Grasp of Avarice is the dungeon every Destiny 2 player still runs for one reason: Gjallarhorn, the most iconic exotic rocket launcher in the game. Tucked under the Cosmodrome's old "loot cave," it's a short, greed-themed three-player dungeon that hands out four reprised Destiny 1 weapons, a full armor set, and the quest that finally puts the Wolf on your back. This guide walks both bosses, the "Burdened by Riches" mechanic, the complete loot table, and exactly how to earn Gjallarhorn and its catalyst — all verified against Bungie and the Destiny wiki.
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Quick answer: Grasp of Avarice at a glance
Grasp of Avarice is a 3-player dungeon in the Cosmodrome built around one greedy mechanic — the Burdened by Riches debuff. Slain enemies drop engrams instead of loot; picking one up starts a countdown that kills you unless you deposit stacks at a crystal in time. You clear two bosses — Phry'zhia, the Insatiable (an Ogre) and Captain Avarokk, the Covetous — banking Burdened by Riches to strip their shields, then DPS. The dungeon drops 4 Legendary weapons + the "Echo" armor set, and it's the home of the Gjallarhorn exotic (earned via a quest, not a random drop).
- Players: 1–3 (solo-viable) · Location: Cosmodrome, Earth · Access: Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack
- Bosses: 2 (Phry'zhia the Insatiable → Captain Avarokk the Covetous)
- Signature exotic: Gjallarhorn — via the And Out Fly the Wolves quest (not a chest drop)
- Released: December 7, 2021 (still farmable in the Monument of Triumph final update)
If you just want Gjallarhorn and the Echo set without eating the Burdened-by-Riches death timer, a fireteam-assisted run is the fastest route — jump to Destiny 2 dungeon & raid carries below.
What you need to run Grasp of Avarice in 2026
Grasp of Avarice is part of the paid Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack — it is not one of the free rotating dungeons, so you (or the person launching for you) must own the pack to load in. Bungie has occasionally handed the pack out during promotions, but by default it's a purchase. Once you own it, launch it from the Cosmodrome node in the Director.
The dungeon itself is unchanged and evergreen. Destiny 2 moved into its Monument of Triumph final update (Update 9.7.0, released June 9, 2026) and then into maintenance mode, so there's no more Power grind chasing you. As the official @DestinyTheGame account confirmed with that update: "There is no Power Level increase for Monument of Triumph. The maximum Power cap will remain at 550." Chase the gear and the exotic — not a Power number.
Bungie originally pitched the activity as "the new three-player dungeon inspired by famed Cosmodrome loot caves of yore" — and that's exactly the tone: it's a love letter to the old Skywatch grind, weaponized into a mechanic.
The core mechanic: Burdened by Riches
Every encounter revolves around one debuff — Burdened by Riches. In this dungeon, enemies don't drop loot into your inventory. They drop engrams on the ground, and picking one up adds a stack of Burdened by Riches with a countdown timer that kills you when it hits zero. Grabbing another engram refreshes the timer to full, so you can stack up while you sprint to a deposit point.
To cash out, deposit your stacks at the crystal/altar in each encounter. Depositing is how you strip a boss's immunity shield — no deposits, no damage phase. A useful side effect: hitting 10 stacks instantly recharges your Super, so a greedy pickup run before a damage phase can hand you a free heavy Super.
The whole dungeon is a tug-of-war between greed and survival: grab enough engrams to break the shield, but deposit before the timer ends. Master that rhythm and Grasp becomes one of the fastest dungeons in the game.
Encounter 1: Phry'zhia, the Insatiable
After descending from the Skywatch loot cave into the underground Fallen facility, you reach the first boss — Phry'zhia, the Insatiable, a massive Ogre guarding the treasure vaults.
How it works:
- Kill adds to make them drop engrams, and pick them up to build Burdened by Riches.
- Deposit your stacks at the central crystal to remove Phry'zhia's immunity shield.
- Once the shield is down, unload during the damage window. Steal a Scorch Cannon from a Fallen Vandal to clear tougher adds and open the side doors as you progress.
- Repeat the cycle until Phry'zhia dies. Watch the death timer — deposit before it runs out or you'll wipe your own run.
After the kill, a loot chest drops your first rewards. Then comes the traversal.
Traversal: the Rusted Gangplank and Sparrow run
Between the two bosses is Grasp of Avarice's platforming section. You'll cross the Rusted Gangplank — a trap-laden jumping puzzle — and hit a Sparrow section threading through mines. There's also a Fallen Shield / generator sub-objective to destroy before you can push into the final arena, and it drops loot of its own.
This is also where the Gjallarhorn catalyst chests live (more below) — you can only open them while holding at least one stack of Burdened by Riches, so don't fully deposit before you go hunting.
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Encounter 2: Captain Avarokk, the Covetous
The final boss is Captain Avarokk, the Covetous, a heavily-shielded Fallen Captain flanked by lieutenants.
