Unlocking Malfeasance requires completion of the quest, Darkness in the Light, which will give Destiny 2 players this fiendish Exotic Hand Cannon.
The Malfeasance Exotic Hand Cannon in Destiny 2 is a Taken-killing monster. Unfortunately, acquiring the Malfeasance Hand Cannon is no simple task. The reason for this is that the quest, Darkness in the Light, is only dropped by Primeval bosses in Gambit. Even after acquiring the quest to unlock Malfeasance, the difficulty doesn't end there. Players will need to contend with bosses that require killing, a unique Strike, and a long romp through dozens of Gambit matches. Who'd of thought that an Exotic Hand Cannon from 2018 would still be relevant all these years later?
Last updated: July 25, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. PT
How to get Malfeasance – Darkness in the Light
To get Malfeasance you must first unlock the Darkness in the Light quest in Destiny 2. This quest is dropped when you defeat the Taken Primeval boss in a game of Gambit. Another way to say this is you must win a Gambit match. Previously, players would have to defeat an Ascendant Primeval Servitor, which was a random spawn every three weeks.
- Speak with Drifter in the Tower
- Defeat 25 Taken bosses or minibosses in the Dreaming City
- Complete the special mission, The Corrupted
- Speak with Drifter
- Win Gambit matches and deposit Motes of Dark
- Defeat opposing Guardians in Gambit
- Speak with Drifter
Taken bosses or minibosses
To quickly get 25 Taken boss or miniboss defeats, simply head to the Dreaming City and participate in various activities. The Blind Well has a lot of Taken foes (especially Tier 3), the Chamber of Starlight and Aphelion’s Rest Lost Sectors are quick to farm, and even the Shattered Throne dungeon is full of Taken enemies.
The Corrupted mission
Not to be confused with the Strike, this special version of The Corrupted is launched via a banner in Rheasilvia. You will progress through the area as you normally would in the Strike, except eventually it will lead you to a new area where you’ll fight a Taken boss and locate Callum Sol’s grave.
The next step in unlocking Malfeasance is to complete a special version of the Corrupted Strike in the Dreaming City. This version of the Strike will actually take you to Callum's grave, an area discovered before Malfeasance was even available. With this Strike cleared, players will need to return to Drift in the Tower to receive the next step.
Deposit Motes of Dark & win matches
For this step, you will need to deposit Motes of Dark and win Gambit matches. Word on the street is that it takes 500 Motes of Dark to be deposited in order to complete the first part. Unfortunately, dropping motes (dying while holding them), subtracts double the score from your tally (dropping 10 will subtract 20 points).
Just focus entirely on collecting and depositing motes. That is your job. Equip your best add-clearing gear to do this and just zip around scooping everything up. The mod, Powerful Attraction, can be used to grab any motes around you by simply activating your class ability.
Once the Mote of Dark part is done, it’s locked in. Don’t worry about collecting motes or dying with them, your goal now is to win matches. Use the best, most meta monkey gear you can to ensure your Primeval dies before your opponent’s.
Invading in Gambit
This invading step in the Darkness in the Light quest is going to be the main roadblock for a lot of players. This quest requires two things: Defeating every single opposing Guardian in one invasion and defeating 25 opposing Guardians in Gambit.
Firstly, you can have an ally invade and defeat four opposing Guardians in a single invasion. This must be done three times. Alternatively, you can invade and defeat four Guardians in a single invasion and you only need to do it once. If you’ve got a really great invader on your team, it could be worth letting them have at it. But if you’re confident in your ability to get four kills in one invade, dive in and get it done.
The next part of this step is simple: Just defeat 25 opposing Guardians. Defeating an enemy invader or invading and getting kills counts toward the total. Again, just use the best Guardian-killing gear in the current meta. Xenophage remains a great choice.
Once the last step completes, go speak with Drifter to get your Malfeasance Exotic Hand Cannon. This thing tears through Champions and is made even better if you unlock its Exotic catalyst, which adds Vorpal Weapon to it. Be sure to check out our Destiny 2 Strategy Guide for more help unlocking other Exotic weapons.
Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler