How do you get the Exotic Khvostov in Destiny 2? As the very first weapon Guardians got their hands on years ago, Khvostov is making its return in The Final Shape as both a Legendary and an Exotic with a brand new perk that ricochets every seventh bullet fired. It’s an exciting weapon that requires a bit of time invested, as well as some classic Destiny platforming and rooting around in caves to unlock it. We’ll walk you through every step you need to get your own hands on both versions of Khvostov 7G-0X.
Khvostov 7G-0X isn’t the first of the new The Final Shape Exotics that you’ll be able to get your hands on in Destiny 2, but it is one of the most exciting with its status as a fan favorite from the original Destiny. There are several stages to acquiring Khvostov, starting with getting your hands on its Legendary variant you’ll need to acquire its Exotic form. While it might not be a definite requirement, it’s a good idea to make use of the new Prismatic subclass while you’re out tracking it down.
There are several stages to obtaining the Legendary and Exotic versions of Khvostov, and we’ve listed them below in order of completion.
Find all the Lost Encryption Bits
The first thing you need to do is obtain 15 Lost Encryption Bits. Nine of these are obtained through looting each of the region chests throughout the Pale Heart, with three each in The Landing, The Blooming, and The Impasse. These will require some hunting around, but the area for each chest is marked on the map to make getting to their general area a little easier. Once you’ve picked up all nine, the remaining six require a little more work. During the Destined Heroes questline to obtain the Exotic Ergo Sum, you’ll pick up the repeatable quest Alone in the Dark; this starts a series of activities for the Exo Hunter Micah-10, who’s been shepherding lost Ghosts.
As part of tracking down injured Ghosts, Micah-10 tasks you with clearing out Cysts, in which you’ll recover the Ghosts and have the potential to earn different rewards at the end of each. Regardless of that, as you progress through each one, they’ll all have a hidden area in which you’ll find some remains to search with a Lost Encryption Bit in each. Each area has two Cysts which unlock as the final step at the end of Alone in the Dark.
In the first Cyst, Sword Dance (in The Landing), you’ll need to progress into its second room. From there, drop down to the bottom via the platforms to the opposite side of the room. The Hive sword you’ve been using during the mission comes in handy here to break through the blockage in front of you. Search the remains, and you’re done.
In Cyst two, Searing Light (in The Bloom), follow round to the left as you enter the Cyst to clear it out and in the purple-tinted cave area, turn left again into an alcove to find your second Bit. Cyst three (Aerial Ace, The Impasse) again needs clearing out first. From the entrance, follow the lava (without stepping in it too long!) under the shelf at the back and head to the alcove once you come out from under it.
In Cyst four, Moth-Infested Cavern in The Landing, head round to the first area with the ogre. Squeeze into the gap underneath its platform, take the path you see in front and follow the short cave round. Cyst five, Slayer in The Bloom, clear it out first. Then from the entrance to it, follow the path to the right, past the clearing, then look behind the pillars in the following path. Finally, Cyst six (Aerial Ace) takes you back to The Impasse. Again, clear it out first. Then from the floating purple crystal, through the cave mouth opposite, descend to the floor and follow it to the end to get your final Lost Encryption Bit.
Fast travel back to The Impasse’s starting location and cross the bridge of rusted cars; if you keep left, you’ll spot an open door on the other side. Simply follow this round til it opens up to a bridge. Turn right instead, and you’ll find a golden chest. Congratulations – you’ve now got the Legendary Khvostov 7G-02!
Find Visions of the Traveler
To continue your Khvostov journey and get your hands on its Exotic variant, you’ll next need to find eight Visions of the Traveler, which look like mini versions of our favorite giant orb. These are spread across the Pale Heart; we’ve included map locations as well as each Vision for reference. Chances are you’ve already stumbled across a few of these as you’ve been doing other quests, though some are considerably more out of the way than others.
The Lost City Traveler
You can find the first vision – a much smaller scale model of the Traveler – in The Lost City, not far from the landing zone. On the map, head to the top left of the area and follow the narrow jumping path til you reach the waterfall. Chilling in its basin is your first statue of the Traveler.
The Landing Traveler
Next, head to The Landing itself and take a sharp left on loading in. Head right around, hugging the wall til you find another waterfall. Just to its side is your second Traveler statue.
The Refraction Traveler
If you’re sick of waterfalls, tough. Travel to The Refraction and head to the wide open green area. From here, you’ll see from the map pin that you need to head down a little to a ledge, at the end of which is another waterfall. You’re at the top this time, as is your third statue of the Traveler.
The Blooming Traveler
For statue four, The Blooming bucks the trend. Head to the bottom right of the map and look for a large dead tree. Jump up its branches, and you’ll find your statue in its gnarled, twisted limbs.
The Seclusion Traveler
Now it’s over to The Seclusion, and you’ll need to reactivate the Searing Light cyst (there should now be an icon on your map for this so head The there). Once inside the entrance, hang an immediate right and jump up to a small ledge to find your Traveler statue nestled in the alcove.
The Divide Traveler
The Divide – the lovely, frosty Europa-like area – hides the sixth Traveler. Make your way to the very top of the mountain you’ll find a snowed-in structure you visited during the campaign. Check the left side behind a satellite dish for your collectible.
The Impasse Traveler
Back in The Impasse, take an immediate left and head to the large pyramid structure across the chasm. Next to it, in plain view inside a circle atop a tower, you’ll find statue number seven.
The Transgression Traveler
Last but certainly not least, head to The Transgression. Here you’ll need to make your way through the sandstorms and buildings far into the area, but tucked away in one, near a giant tree, is your final statue.
With all of them in hand, return to the Lost City and head right to its reconstruction of the Tower from Destiny 1. Head to the Speaker’s old room, and place them all on their pedestals. You’re almost there, but the golden chest will still say something is missing.
Obtain Motes of Light
The third, and final, step for getting the Exotic version of Khvostov 7G-0X, is to obtain 17 Motes of Light. You’ll get the first eight by collecting the Travelers in step two, but the remaining nine you’ll need to head to the Pale Heart’s new public event, Overthrow. These activities that pop up in The Landing, The Blooming, and the Impasse. At the end of each Overthrow is a boss, and there are three bosses per area, making nine to beat in total. You can obtain a Mote of Light the first time you fight each boss per day – you’ll just need to rerun the Overthrow activity until a new boss spawns.
Once you defeat each boss for the first time that day, you’ll obtain its Mote of Light. Each zone is themed differently, with The Landing being Hive, The Blooming being Taken, and in The Impasse you’ll fight the Dread.
When you defeat the ninth boss, instead of dropping just a regular Mote, they’ll instead drop a Mote of Primordial Light. Go back to the golden chest in the Speaker’s room in the tower, and at last, you can open the chest – and get your very own Exotic Khvostov.
Obtaining Khvostov is a long process but one that’ll be extremely rewarding, particularly as once you complete all The Final Shape missions, you get to enjoy a number of the new Activities introduced with The Final Shape like tracking down lost Ghosts or seeking out the Prismatic fragment locations to get your perfect build together and be raid-ready for Salvation’s Edge to release later today.