Destiny brings back Gjallarhorn, immediately Nerfs it – The Verge

In Destiny, the legendary rocket launcher Gjallarhorn was the ultimate weapon for a time. Its ability to create explosions filled with more explosions was unparalleled — and, some would argue, in desperate need of a nerf. Amusingly, Bungie and toymaker Hasbro are now taking that part literally: the Gjallarhorn is now slated to become an official Nerf blaster, complete with Wolfpack Round-like cluster missiles of its own.

Destiny 2 just brought the digital Gjallarhorn back this week as part of the $24.99 Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack, and you’ll have to pay a lot more than that for the Nerf version, of course — $160, which makes it one of the most expensive Nerf blasters ever made. Plus, people who unlock the Gjallarhorn in-game get dibs on the limited-edition Nerf version, so you can expect to pay well over $200 for the Pack, tax, and / or shipping.

But, according to Bungie’s official Gjallarhorn blaster store page, you’ll get something unique in exchange, and I’m not just talking about the blaster’s physical build. Bungie claims Hasbro has designed a “first of its kind Mega shell” that “blasts 3 darts at once from a shell,” which makes it sound like they’re trying to replicate the explosions-within-explosion effect that the Gjallarhorn is known for.

Frankly, that sounds tricky — particularly when Bungie is also promising it’ll have a breech-loading mechanism like the game, too, where you’d stuff a rocket canister right into the back of its top bulge (instead of, say, into the front of the tube). You get three of the new Mega shells and nine darts.

It’s not at all clear how the Nerf Gjallarhorn might load those shells into the chamber, or what kind of mechanism might provide enough oomph to fire them any distance, or how the rocket might split into three darts, or where those darts might go while feeling impressive and staying within Hasbro’s strict safety rules. It’s a tall order, and there are no guarantees. (The awesome-looking Mandalorian Nerf blaster finally came out this year and was roundly panned by reviewers, though we definitely saw that coming.) We’ve been trying to get answers from Hasbro and Bungie all day.

Either way, it looks like an awesome prop, much like the new Nerf Halo Needler and the Aliens Pulse Rifle that are also on the way. The Gjallarhorn might be a long way away, though — even the preorders for this one won’t start till late 2022.

Digitally, the Gjallarhorn isn’t the only intriguing returning weapon from Bungie history; Destiny 2 is also adding the Forerunner, a stylized version of Halo’s famous magnum pistol. Specifically, the M6H2.