Guess who’s back, back again. Shady’s back, tell a friend.
http://i.imgur.com/lxUYd6v.jpg
Thorn is back and as Year 3 weapon. It seems like getting the quest to earn this is a bit random. At least the crucible part is much easier as deaths don’t count against your kills.
Reddit user SteviaSteve was the first to describe the steps leading up to unlocking Thorn’s Year 3 counterpart. Just like the original version, you’ll need to complete an Exotic Bounty to receive the loathsome yet beloved weapon, and the individual steps should sound pretty familiar for longtime players.
For the moment, receiving the bounty seems to be a random reward for completing other bounties (SteviaSteve got it for completing one of Shiro’s weekly Vanguard bounties). So start hunting. Once you acquire the quest, the first step is to finish the new The Wretched Eye Strike, apparently at any difficulty. Step two is to trawl the Plaguelands and kill every Fallen you see until your nascent Thorn’s bloodlust is slaked - about 500 should do.
Step 3 is where the Roses are separated from the Thorns: get Crucible kills using Void damage to bathe your evil widdle hand cannon in Light. SteviaSteve’s estimate puts it around 125 kills. At least deaths no longer seem to reduce your progress, unlike in the Year 1 version of this quest. Thank the Traveler for small blessings.
The last two steps are easy, comparatively: just use five Motes of Light to cleanse yourself, then open the hoard at the end of The Abomination Heist Strike. You’ll need a Skeleton Key to open the hoard but you can get one free from the “None are Perfect” quest. And that’s it - Year 3 Thorn is now yours. Use it responsibly!