As a Destiny 2 expert boasting over 1,000 hours played, exotic quests are my absolute favorite activity. I‘ve helped countless friends and clanmates complete journeys to unlock coveted gear, from Outbreak Perfected to Divinity. But few quests capture the cooperative heart and soul of Destiny quite like unlocking Lumina through "A Weapon of Hope."
As one of the longest quest chains in Destiny 2, it draws inspiration from the iconic Thorn quest of Destiny 1. It requires diligence, skill, and teamwork to purify the corruption of Thorn into a beacon of inspiration – the exotic hand cannon Lumina. For dedicated guardians, the reward is a uniquely powerful weapon that literally empowers your entire fireteam.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll leverage my veteran insights to walk you through each step required to transform fate into Lumina.
Let‘s Get Started with the Mysterious System Positioning Device
The journey starts just where the original Thorn quest began – down in the Salt Mines of the EDZ. Look for a new portal past the empty chamber that once held Thorn to find a hillside path leading up to a chest. Opening this chest grants the first step, "A Fateful Gift," along with the System Positioning Device.
As a quirky little guide, this device points you to various patrol zones to locate hidden chests. It will display a random destination from the available lost sectors and secret caches across the worlds of Destiny 2. I‘ve compiled some examples below:
Once you arrive at the designated area, open the chest to officially begin the "A Weapon of Hope" exotic questline.
Step 1: Neutralizing Thorn‘s Corruption with Orbs of Light
The first real step in purifying Thorn is named "Bearer of Evils Past." And it‘s a doozy – generate 250 Orbs of Light while in a fireteam. Having tackled this requirement several times over, I cannot stress enough how important it is to be in an organized fireteam.
My recommended approach is to target an activity with plentiful targets and consistent supers/abilities to maximize orb generation. Based on extensive testing, here is how I rank the top options:
1. Blind Well
Nothing comes close to competing with the Harmony buffs and endless waves of enemies in Blind Well. It‘s by far the fastest route to completing this quest step, especially if your fireteam stacks masterworked weapons and supers that produce the most orbs:
- Sentinel Titan – Shield throws with Ursa Furiosa
- Nightstalker Hunter – Moebius Quiver upgraded
- Attunement of Grace Warlock – Benevolent Dawn buffed grenades
Check out this example run I recorded where we generated over 400 orbs in a single tier 3 completion!
2. Escalation Protocol
While slower than Blind Well with more monotonous phases to grind through, EP features a loopable final boss encounter that showers the field with orbs. Have your fireteam focus on supers and abilities during Wave 7 completions. Recent changes make it easy to farm this boss fight.
3. Forge Ignitions
Volundr, Gofannon, and Izanami forges provide quick victories against yellow-bar enemies, generating decent orb totals in just a few minutes. I prefer this as a tertiary option when the other activities become boring.
Claim Your Rewards – An Upgraded Rose and New Objectives
Completing the 250 orb requirement awards Rose – a legendary kinetics hand cannon devoid of any special perks…for now. Equip Rose to take on three new quest steps focused on upgrading its potential via Crucible and Vanguard activities:
- Band Together – Complete a Nightfall on 50k+ score
- Face the Hordes – Complete Blind Well, EP, or Forge encounters
- Defend the Light – Earn multikills against enemies without reloading
I found success quickly banging these out in roughly this order:
- Face the Hordes via Blind Well completions
- Defend the Light multikills using 21% Delirium/Thunderlord LMGs
- Band Together on a 50k Nightfall (recommended Strange Terrain)
Now sporting some fancy new perks like Marksman‘s Dodge, Rose is ready for its true purpose – inspiration through cooperation.
Strengthening Bonds – The "Fireteam Leader" Quest Step
Think of this next quest phase as a training montage before the big battle. Equip Rose and complete various activities with allies, especially those also working on this quest. Progress will be maximized if fireteam members have Rose equipped.
Based on my extensive experimentation with random LFG teams, here are the top completions for efficient quest progress:
1. The Lake of Shadows Strike
With a capable fireteam, this quick and easy strike can be wrapped up in 4-5 minutes. At 12% progress per completion, you‘ll unlock the next quest phase after just 7-8 runs.
2. Rumble/Clash Crucible Matches
Competitive Crucible modes work particularly well for larger 6-player fireteams organizing in voice chat. Calling out opponents wielding Rose helps concentrate progress. Rumble matches also progress all fireteam members simultaneously.
3. Menagerie (with 6 players)
The bonus rewards from Menagerie aren‘t just loot – this 6 player matchmade activity provides a whopping 35% quest progress when working in unison with 5 other Rose users. This allows completion in as little as 3 runs.
One Last Test of Teamwork
After reinforcing relationships through fireteam cooperation, only one trial remains before Lumina – the "Strength in Numbers" quest step:
- Generate Orbs of Light with Rose equipped
- Defeat opposing Guardians with any Hand Cannon
- Successfully defend your team from invading players in Gambit
I prefer picking off these objectives together with my fireteam across a variety of modes:
- Complete Gambit matches, focusing on invader kills
- Shift to Crucible for Guardian defeats with Trust, Ace, or other potent Hand Cannons
- Finally, run Blind Well for quick orb generations
One Final Challenge – Cleansing Corruption in "Will of Thousands" Strike
We‘ve purified Rose through teamwork across the solar system. All that remains is cleansing Thorn‘s final vestiges of corruption by defeating Xol once and for all in the Will of Thousands strike.
Equip Rose and select the Will of Thousands from the Vanguard node in the Director (power level 200 variant). As you battle through the treacherous caverns of Mars, blighted crystals will begin to appear. Destroy them with Rose to gain a Harmony buff that accelerates ability regeneration. Lean heavily on your powered up supers to give your fireteam an edge over the Hive forces.
Facing off against Xol, utilize your buffed abilities to overwhelm the Worm God. Vanquish him with a final barrage of super and heavy ammo attacks. Complete the strike in its entirety with Rose equipped to fulfill the quest and permanently unlock Lumina.
Wield the Power of Inspiration with Exotic Hand Cannon Lumina
The transformed Thorn, cleansed by cooperation and teamwork, Lumina‘s exotic perks raise you and your allies to majestic new heights on the battlefield. Let‘s breakdown why this support weapon is so potent:
Noble Rounds
Lumina retains its connection to practicing selflessness through gameplay. Noble bullets seek out damaged allies to bless them with healing and an automatic reload.
But why stop there? Noble Rounds also produce Remnant light wells for the shooter to collect and convert their next shot into an even more powerful ally buff!
Blessing of the Sky
This bonus exotic trait grants a short-term weapon damage bonus to both the blessed ally and yourself after landing a Noble Round. At 35%, it translates to a highly notable spike in dueling and DPS potential.
The bonus even stacks if multiple Lumina users cascade Noble Rounds across a fireteam! By chaining these empowered shots, a squad of noble guardians can devastate the most formidable opponents through skill and inspiration.
After 1,000s of hours shooting, looting, and adventuring across Destiny 2, few exotic quests encapsulate the spirit of camaraderie and heroism quite like forging your very own Lumina. It requires dedication not to loot or glory, but to the allies at your side. Complete its trial to claim a uniquely powerful weapon that turns fatal wounds into valor and kindness into unstoppable force.
