The Cloudstrike is an Exotic Sniper Rifle introduced in Destiny 2 with the Beyond Light expansion. Even though it is a random drop, chances are that you don’t even have access to the activity that it drops in. This Gamer Haul guide will cover every detail about this 140 RPM Exotic Sniper Rifle (that comes with an exciting perk) and how to acquire one for yourself as quickly as possible.
How to Get Cloudstrike in Destiny 2 (Updated)
The first step towards getting the Cloudstrike is to unlock the selectable difficulty ‘Empire Hunts’ activity. To do this, you need to:
STEP 1: Complete all Beyond Light campaign quests.
STEP 2: Complete Variks’ post-campaign quests: ‘Reclaiming Europa’ and ‘Empire’s Fall.’
STEP 3: Complete The Exo Stranger’s quest: ‘A Hard Rain Falls.’
After you’ve completed the above quests, you will gain access to the ‘Sabotage’ section by interacting with Variks. Once inside this section,
STEP 4: Acquire and complete the two quests titled: ‘Europan Explorer I’ and ‘Europan Explorer II.’ Note that the second quest requires defeating powerful combatants in Empire Hunts. I recommend acquiring the ‘The Dark Priestess’ Empire Hunt as it requires you to kill several powerful (yellow-bar) targets to progress through.
Once you’ve completed the Europan Explorer II Sabotage Quest, talk to Variks to finally unlock the ‘Elected Difficulty’ Empire Hunts.
STEP 5: Open the map, and you will find a new ‘Empire Hunt’ node in Europa like so:
You can now start farming this quest in any difficulty to get your Cloudstrike. The drop rate for the weapon is set at ‘Rare’ for every difficulty level. Note that the ‘Rewards’ section in the above screenshot only lists ‘Enhancement Cores’ since I’ve already acquired the Sniper. It should show ‘Cloudstrike (Rare)’ for you.
Now that you know how to acquire the Cloudstrike, let’s go over what makes this Sniper Rifle special!
Cloudstrike Sniper Rifle Exotic Perks in Destiny 2
Since the Cloudstrike is a 140 RPM Sniper Rifle, you will be hitting critical shots for no more than ~15k. It’s the weapon’s two Exotic Perks that make it unique and significantly boost its DPS potential:
- Mortal Polarity: Precision final blows generate a lightning bolt at the target’s location. This lightning bolt deals decent damage and can take out multiple enemies if they are grouped up.
- Stormbringer: Rapid precision hits create a lightning storm (that strikes twice) at the point of impact. This lightning storm is triggered every three precision hits and deals upwards of ~25k damage.
How to Unlock the Exotic Catalyst for Cloudstrike
The ‘Triple Tap’ perk Cloudstrike Catalyst returns one ammo to the magazine per three precision shots. It can randomly drop as a reward for completing a playlist activity in Crucible, Gambit, or Vanguard. A friend, however, was able to obtain the catalyst and the weapon itself after finishing his ninth Empire Hunt run on ‘Hero’ difficulty. But I suppose that’s his luck. Let us know how you got your catalyst in the comments below!
I hope you found this Exotic Weapon unlocking guide helpful and easy to follow! Remember to follow Gamer Haul for more gaming guides, the latest gaming news, and more!
Destiny 2: Season of the Seraph is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.