How to get Destiny 2’s Xenophage assault rifle

Hamza Khalid
Xenophage in Destiny 2

Wondering how to get the powerful Xenophage rifle in Destiny 2? Here’s how.

Destiny 2 has a ton of cool weapons to choose from before jumping into battle. The Xenophage Exotic machine gun is a great choice because of its accuracy, along with its explosive rounds that will annihilate your enemies.

If you want to get your hands on this powerful weapon, then you’ll need to complete an Exotic quest that requires you to solve puzzles and complete certain tasks. Here’s how you can get the Xenophage Exotic in Season of the Chosen.

Destiny 2

How to start the Xenophage Exotic quest 

If you want to start this Destiny 2 Exotic quest, then you’ll need to visit the Red Keep room where you saw Eris when completing her Memory quests. From there, you’ll have to make your way towards a puzzle that you need to solve.

Here’s what you need to do:

  • Land at Sorrow’s Harbor, and move north into the Red Keep
  • Head left from the green crystal, and continue until you approach a small path on the right wall leading upward
  • When you enter the main room, light the statues in the correct order (front right, back left, back right, front left) 
  • Loot the chest in the middle of the area to claim The Journey
Xenophage Exotic quest in Destiny 2

Light all six lanterns at The Anchor of Light

You’ll then have to go east of the main southern landing zone at the Anchor of Light portion of the Moon. Once you’re there, collect the orb of flame from the Fallen-infested building.

This orb must be used to light lanterns at six different spots within one minute. Luckily, your timer will reset every time you light one in the correct order, which is the following:

  1. Right next to where you collected the Orb of Flame.
  2. On top of the building at the edge of the crevasse to the East
  3. Inside the small yellow structure interior near the Fallen-infested building
  4. At the top of the Fallen-infested building
  5. On a small rooftop by the buried section to the north
  6. On top of the large round structure over the green pit in the middle of the map

After all six lanterns have been lit in the correct order, you must insert the orb in the small Hive spire near the site where you grabbed the orb.  

Lantern location in Destiny 2

Where to find all four path fragments 

Now, you’ll have to complete all four Lost Sectors on the Moon, and successfully get through Hive rune puzzles at the end of each one. You can find these puzzles in the exit paths for the Lost Sectors.

These consist of nine grids of runes, and shooting one will change all of the symbols in the rune’s row and column. You’ll need to match every rune in the grid with the symbol above the grid. We’ve listed the correct order below:

  • K1 Communion: 7, 9, 2, 2
  • K1 Revelation: 6, 4, 5, 5, 4, 8, 5, 2
  • K1 Logistics: 1, 7, 6, 5
  • K1 Crew Quarters: 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 9, 8, 8

Once you’ve line up all the runes, chests will spawn that you can loot to collect all four path fragments.

Runes in Destiny 2

The Pit of Heresy

This next step will require you to complete various activities within the Pit of Heresy dungeon, including activating a hidden rune, lighting fires, and winning a boss fight. You’ll already have reached 970 PL beforehand, so you can get these done quickly.

Here’s how you can complete the Pit of Heresy:

  1. Clear all the minibosses at the start of the dungeon
  2. Make your way to the chamber filled with doorways and platform to the door without a symbol at the entrance
  3. Activate the hidden rune inside
  4. Visit the area packed with Hive Ogres before the Hive Totem encounter
  5. Head left from the fork, then drop down to the rocky ledge below.
  6. Find the small plate marked with runes and activate it to collect the Orb of Flame.
  7. Return to the fork, and then take the right path this time.
  8. Find the sealed door with two braziers on either side, and use the Orb of Flame to light both

This will then open up a door that leads to a boss fight. This enemy is PL 970, so be ready for a dangerous battle. You won’t be able to hurt the boss initially, and you’ll need to do some tasks before that opportunity comes.

The Pit of Heresy in Destiny 2

You’ll receive a random buff, and you must check it to see where you need to place the Orb of Light. Once you’ve put it in the correct spot in the arena, you’ll gain a Vengeance buff that allows you to hurt the enemy for 25 seconds.

Here’s where to place the orbs:

  • Abyssal Dread: Upper Arena – Far left
  • Thunderous Dread: Lower Arena – Front left
  • Fiery Dread: Lower Arena – Far right
  • Neutral Dread: Upper Arena – Front right

Just keep checking your buff, then collect the Orb of Flame and place it in the matching locations. You’ll then have the opportunity to shoot the boss with the matching elemental damage type. Just keep repeating it until you defeat the boss.

Once the enemy has been defeated, you can finally collect the Xenophage Machine Gun for yourself! Now you can go cause some serious pain to your opponents the next time you jump into a match of Destiny 2.

Image Credits: Bungie

About The Author

Hamza is a Content Creator & Publisher at Charlie INTEL, who graduated from Bahria University with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration. He's spent the past few years covering news and guides for various video games, including Call of Duty and Apex Legends. He loves digital art, movies, and comic books. You can contact Hamza at [email protected].