s Witch Queen and Season of the Haunted exotic weapons and armor acquisition strategies

Introduction to Destiny 2’s Exotic Arsenal

Destiny 2 continues to expand its impressive collection of exotic gear with each new season and expansion. This comprehensive guide covers all the powerful new additions from both the Witch Queen expansion and Season of the Haunted.

Exotic equipment represents the pinnacle of Destiny 2’s power fantasy, offering unique abilities that can completely transform your gameplay experience across both PvE and PvP activities.

The Witch Queen expansion launched Destiny 2’s fifth year with an entirely new campaign, destination, and raid experience, while Season of the Haunted continues the ongoing narrative with fresh seasonal content and challenges for Guardians to conquer.

For dedicated players, acquiring exotic gear remains a primary pursuit, as these items feature distinctive perks that enable powerful new build combinations capable of dominating both Darkness forces in PvE and opponents in Crucible matches.

If you’re curious about what new equipment you can obtain during the Witch Queen era and Season of the Haunted, prepare for an extensive collection journey. This guide provides complete details about all Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted exotics, covering both weapons and armor pieces.

Season of the Haunted Exotics

Trespasser

This exotic sidearm serves as the seasonal exotic weapon for Season of the Haunted, taking the place previously occupied by Grand Overture from the last season.

For detailed acquisition methods, consult our comprehensive Season Pass guide.

Pro Tip: Trespasser excels in close-quarters combat scenarios. Pair it with a long-range weapon to cover all engagement distances effectively. The automatic reload feature allows for continuous pressure in aggressive playstyles.

Heartshadow

This exotic sword becomes available through the Duality Dungeon content. Its unique perks include:

Strategic Insight: Heartshadow synergizes exceptionally well with Void subclass builds that enhance invisibility duration. The weapon’s projectile attack bypasses enemy shields, making it invaluable against Barrier Champions in high-level content.

Second Chance

These Titan arm exotics provide exceptional utility against Barrier Champions, especially when your mod loadout lacks appropriate anti-barrier options.

Acquisition requires completion of Master or Legend difficulty Lost Sectors.

Common Mistake: Many players overlook the strategic value of Second Chance in Grandmaster Nightfalls. The guaranteed Barrier Champion stun without mod investment allows for more flexible build crafting in endgame content.

Caliban’s Hand

Hunters gain access to enhanced throwing knives that apply scorch effects within an area or cause ignition on direct impacts.

Obtain through Master or Legend Lost Sector completion.

Optimization Tip: Combine Caliban’s Hand with the Gunpowder Gamble aspect for massive area-of-effect chain reactions. The ignition triggers from direct hits can clear entire rooms of minor enemies in higher-difficulty activities.

Rain of Fire

These innovative Warlock leg armor feature the Soaring Fusilier perk that reloads all equipped weapons during air dodge maneuvers.

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Available through Master or Legend Lost Sector completion.

Advanced Technique: Rain of Fire transforms Warlock mobility in combat. The automatic reload works exceptionally well with weapons having long reload animations, essentially eliminating downtime during intense firefights. Combine with Icarus Dash for maximum effectiveness.

Witch Queen Exotic Weapons

Parasite

This unique ‘worm launcher’ grenade launcher features escalating damage mechanics and fires Hive worms reminiscent of those encountered aboard Oryx’s Dreadnaught. The visual design is distinctly unsettling.

Acquisition requires completing the ‘Of Queen and Worms’ questline. We provide a complete walkthrough in our dedicated guide.

Damage Scaling: Parasite’s damage increases based on the number of enemies defeated before reloading. In activities with dense enemy populations, this weapon can achieve astronomical damage numbers against bosses and champions.

Osteo Striga

Still thinking ’bout that SMG… pic.twitter.com/bAG0U99YRV

— Destiny 2 News (@DeltaINTEL) February 1, 2022

This exotic SMG features swarming projectiles that trigger toxic bursts upon impact, functioning similarly to Thorn but with accelerated projectile speed. Currently, this weapon can only be obtained through The Witch Queen Deluxe Edition purchase, with no alternative acquisition methods available at this time.

After completing the Witch Queen campaign, you’ll need to craft Osteo Striga at the Enclave.

Poison Mechanics: The toxic damage from Osteo Striga bypasses enemy shields and continues damaging targets even after they take cover. This makes it exceptionally effective against aggressive enemies that frequently hide behind obstacles.

Dead Messenger

This exotic grenade launcher discovered during Season of the Risen’s exotic quest ‘generates a fan-shaped pattern of three shockwaves upon impact and can cycle between elemental damage types during reload, functioning similarly to established exotics like Hard Light and Borealis,’ according to official Bungie descriptions.

We’re currently investigating precise acquisition methods and will update this section as new information becomes available.

Elemental Flexibility: The ability to switch damage types makes Dead Messenger invaluable for match game activities where specific shield types must be broken quickly. The wide projectile spread also ensures reliable hits against multiple targets.

