Destiny 2: How to Get the Wish-Keeper Exotic Bow
Destiny 2 continues to evolve with each new season, always keeping Guardians on their toes with fresh content, exhilarating challenges, and unique gear. One of the standout additions from Destiny 2’s Season of the Wish is the Wish-Keeper—an exquisite Exotic Strand Bow with devastating potential and incredible utility. Whether you’re a hardened PvE veteran or someone looking to spice up their PvP loadout, this bow offers both mystique and firepower.
In this guide, we break down how to get the Wish-Keeper in Destiny 2, explore its unique perks, and explain how to unlock its catalyst to unleash its full potential.
What Is the Wish-Keeper?
Before diving into how to obtain it, let’s first explore what makes the Wish-Keeper such a coveted weapon.
The Wish-Keeper is a Strand Exotic Bow introduced in Destiny 2’s Season of the Wish. This season is rich in narrative content that bridges the past and future of Destiny, tying up storylines with the Awoken Queen Mara Sov, the Ascendant Plane, and the elusive Ahamkara, Riven.
What makes this exotic bow stand out is its crowd-control and Strand synergy. Its exotic perk, Snareweaver, allows it to entangle enemies with projectiles that suspend them mid-air—one of the defining effects of the Strand subclass. This is a game-changer for both crowd control in PvE and disruption strategies in PvP.
Wish-Keeper’s Core Perks:
– 💫 Snareweaver: Precision hits and final blows create a suspended trap that slows and eventually suspends nearby targets.
– 🧶 Exotic Strand Synergy: Enhances gameplay for Guardians running Strand subclass builds, synergizing with abilities like Threadlings and Suspensions.
– 🔋 Catalyst (Unlocked Later): Adds potent effects like increasing trap capacity, duration, and utility for controlling larger combat groups.
Now, let’s walk through how you can add the Wish-Keeper to your arsenal.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Get the Wish-Keeper in Destiny 2
Step 1: Complete the Seasonal Narrative to Unlock “Starcrossed” Exotic Mission
The first step toward acquiring the Wish-Keeper is participating in Season of the Wish’s questline. Specifically, you’ll need to complete the weekly storyline missions culminating in the quest to unlock the Exotic mission called “Starcrossed.”
Typically, you’ll get access to this after several weeks of seasonal progress—the exact week may vary, but generally by Week 5 or 6 of the seasonal story, the Exotic mission becomes available from the H.E.L.M.
If you’ve progressed far enough in the seasonal storyline, you’ll receive a prompt from Mara Sov to enter the Starcrossed mission.
Step 2: Launch the “Starcrossed” Exotic Mission
The Starcrossed mission is set in the Ascendant Plane and draws heavy visual and narrative cues from the Dreaming City and the events of Forsaken. The mission is somewhat of a spiritual successor to previous exotic bow quests like Wish-Ender.
In terms of difficulty, it is designed to be challenging but soloable. Expect complicated jumping puzzles, Taken enemies, and mechanics involving Light and Dark spheres that you must collect to progress through each segment.
Tips for Starcrossed:
– Equip a solid add-clearing weapon and a burst-DPS secondary for boss fights.
– Bring gear that protects you from Void damage—the Taken foes here are relentless.
– Coordinate if playing co-op, or pace yourself if soloing. Don’t rush the Dark and Light orb collection mechanics—they loop if missed.
At the end of the mission, you’ll face off against a mini-raid style boss with multiple phases. Defeat the final boss, and you’ll receive the Wish-Keeper Exotic Bow as your reward.
Unlocking the Wish-Keeper Catalyst
Once the Wish-Keeper is yours, the next objective will be obtaining its Catalyst. Like most exotic weapons, the Wish-Keeper catalyst is where the weapon truly shines.
Step 1: Restore Trapped Spirits in the Spirit Offering Activity
After completing the Starcrossed mission and claiming the bow, you’ll unlock a new weekly challenge involving Spirit Offerings. This is a continuation of Season of the Wish’s core activity.
You’ll need to unlock and participate in the Spirit Offering event (available from the seasonal tab), where your primary task is to free trapped spirits scattered across different parts of the Dreaming City.
Tips for Spirit Offering Activities:
– Use the Wish-Keeper during the event—landing precision hits helps you trap Taken enemies.
– The more successfully trapped enemies you release, the more progress you make toward obtaining the catalyst.
– Look out for new seasonal triumphs associated with these activities—progress carries over.
Step 2: Complete the Catalyst Objective
Once you’ve unlocked the catalyst after enough events and spirit releases, you’ll now need to complete the objective to actually socket it into the weapon. This objective typically requires precision kills, suspends, or simply weapon usage across multiple activities.
The specific catalyst benefits include:
– Increased duration and range of Snareweaver traps.
– An additional utility effect—Such as allowing traps to stick to surfaces or trap more enemies at once.
– Improved reload speed and draw time under certain conditions.
Once you’ve completed the catalyst objective, slot it into the Wish-Keeper from your inventory for the full Exotic experience.
Is the Wish-Keeper Worth It?
Absolutely. The Wish-Keeper is more than an exotic—it’s a meta-shifting tool in both PvE and PvP scenarios.
In PvE:
– Excellent for Grandmaster Nightfalls, where enemy management and crowd control are key.
– Works synergistically with Strand Warlocks and Hunters to control hordes while your team focuses on damage-dealing.
– Its suspending effects make taking out Champions much more manageable when timed correctly.
In PvP:
Though bows in PvP are often niche, the Wish-Keeper offers a unique stall-and-trap mechanic that can confuse and stall rushers, especially on smaller maps. It disrupts rhythm and flow, forcing enemies into passive playstyles.
In Raids:
While its damage isn’t on par with classic boss DPS weapons like rockets or swords, Wish-Keeper’s add-clearing and control utility can be invaluable when handling Thrall rushes or interrupting champions mid-cast.
Final Thoughts
The Wish-Keeper is a prime example of Bungie’s continuous innovation with Destiny 2’s exotic gear. It doesn’t rely on raw power alone, but introduces a deeply strategic way to play, control the battlefield, and alter the flow of combat.
For Strand users, it’s a must-have. For collectors, it’s a dazzling new addition. And for PvE tacticians, it’s a Swiss Army knife of suspending chaos.
If you haven’t started your journey to get this bow—now is the time. Complete the seasonal narrative, master the Starcrossed mission, and set forth to control the Taken and reclaim the wishes lost in shadow.
Have you acquired the Wish-Keeper yet? If so, how are you integrating it into your build? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation on our Destiny 2 community forums. Eyes up, Guardian. Your wish awaits.
