The First Gun You Use in Destiny Is an Exotic in Rise of Iron

When you first begin Destiny's original story, you're given a nondescript auto rifle. It's not flashy, but it gets the job done well enough while you're starting out. But two years later, in the upcoming Rise of Iron expansion, the Khvostov is returning and getting upgraded to an Exotic weapon.

According to Game Informer, the weapon has received a substantial overhaul in its resurrection as an Exotic. It's also unusual among other Exotic weapons in Destiny because it doesn't actually have a unique Exotic perk. Rather, it has a number of different perks that affect its fire type and rate. For example, you can choose between semi-automatic, burst fire, and fully automatic--and then, if you choose full auto, you can flip between 450 RPM (which gives you better range) and 900 RPM (which grants better stability).

As a result, the Khvostov--which looks largely the same as you remember, albeit less worn--is a very versatile gun in Rise of Iron. And that's by design. "The Khvostov was the everyman's gun and we still want it to be the everyman's gun," Bungie lead designer Ryan Paradis told Game Informer. "We want this to be your Exotic and really tell the story of the guardian and how far you've come.”

So why bring back the weapon? Paradis said that nostalgia has a lot to do with it: "Let's tug at the heartstrings a little bit. Let's give this gun a little bit more fiction and purpose. It's one of the true military weapons we have in the game that really feels like an assault rifle, so it was kind of neat for us to bring that back."

It's fairly straightforward to acquire the new gun. You can find Khvostov weapon parts in chests or through event awards, and turning these parts into Rise of Iron's new questgiver triggers a quest that ends with you getting the new gun. You can also get weapon parts by dismantling the original rifle, if you happen to still have it buried in your vault somewhere.

Rise of Iron launches on September 20 for PS4 and Xbox One, and recently we got a whole lot more information about what it'll include. You can read more about the social space, the weapons, and the new cooperative arena here.