Glaives

The Witch Queen expansion introduces the entirely new Glaive weapon category. Unlike previous melee-focused weapons like Rise of Iron’s battle axes or Hive swords, these implements are wielded from a first-person perspective. Players will craft these weapons personally, with each character class receiving a distinct Glaive featuring unique abilities.

An additional Glaive named Lubrae’s Ruin exists, though the weapon pattern acquisition method remains undiscovered currently.

Acquisition requires completing The Evidence Board Exotic quest within the Enclave. This becomes accessible at specific story progression points, potentially requiring significant campaign advancement before availability.

Class Synergy: Each glaive complements its respective class’s playstyle perfectly. Titans gain defensive utility, Warlocks enhance support capabilities, and Hunters receive additional offensive options. Mastering the block and melee combos is essential for effective glaive usage.

Witch Queen Exotic Armor

Titan Armor Options

Loreley Splendor Helmet: This Solar-focused helmet enables health regeneration through Sunspot interaction and automatically generates a Sunspot when your health reaches critical levels, significantly accelerating ability cooldowns.

Available by completing the Witch Queen Legendary campaign. You must choose between this and Hoarfrost-Z.

Hoarfrost-Z Chest Armor: This chest piece transforms the standard Titan barricade into a Stasis wall structure. While specific benefits remain undocumented, we anticipate it will freeze enemies upon contact, though we’ll provide updates as we personally acquire more Destiny 2 Witch Queen exotics.

Obtain through Witch Queen Legendary campaign completion. Selection required between this and Loreley Splendor.

Titan Build Advice: Loreley Splendor provides exceptional survivability for solo play and high-difficulty content. The automatic Sunspot creation essentially serves as an emergency survival mechanism that can save runs in Grandmaster Nightfalls.

Warlock Armor Options

Secant Filaments Leg Armor: These innovative leg pieces provide the Devouring Rift Perk, which Bungie describes as enabling ‘damage from both allied and individual sources to disrupt adversaries… with distinctive flair.’

Available through Witch Queen Legendary campaign completion. Choice required between this and Osmiomancy Gloves.

Osmiomancy Gloves: These gauntlets provide an additional Coldsnap grenade charge with improved tracking capabilities over extended distances.

Obtain by completing the Witch Queen Legendary campaign. Selection required between this and Secant Filaments.

Warlock Optimization: Osmiomancy Gloves transform Stasis Warlocks into crowd control powerhouses. The enhanced Coldsnap grenades can lock down entire areas in high-level content, providing crucial breathing room during intense encounters.

Hunter Armor Options

Renewal Grasps: These gauntlets provide what Bungie characterizes as a ‘miniature Silence & Squall’ effect for Hunters, reducing incoming damage from enemies while substantially expanding Duskfield grenade effective radius.

Available through Witch Queen Legendary campaign completion. Choice required between this and Blight Ranger Helmet.

Blight Ranger Helmet: Utilizing Arc Staff deflects incoming projectiles back toward enemies. Reflected projectiles receive significant damage amplification, making this an optimal defensive selection for high-difficulty activities or Player versus Player combat.

Obtain through Witch Queen Legendary campaign completion. Selection required between this and Renewal Grasps.

Hunter Strategic Use: Renewal Grasps received significant adjustments but remain powerful for area denial. The damage reduction combined with the enlarged Duskfield radius creates safe zones that are invaluable in both PvE and PvP scenarios when positioned correctly.

Acquisition Strategies & Pro Tips

Successfully collecting all these exotic items requires strategic planning and efficient gameplay approaches. Here are essential strategies to optimize your acquisition process.

Efficiency First: Prioritize completing the Legendary campaign first, as this provides your initial exotic choices and unlocks necessary content for other acquisitions. The campaign completion also boosts your power level significantly, making Lost Sectors more manageable.

Lost Sector Mastery: For exotics requiring Lost Sector completion, monitor the daily rotation and focus on sectors with favorable modifiers. Prepare specific loadouts countering the day’s champions and shield types to maximize completion speed and success rate.

Quest Preparation: For quest-based exotics like Parasite, gather necessary materials and complete prerequisite activities beforehand. Many exotic quests have hidden requirements that become easier when prepared.

Common Acquisition Mistakes: Many players waste time attempting Master Lost Sectors before reaching appropriate power levels. Ensure you’re at least at the recommended power threshold before attempting these activities. Another frequent error is overlooking seasonal challenges that provide exotic catalysts or enhancement materials.

Advanced Optimization: For veteran players, coordinate exotic farming with weekly reset activities. Many exotics have higher drop rates during specific weeks or with particular seasonal modifiers. Joining dedicated farming groups can significantly reduce time investment for dungeon and raid exotics.

This comprehensive overview covers the complete Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted exotics collection, along with those available through the Witch Queen expansion. For additional Destiny content and updates, explore our continuing coverage at Dexerto.

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