There’s perhaps no weapon more iconic than the Khvostov 7G-0X. As the first gun our Guardian ever wielded in Destiny 1, hearing of its return in Destiny 2 The Final Shape was like reuniting with an old friend. The Destiny 2 Khvostov 7G-0X is slightly different than you might remember though, with fresh perks to spice things up. Find out how to get Khvostov in Destiny 2 to add this old favorite back to your arsenal.
Khvostov isn’t the only weapon returning as part of the Destiny 2 The Final Shape Exotics list. Red Death is also back and better than ever, sporting a fresh new lick of pain too. Of course, there are also a number of brand-new Exotics, such as Euphony and Still Hunt.
How to Get Khvostov in Destiny 2
To get the Exotic Khvostov in Destiny 2 The Final Shape, you must first unlock the Legendary Khvostov and then find all the Visions of the Traveler and the remaining nine Motes of Light from completing Overthrow.
Here is a step-by-step guide to unlocking the Exotic Khvostov 7G-0X from start to finish:
- Complete The Final Shape campaign mission Iconoclasm.
- Find and open all nine Pale Heart region chests to get the nine corresponding Lost Encyption Bits.
- Complete the Destined Heroes post-campaign quest to unlock the Alone in the Dark quest from Micah-10.
- Complete each step of Alone in the Dark to unlock Cyst activities.
- Find the hidden Lost Encryption Bit in each Cyst mission to get the Lost Encryption Code.
- Travel to The Impasse and head into the Cosmodrome Wall to find the locked gold chest containing the Legendary Khvostov 7G-02.
- Travel to the Lost City Tower and head to the Speaker's Room to the left where you can interact with the pedestals.
- Find all eight Visions of the Traveler and place them on the pedestals in the Lost City Tower to spawn the locked gold chest. This will also grant you eight Motes of Light.
- Beat every Overthrow boss to earn the remaining nine Motes of Light, which will grant you the Mote of Primordial Light.
- Return to the Lost City Tower gold chest to unlock it and earn the Exotic Khvostov 7G-0X.
Expansion Exotics in previous DLCs, like The Witch Queen and Lightfall, are generally locked behind post-campaign Exotic quests. These expand on aspects of the main campaign and give you a tasty reward at the end. Take a look at all the Destiny 2 The Final Shape missions to see what there is to complete.
The Khvostov is slightly different, in that it's not directly tied to a quest. Rather, you have to explore the Pale Heart to find various collectables to unlock the Legendary version, before then upgrading it to the Exotic Khvostov by finding even more collectables.
Many of the steps to unlock Khvostov are quite straightforward, though there are some that are more complicated. Here's how to complete the main steps of the Khvostov quest.
How to Get Lost Encryption Bits
You will need to get all 15 Lost Encryption Bits to get the Lost Encryption Code, which will be granted to you automatically upon collecting all the Bits.
Nine of these Lost Encryption Bits are located in the Pale Heart region chests, which step two of the quest to unlock the Kvostov requires you to locate. These are marked on your map, so they're easy enough to locate. There are three in The Landing, three in The Blooming, and three in The Impasse.
The remaining six are located in the Cyst missions, which are unlocked as you progress through the Alone in the Dark quest, accessed by completing the Destined Heroes quest. Each Cyst has a hidden Lost Encryption Bit to find, acquired by interacting with a large cluster of broken machinery.
The Cyst Lost Encryption Bit locations needed to get the Khvostov are as follows, in the order you'll unlock them.
Sword Dance Cyst:
Halfway through the mission, you will enter a large cave with a large platform near where you enter and a thin bridge with Hive enemies, including an orge. Destroy the crystals with the Hive sword but before entering the next room, there is a large opening underneath the bridge by the main door to progress. Using the sword to break the Hive muck and uncover the Lost Encryption Bit in this Cyst.
Searing Light Cyst:
The Lost Encryption Bit in the Searing Light Cyst is located at the end of the mission. Before leaving the area, travel to the small purple cave off to the side to find the Bit in the shadows of the alcove on your left.
Aerial Ace Cyst:
In the Aerial Ace Cyst, you once again have to complete the mission. Near the end, in the large cave with lava-like pools on the floor and ceiling, head towards the exit like normal. In the dark tunnel after leaving the lava cave, there is a very small opening in the cave wall to your right. Here you will find the Lost Encryption Bit machinery.
Moth-Infested Cavern Cyst:
You can find the Lost Encryption Bit in the Moth-Infested Cavern early on. Near the start of the mission, you will reach a room with a Blistered Orge. Kill this orge and drop down beneath the plate it was stood on to find a small tunnel in the cave. The Bit machinery is tucked into the right side of this alcove.
Slayer Cyst:
The Lost Encryption Bit in the Slayer Cyst mission is located near the end. Complete the mission and then, when facing the rock formation by the pool of light, turn to face directly behind you and head into a cave with dark trees. The Bit is located behind the tree-like stone pillar.
Smothering Darkness Cyst:
Complete the Smothering Darkness Cyst and head into the cave with a large purple crystal above it. Drop down into the ravine and stick to the right to find the Lost Encryption Bit from the Smothering Darkness Cyst.
