The Forsaken expansion — more specifically, its campaign — is now free inside Destiny 2. This is huge for new players, as this particular campaign contains one of the best stories told in the game. You may be wondering, though: what about those who actually paid money for this content? Isn’t that a little rude to those who parted with their money to play it? Bungie apparently agreed, though you may not love its solution: Forsaken Ciphers.
Forsaken Ciphers are a currency available not only to players who purchase the “Forsaken Pack,” which grants access to gear and to the Last Wish Raid, but also to paying Forsaken customers. Here’s where you can find them and what they do.
Your Forsaken Ciphers are waiting in the Monument to Lost Lights
In order to pick up your Forsaken Ciphers, you’ll need to visit the Monument to Lost Lights. This kiosk is located in the Tower right by the Vault terminals.
Once you’re there, open the Monument and go to the section titled “Forsaken Exotics.” You’ll then see an entry that didn’t exist there in the past: Forsaken Ciphers. Buying the Ciphers shouldn’t cost you anything, so go ahead and do that.
You have two options for using the Ciphers
Bungie at least gave you a bit of agency with how you can use the Ciphers, making them somewhat useful regardless of how seasoned a player you are.
You can use them to purchase Forsaken Exotic weapons — in that regard, they take the place of typical Exotic Ciphers. Just note that if you want to purchase a Raid weapon, you’ll still need Spoils of Conquest, which can be obtained by completing Raid encounters. There are no free rides to those guns here.
The other option is — perhaps for those who have all the Exotics already — is to use the Forsaken Ciphers to buy Ascendant Shards. To do that, hover over the Ascendant Shard icon that is now present in the Forsaken Exotics section of the Monument to Lost Lights. One Ascendant Shard will cost you one Cipher. You can use all three to purchase the Shards, split your use between Shards and weapons, or whatever tickles your fancy.
And now you’ve got the scoop on Forsaken Ciphers
That should tell you everything you need to know about what these Ciphers do and where you can find them. The Tangled Shore and the Forsaken campaign will be vaulted when The Witch Queen expansion arrives in February 2022. But I imagine these items will stick around in the Monument, so if you’re still thinking about collecting Spoils of Conquest to pick up some Raid weapons, I don’t think there’s any rush.
