Thunderlord

"They rest quiet on fields afar...for this is no ending, but the eye."

- Hymn of the Thunderlord

"They return from fields afar. The eye has passed, the end nears. Do not fade quietly. Let thunder reign again."

- Weapon description (Destiny 2)

The Thunderlord is an exotic machine gun introduced in Destiny Year One. The weapon was designed as a desperate measure on the part of a society that grew weary of being outgunned and makes use of electro-static rounds over an amplitude that was once prohibited due to their volatility. Because of this, it is described as being dangerous even to its wielder. A Year Two version of Thunderlord is available in The Taken King. Thunderlord returns in Forsaken after completing The Lost Cryptarch questline, in which the player has to solve the murder of Master Ives with the help of Amanda Holliday.

Gameplay
Thunderlord's signature upgrade is "Lightning Rounds", which increases the weapon's rate of fire and accuracy the longer the trigger is held. Combined with the Feeding Frenzy upgrade, kills make the weapon reload faster. The weapon also has a chance of causing enemies to explode.

Weapon perks
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 Column 6 Column 7
 * Accurized Ballistics
 * More range and impact.
 * Increased recoil.
 * Field Choke
 * More range and impact.
 * Increased recoil.
 * Linear Compensator
 * More predictable recoil.
 * Slight boosts to range and impact. More recoil.
 * Feeding Frenzy: Kills with this weapon increase reload speed for a short time.
 * Upgrade Damage
 * Perfect Balance
 * This weapon has extremely low recoil.
 * Field Scout
 * Increases carried Ammo capacity.
 * Flared Magwell
 * Reload this weapon even faster.
 * Lightning Rounds: This weapon fires faster and more accurately the longer the trigger is held.
 * Upgrade Damage
 * Upgrade Damage
 * Upgrade Damage
 * Upgrade Damage

From Year 2's Update 2.0 onwards, the base magazine had upgraded from 38 to 49, and Field Scout no longer allows a 60 round boost in the magazine, but allows for additional reserve ammunition. The exotic traits remained the same.

Destiny 2
Thunderlord was originally obtained by following a three-week questline beginning with the final week of 2018's Festival of the Lost. However, it could only be obtained until the end of Season 4, which ended on November 27th. After November 27th, the gun became part of the Exotic loot pool and can now be acquired as a random drop. Up until the introduction of the Hammerhead in Season of the Forge, it was the only machine gun available in Destiny 2. This incarnation of Thunderlord is stronger than its Destiny 1 incarnation, being able to clear mobs of enemies fast with its Reign Havoc perk, in conjunction with the Lightning Rounds trait inherited from the previous game. On stronger enemies such as bosses, lightning strikes will generate the longer the gun is fired, causing mass additional damage to any enemies around the player's target.

With the release of Season of Plunder, Thunderlord was granted an additional perk and is now intrinsically Overload.

Weapon perks

 * Intrinsic trait - Reign Havoc: Kills with this weapon generate lighting strikes from above.
 * Polygonal Rifling: Barrel optimised for recoil reduction.
 * Increases stability
 * Armor-Piercing Rounds: Rounds cause extra damage to combatants' shields and overpenetrate targets.
 * Slightly increases range
 * Lightning Rounds: This weapon fires faster and more accurately the longer the trigger is held. Continuous damage generates lightning strikes.
 * Feeding Frenzy: Kills with this weapon increase reload speed for a short time.
 * Masterwork Catalyst: Grants the perk Return Stroke, allowing the gun to partially reload its magazine from reserves with every lightning strike it generates.

Weapon mods

 * Hypervelocity - Equip this Weapon Ornament to change the appearance of Thunderlord
 * Tlāloc's Wrath - Equip this Weapon Ornament to change the appearance of Thunderlord
 * Law of Induction - Equip this Weapon Ornament to change the appearance of Thunderlord

Lore
"They return from fields afar. The eye has passed, the end nears. Do not fade quietly. Let thunder reign again."

Two they were, artist and scientist. Music flowed in their souls and rained from their lips. Not weapons of war they made, but instruments of peace.

The thunder fell, and they were cast apart. Their love was sundered as the world collapsed. They sang in pain and sought to reunite, but crimson eyes glowed in the dark. Their union was not to be.

He held death in his hands. Stars burned in his footsteps. In her, the conflagration was reborn, the funeral pyre lit.

And so forever after, their love fuels death. Their last words, a curse and a cry. Their names are now lost, but their love will not die.

Trivia

 * This pre-alpha image of the Thunderlord's upgrade screen shows 2 additional icons. These icons are not connected to the Thunderlord's main skill tree, and their functions (and purpose) are currently unknown. Note the upper icon, which is the Titan symbol; signifying an, as yet, unknown link to that class.
 * The weapon's description has since been changed to "They rest quiet on the fields afar, for this is no ending, but the eye."
 * In Destiny's Alpha stages, when Thunderlord was still dropped by Riksis, Devil Archon, it was a Common rank. Upon the Beta's public release, it was changed to be an Exotic and it stayed this way for the rest of Destiny's run.
 * Thunderlord was created by an unknown Titan during the Great Disaster. Also, two other machine guns just like it were forged, but they were lost after the battle.
 * Commander Zavala is seen wielding the Thunderlord during the Battle of the Twilight Gap in the Warmind Webcomic. This is probably an oversight as the Thunderlord was created during The Great Disaster, which took place after Twilight Gap.
 * The final battle in The Lost Cryptarch Quest takes place in the same room where Riksis, Devil Archon spawned in the E3 2013 Destiny Gameplay Demo. Kikliss, Murderer also enters the the room the same way that Riksis did, through the same hole in the wall.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Taken King
 * Destiny 2
 * Forsaken