The Heirloom Exotic Combat Bow has arrived in Destiny 2’s new Equilibrium dungeon, and it’s one of the most unusual Exotics Bungie has ever released. This isn’t just another bow — it’s the first Special-ammo crossbow in the game, capable of firing explosive, overcharged bolts that hit like mini-rockets. In this video, we’re breaking down exactly how to get Heirloom, how its unique heat and charging system works, how strong it actually is in real gameplay, and whether it’s worth your time to grind for. Let’s jump in.
How to get Heirloom
Heirloom is obtained exclusively from the final encounter of the Equilibrium dungeon, added with the Renegades expansion. After defeating the last boss and opening the reward chest, you’ll have a chance for the Exotic to drop alongside your normal loot. Just like previous dungeon Exotics, this drop is not guaranteed, and you only get one reward roll per character per week. If you play across three characters, that gives you three opportunities every weekly reset to secure the weapon.
When the dungeon first launched, Equilibrium included a temporary Contest Mode, and completing the dungeon during that period rewarded Heirloom guaranteed. Once Contest Mode ends, however, the bow becomes a standard RNG drop. That means for most players, Heirloom will behave like any other dungeon Exotic: clear the final encounter, open the chest, hope for the best, and return next week if you don’t get lucky.
Equilibrium comes with a unique drop-rate increase system that makes farming Heirloom significantly more manageable than past Exotics. By working toward the dungeon’s Praxic title, you can complete a series of Triumphs that each grant a +1 increase to your Exotic drop chance. These Triumphs cover everything from enabling encounter modifiers, to finding the dungeon’s collectibles, to full flawless clears, and even solo runs. Completing them all provides a total of +10 bonus chances on top of your normal weekly roll.
This stacking system means the more you commit to mastering the dungeon, the more reliably Heirloom will drop for you. Even unlocking just a few Triumph bonuses noticeably improves your odds, while completing the full set effectively transforms Heirloom from a rare random drop into something you can reasonably expect to earn in a handful of clears. For players who plan to engage deeply with Renegades’ endgame, progressing the Praxic Triumphs is easily the fastest and most consistent path to securing this new Exotic.
What Heirloom does
Heirloom might be labeled as a Combat Bow, but in practice it behaves nothing like the bows players are used to. Instead of firing traditional arrows, it launches explosive energy bolts that function more like miniature rockets, all while consuming special ammo instead of primary. This immediately sets it apart from every other bow in the game and places it in a completely new category of special burst-damage weapons. Its shots produce significant heat, and the entire weapon is built around managing that heat to maintain optimal damage output.
The Exotic’s first core trait, Bolt Thrower, transforms the bow into a powerful anti-Champion tool. Each bolt is a high-powered explosive projectile with a built-in Unstoppable Champion stun, making Heirloom incredibly flexible in endgame loadouts without relying on seasonal mods. The explosions also give the bow a naturally large area of effect, allowing it to clear clustered enemies far more efficiently than any other bow in Destiny 2.
Its second trait, Big Game Hunter, introduces a charging mechanic that defines Heirloom’s identity. By aiming down sights, the weapon begins charging through three distinct tiers, each increasing both the damage and blast radius of the next shot fired. Visual cues on the weapon and audible chimes let you know when you’ve reached each tier. A fully charged bolt can more than double the damage of an uncharged shot, giving Heirloom a meaningful decision point: fire quickly for consistent output, or hold your aim to unleash a miniature rocket.
Heirloom also operates on a unique heat-based reload system. Firing or even charging shots builds heat; too much heat triggers an overheat animation that acts as a forced reload. However, skilled players can take advantage of the weapon’s perfect reload window by manually reloading just before overheating, significantly shortening the downtime between shots. Because the bow has no traditional magazine, mastering this heat rhythm is essential to maintaining high DPS and getting off two fully charged shots before having to reset.
Altogether, these mechanics make Heirloom one of the most complex and distinctive Exotics in Destiny’s entire sandbox. It blends bow gameplay, rocket-like explosions, and heat management into a weapon that rewards timing and precision more than raw fire rate. Whether or not it becomes truly meta depends on future balance changes and seasonal synergies, but its design alone makes it stand out as one of the most innovative Exotics Bungie has released in years.
Heirloom gameplay performance
In live gameplay, Heirloom immediately stands out for its massive explosion radius. Fully charged shots create a blast that feels closer to a miniature grenade launcher or rocket than anything you’d expect from a bow. When you land a shot in a pack of red-bar enemies, entire groups simply disappear. Even partially charged shots produce enough splash damage to clear small clusters, giving the weapon surprising flexibility in ad-clear-centric encounters. If you enjoy weapons that let you aggressively control space, Heirloom delivers that fantasy extremely well.
However, this strong area control does not fully translate into single-target damage, and this is where the weapon begins to show its limitations. Despite its explosive power, Heirloom’s damage against majors, champions, and larger yellow-bar enemies can feel underwhelming. Even a max-charged shot struggles to meaningfully dent tankier opponents, and the time investment required to charge each bolt lowers its effective DPS. Its numbers may look solid in a controlled testing environment, but in real encounters—especially those demanding burst damage—the weapon often leaves you wishing it hit just a little harder.
Managing Heirloom’s heat system adds another layer of complexity. While it’s possible to fire two fully charged shots before overheating, doing so requires precise timing and an awareness of your charge level. If you overheat mid-fight, the forced reload animation can feel punishing, especially during high-pressure scenarios. Mastering the perfect reload helps mitigate this downtime, but the weapon still demands more attention and rhythm than most players may expect from an Exotic special weapon.
The good news is that Heirloom’s ammo efficiency is outstanding. A single special brick grants around seven shots—effectively seven miniature rockets—making Heirloom one of the most ammo-friendly burst weapons in the entire game. This strength becomes especially noticeable in long missions, defensive stands, or situations where other special weapons might run dry. The bow also benefits from having built-in Unstoppable Champion stunning, which gives it a consistent endgame role without needing to rely on seasonal artifact mods.
Overall, Heirloom’s gameplay performance is a mix of impressive utility and mild disappointment. It excels at clearing groups of enemies and offers predictable, reliable crowd control with outstanding ammo efficiency. But when it comes to dealing heavy damage to tougher foes, it struggles to compete with the current meta of burst-DPS weapons. Its potential is undeniable—especially if future seasonal mods buff Combat Bows—but today, Heirloom feels more like a stylish and versatile toolkit option rather than a top-tier powerhouse.
Should you get Heirloom?
Heirloom is absolutely worth farming, not because it’s a meta-defining DPS monster, but because it’s one of the most unique and versatile Exotics Bungie has ever added to Destiny 2. Its explosive bolts, huge blast radius, and incredible ammo efficiency make it a fun and reliable tool for clearing waves of enemies, and the built-in Unstoppable capability gives it immediate value in endgame content. While its single-target damage falls short of top-tier options, the weapon’s unusual design and charge mechanic mean its true potential may still be ahead of it—especially in seasons that feature Combat Bow synergies or Solar scorch bonuses. Even if it’s not a must-use weapon today, Heirloom is distinctive enough, and useful enough, that it deserves a place in every Guardian’s collection.
Let me know in the comments what you think of Heirloom.