How to get the Parasite grenade launcher in Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Constant projections. Unending destruction. The will of every efficient parasite.
Image via Bungie

Your journey doesn’t end at the completion of The Witch Queen campaign, guardian. The latest expansion for Destiny 2 is one of the deepest in the game’s history, and plenty more activities open up after the final mission is beaten.

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One of these is an Exotic Quest to unlock Parasite, a grenade launcher with the Worm’s Hunger. Parasite fires a single Hive worm that explodes on impact, with the worm’s explosion size and damage scaling with the number of enemies you defeat just before firing it.

Rapidly defeating enemies applies up to 20 stacks of the Worm’s Hunger buff, which increases the damage and size of the worm’s explosion. It’s great for dealing massive damage to a boss after rapidly defeating multiple normal enemies beforehand, especially since the buff doesn’t appear to go away or decrease over time.

Here’s how to get your own Exotic worm launcher for yourself.

How to get the Parasite grenade launcher in Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

After you complete the campaign, talk to Ikora at the Enclave on Throne World to unlock a handful of new activities. One of these is the Of Queens and Worms quest. Start this quest by talking to Queen Mara Sov in the room behind the Relic where you shape weapons.

Image via Bungie

She will unlock a new Strike for you to complete, Birthplace of the Vile. After completing it, talk to Fynch, who will task you with finding a Cryptoglyph Rune within the Temple of Cunning. Follow the waypoints through areas that should be familiar to you from the campaign, defeating enemies until you find the Rune after defeating a Hive Guardian boss.

Then complete the following steps in order:

  • Complete the Sepulcher Lost Sector in Florescent Canal. At the end, activate the Deepsight there to open the platform above the statue and go into the chamber behind it.
  • Complete three Patrols in Florescent Canal.
  • Find a Cryptoglyph Rune in Queen’s Bailey. Similar to the Temple of Cunning earlier, just follow the waypoints and beat the boss at the end.
  • Complete the Metamorphosis Lost Sector in Miasma. Again, activate the Deepsight at the end to find the worm incubator.
  • Find a Cryptoglyph Rune in Alluring Curtain. Similar to the Queen’s Bailey and Temple of Cunning steps above. Requires more platforming and puzzle-solving.
  • Find the Deepsight Cache in Alluring Curtain. Activate the Deepsight node, then shoot the three torches that appear on the platforms.
  • Complete the Extraction Lost Sector in Quagmire. Same as above with the other Lost Sectors.
  • Talk to Fynch to unlock the Parasitic Pilgrimage mission.

Parasitic Pilgrimage is the final mission in the Of Queens and Worms quest and will reward you with Parasite at its completion. Here’s how to beat it.

Image via Bungie
  • Carry the worm to several Hive pools. You can drop the worm for a bit to shoot enemies, but you can also just outrun them if you choose. Avoid the obstacles that will kill you and force a restart.
  • Activate the Deepsight node in the main room, jump on top of the platforms that appear, shoot the Rune, and head into the now open hallway behind you that leads to a portal.
  • Steal three sets of Concentrated Hive Light. You can break the cage around each set by defeating the nearby enemies and shooting the crystals in the room. After collecting the third set, escape the Hive onslaught by firing the markers.
  • Put the worm in the summoning orb outside the temple, and hold off waves of Scorn while the ritual plays out.
  • Platform up the side of the temple to reach Mara Sov. She will reward you with the Parasite launcher, which you can use to fend off more waves of Scorn while she completes ritual.

Congrats! You now own your very own worm launcher.


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Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.