Thorn

"To rend one's enemies is to see them not as equals, but objects—hollow of spirit and meaning."

- 13th Understanding, 7th Book of Sorrow

Thorn is an Exotic hand cannon and one of the Weapons of Sorrow. It is most likely named after the thorn-like spikes on it. The weapon is sleek, dark black, with many spikes or "thorns" adorning the sides, facing the front of the weapon. The projectiles shot from it also resemble giant daggers or "thorns". It was acquired via the Exotic bounty, A Light in the Dark. Thorn also appears in Rise of Iron and can be acquired through a Quest.

Overview
Thorn was once called Rose, and it belonged to the Guardian Dredgen Yor. Once a noble hero, Yor eventually fell to Darkness after looking to the Hive to try and look for more ways to defeat the Darkness. He was soon consumed by the Darkness, and he and his Hand Cannon Rose began wantonly murdering innocents and consuming their Light,. Ever since, it has been hungry for the Light of other Guardians. Whether before or after it was built, Thorn became bound to Xyor, the Unwed; killing her removes the link and enables Guardians to safely use Thorn without risk of corruption.

After Dredgen Yor's fall, cleansed replicas of the Thorn were created by the Shadows of Yor, a group of Guardians who idolize the fallen Guardian. Their activity raised enough concern for Shin Malphur, Yor's killer, to take up arms against the Shadows. A year after the Red War, a Shadow of Yor known as Callum was found and killed by Shin. The Young Wolf would find the spot of the Shadow's final death, retrieving weapon parts from his remains for The Drifter to utilize to create a new replica of Thorn known as Malfeasance.

Gameplay
Thorn, like every exotic in Destiny, has a "signature perk". Thorn's is called "Mark of the Devourer", which allows rounds fired from the weapon to pierce the target and cause lingering damage over time, which, in PvP, could potentially prevent a fleeing Guardian's shield from regenerating quickly enough for a kill-shot to be delivered. This perk has since been nerfed from its Year 1 itineration.

Weapon Mods
Mark of The Devourer: Rounds pierce targets and cause lingering damage over time.

Weapon Perks
Coloumn One
 * Accurized Ballistics: More range and impact. Increased recoil.
 * Field Choke: More range and impact. Increased recoil.
 * Aggressive Ballistics: More predictable recoil. Enhanced impact. Shorter range and more recoil.

Coloumn Two
 * Final Round: The last round in a magazine deals bonus damage.

Coloumn Three
 * Snapshot: Aiming this weapon is incredibly fast.
 * Send It: Increases range and accuracy. Harder to handle. Decreases carried Ammo capacity.
 * Perfect Balance: This weapon has extremely low recoil.

Trivia

 * The Thorn has been labeled as the "yin" of the Destiny universe (as opposed to the Last Word, which is the "yang").
 * Thorn was originally described as being one of the loot in Charlemagne's Vault, a chamber in the Dust Palace that does not appear in the final version of the game.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * Destiny 2
 * Forsaken