Gambit has always had an unusual meta, and there’s no better proof of that than one particular Destiny 2 Exotic that dominates Drifter’s arena but is never used elsewhere.
The weapon in question is the Xenophage, a Solar Machine Gun that was released back in Season 8. It is a unique gun, as Xenophage fires explosive ammunition at a very slow rate of fire, unlike any other LMG in the game.
While Xenophage is mediocre in PvE, it dominates the newly updated Gambit for a few key reasons. Most notably, it makes quick work of enemy Guardians, and Heavy ammo isn’t hard to come by, unlike in The Crucible, where it is much more limited.
Xenophage excels while invading thanks to its fast TTK, forgiving splash damage, and practically unlimited range. It fires explosive shots like a Grenade Launcher, has a huge magazine like a Machine Gun, and is capable of long-range kills like a Sniper Rifle. This Frankenstein Exotic provides the perfect combination to dominate Gambit.
The Destiny 2 community came to the same conclusion, with the most upvoted post on a Reddit thread discussing the best weapons in Gambit replying, “Xenophage is pretty easy,” with others following up, “This for sure,” and “My Gambit K/D is around 40. I give all the credit to Xenophage.”
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Describing their last experience with the Solar Exotic, another Guardian revealed, “Xenophage was as brainless as it could get. It didn’t matter what range or where I aimed they always got 2 tapped, so I just had to save up 8 ammo before invading each time,” highlighting just how easy the Machine Gun is to use.
Getting Xenophage is a little more involved than most other Exotic weapons. You’ll need to complete a series of puzzles on The Moon, make your way through four Lost Sectors, and fight a secret boss at the end of Pit of Heresy.
It takes time and can be tricky to complete solo, but given how powerful it can be, it’s worth unlocking Xenophage if you plan to farm Gambit weapons like Breakneck or Hush anytime soon. Ideally, you’ll want to get your hands on the Exotic before August 27, as Gambit rank progress will be doubled that week.