The Halo Magnum has made its debut in Destiny 2, albeit in an unofficial capacity, in the form of the Forerunner. This is a hard-hitting, high-caliber Sidearm that nods back to Bungie’s Halo days and the Masterchief, and is the perfect celebration Exotic for Bungie’s 30th Anniversary. Today I’m going to look at the weapon, its stats, how to get it, PLUS the catalyst, and also check out the special lore tab.
Forerunner
Forerunner is an Exotic Kinetic Sidearm
Full Stop – Oversized Sidearm with extended-range, heavy-caliber rounds. Fires full auto with an increased rate of fire. Deals increased precision damage to unshielded targets.
Pace Yourself – Tapping the trigger gives this weapon less recoil and improves accuracy.
Looking at the stats we have Impact 35, Range 100, Stability 73, Handling 64, Reload Speed 82, Rounds Per Minute 200, and Magazine 15.
How to get Forerunner
Step 1 – Complete Dares of Eternity
When you first boot up Destiny 2 after the 30th Anniversary drop you’ll get sent directly to Dares of Eternity by Xur, just run through the activity and afterward go to Xur’s Treasure Hoard, which is selectable from the Director under Eternity. Speak to Xur, open a chest, and then it’s onto the next step.
Step 2 – Talk to Xur
Xur will have a quest for you called Magnum Opus. While you are here, pick up Xur bounties too, as these are going to help you level up at Xur, which will come in handy for a later step of the quest. Pick up all available, and if you have enough glimmer, all the repeatable bounties you can carry to level up quickly. You are aiming to get to rank 4 as fast as you can. This will save you time later.
Step 3 – Collect Strange Coins
For the next step of the quest, you want to collect strange coins. Yes, this is a throwback to Destiny 1. We could use strange coins back then for an extra chance at an exotic drop, you’d consume a strange coin before a boss battle and get an increased chance for an exotic drop. You can get strange coins from the end of Dares of Eternity, playlist activities like Strikes, Crucible and Gambit plus Public events too. If you want to do this quickly then public events may be the way forward. For those with the 30th-anniversary pack, you get a bundle of rewards, which gives you a bunch of strange coins. For me, I ran Dares of Eternity until I had enough coins, and you need to collect 7 in total.
Step 4 – Complete Star Horse Bounties
Yes, that’s right. Star Horse Bounties. Star Horse is one of the vendors and related to The Nine, the mysterious forces in control of Xur. For this step of the quest, you’ll need to complete 3 Star Horse Bounties. You can only pick up one at a time, and they cost Strange Coins. The daily bounties are much quicker than the weekly ones, so I would recommend doing those. For me, I had Pulse Rifle, Shotgun, and Trace Rifle kills to get, and this took me about 3 runs of Dares of Eternity.
Step 5 – Buy the Strange Key from Xur
To be able to buy the Strange Key from Xur you’ll need to be Rank 4 at Xur, and you can see your rank by talking to him in the top right side of the screen. Buy the Strange Key from Xur and then turn around and look for a marker on the screen letting you know where to go in the shape of a white diamond.
Step 6 – Use the Strange Key
You will be teleported to the Dares of Eternity, although this time there is nothing to fight. At first, it seems like there is nothing there, but go to the right and you’ll see a collection of small rocks together. Head towards the rocks and you’ll be able to use the key here. A door will open somewhere ahead, and you’ll want to go in that direction, up a short platforming section and you’ll find a cryo-pod. This is a massive callback to Masterchief from Halo, and it’s brilliant. Open the Cyropod and you’ll get the broken weapon, which you’ll need to take to the Gunsmith.
Step 7 – Speak to Banshee-44
Head back to the Tower and speak to Banshee-44 and he’ll give you the Forerunner Exotic Sidearm. Once again, there’s a big callback here to Masterchief from Halo. Officially, there isn’t a crossover between Halo and Destiny, but Bungie has done its best to include some iconic weapons, armor, and other secrets in the 30th Anniversary.
Once you have the weapon head out into your preferred activity and give the Forerunner a spin.
How to get the Forerunner Catalyst
To get the catalyst you’ll need to get to rank 16 at Xur. To get to rank 16 fast, you’ll want to complete all of Xurs Daily bounties, plus pick up the repeatable bounties too.
What does the Forerunner Catalyst do?
As per normal the catalyst creates orbs, but the really cool new perk is called The Rock. After a final blow from the weapon, your secondary fire can be activated to consume some ammo reserves, turning your next grenade into a frag grenade. This essentially turns your grenade into the grande from Halo, PLUS allows you to grenade jump (which can be seen in the trailer). Another great callback to Bungie’s Halo days.
Finally, let’s check out the lore, as it’s a special one and an ode to Masterchief.
Forerunner Lore
A new chapter for an old legend.
Banshee-44 considered the relic on his workbench and the questions on his mind; one stood out above the rest: who were you meant for?
The form of the weapon suggested an oversized sidearm—a secondary weapon for a giant’s hands. The function presented more so as an anti-material rifle. “Looks to be 12.7mm… it’s like they were making a hand cannon but didn’t know it yet.”
Banshee wondered further about the warrior who could wield such a thing. His attention drifted momentarily, drawn by Shaxx’s voice booming nearby. “Huh. Yeah. A Titan, maybe… and a big one too.”
The weapon was laced with fractures from a life of fire and a sleep of ice, and perhaps other, more exotic stresses. Banshee wished he could’ve heard the relic’s voice, but he knew from earlier examination that it had fired its last round. What a last round it must have been.
The Guardian who brought it to him might be willing to try a shot, untroubled by the risk of a rapid unplanned dismantle. But Banshee knew it wouldn’t last through a single magazine.
Beside the relic lay a stripped-down Breechlight. He would adapt it for a larger round. Custom casings and handguard. Sensorium link scope… and he had other ideas to try as well.
It would be an homage, an offering to the creators of the original relic. A legacy.
With that satisfying thought in mind, the gunsmith went to work.
Let me know in the comments what you think of the Forerunner.
That’s it for this guide for how to get the Forerunner in Destiny 2. For more Destiny 2 content like this check out This Week In Video Games on YouTube and subscribe today.