Destiny is full of so many very unique and very powerful weapons and armor known as “Exotics.” These weapons can range from things like Hand Cannons, Auto Rifles, DMR-like Scout Rifles, Rocket Launchers, Grenade Launchers, Sidearms, Machine Guns, Shotguns, Fusion Rifles, Swords, and so many more. These Exotics give the game its unique “flavor” and are part of what makes Destiny so memorable. For players that want to grind out the latest-and-greatest god roll stats – Exotic armor gives them something to chase. For players that are more dead set on collecting every piece of gear – there’s a ton of Exotic quests that you can complete to earn these powerful weapons. One of these weapons is called the “Ace of Spades” and it is a weapon that was very well-known in Destiny 1 and has returned in Destiny 2. So what is it? How do you get the Ace of Spades in Destiny 2?
What is Ace of Spades?
Ace of Spades is an Exotic Hand Cannon that was first introduced in Destiny 1. The gun was originally a Hunter exclusive weapon and was wielded by the one and only, Cayde-6. You could only obtain the weapon by completing the Exotic quest, “Back in the Saddle.” In order to do so, you must have completed these 4 steps:
- Get Hand Cannon kills with a Primary Telemetry consumable active (100 kills)
- Speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower
- Dismantle Rare or Legendary Hand Cannons to salvage the parts Banshee-44 needs (10 parts salvaged)
- Speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower
After you complete this quest, you’ll receive the Ace of Spades Exotic Hand Cannon. As far as obtaining the Destiny 2 version of Ace of Spades, there was a long quest involving Gambit when the gun was introduced in Forsaken, but now that Beyond Light has removed many of the destinations in the game, you can now just spend some materials to acquire Ace of Spades at the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower.
The perks available on the Destiny 1 version of the weapon vary from the Destiny 2 version. In Destiny 1, the perks available on Ace of Spades were:
- Third Eye (Radar stays active while aiming down this weapon’s sights)
- TrueSight IS (Flexible sight; Light, with good recoil control. Strong target acquisition)
- QuickDraw IS (Agile sight; Lightning-fast handling)
- SteadyHand IS (Stable sight; Optimized for excellent recoil control)
- Firefly (Precision kills with this weapon cause the target to explode)
- High-Caliber Rounds (Oversize rounds built to stagger targets and leave them reeling)
- Perfect Balance (This weapon has extremely low recoil)
- Reinforced Barrel (Increased range; Reduced stability)
- Maverick (Precision kills move one round from your ammo reserves into the magazine)
As far as the Destiny 2 version of Ace of Spades goes, the perks on it are a bit different:
- Corkscrew Rifling (Balanced barrel; slightly increases range and stability, slightly increases handling speed)
- High-Caliber Rounds (Shots from this weapon knock the target back farther, slightly increases range)
- Firefly (Precision kills with this weapon increase reload speed and cause the target to explode, dealing Solar damage to nearby enemies)
- Smooth Grip (This weapon is slightly easier to hold and aim, slightly increases stability, slightly increases handling speed)
- [Exotic Perk] Memento Mori (Reloading after a kill loads magazine with a few extra-damage bullets. Grants radar while aiming down sights)
Ace of Spades Catalyst in Destiny 2
The Ace of Spades Catalyst in Destiny 2 is unfortunately a bit underwhelming. The Catalyst turns the weapon into a Masterworked weapon which grants it the ability to generate Orbs on multikills and gives the gun a tracker that displays the number of combatants defeated with it. The Catalyst also provides Ace of Spades with another perk known as “Funeral Pyre” which states “Firefly deals more damage while Memento Mori is active.” This isn’t a terrible perk to have – something is better than nothing – but this something is incredibly situational and I don’t think Ace of Spades benefits very much from having it on the gun. In order to get the Ace of Spades Catalyst, you’ll need to get kills in Nightfalls or Strikes, then when you finally get the Catalyst – slot it into the weapon and get 500 kills to fully charge the Catalyst.
Ace of Spades Ornaments
Ace of Spades also comes with a few different ornaments including:
- All In
- Big Blind
- Last Hand
- Salute to the Colonel
So let’s take a look at them!
All In
I don’t really know what Bungie’s thought process was behind making this ornament for Ace of Spades, it looks very blocky and it just looks strange to me. Compels me though. You can obtain this ornament from Eververse.
Big Blind
I’m not the biggest fan of Big Blind as I’ve never really liked gold weapons – it just doesn’t really appeal to me all that much. However, if you want, you can get it from Eververse.
Last Hand
Last Hand is my favorite Ace of Spades ornament due to the black and red color – I just love the design of the ornament, as well as the fact that it was a pre-order bonus for Destiny 2: Forsaken. Unfortunately, it looks like you can’t obtain the ornament anymore, but maybe Bungie will eventually add it into the game for players that missed out on pre-ordering Forsaken.
Salute to the Colonel
Salute to the Colonel is my second favorite Ace of Spades ornament simply because it has a chicken (Colonel) on it and the colors are super cool. You can get this ornament from Eververse.
