Xûr is located in the Tower Hangar bar.
| Item | Class | Subclass | Buy? | Strange Coin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderlord | Yes | 17 | ||
| Y1 Chest Engrams | 29 | |||
| Empyrean Bellicose (32/47 INT, 30/45 DISC) | Titan | Any | Yes | 13 |
| Skyburners Annex (34/49 INT, 36/51 DISC) | Hunter | Any | Maybe | 13 |
| Alchemist’s Raiment (75/95 INT) | Warlock | Any | Maybe | 13 |
Thunderlord
Hasn’t changed from Y1, the issue is, in PvP there’s many other Legendary options that are just as formidable.
Empyrean Bellicose
Titans are getting a taste of Angel of Light with this helm! In addition to floating, “Orbs collected while your Super is full will recharge your melee ability.” To hover in mid-air while firing a weapon is both a good and bad thing. It gives you unparalleled vision and an unobstructed FoV, but comes at the cost of protective cover.
As a PvE helmet, it’s not worth your time speaking generally, though it can provide moments of usefulness when your sight lines are obstructed or you’re being swarmed on the ground. Unlike the Sunsinger, Titans have no intrinsic perk to do this for them. Orbs refilling your Melee ability while your Super is full is a mixed bag at best, as it consumes Orbs that would otherwise be helpful again after you expend your Super.
Regardless, it has a little synergy with a Simmering Flames build, so the whole package gets a low-ish B tier. In PvP, this helmet has a high skill ceiling and pairs much better with Titan skating than AoL does with the Warlock’s puny glide. Try it out if you enjoy playing mind games or moving with unpredictability – of course, Twilight Garrison can do this too.
Twist Fate? Maybe
Inverse Shadow is just a flat-out must for PvE. However, the rest of this roll is very solid, with a nice Intellect/Discipline split (though I might prefer Intellect/Strength), and Infusion. If you wanted to ape the Alchemist Raiment’s effects, you could aim for Innervation and recharge both Grenade and Melee when picking up an orb. Might as well make Simmering Flames work for you.
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Skyburners Annex
It looks dope, the name is peak Bungie, and I think it’d make even the Cabal jealous. It also is the ultimate in team play, granting you even more orbs as a Nightstalker which, incidentally, is the class you should use this as. Blood Bound + Skyburners Annex + Light of the Pack + Bolt Caster/Sleeper Simulant/Quillum’s Terminus = GG. If you’re one who hangs onto your Super in PvP, it has some interesting use as a second reservoir of Special Ammo for when your teammates spawn orbs for you.
The chance for an orb is roughly 50% or more from anecdotal experience, and when you’re chewing through enemies with a Sword while they’re fated to death with Blood Bound, your team will be staggered by the amount of Orbs you suddenly have for them on the field. And when they return the favor by cleaning house with their Supers, every orb you pick up beyond your Super being full has a chance to grant Special ammo. Unfortunately every perk on this helmet is directly tied to team play, so it has zero use in solo content or those Strikes with two Sunsingers who think they’re running Oryx CM and saving their Super the whole damn time.
Twist Fate? Yes
Blah Blah Inverse Shadow you get it by now. It’s especially necessary on this basically-PvE-only helmet. Thankfully you’re given Heavy Lifting as an automatic, which pairs neatly with its intrinsic Exotic perk. I would actually love to know if Inverse Shadow’s universality meant it granted less additional Super, and the more specific ones granted more. Regardless, aim for Intellect/Strength (for NS), Inverse Shadow, and Better Already/Infusion for a top-tier PvE helmet for fireteam play.
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Alchemist’s Raiment
This one looks a lot cooler than it is, unfortunately. The intrinsic Iron to Gold talks of Glimmer galore from simply picking up ammo – but it’s Bungie wryly hanging a lampshade on the fact that the early practice of Alchemy never really bore any fruit whatsoever. Either that or a poorly-designed perk – and we’ve never had any of those.
The universal Special Ammo or Heavy Ammo can boost your Sniper/Sleeper Simulant reserves, which is a welcome boon. Aside from that you get instant Grenade/Melee recharge when you pick up an orb with your Super full, like Bellicose. The best use of this Exotic is on Sunsingers in Oryx HM, where you’ll be holding on to your Super for dear life, and orbs recharging your abilities are useful. It’s a top-tier Exotic in that specific situation.
The second best use of this Exotic is to check the boxes for a Transcendence proc, though you’ll be wasting orbs that you could quickly get after your Stormtrance. At least you have a shiny purple bullseye to give those other Guardians in PvP a chance.
Twist Fate? Maybe
The pure Intellect is excellent, and 20 Strength isn’t going to make a huge difference unless you’re on the cusp of a tier. Heavy and Special Ammo are guaranteed. The only thing to worry about is the Armor bonus. The current set here has Arc Armor, which lends itself to a Stormcaller build. If you want to use this as a Sunsinger, re-roll and aim for Solar Armor. Thankfully, you’re guaranteed a healthy chunk of Intellect every time.