After you've opened all the Pale Heart region chests and located all the secrets in the Cyst missions, you will have all 15 Lost Encryption Bits, which will automatically be converted into the Lost Encryption Key. You can then take this key to the Cosmodrome Wall in The Impasse to find the locked gold chest containing the Legendary Khvostov 7G-02. With these steps done, you can move on to steps seven and eight.
Visions of the Traveler Locations
Head to the Lost City Tower and enter the Speaker's Room to the left of where you spawn. Here, you can interact with the pedestals to learn about the Visions of the Traveler collectables, at which point you will then have to find eight Visions of the Traveler hidden across the Pale Heart. Finding these will also grant you one Mote of Light each, for a total of eight, which comes into play later in step nine.
Vision of the Traveler - The Lost City:
The first Vision of the Traveler you should pick up is in the Lost City. Head into the courtyard area on the left side of the map, beyond Micah-10's station. From here, jump onto the raised platform painted red and follow it to reach a red rooftop area. At the back of this area, you can find the Traveler orb at the basin of the waterfall.
Vision of the Traveler - The Landing:
Travel to The Landing and immediately turn left to go along the edge of the map where you will find a large waterfall and pool area. The Vision of the Traveler is located just to the side of the rocks.
Vision of the Traveler - The Refraction:
Head from The Landing to The Refraction. Once you reach the open area with a Hive shrieker, you're in the right place. Jump down from the ledge you emerge out onto to find a smaller ledge lower down the cliff face. Follow the small cave to find the Traveler orb in a pool of water.
Vision of the Traveler - The Blooming:
Travel to The Blooming and head directly south, near the Lost Sector in this area. Shortly before reaching the large doorway bathed in orange light, look to your right to find a large, dead tree on a ledge. The Vision of the Traveler orb is located on the top branch of this tree.
Vision of the Traveler - The Seclusion:
The Vision of the Traveler in The Seclusion is actually located in the Searing Light Cyst. If you've already completed this Cyst, interact with the blue bird near the large orange door in The Blooming to reactivate this Cyst.
At the start of this Cyst, just after deactivating the Hive runes, head into the tunnel and take a right once the cave opens up into an area with a tree and an orange glow. The Vision of the Traveler is hidden in a crevice at the top of the cave wall directly to your right.
Vision of the Traveler - The Divide:
The Vision of the Traveler in The Divide requires some legwork. Travel from The Blooming spawn point, head into the Cosmodrome Wall, and head all the way to the top of the icy mountain. At the very top of the mountain, you will find a building with various antennae and an entrance to another area. Before heading inside, look to your left to find the Vision of the Traveler tucked between boxes and a satellite dish.
Vision of the Traveler - The Impasse
The Vision of the Traveler in The Impasse is located in a raised area to the left of the large, white pyramid slightly to your left when you spawn in, on top of a pedestal.
Vision of the Traveler - The Transgression
The final Vision of the Traveler is in The Transgression, accessed by travelling to The Impasse and running through the tunnels to this area. Continue through The Transgression until you reach a plaza-like area with dead trees and pyramid architecture. Hug the left to find the Vision tucked behind a large dead tree.
Once you've got all eight Visions of the Traveler, return to the Lost City Tower and interact with the pedestals there once more to spawn the locked gold chest, which requires the remaining nine Motes of Light to unlock.
How to Get Motes of Light
While locating all eight Visions of the Traveler will also get you eight Motes of Light, it's not yet enough to unlock the Exotic Khvostov. You still need nine more Motes of Light to create the Mote of Primordial Light required to open the locked gold chest in the Lost City.
To get the remaining nine Motes of Light, you have to beat every single Overthrow boss. The Impasse, The Blooming, and The Landing each have three different final bosses that you need to defeat. So, complete Overthrow in each region until you've killed all nine bosses and claimed their Motes of Light. Doing so will automatically convert the 17 Motes of Light into the Mote of Primordial Light, which you can then use to unlock the gold chest to finally get the Exotic Khvostov 7G-0X.
Destiny 2 Khvostov Perks
Khvostov has the following perks in Destiny 2:
- The Right Choice Intrinsic Trait: Every seventh bullet from this weapon ricochets to nearby enemies.
- Eyes Up, Guardian Trait: Collecting Orbs of Power strengthens this weapon’s next several ricochet shots, providing more damage and more bounces between targets.
- Element: Kinetic
The Final Shape’s version of the Khvostov 7G-0X has seen a significant upgrade since its Destiny 1 counterpart. Bouncing bullets between groups of enemies, even more so once you’ve collected Orbs of Power, Khvostov is perfect for add-clearing. While it’s clearly intended for AoE damage, the bonus damage of every seventh shot, especially when powered up, can be helpful against tougher enemies.
As a Kinetic weapon, the Khvostov is a fun pairing with a Prismatic build since Kinetic damage charges both Light and Darkness energy. Whether you’re playing with Prismatic or not, Khvostov is a great PvE weapon.
Destiny 2 Khvostov Catalyst
The Khvostov does not currently have a Catalyst in-game, though the Destiny 2 game files include a Catalyst for the weapon. This confirms that one will be coming in the future.
When a Khvostov does become available, it’s likely it will either add an additional effect to every seventh bullet or simply boost handling.
That’s all there is to know about the Destiny 2 Khvostov Exotic auto rifle in The Final Shape. Once you’ve got it, put it to good use to blaze through the Pathfinder rewards track.