Eriana's Vow

"A light in the dark."

- Weapon description

Eriana's Vow is an Exotic Hand Cannon introduced in the Season of the Undying. It is awarded to the player once they reach rank 35 of the free track, or at rank 1 of the premium track.

Perks

 * Looks Can Kill: This weapon fires special shield-piercing ammunition. It comes with a scope.
 * Extended Barrel: Weighty barrel extension. Increases range. Decreases handling speed. Moderately controls recoil.
 * Accurized Rounds: This weapon can fire longer distances. Increases range.
 * Death at First Glance: Bonus damage when aiming down sights on the opening shot of an attack. This bonus is preserved if the shot deals precision damage or strikes an elemental shield.
 * Polymer Grip: This weapon's grip is made of lighter material. Increases handling speed.

Catalyst

 * After obtaining Eriana’s Vow from the Season of the Undying Season Pass, a quest named The Vow will appear in the player’s inventory.
 * The first step involves speaking to Banshee-44 in the Tower.
 * The second step is a point-based quest, requiring 400 points in order to obtain the catalyst. Gambit, Gambit Prime, and Crucible matches, as well as Strike playlists will all award points for completion. Eriana’s Vow must be equipped when an eligible activity is completed in order to gain points.
 * The exact number of points awarded for each activity are currently unknown
 * It is important to note that Nightfall: The Ordeal will NOT grant progress towards The Vow.
 * It is possible to “cheese” The Vow by completing the activity with whatever energy weapon you desire, then switching to Eriana’s Vow before the activity is completed. Players will still be awarded points towards completing the quest despite not really using Eriana’s Vow in the activity.
 * The premium track for the Season Pass has two rewards that will increase the points awarded for completing the aforementioned activities
 * At rank 11, players will obtain the Catalyst Quest Booster Alpha, which will double the amount of points awarded by each activity. At rank 22, the Catalyst Quest Booster Omega becomes available, further increasing the point yields to four times the base.
 * Once the second step is completed, return to Banshee-44 to collect your Catalyst.
 * In order to upgrade the Catalyst to a Masterwork, you must get 700 kills with Eriana’s Vow.
 * Masterworking the Catalyst increases the clip size from 6 to 9 and will automatically reload the weapon after being stowed for a short time.

Lore
Omar: This place reeks of death. Toland: Worse. Rebirth. Sai: Once something is gone, it should stay that way. Eriana-3: I can't share that sentiment. Sai: You will never find peace if you can't accept your loss. Eriana-3: I'll find peace when I rip that monster's beating heart from his chest. Eris: I have never known vengeance to bring peace. Eriana-3: What do you think I should hope for, then? All I have left is my vengeance and my gun. Eris: A Hand Cannon with a sight, yet you see nothing but rage. Don't allow it to cloud your judgement. Wei gave you the weapon for a purpose. Eriana-3: Yeah, to keep me at a distance from the Hive. And now I'm heading straight toward them. Somewhere out there, she's shaking a fist at me. Eris: We can honor her still by ridding the world of the disease that is Crota. Eriana-3: There is no world for me after Crota. Eris: What you are feeling… is to be expected. In time, we can forge a new world. Together. Eriana-3: I want to believe that is possible. Vell: I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but does anyone else hear that? Sai: That rumble? Toland: Thralls… I think they mean to welcome us. Eriana-3: Let them come. I'll be the last Light they ever see.

Gameplay

 * Eriana’s Vow does not play much like the average hand canon. Instead, it functions much like a handheld sniper. This is due to the low clip size, low ammo reserves, long reload time, high range, low fire rate, high impact, and perks that incentivize landing precision hits.
 * It even has a proper scope, unlike most hand canons.
 * In order to maximize your damage while using this weapon, it is imperative that you land precision hits or hit enemies with elemental shields.
 * While most other hand canons are great for clearing weak enemies with a single precision hit, it is inadvisable to use Eriana’s Vow like this. Instead, save your ammo for stronger enemies.
 * Eriana’s Vow has innate barrier-piercing rounds, making it useful in weeks of Nightfall: The Ordeal that have barrier champions. Notably, however, these barriers are not considered elemental shields for the purposes of the Death at First Glance perk, but the effect can be extended to the next shot by landing precision hits through the shield.
 * You do not have to worry about landing precision hits on enemies with elemental shields since it is impossible to do so. However, pay attention to when the barrier is broken; carelessly firing away at enemies with elemental shields may cause players to lose the Death at First Glance buff by accidentally landing body shots after breaking the elemental shield.
 * Players may unscope and preserve the Death at First Glance buff for future shots, then re-position and rescope later to still deal full damage.

Trivia

 * Eriana's Vow is the first Hand cannon in Destiny 2 that uses special ammo.
 * Eriana’s Vow is named after the Exo Warlock Eriana-3, and her vow of vengeance against Crota for The Battle of Mare Ibrium.
 * Eriana’s Vow has an ornament named For Wei that can be obtained at rank 100 of the premium track for the Season 8 Season Pass. It is likely named after her deceased lover, the Titan Wei Ning.
 * Wei Ning was killed at the Battle of Mare Ibrium by Crota’s forces. Afterwards, Eriana dedicated herself to a quest of vengeance against Crota. Tragically, she died in the failed Raid on the Hellmouth as a member of Eris Morn’s fireteam.
 * The ornament modifies the appearance of the gun to a scorched black with a glowing hot muzzle that generates fire particle effects. This may be a reference to the common metaphorical phrases “burning hatred” and/or “burning passion,” both of which apply to Eriana 3.
 * With an RPM of 90, an impact of 100, and range of 100, Eriana’s Vow is the slowest-firing, hardest-hitting, and longest-ranged hand canon currently available in Destiny 2.

List of Appearances

 * Destiny 2: Shadowkeep