Destiny 2 Thorn return confirmed in new teaser trailer for The Last Word

The Exotic quest to unlock The Last Word in Destiny 2 will arrive tomorrow, so Bungie dropped a short teaser showing the beloved handcannon in action earlier today. It's great to see The Last Word shred folks in the Crucible again, but the best part of the teaser is right at the end, and it's not actually about The Last Word. It seems that Thorn, another fan-favorite Exotic handcannon, is next in line for Destiny 2.

According to today's teaser - which says "every hero needs a villain" and, more obviously, shows Thorn's patented nail-like rounds embedded in a wall - Thorn will arrive in the Season of the Drifter, which kicks off in March. The next DLC in Destiny 2's annual pass, Joker's Wild, coincides with the Season of the Drifter, but it's unclear whether Thorn will be available to everyone, or reserved for annual pass owners. 

Looking at the annual pass roadmap, Joker's Wild and the Season of the Drifter contain one Exotic quest apiece, and either of them could be Thorn. Given The Last Word's Black Armory exclusivity, I'd bet that Thorn is indeed tied to Joker's Wild. If nothing else, both Exotic quests are listed under April, so we can bet Thorn will arrive around that time. 

For the unfamiliar: Thorn was one of the big three Exotic handcannons in the original Destiny, with the others being The Last Word and Hawkmoon. Thorn fires piercing rounds which deal damage over time, not unlike the Le Monarque bow it inspired, and at one point it was a peerless menace in the Crucible. Hawkmoon's popularity was mainly due to its power, but Thorn and The Last Word are intrinsically and canonically linked, hence the hero and villain connection in today's teaser. So, it's nice to see both of them make a comeback. Now, if we can just get Hawkmoon in Penumbra… 

You'll find everything you need to know to get the Destiny 2 Last Word in our handy quest guide. 

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

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