This week kicked off the spooky season inDestiny 2withthe return of the Festival of the Lost. The Tower space has been outfitted with candled, trees, spider webs, and more to celebrate the season. Of course, the Haunted Forest is also back, and while players can run it as many times as they want, Bungie has added a new item called Cipher Decoders which can be used to open more chests at the end of a run.
While these were initially supposed to spawn following a normal activity such as Gambit or the Crucible, players noticed thatthe drop rates were extremely low. Bungie wasted little time investigating and fine tuned a few things behind the scenes. While the ciphers are still not a guaranteed drop, many players have reported that they’re seeing them drop more often than before. That fix should go a long way to help people claim a few of the newly added Festival of the Lost Triumphs.
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In between Forest runs, players should take a moment to visit Xur, the exotic merchant who typically arrives inside ofDestiny 2each weekend. Follow this guide for his location as well as a review of what he’s currently selling for the weekend of July 10, 2025.
Where is Xur?
Through this weekend, Xur can be found within the European Dead Zone on his usual cliff.
Fast travel to the Winding Cove zone and immediately head towards the back where the Fallen typically patrol. Climb the cliffs back here to find Xur standing on a ledge not too far from a crashed ship.
Class Armor
Keep in mind that Xur isno longer selling collection rolled gear, a welcomed change of pace from the past few years. The armor he now has features randomized stats and perks, which should revitalize player interest in what the merchant has each week. In addition, players can use an Exotic Cypher to purchase a second fated engram from the merchant.
Here are Xur’s three gear pieces this weekend:
Felwinter’s Helm - Warlock helmet
This week’s selection of items were all once well known for either breaking game balance or containing bugs that forced Bungie to intervene. For Warlocks,season 10’s Felwinter’s Helmwas once a damage powerhouse thanks to a bug that let players proc the item’s special ability after each kill. Bungie was forced to disable the exotic in order to fix it.
These days, Felwinter’s is a solid exotic, though it’s not likely going to replace the traditional go to items. The item comes with the Warlord’s End perk that turns any Solar, Void, or Arc melee kill into a burst of energy that weakens nearby enemies. Finishers and elite kills make this burst stronger through a bigger radius and longer debuff.
Void Enhanced. Stat Values:
Wormhusk Crown - Hunter Helmet
This exotic Hunter gear used to be an easy go-to option, especially since it was handed out to players who finished theWarmind expansion campaign. Burning Souls gives a small health and shield boost to players after they dodge.
Unfortunately, the perk was deemed too powerful by Bungie, and the developer proceeded to nerf the item to modify its ability to essentially save a Hunter from death simply by dodging. While it’s no where near the power levels it was prior to the nerf, its still a solid option for Hunters inside the Crucible for the health boost. Thankfully, the roll on this item is pretty good, especially for Crucible fans. With this and OEM for Titans, it’s going to be an interesting weekend for PvP players.
One-Eyed Mask - Titan Helmet
At one point, the One-Eyed Mask made Titan players a feared combatant in the game’s PvP modes. It was the go-to exotic thanks to the buffs it provided the wearer, thoughlate last year, the item was finally nerfedmaking Hunters and Warlocks quite happy. While it’s still a very strong PvP-oriented exotic, it’s certainly not the item it once was. Still, it’s absolutely worth a pick up for players who don’t have it or want a better roll.
The reason this item is a great Crucible item is due to its perk Vengeance. Any enemy that damages the wearer becomes highlighted and if the player can kill the marked player, they get an overshield.
Exotic Weapon
This week features the Wardcliff Coil rocket launcher with its unique firing mechanics. Mad Scientist allows this weapon to fire a volley of rockets instead of just one at a time like the others. Volatile Launch goes even further to make this weapon even more explosive by greatly increasing blast radius and slightly decreasing handling speed and projectile speed.
For newer players, this is a great PvE weapon, so it’s an easy recommend this week. Rocket Launchers remain a solid power choice, even if many players tend to stick to machine guns and grenade launchers. Either way, this weapon in particular remains incredibly strong in PvE activities, especially against bosses. When used in conjunction with arc singe enabled activities, the weapon can melt bosses very quickly asplayers who farm the Strange Terrain Nightfallcan attest to.
Additional perks:
Here’s the complete rundown of Xur’s entire stock inDestiny 2for July 16, 2025:
Destiny 2 Shadowkeepis out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
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