How to get Ice Breaker in Destiny 2

Ice Breaker, a long-lost exotic from Destiny 1, has made a stunning return in the game's sequel with the launch of Episode: Revenant in October 2024. Ice Breaker was once the king of sniper rifles and had a truly enviable set of perks and traits.

Bungie has taken Ice Breaker to a new level in Destiny 2, giving it a series of upgrades that make it incredibly useful in end-game content and help it enhance existing Prismatic, Solar, and Stasis builds. Here's how to get Ice Breaker in Destiny 2.

To unlock Ice Breaker, you'll need to complete the Vesper's Host dungeon in Destiny 2. This dungeon was introduced during Episode: Revenant and sees guardians head to a decrepit station above Europa (like Deep Stone Crypt!) and uncover the source of an emergency beacon.

The weapon will only drop from the final boss, so you've got three attempts a week (one per character) to get your hands on it. It's a random drop, meaning if you miss out, you'll have to try again after the weekly reset on Tuesday.

To access Vesper's Host, you'll need to purchase The Final Shape expansion or the Final Shape dungeon key. The cheaper of the two, the dungeon key, will set you back 2,000 Silver (approx. $20 USD).

Ice Breaker is a slow-firing Solar special sniper rifle with the intrinsic trait No Backpack. Final blows or assists with other weapons or abilities have a chance to create ammo for Ice Breaker (up to 10 shots maximum).

This ammo is created from thin air as the weapon does not have reserve ammo, so pairing the Ice Breaker with an ability-spam build or a great add-clearing primary with perks like Incandescent or Voltshot is recommended.

Ice Breaker's second trait states that defeated targets explode on kill, with precision final blows or shattering frozen targets triggering an ignition instead. Ignitions on headshot kill or when combined with Stasis mean Ice Breaker works in partnership with Solar abilities and effects.

Yes, there is a catalyst for Ice Breaker. Obtaining the Icing-Breaker catalyst grants the sniper an additional effect: Landing a hit on a slowed or frozen target has a chance to return the round to the magazine.

We don't yet know how to unlock the catalyst for Ice Breaker. If it's anything like previous dungeon exotics, we'll likely need to run the Vesper's Host dungeon multiple times over subsequent weeks or complete an additional quest to get our hands on it. We'll keep this piece updated, so stay tuned!

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