Destiny 2‘s Wicked Implement Exotic scout rifle slows enemies with rapid precision hits and even refills its magazine if players can keep the accuracy up. Things get even more spicy when Guardians complete the Exotic Catalyst, which adds the Headstone Perk and other enhancements. However, if players want a Wicked Implement, they’ll have to jump through several hoops first.
Added as part of Season of the Deep, Wicked Implement is found in a secret Exotic mission hidden within one of the Season 21 activities. As such, players will have to earn the weapon another way when The Final Shape releases in June. When a new expansion goes live, Bungie regularly removes seasonal content associated with past expansions. This could mean the Monument to Lost Lights in the Tower or the Exotic mission entering the weekly rotator.
That said, there is a benefit to pursuing the Wicked Implement before The Final Shape: you can earn the Exotic weapon and its Catalyst for free, so long as you already own Season 21.
Step one: Go fishing
To start the journey towards the Wicked Implement, players must first go fishing. Fishing was added to Destiny 2 alongside the Season of the Deep, and all players need to do to get a fishing pole is start that seasonal story. Three fishing zones exist: the EDZ, Savathûn’s Throne World, and Nessus. Players will look for discarded blades in each of these areas.
Along with various Common, Uncommon, and Legendary fish, each fishing locale has a unique Exotic fish. In addition to providing Exotic rewards when redeemed in the H.E.L.M, these Exotic fish also have Broken Blades. There are three Broken Blades to collect, with one awarded with each unique Exotic fish.
Step two: Deep Dives
After players have all three Broken Blades, they’ll need to find Hive altars within the Deep Dives activity and use them to make an offering. As you might expect, there are three altars to match the three Broken Blades. Thankfully, none of the statues need to be activated during combat encounters, but they can all be easily missed. As an important side note, it seems only the Fireteam leader can currently activate the altars, so ensure that’s the person with all three Broken Blades.
The first altar is located in a small alcove in the middle of the second significant drop during the first underwater section of the activity. After opening the first door and proceeding down, if players turn around, they can head towards glowing red vegetation to reach a cliff. The ledge players are looking for is near the glowing white Hive pillar jutting out of the wall, which should be a straight shot down. Follow the short path to the Hive altar and have the Fireteam leader activate it.
A second altar comes right after the first combat encounter, so ensure the group doesn’t grab Ahsa’s buffs and dive deeper too soon. Once combat is concluded, a door to a small room will open outside on the left side of the area. The room is a story up, with a broken metal walkway. Inside, there’s another Hive altar the Fireteam leader can interact with.
The final altar in Deep Dives is hidden in the second underwater trek. After the fan room and the subsequent plunge, players will come before a large circular chasm with fishing bait nearby. Instead of going down, players can follow the thin ledge leading off to the left to find a Hive altar tucked against the wall. Like before, have the Fireteam leader activate the altar and progress.
Step three: Into the Whetstone Exotic mission
After Guardians have activated all three hidden altars in the Deep Dive, they can find the entrance to the Whetstone Exotic mission. The door is in the second combat arena within the Deep Dive, and players will still need to clear that encounter before the door opens. Like the second altar, Guardians want to ensure they don’t progress the Deep Dive once the encounter is completed.
The door that leads into Whetstone is on the right side of the arena, a bulkhead with a green circle in the center. After passing through, players must interact with Hive statues reflecting the number of Fireteam members to open the next door. From here, this is the players’ last reprieve to change load-outs or take a break before passing into the timed Exotic mission proper. Remember, a wipe from this point forward is a one-way ticket back to orbit.
Step four: Hone thy blade
The first area in the Whetstone Exotic mission throws players right into the deep with the shorter of two boss encounters. The first boss, Khull, Executioner Knight, uses the same mechanics as the final boss but on a smaller scale. Players should only worry about doing boss damage once they have three stacks of the Deathly Sharp buff. Stacks can be earned by defeating Servile Minotaurs, and the buff lasts over a minute for three stacks.
At first, players can immediately slay the three Minotaurs and nuke the boss to his health gate. From there, Khull will teleport away, and a ten-minute timer will start to clear the rest of the mission. Players should push ahead as quickly as possible, eliminating enemies as they go. After eliminating enough foes, each room will spawn a Crux, keeping the barrier up. The first one is easy to spot, but the second one is tucked into stairs.
After two rooms of enemies, Khull is in the third area. This time, two Minotaurs are behind barriers on the left and right sides of the room. After players defeat the first Minotaur, a Crux will appear that can take down the barriers when shot. After all three Minotaurs are down, players can hit Khull with everything they have. Upon defeat, players will have a chance to drop a Rally Flag before pressing onward.
All that lies ahead is the final boss, and it’s pretty straightforward but still a challenge. Heading forward, players will enter a labyrinth and get a good look at the Tormentor boss, Omen, Blade of the Black Terrace. As with Khull, players need three stacks of Deathly Sharp before engaging Omen. This time, it’s Honed Minotaurs instead of Servile ones, and they’re typically spread across the corners of the labyrinth.
The Fireteam will need to split up to have one Guardian each take out a Minotaur in the interest of time. Once all three Minotaurs are fried, everyone should return to the large area at the labyrinth’s center to engage the boss. As with all Tormenters, Omen can take a lot of damage, and precision weaponry tends to work best. If players can’t eliminate Omen in a single damage phase, the Deathly Sharp buff will fall off, and players will have to go minotaur hunting again. So long as the Fireteam can bring down Omen before time runs out, players will complete the Exotic mission and earn Wicked Implement.
Step five: The Exotic Catalyst
Once players have Wicked Implement, they’ll want to grab the Exotic Catalyst for it as well. Until The Final Shape, capable Fireteams can guarantee they’ll earn the Catalyst, but that might not be so after Season 21 content disappears. The key to Wicked Implement’s Exotic Catalyst is the same activity Whetstone was hidden in: Deep Dives.
Getting the Catalyst for Wicked Implement is straightforward enough, but it isn’t easy by any means. Players must take a Deep Dive run to Tier 7 by having each Fireteam member interact with the hidden Taken orbs before each combat encounter. With every successful interaction, difficulty gets bumped up, and the Fireteam faces off against an additional Pressure Trial in each arena.
If Guardians manage to conquer every Pressure Trial and survive against the empowered foes, a demanding boss battle awaits them. Thankfully, this boss encounter has no time limit, so players can take it slow and ensure victory. Once it’s time to claim the rewards from the Deep Dive, players will get the Wicked Implement Exotic Catalyst from the activity’s chest.
