While year 3 in Destiny 2 has been a high point for new Exotic weapons with many unique, powerful designs like Ruinous Effigy and Xenophage, Bungie has made a habit out of also reprising old exotics from the original Destiny. Some have been brought back almost exactly as they were with the same Exotic perks like Bad Juju and Telesto (still "the besto" even with all the glitches), while others have been updated for the new sandbox (Ace of Spades, The Queenbreaker) or repurposed in the form of new weapons with the same Exotic perks (i.e., pulse rifle Red Death returning as the hand cannon Crimson, and Zhalo Supercell returning as the similar submachine gun Riskrunner).
The upcoming return of fan-favorite Exotic hand cannon Hawkmoon and pulse rifle for No Time to Explain in Beyond Light this November has players speculating what other Exotic weapons Bungie may be planning to bring forward to Destiny 2 in the future.
10 No Land Beyond
The first primary sniper rifle and the only scopeless sniper in Destiny history, No Land Beyond would be a welcome addition to Destiny 2. Similar to previously brought back Exotics, No Land Beyond would likely need to be tweaked for the new sandbox. Low-zoom sniper rifles are currently wreaking havoc in high-level competitive PvP in Destiny 2, especially Revoker with its Reversal of Fortune perk that automatically refunds missed shots (similar to No Land Beyond's Mulligan perk which grants a chance at refunding missed bullets). A slight rework to No Land Beyond and/or a widespread nerf to low-zoom snipers would be needed before this unique weapon's return.
9 Vex Mythoclast
Only obtainable as a rare drop in the Vault of Glass raid, the Exotic primary fusion rifle Vex Mythoclast is a storied weapon in Destiny for multiple reasons. Mythoclast was the first Exotic primary weapon that dealt intrinsic elemental damage, the only "fusion rifle" of its kind and the only one to slot into the primary slot in Destiny, and one of the first weapons to "break" PvP resulting in a very fast nerf. With Vault of Glass confirmed to return in year 4, there's a strong possibility that Bungie brings Mythoclast back with it.
8 Dreg's Promise
Lord of Wolves and Queenbreaker's Bow, 2 out of the 3 weapons from Destiny's House of Wolves expansion (whatever happened to the 347 Vesta Dynasty?), both returned in Forsaken in 2018, leaving just the Dreg's Promise Exotic sidearm yet to be remastered. Its Exotic perk, Shock Rounds, was nothing flashy, but Dreg's Promise was fun to use with constant ammo regeneration and powerful at close range. Expect this weapon to receive a small power boost before returning.
7 Invective
Warlock Vanguard Ikora Rey's weapon of choice, Invective was one of the first fully automatic shotguns. Invective would certainly need a rework before returning thanks to its potentially game-breaking perk that is its namesake, which automatically regenerates ammo over time, similar to its sniper rifle sibling, Icebreaker (which has intentionally been left off of this list).
Having infinite ammo in a shotgun isn't quite as problematic as an infinite-ammo sniper in high-end PvE activities like Nightfalls, so Invective could return in some form in Destiny 2's lifecycle.
6 Universal Remote
On the flipside of No Land Beyond is the primary shotgun Universal Remote, which tries its best to act like a sniper rifle with its eponymous Exotic perk that increases range and precision damage when aiming down sights. Now that kinetic snipers and shotguns are commonplace in Destiny 2, Universal Remote wouldn't have quite as much novelty in the current sandbox if it were brought back in its original form. Still, it was a fun gun to use and a powerful shotgun in PvP, so it's a candidate to eventually return as it was or with some modifications.
5 Nova Mortis/Abbadon
Nova Mortis and Abbadon are grouped together because they're essentially the Void and Solar variants, respectively, of the fan-favorite Exotic Arc Machine Gun, Thunderlord, which returned as Destiny 2's first machine gun in 2018's Festival of the Lost event. With many machine guns being sunset in year 4, it makes all the sense in the world to bring back 2 powerful Exotic machine guns to complete the Thunderlord elemental trifecta (with possibly a Statis variant entering the mix?).
4 Necrochasm
The second Exotic weapon to be tied to a raid after Vex Mythoclast, the Arc auto rifle Necrochasm (which would certainly be classified as a submachine gun in Destiny 2) was one of the most unique weapons in Destiny thanks to its Exotic perk, which caused a Cursed Thrall-like explosion on kills. Sadly, Necrochasm was both underpowered when it was released (although somewhat stronger when it was brought back in year 3 of Destiny) and notably difficult to obtain since it was locked behind a low-drop rate item in The Dark Below's notoriously buggy Crota's End raid. Bringing a beefed-up version back to Destiny 2 could allow Necrochasm to finally have its time in the limelight.
3 The First Curse
Once Hawkmoon returns in Beyond Light, The First Curse will be the last Exotic hand cannon left behind in the original Destiny. The antithesis to its ultra-high rate-of-fire hip-firing brother The Last Word, The First Curse was designed for long-range firefights and fit for players that can consistently land headshots.
While not quite as beloved as the other Destiny Exotic hand cannons, The First Curse has its own fanbase that would love to see it return. A buff to low rate-of-fire hand cannons would be welcome before its return since these weapons perform notably worse than mid-rate-of-fire hand cannons in the current sandbox.
2 Khvostov 7G-0X
Bungie recently repeated history by bringing back every guardian's first weapon in Destiny 2 as an Exotic, the Traveler's Chosen sidearm. That means they're due to bring back the real first weapon in Destiny history, the Khvostov 7G-02 auto rifle, in its Exotic form from Rise of Iron, the Khvostov 7G-0X. In addition to being linked to one of the most tear-inducing quests in Destiny, the Khvostov was easily the most versatile weapon in the game thanks to players being able to customize every single one of its traits, including scope, rate-of-fire, and barrel type.
1 Gjallarhorn
The end-all-be-all of Exotic weapons, Gjallarhorn was essentially required for high-end endgame activity in year 1 of the original Destiny due to its unmatched power. Getting the all-powerful Exotic rocket launcher to drop in vanilla Destiny was the game's true first "you had to be there" moment and the most diehard Destiny fans even celebrate its existence annually on August 14, when it was sold by in-game merchant Xur to all guardians in 2015. Even the Rise of Iron form of Gjallarhorn may be too strong for the current sandbox, but fans better believe that the mighty Gjallarhorn will return sooner or later.