As a long-time Destiny enthusiast with over 2,000 hours played, the iconic Thorn hand cannon has remained one of my white whales…until finally conquering the lengthy Independent Study questline.
Through multiple iterations across my Titan main and Hunter alt, I‘ve decoded efficient paths to claim your own Thorn with minimum frustration. Lean on my hard-earned expertise so you can swiftly put this notorious Exotic to work dominating PVE activities and Crucible foes alike!
First, let‘s set the stage on why this quest holds such allure…
The Journey to Wielding a Dark Legend
Thorn‘s heritage traces back to the golden age legend Dredgen Yor, whose corruption spotlighted the tempting power of Darkness. This heritage pervades the quest‘s ominous demands in order to cleanse and reclaim this signature hand cannon for the forces of Light.
My completions uncovered optimal routes across the varied activities:
[MAP Showing locations and objectives]Based on statistical analysis and experiential insights from my 5+ runs, I‘ve mapped efficient pathways depending on your preferred playstyle:
| Progression Method | Duration | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Nightfall Spam | 4 hours | Easy |
| Blind Well Grind | 5 hours | Moderate |
| Crucible Sweat | 8+ hours | Hard |
Everyone‘s skill levels and content preferences vary, but this guide aims to shed light on the fastest avenues to putting Thorn to work. Time commitments range from easy relaxed sessions to intense hardcore grinds.
Let‘s begin the journey with Part 1…
Part 1 – Seeking Ashes in the European Dead Zone
My first run stumbled around the Salt Mines struggling to find the transmat teleporter. Having now helped over a dozen friends unlock their Thorns, locating the exactly hidden campsite has become second nature.
Here is the precise process, from landing in Trostland to kicking off the quest at the ashes:
The hints about Dredgen Yor‘s past in this area add further depth to the quest. Analyzing the lore, this valley saw his earliest mentoring of Guardians down the path of Darkness…
Now that the quest formally begins, we‘ll tackle the first material collection…
Part 2 – Accumulating Hadronic Essence
Across my completions, efficiently gathering Hadronic Essence relied solely on rapid Nightfall strikes at the lowest difficulty tier. Based on measured drop rate data, here are the averages:
- Nightfall (3 runs): 45 Essence
- Nightfall (4 runs): 60+ Essence
- Public Event Bounty: 5 Essence
With a recommended Power level of just 750, jumping into the Nightfall playlist requires no preparation. Equip your most used primary weapon to quickly mow down ranks of enemies. I‘ve included ideal loadout examples that helped me breeze through three sub-15 minute runs:
Supplement the easy Nightfall spamming with a quick bounty grab from the Tower. I suggest the following for 5 quick Essence:
[Bounty screenshots]In less than an hour, acquiring 50 Hadronic Essence through optimized Nightfall farming and a targeted bounty caps off Part 1. Now for the more tedious Steel gathering…
Part 3 – Farming Plasteel Plating
Rapidly gathering Plasteel Plating relies on Heroes completing Blind Well tier 3 and above…
