Does Xur Give Duplicates? Unraveling the Mysteries of Destiny 2’s Weekend Vendor
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Yes, Xur can absolutely give you duplicates. While he won’t hand out exotics locked behind quests or expansions you don’t own, the exotic engrams he sells can indeed decrypt into items you already possess. This is a fundamental aspect of the random drop system in Destiny 2, applying to Xur just as it does to other exotic sources like Lost Sectors and world drops. Understanding how Xur’s inventory and exotic acquisition work is key to maximizing your loot potential each weekend.
Understanding Xur’s Role and Limitations
Xur, Agent of the Nine, is a unique vendor in Destiny 2 who appears every weekend, offering a curated selection of exotic and legendary items. He appears between the daily reset on Friday to Tuesday mornings reset. Alternating between the Tower Hangar, The Winding Cove in The European Dead Zone (EDZ), and in Watchers Grave on Nessus. His precise location fluctuates within these domains. He primarily serves as a way for players to acquire exotics they might have missed or to purchase additional copies for different characters or builds.
What Xur Sells
- Exotic Weapon: A randomly selected exotic weapon.
- Exotic Armor: One piece of exotic armor for each class (Titan, Hunter, Warlock).
- Exotic Engram: A purchasable engram that decrypts into a random exotic item you don’t already own, unless you own all possible exotics obtainable from world drops (more on that later). You can buy two Exotic Engrams each week. The first one costs one Exotic Cipher, and the second costs 97 Legendary Shards.
- Legendary Weapons and Armor: A rotating selection of legendary items with different perk combinations.
Xur’s Restrictions
It’s crucial to note that Xur operates under specific limitations:
- Quest Exotics: Xur will never sell exotics obtained through specific quests. Examples include weapons like Gjallarhorn, which requires completing the “And Out Fly The Wolves” quest from the 30th Anniversary Pack.
- Expansion-Locked Exotics: Xur will not offer exotics tied to expansions you do not own. If you haven’t purchased Lightfall, for example, you won’t see its exotics in his inventory or from his engram.
- Duplicate Protection (Conditional): The exotic engram has a form of duplicate protection, meaning it will prioritize exotics you don’t own unless you own every possible exotic that can drop from the world. Once you have all those, duplicates are fair game.
Minimizing Duplicate Chances
While you can’t completely eliminate the possibility of getting duplicates from Xur, here are some strategies to minimize them:
- Prioritize Quest and Expansion Exotics: Focus on obtaining exotics through their respective quests and expansions before relying solely on Xur. This reduces the pool of potential duplicates.
- Complete Lost Sectors: Farm Legendary or Master Lost Sectors on days when the target armor piece is something you are missing (e.g., farm arms on arms day if you are missing an exotic arm piece). This can help fill out your collection, reducing the chance of duplicates from Xur. Take your Guardian with a 1560+ Power Level and enter the Lost sector. It should be Master or Legendary Solo game. Other difficulties don’t contain the Second Chance Exotic Gauntlets in the drop pool.
- Manage Your Inventory: Be mindful of the Exotic Cipher and Legendary Shard economy. Only purchase engrams if you’re confident you have a reasonable chance of acquiring something new.
- Understand the Duplicate Protection System: The duplicate protection on Xur’s engrams only works if there are exotics in the world drop pool that you do not own. So, if you have every world drop exotic available to you, there is no protection and you will get repeats.
Disappointed With a Duplicate? What to Do
Getting a duplicate exotic can be frustrating, but there are still ways to utilize it:
- Infusion Fuel: Exotics make excellent infusion fuel for raising the power level of other gear.
- Dismantle: Dismantling exotics grants Legendary Shards and Exotic Shards, valuable resources for upgrades and purchases.
- Collections Roll: Even if you have the exotic already, you can dismantle the existing one and pull a fresh copy from collections, giving you a different stat roll on armor or slightly different perk loadout on the weapon.
