Destiny 2: How to get the Forerunner

Halo Infinite might be in full swing with the launch of its campaign, but long-time fans might see an old favorite appear in an entirely different game. Destiny 2, given that it’s made by Bungie, gets an assortment of weapons inspired by the studio’s previous games. One of these is the Forerunner, an exotic sidearm reminiscent of the M6 Magnum from Halo. Here’s our Destiny 2 guide to help you get the Forerunner by completing an exotic quest called Magnum Opus. We’ll also discuss what you can do with the Strange Key.

Note: For more information, check out our Destiny 2: Season of the Lost guides and features hub. Likewise, please be reminded that the Forerunner can be obtained by all players as part of a recent update, unlike the Gjallarhorn which requires the Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack.

Destiny 2 Forerunner guide – How to get the exotic sidearm that looks like the Magnum from Halo

The quest to obtain the Forerunner in Destiny 2 is called Magnum Opus. After clearing your first Dares of Eternity run, go ahead and visit Xur’s Treasure Hoard. Talk to Xur and check the second tab of his wares to see the quests. Magnum Opus is still greyed out, but all you need to do is use the Treasure Key from the Dares of Eternity run to open the chest next to him.

Talk to Xur again to complete a mini-quest called To The Daring Go the Spoils. He’ll hand you a Resplendent Reward Package and the Forerunner’s Magnum Opus exotic quest. In any case, the remaining quest steps have already been datamined by Light.gg:

• Collect 7x Strange Coins and bring them back to Starhorse.
  • Strange Coins can be obtained by completing various activities such as Dares of Eternity, Vanguard strikes, Crucible matches, Gambit matches, heroic public events, and certain bounties.
  • Starhorse has bounties that cost Strange Coins, so try to avoid picking these up accidentally. Get 7x Strange Coins first to finish this step.
• Complete 3x Starhorse bounties.
  • As mentioned, these cost Strange Coins. Moreover, you need to complete the objectives in a single Dares of Eternity run. Otherwise, the progress for that bounty will get reset.
  • You can only hold one bounty at a time, so you might want to do the weekly to speed up the process.
  • Bounty completions are not retroactive. In case you’ve already completed a Starhorse bounty before doing Magnum Opus, just keep that bounty in your quest tab instead of turning it in.

Using the Strange Key in Destiny 2

After completing Starhorse’s bounties, you’ll be asked to get the Strange Key from Xur. It can only be obtained once you reach Strange Favor Rank 4 (Brave), which is easy enough to do.

To use the Strange Key in Destiny 2, head back to the entrance of Xur’s Treasure Hoard. You’ll see a purple mist here that teleports you to The Valley in Dares of Eternity.

Make your way to the right and take a look at the frozen rocks. You should be able to interact with these if you have the Strange Key. From here, you have to go all the way to the opposite side through a small cavern (it’s marked on your HUD).

In the next area, you’ll climb on ledges until you reach the top. The exit will be to your left.

Then, there’s a small room with several ledges that can retract. Time your jumps right so you can reach the top once more. In the final chamber, you’ll see a pod that can only be opened with the Strange Key.

This nets you an Anomalous Object. Go to Banshee-44 in the Tower, and he’ll give you the Forerunner exotic sidearm in Destiny 2.

Forerunner perks

The Forerunner exotic sidearm in Destiny 2 has the following perks:

• General – Smallbore, Flared Magwell, Smooth Grip.
• Intrinsic: Full Stop – Oversized sidearm with extended-range, heavy-caliber rounds. Fires full-auto with increased rate of fire. Deals increased precision damage to unshielded targets.
• Trait: Pace Yourself – Tapping the trigger gives the weapon less recoil and improves accuracy.

For the most part, the Forerunner is akin to a weapon with two firing modes that don’t need an active switch. You can hold down the trigger since it’s a full-auto sidearm by default, or you can lightly tap the button to make your shots more accurate.

Destiny 2: Season of the Lost is available via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.