With the release of the Red Death Exotic. While the exotic version of Khvostov is similar to the original gun, its perks set it apart from its legendary version.

Khvostov is a kinetic auto rifle, and it rolls with Hammer Forged Rifling, Alloy Mag, Eyes Up Guardian, Shoot to Loot, and Composite Stock. Its exotic perk is called "The Right Choice," which causes every seventh bullet to ricochet between enemies and deal additional damage. "Eyes Up, Guardian" increases this damage and number of ricochets for every Orb of Power you pick up, stacking up to seven times. These perks make Khvostov a good choice for PvE and PvP, so here's how you get started.

How to Unlock the Exotic Khvostov 7G-0X in Destiny 2

Start with Pale Heart Region Chests

The first step to obtaining Khvostov is completing The Final Shape's campaign, which consists of seven story missions, as well as Lost Sectors and a Strike. It includes the mission "Temptation," in which you must solve the Psionic Insight puzzle. After you finish the campaign, you'll want to head into the Pale Heart and start searching for all the region chests in the patrol zone. There are nine in total, three in each landing zone.

After you grab all nine chests, you'll have to complete the "Alone In The Dark" quest that Micah-10 gives you at the end of the campaign. Collect at least 6 ghosts from around the Pale Heart, which will be marked on your map. If you're in the location marked, and you still can't find it, follow the glowing bird to the exact location. This unlocks the Cyst locations that house the pieces of Khvostov.

Khvostov Lost Encryption Bit Cyst Locations

There are six of these locations, and in each location you will see a piece of the gun in a pile of rubble. Run in, and be ready for some pretty tough ads. Here is each location, and where to find the gun piece:

After you've collected all six pieces, stick around in the last Cyst. It contains one of the Visions of the Traveler you'll need in your next step. This Vision is in the room before the actual fight, so head back and hug the left wall, which will take you back towards the original entrance to the Cyst. Behind a gnarled tree you should see a shadowy opening in the wall, where the Vision is hiding.

Once you have six more gun pieces and one Vision of the Traveler, head to the Ime and veer west until you reach the wall, then go through the doorway to find another region chest in the location seen above. This chest contains the Legendary version of Khvostov. You're well on your way to getting the Exotic version of the gun, but in the meantime, check out the Legendary version's stats.

This Legendary rifle is pretty good on its own. It rolls with a few things, but Alloy Mag and Hammer-Forged Rifling are the best to go for in the first two columns. For the third column, pick whichever trait refunds the ability you're using the most and then go for Multikill Clip in the fourth.

If you want to unlock the Exotic Khvostov, don't dismantle the legendary version! Bungie has stated there is a bug with the quest that prevents players who have dismantled the legendary Khvostov from finding the Exotic.

All Vision of the Traveler Locations

Now, hunt down all the Visions of The Traveler scattered around the Pale Heart. These look like actual small Travelers that float above the ground, and there should be eight total. You should have one from the Searing Light Cyst, and you can check out Esoterikk's YouTube video for the rest. Head to the Speaker's room in the old Tower, and place the Visions on the pedestals there. Once you place them, a chest will appear, telling you that you lack something.

Looking in your inventory, look at how many Motes of Light you have. You should have eight, as long as you haven't picked any up by defeating Overthrow bosses. In order to obtain 17, which is how many you'll need, you'll have to defeat each unique Overthrow boss in the Pale Heart.

There are three bosses per loading zone, and they spawn at random. If you want to cheese this a bit, play the Overthrow until you get to the boss fight, then reload the zone until it's a boss you need. This may be patched out in future updates, but for now this is a good way to save time getting each boss defeated.

As of June 8, 2024, the Taken Servitor boss in the Blooming is disabled, meaning Khvostov cannot be obtained right now. You cannot obtain enough Motes of Light to unlock the chest without defeating it.

After you have gathered 17 Motes of light, they will combine into an Exotic version. Take these motes back to the chest in the Speaker's chamber and interact with it in order to open it, which will reward you with the gun! This gun is pretty powerful and is good in both PvP and PvE.

Khvostov 7G-0X Use Cases: PvP and PvE

As an auto rifle, Khovstov has pretty powerful Crucible potential. Its stability means it puts out consistent damage, and its bouncy shots ricochet not just between enemies, but also off anything impacted by Shoot To Loot. Even if the round bounces off an Orb of Power or ammo brick, it will still track towards enemies, meaning you don't have to even aim the gun in PvP to do work.

Even though Khvostov is a good PvP gun, it really shines in PvE. Its ricochet rounds decimate enemies in groups, and its primary ammo means you'll never have to stop shooting. It's also got a pretty high reload speed stat, so emptying your mag doesn't necessarily mean you're done mowing ads down.

As a classic of the Destiny franchise, Khvostov has a special place in the hearts of Guardians, and its return in Destiny 2: The Final Shape will further cement its place in Destiny history, of which no player is ready to let go.

Source: Esoterickk/YouTube