The Allure of Gjallarhorn
Xur selling the Gjallarhorn is a legendary event in Destiny history. The only other time Xur sold Gjallarhorn was during one of his very first visits to the Tower, right after Destiny launched last fall. The weapon’s devastating power and widespread popularity made it a must-have item. To acquire Gjallarhorn, you’ll need to own the Destiny 2: Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack. After finishing the quest, players will just need to defeat targets to upgrade the catalyst for the Gjallarhorn. The amount is 400 enemies, which, given the Gjallarhorn’s ability to kill a bunch of enemies at once, shouldn’t be too difficult of a task. When compared to other Catalysts in the game, this one is perhaps the most unique. Such a significant DPS boost along with great AoE potential makes Gjallarhorn a really great choice for almost any PVE encounter in the game. So, getting the Gjallarhorn Catalyst is well worth the effort.
The intricacies of Xur’s inventory and the nuances of exotic acquisition are just one layer of the rich complexity that makes Destiny 2 so engaging. To further explore the learning potential within games like Destiny 2, visit the Games Learning Society website at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Xur and Exotics
1. Can Xur sell me an exotic I already have on another character?
Yes, Xur’s inventory and engrams are account-wide, so he can absolutely sell you an exotic you already have on a different character. The duplicate protection only considers what you have unlocked on your account.
2. If I own all world drop exotics, will Xur’s engram always give me duplicates?
Yes, once you own every exotic that can drop from the general world loot pool (excluding quest and expansion-locked exotics), Xur’s engram will essentially become a random exotic engram, offering no protection against duplicates.
3. Does Xur’s inventory change throughout the weekend?
No, Xur’s inventory remains the same from Friday’s daily reset until Tuesday’s daily reset. He does not update his selection during the weekend.
4. How often can I complete the Xenology quest for an Exotic Cipher?
You can complete the Xenology quest from Xur only once per week. This quest tasks you with playing ritual activities in Destiny 2—Vanguard Ops, Crucible, and Gambit. Complete the quest to earn one Exotic Cipher.
5. Can I hold multiple Exotic Ciphers?
You can only hold one Exotic Cipher in your inventory at a time. There’re few sources of ciphers right now: weekly Xur quest is the main source, you can get one or two from the season pass track and an occasional cipher from a deluxe pack or some quests. Choose wisely. You can have a maximum of one cipher in your inventory although it may allow to claim more. You won’t be able to turn in the quest to Xur if (1) you already have an Exotic Cipher in your Consumables Inventory or (2) all slots in your Consumables are full. Since you abandoned the quest, you need to pick it up from Xur with another character and complete the quest with that character.
6. What happens if I abandon the Xenology quest?
If you abandon the Xenology quest, you will need to pick it up again from Xur on another character during the same week. You can only complete it once per account per week.
7. Can I use an Exotic Cipher to buy exotics from the Monument to Lost Lights?
Yes, Exotic Ciphers are one of the currencies required to purchase legacy exotics from the Monument to Lost Lights in the Tower.
8. Does Xur sell armor with good stat rolls?
The stat rolls on the exotic armor Xur sells are random, so it’s possible to get pieces with desirable stat distributions, but it’s not guaranteed.
9. Can I get the new season exotics from Xur immediately upon release?
Generally, no. The new season exotics are often tied to specific activities or quests within the season. They usually enter the general exotic loot pool (and therefore become obtainable from Xur’s engrams) after the season has ended.
10. How do I know which expansion an exotic is tied to?
You can usually determine which expansion an exotic is from by checking its acquisition method in your Collections tab or by looking it up on a Destiny 2 database website.
11. What’s the most efficient way to farm Legendary Shards for Xur?
The most efficient ways to farm Legendary Shards include completing activities with high shard rewards (like Nightfalls) and dismantling legendary gear you don’t need.
12. If I have a full inventory, can I still claim Xur’s Exotic Engram?
No, you need to have an open inventory slot to claim Xur’s Exotic Engram. Be sure to clear out space before purchasing it.
13. Does Xur sell exotic catalysts?
No, Xur does not sell exotic catalysts. Exotic catalysts are usually obtained through specific activities or quests associated with the exotic weapon.
14. Is it worth buying the second Exotic Engram from Xur each week?
Whether it’s worth buying the second Exotic Engram depends on your current exotic collection. If you’re missing many exotics, it can be a worthwhile investment. However, if you have most of the obtainable exotics, the chances of getting a duplicate increase.
15. Does Xur’s presence and inventory affect the exotic drop rates in other activities?
No, Xur’s presence and inventory do not affect the exotic drop rates in other activities like Lost Sectors, Nightfalls, or world drops. These drop rates are determined by separate, independent systems.