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How to get the Heir Apparent Exotic Machine Gun - Destiny 2

Cut the darkness down by unlocking the Heir Apparent Exotic Machine Gun in Destiny 2.

Bill Lavoy and Sam Chandler

February 29, 2024 10:50 PM

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The Guardian Games have returned and players can once again unlock Heir Apparent. For those that missed it during the first Guardian Games in 2020, it's now easier to unlock, so jump in and get started so you can also earn the Heir Apparent catalyst.

Last updated on April 20, 2021 at 12:58 p.m. PT.

Unlock the Heir Apparent Exotic Machine Gun

In order to unlock the Heir Apparent Exotic Machine Gun players will need to complete the quest, Top of Class. This is the quest that was offered during Guardian Games 2021. Unlike the Guardian Games 2020 quest (which required players complete all Guardian Games Triumphs), this questline is short and sweet.

To get this quest, you must first work your way through the Guardian Games 2021 quest, The Games Begin. Once this is done, speak with Eva Levante to gain access to the Top of Class quest.

Top of Class

The Top of Class quest shouldn't take you too long to complete. You will need to focus on earning Laurels and getting Machine Gun kills in the Daily Focus playlist. This playlist changes each day, so work on this quest when it's a playlist you enjoy.

Step 1: Earn 50 Laurels

The first step is to earn 50 Laurels. Just jump into the Guardian Games Strike Playlist and start collecting Laurels that drop. You should have this done in one Strike.

Step 2: Machine Gun kills

This next step is to get Machine Gun kills in the Daily Focus playlist. This could be something like Strikes, Crucible or even Gambit. Thankfully, defeating Guardians rewards additional progress. If you can get this step done when the Daily Focus is Strikes you're likely going to have an easier time.

Heir Apparent perks

• Armor of the Colossus – While at full health, spinning up this weapon protects you with an Arc Shield.
• Heavy Slug Thrower – The aim down sights button spins up this weapon. This weapon can be fired only when fully spun up.

Once you have the Heir Apparent, take it for a spin. We’re not joking. You must spin it up with RMB/L2/LT. Only then can it be fired. This is due to Heavy Slug Thrower, the weapon’s intrinsic trait. It also has a trait called Armor of the Colossus. With this trait, Guardians gain an Arc Shield when spinning this weapon up at full health.

It’s tough to say exactly how this weapon will fit into the PvE meta, if at all. Based on having to spin it up to fire it, we highly doubt this will have any sort of impact on the PvP portion of Destiny 2. Maybe this can be of use against some bosses in the right circumstances, and we’ll be sure to keep our eye out for any related discoveries. Either way, we must have the Heir Apparent, right? That’s what we Guardians do. We collect stuff, even if that stuff then collects dust.

Heir Apparent lore

"The Red Legion will march again." —Caiatl

Caiatl stands in her war room.

Her nation, which she has always loved, reeks of failure. The scent is strong. When she was young, she would watch the feedings in her father's zoological gardens. Live creatures from the lands beyond Torobatl, wounded, left in the middle of the landscaped enclosures. She'd seen how the smell of blood brought the larger, hungrier creatures out of the undergrowth. The same will happen to the Empire if she lets it.

But she will not.

She won't fail where her father failed. He was led astray by his vices, corrupted by frivolity and pleasure. He was never meant to be Emperor; he was too weak. But Ghaul was destroyed by weakness, too. His fixation on the machine god was stupid. It embarrasses her to think of him.

She has always had a vivid imagination. Ironically, it's her father she can thank for that—all of the stories and songs he made her study, the insufferable plays. But she repurposes that arsenal of thought toward a new goal: imagining a better future for her people. A future where they rule the galaxy once again; where foreign ships fall under their fire and rival nations fall to their knees. This future will be different.

This future will be hers.

With the Heir Apparent stuffed in your vault, get back to the grind, Guardian, and don’t forget to study up using our Destiny 2 strategy guide so you can help your class win the Guardian Games.

Bill Lavoy and Sam Chandler

The Destiny 2 Guys

Bill and Sam are the two Shacknews writers who handle the bulk of the Destiny 2 content. As a Hunter and Warlock main respectively, they can cover a great deal of ground with whatever is happening in Destiny 2 today. What they don't know they can find out thanks to their all-star lineup of Destiny 2 friends.