How to finish ‘The Variable’ and get Vexcalibur in Destiny 2 (2025)

Vexcalibur is an Exotic introduced in Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion with the Season of Defiance.

Vexcalibur is a new craftable Exotic Void glaive, available to those who have the season, that provides over-shields to you and your allies when you block with the weapon. To unlock the quest that grants you the weapon, you’ll first need to complete a small puzzle in the Gulch area of the EDZ. Once you complete the puzzle you’ll unlock the new Avalon secret mission that grants you the new glaive.

In this Destiny 2 guide, we’ll go over how to unlock the Vexcalibur Void glaive and how to start and navigate “The Variable” quest.

How to get Vexcalibur in Destiny 2

The steps to get Vexcalibur in Destiny 2 are as follows:

1. Investigate the Gulch in the EDZ where Guardians have reported anomalous objects.
2. Follow the digital traces.
3. Explore the Vex network node in the EDZ and discover its secrets. (Play ‘Avalon’ mission //node.ovrd.AVALON//.)
4. Bring the object from the Vex network to the War Table for analysis.

The mission at the end of this quest is 1800 Power level, other than that the quest is pretty straightforward to complete.

Once you have Vexcalibur, there are a few things to follow up on from week 2 onwards — including unlocking the Authorization Override mod, the M1R Distribution Matrix II intrinsic, and the Immovable Refit trait. But first, here is every quest step in further detail:

How to start ‘The Variable’ in Destiny 2

You start this quest by completing the code in the Gulch. This requires you to collect the six code fragments, we’ll go over each of the locations below.

Finding the nodes in the Gulch of the EDZ

There are six code fragments that you must collect. You have 30 seconds in between each pickup to get to the next one. The order we’ve placed them in below is the order we suggest you pick them up in.

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1. You’ll first trace at the top of the hill next to the Cabal gear.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

2. Turn around, you’ll find the second trace below the bridge.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

3. The third trace is in the trees up on the hill opposite the first trace.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

4. The fourth trace is in the dead center of the area amongst the group of trees.

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5. From the fourth trace, look at the large Cabal door, the fifth trace is directly to the right in some trees.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

6. Continue along the wall from the fifth trace, and you’ll eventually see the sixth and final trace above the roadsigns.

Follow the traces to the cave to unlock the ‘Avalon’ //node.ovrd.AVALON// mission

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Head up to the area near the third trace. Follow the path and you’ll see the cave on the left-hand side. Enter the cave and reach the harpy to start the mission //node.ovrd.AVALON//. Once you start the mission in this way, it’ll be available on the EDZ in the director.

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Completing the ‘Avalon’ //node.ovrd.AVALON// mission

Complete the mission. If you need help, the following video walkthrough from prominent community member Esoterickk can help:

Remember, after you get Vexcalibur, there are a few things to follow up on from week 2 onward — including unlocking the Authorization Override mod, the M1R Distribution Matrix II intrinsic, and Immovable Refit trait. Let’s go through these one-by-one now.

How to get Authorization Override for Vexcalibur

Once you acquire Vexcalibur, you’ll get the quest “Vexcalibur: Authorization Override.” This is a short quest that involves killing Vex with the glaive. Upon completion, you’ll be granted the Authorization Override mod that you can slot into Vexcalibur. This will allow you to pass through barriers.

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How to get M1R Distribution Matrix II for Vexcalibur

Similar to Revision Zero, an Exotic pulse rifle introduced in Season of the Seraph, this glaive will update its intrinsic week to week, allowing you to craft it more and more to your liking. To unlock this first upgraded intrinsic, you’ll first need to slot in the Authorization Override mod discussed above. Once you have that on your glaive, enter the Avalon mission on normal or Legendary.

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Once you slide down the ramp, jump down, and turn around, you’ll see a green button that you’ll need to jump to and activate. Once activated, continue on until you reach the other side of the loop, you’ll know you’re in the right spot when you look up and see the barrier.

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Sheild with Vexcalibur to pass through the barrier and open the chest. This will unlock the first upgraded intrinsic which can be inserted at the Enclave.

Getting the Immovable Refit for Vexcalibur

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Once you complete the Avalon mission and acquire Vexcalibur, you’ll unlock the Legendary version of the mission. Complete this Legendary mission to unlock the Immovable Refit.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

After you have Vexcalibur, check out our guide for getting Destiny 2: Lightfall’s Exotic sidearm, Final Warning; do the same for the exotic heavy machine gun, Deterministic Chaos; or learn where to find all Lost Sectors and Region Chests in Neomuna.