The Guardian Games are back in full swing in Destiny 2 for 2024. While many eyes will be on the new vehicle type, the Skimmer, the event also marks the return of the Heir Apparent Exotic, which is available exclusively during the Guardian Games.
For players experiencing their first Guardian Games, this is a great Exotic to add to your collection. It’s fun, greatly improves your survivability in PvE activities, and, most importantly, it’s easy to get during the limited window of time available. Once you’ve grabbed your Class Item from Eva Levante and pledged your class allegiances for the competition, Heir Apparent should be the next item to knock off the bucket list.
How to unlock the Heir Apparent Exotic Machine Gun
The Heir Apparent Exotic machine gun is a reward for the Top of Class quest in Destiny 2, which is available from Eva Levante while the Guardian Games event is live. Players can also get its catalyst during this time, which is earned via the Competitive Catalyst quest.
Players first need to finish the Best in Class quest, an event kick-starter obtained from Eva Levante in the Tower, to get the Top of Class quest. For 2024, Best in Class rewards players with an event-limited variant of the Allstar Vector Skimmer, but it also provides the Top of Class quest upon completion.
The Top of Class quest has two steps total to complete it.
Step one: Earn Medallions at the Guardian Games Podium
For this first quest step, acquire and deposit a Medallion at the Guardian Games Podium in the Tower.
To earn Medallions, you need to have your event Class Item equipped. With the Class Item on, completing activities in any of the four available Guardian Games playlist nodes on the Tower map will reward Medallions. Players can also earn higher-tier Medallions, such as Gold or Platinum, by taking on Contender Card challenges purchased from Eva Levante.
If you’ve completed the Best in Class quest, you’ll already be familiar with this process.
Step two: Kill 100 combatants with Machine Guns
The second and final step of the quest requires players to kill 100 combatants with Machine Guns. Guardians also count for additional progress when it comes to completing this objective, so if the Crucible is your thing—or you’re grinding out the Supremacy playlist—it’s worthwhile to equip a Machine Gun in your Heavy slot.
Machine Guns are a potent tool in both the PvE and PvP meta during season 23, thanks to the advent of Crucible-specific damage buffs and great perks like Rewind Rounds and Killing Tally coming to more of them. As a result, this quest step is easier than ever before.
Once both steps have been crossed out, you will have successfully obtained the Heir Apparent Exotic Machine Gun in Destiny 2. You can then start hunting its catalyst.
What does Heir Apparent do?
Heir Apparent is a 900 RPM Exotic machine gun with an Intrinsic Trait called Heavy Slug Thrower. Unlike other machine guns, Heir Apparent needs to be spun up before it can begin firing, but it more than makes up for this delay through its sheer damage numbers.
Its Exotic perk, Armor of the Colossus, is where Heir Apparent really comes into its own. Spinning up the weapon while at full health generates a personal Arc shield thanks to this perk. Considering how much mobility is sacrificed to fire it, this shield adds a crucial bit of additional survivability that converts your Guardian into something of a walking tank on the battlefield.
The Arc shield receives increased durability if you acquire the Heir Apparent Catalyst. If you want to use the gun in higher-level content such as Nightfall Strikes, this upgrade is something of a necessity. While the shield can tank a lot of hits for you, it’s vulnerable to Arc damage—something the Catalyst’s upgrades can compensate for.
Can you get Heir Apparent outside of Guardian Games?
The Heir Apparent Exotic machine gun is available exclusively from Destiny 2’s Guardian Games event. The only place it’s offered as a reward is through the Top of Class quest, which is only accessible for Guardian Games.
Guardian Games traditionally runs for three weeks every year, and 2024 is no different. If you want to get Heir Apparent or its Catalyst, you have until March 26 to do so.
