Although Bungie has been regularly holding weekly events to keep Destiny 2 players occupied during Season 8, next week looks to be the most stocked week yet. From a new multiplayer mode to the start of Festival of the Lost, there will be plenty for Destiny 2 players to do next week and beyond. And in between the PvP and the Halloween festivities, Bungie is also launching a new exotic quest.

Next week’s exotic weapon quest will send players on a hunt for a heavy machine gun called Xenophage. Bungie has previously teased the Destiny 2 exotic by bringing a replica of the weapon to events and soon its virtual counterpart will be available.

RELATED: New Momentum Control Destiny 2 PvP Mode Detailed

However, unlike the Leviathan’s Breath exotic quest, which was added to the game files right at Shadowkeep’s launch, there is an air of mystery surrounding Xenophage. All Bungie is willing to say is that there will be many options available to players depending on how they like to play the most.

Based on that teaser, some think that the Xenophage quest might activate just by playing the game, but randomly. Others believe that the objectives for obtaining the exotic heavy machine gun will not be as restrictive as some other exotic weapon quests. For example, the Thorn quest had some very specific and tedious steps.

destiny 2 new exotic machine gun

Another predominant theory is that the new dungeon that unlocks with Tuesday’s reset will hold the key to the Xenophage exotic quest. Just like the Shattered Throne dungeon allowed players to unlock the Wish-Ender exotic bow, there are theories that claim this new dungeon will feature some extra steps to unlock the Xenophage quest.

Either way, we will be sure to update this post with the full Xenophage exotic quest steps as soon as players discover them. It may be soon after reset on October 29th at 10am PT, or it may take the Destiny 2 community a little bit of poking around before they find the quest starter. Knowing Destiny 2 players and how quickly they found the Gunsmith’s secret room in the Tower, it shouldn’t be too long before someone has Xenophage. Assuming that the quest is not time-gated in some way, of course.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

MORE: What is Ikora Building in the Tower?