How to get the Sturm exotic hand cannon in Destiny 2

Destiny 2’s revamped exploration activities have proven to be a surprisingly reliable source of exotic gear, but the guaranteed exotic weapons tied to unlockable quests are better still. The exotic hand cannon Sturm falls into this category, meaning you can nab it very early on.

As is the case with the Rat King and the Mida Multi-Tool, you have to complete several quests and challenges to obtain Sturm. It’s grindy, but you won’t be disappointed. When paired with Drang, its twin legendary sidearm, Sturm becomes a PvE powerhouse. Kills with Sturm reload your energy weapon, and kills with Drang reload Sturm and buff its critical damage. Keep the kills coming and you can swap between the two pistols infinitely without ever stopping to reload. It’s every bit as fun as it sounds. That being said, let’s run through how to unlock Sturm. 

The first step for all Destiny 2 quest exotics is simple: complete the story and reach level 20. This will unlock planetary ‘quest missions’ denoted by blue map markers.

Head to Nessus and clear the ‘Exodus Black’ quest chain, which involves tracking down the late crew of the titular ship. It’s a multi-part quest, but just follow the blue markers and you’ll reach the end quickly. 

Completing Exodus Black will reward you with Drang outright. You’ll also receive ‘Talk to the Cryptarch’, a legendary item which takes up a kinetic weapon slot. This is the exotic quest proper, which has three steps: 

Step one

Talk to the Rahool, the Tower Cryptarch, and he’ll give you the ‘Relics of the Golden Age’ item, which requires you to decrypt five legendary engrams and one exotic engram, and kill 10 Fallen on Nessus using Drang. You can decrypt engrams and kill Fallen in any order. Public events are a fast way to earn both exotic and legendary engrams, but you can do virtually anything. Notably, the legendary engrams earned from faction packages will count toward this step. Naturally, if you’re reading this ahead of time, be sure to save up engrams. (And while you’re at it, save up scout rifles for the Mida Multi-Tool exotic quest.)

Step two

Return to the Rahool and he’ll direct you to Tyra Karn, the Cryptarch located at the Farm. Speak to her and she’ll update your relic with two new objectives: kill multiple (two) fallen with Drang without reloading, and defeat 10 powerful (yellow-barred) Fallen with Drang. The first objective refers to 10 multi-kills, meaning you’ll technically kill 20-ish individual enemies. 

The trick here is to reload after getting two kills. Getting additional kills won’t contribute to that magazine’s multi-kill count. You can do most anything for the powerful fallen kills, but there is a shortcut. Land at Nessus’ Exodus Black fast travel point and head straight north to the Lost Sector along the wall. There’s an elite captain inside who you can farm for kills. You only have to deal the killing blow with Drang, so burst him down with your power weapon of choice. Return to orbit and repeat.

Step three

Head back to Tyra Karn for the final step: start the new Nessus quest mission ‘Prodromus Down’ and kill the unique servitor within it. Follow your newfound blue marker and the mission objectives. You can complete this part solo, but it’s much easier with a friend or two. The servitor in question, Kendricks-7, can be found shortly after you kill the Fallen walker in the mission. You’ll find him atop a platform off to the right of the dark room filled with Fallen dregs. You do not have to finish the mission, so you can return to orbit after killing Kendricks. 

Finally, head back to Tyra Karn one last time and claim Sturm! Now get shooting. Seriously, these pistols are a ton of fun to use.