KEY POINTS

  • Exotic Ciphers are used in crafting vaulted exotic items from the Monument to Lost Lights
  • Ciphers can be acquired from the Season Pass and as a reward from Xur
  • Ciphers have a very rare chance to drop from open world events and enemies

An Exotic Cipher is a rare resource that’s used to obtain vaulted exotic items from the Monument to Lost Lights in “Destiny 2.” Ciphers allow players to pick a specific weapon they want without having to rely on Xur’s weekly inventory or randomized Exotic Engram drops from other sources.

Since exotic items are the rarest and most impactful of equipment pieces, acquiring them is rightfully difficult. Exotic Ciphers don’t do much to mitigate this as they themselves are tricky to get. However, players can concentrate their efforts on getting one Cipher, which will eliminate most of the RNG involved in the farming process.

Here are all the ways to get Exotic Ciphers in “Destiny 2.”

Season Pass

Players can get one Exotic Cipher from each Season Pass so long as they reach the indicated Season Pass level associated with it. This is the most straightforward way to get a guaranteed Cipher, as simply playing the game will eventually reward players with one.

Team up with up to six Guardians in Destiny 2's seasonal activities
Team up with up to six Guardians in Destiny 2's seasonal activities Bungie

To level up the Season Pass as quickly as possible, be sure to use XP boosts whenever they’re available and complete as many activities given by NPCs, including daily bounties and weekly challenges.

Xur Quest

Players can grab a quest from the special merchant Xur that rewards an Exotic Cipher upon completion. This quest will have players complete 21 Strikes, Crucible or Gambit matches. Completion of any activity counts toward quest progress. Even more progress is rewarded if players complete the content with clanmates or by participating in Trials of Osiris matches.

This quest refreshes every week, giving players a consistent source of Ciphers that go hand-in-hand with Season Pass progress. However, keep in mind that only one Exotic Cipher can be held at any given time. Completing this quest while in possession of a Cipher will not reward an additional one.

World Drops

Ciphers apparently have an extremely rare chance to drop from world activities like Heroic Public Events and Lost Sectors. The odds of a Cipher dropping are slim, making this an unreliable method of farming them. However, this is worth taking note of as players who are minding their own business when out in the open world may find themselves suddenly getting an Exotic Cipher out of nowhere.

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