How it works:
- Grab a Scorch Cannon and fire it into one of three generators (left, right, middle) to spawn engrams.
- Pick the engrams up to build Burdened by Riches, then deposit at the central crystal. You need a large deposit — roughly 60 Burdened by Riches banked — to drop Avarokk's shield.
- With the shield down, burn Avarokk during the damage phase. Clear his lieutenants (like Grisprax, Bosun of Avarokk) so they don't overwhelm you between phases.
- Repeat generator → engrams → deposit → DPS until he dies.
Beat Avarokk and the final chest opens the full dungeon loot pool to you.
Grasp of Avarice full loot table (2026)
Grasp of Avarice's weapon pool is a nostalgia hit — four reprised Destiny 1 favorites, plus a class-specific armor set.
| Reward | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eyasluna | Hand Cannon | Reprised D1 fan-favorite |
| Matador 64 | Shotgun | Reprised D1 aggressive-frame shotgun |
| 1000 Yard Stare | Sniper Rifle | Reprised D1 sniper |
| Hero of Ages | Sword | New; a nod to Bungie's 1994 Marathon |
| Echo armor set | Armor (per class) | Twisting Echo (Hunter), Descending Echo (Titan), Corrupting Echo (Warlock) |
| Gjallarhorn | Exotic Rocket Launcher | Quest reward — see below |
Rough per-encounter breakdown: Phry'zhia favors Matador 64 and armor; the Fallen Shield sub-encounter can drop Hero of Ages and armor; Avarokk rounds it out with 1000 Yard Stare, Eyasluna and the remaining armor slots. On Master difficulty, armor drops become Artifice armor with an extra mod slot — the reason many players run Master once the loadout clicks.
How to get Gjallarhorn in Grasp of Avarice
This is the one everyone's here for — and it's important to get right: Gjallarhorn is quest-locked, not a random dungeon drop. You earn it through the "And Out Fly the Wolves" quest (also gated behind the 30th Anniversary Pack).
- Start the quest with Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome.
- Complete Grasp of Avarice as part of the quest step.
- Farm Wolfpack Rounds by defeating powerful Fallen in the Cosmodrome (the Exodus Garden 2A Lost Sector is the go-to farming spot).
- Turn in the quest to claim Gjallarhorn.
Gjallarhorn's exotic perk, Wolfpack Rounds, splits each rocket into tracking cluster missiles on detonation — and firing it grants Wolfpack Rounds to nearby fireteam members using non-exotic rocket launchers for a few seconds. It's still one of the best team-DPS tools in the game, which is exactly why this dungeon never dies.
The Gjallarhorn catalyst
The Gjallarhorn catalyst comes from three hidden chests inside Grasp of Avarice — one each at Skywatch, the Rusted Gangplank, and the Sunken Lair. Each chest is guarded by a Reaver Vandal: kill it to drop a Burdened by Riches engram, grab it, and open the chest before the timer expires. Crucially, you must do this in a single run — the first two chests have to be opened for the third Vandal to spawn, so don't leave any behind. Grab all three and the catalyst boosts the magazine and makes the Wolfpack missiles hit harder.
Want the Wolf without the timer-death resets? Skip the grind:
- Destiny 2 Dungeon & Raid Carries — day-one & weekly, pro fireteam
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Tips for a fast (or solo) clear
- Two-person deposit rhythm: one player banks engrams while the other builds stacks — you'll break shields far faster than solo-cycling.
- Don't over-greed the timer: the death countdown is unforgiving. Deposit at ~7–8 stacks unless you're diving for a hidden chest or the 10-stack Super.
- Track your clears with community tools. Players lean on Dungeon Report to check completions and solo/flawless history — as one Guardian put it on r/Destiny2, "Dungeonreport. There is also raidreport for raids." Handy for confirming your Gjallarhorn/catalyst progress across runs.
- Master = Artifice armor. Once you know the fights, run Master for the extra mod slot and better rolls.
If you're chasing more endgame loot, our other Destiny 2 guides cover the best sources: the Ghosts of the Deep dungeon guide, the Warlord's Ruin dungeon guide, the Vesper's Host dungeon guide, and the Vault of Glass raid guide.
FAQ
Is Grasp of Avarice free in Destiny 2? No — it's part of the paid Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack, unlike the free rotating dungeons. Bungie has given the pack away during promotions, but by default you need to own it (or have someone who does launch it for you).
How do you get Gjallarhorn from Grasp of Avarice? Gjallarhorn is a quest reward, not a random drop. Start the "And Out Fly the Wolves" quest from Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome, complete Grasp of Avarice, farm 6 Wolfpack Rounds in the Exodus Garden 2A Lost Sector, then turn in the quest.
How do you get the Gjallarhorn catalyst? Open three hidden chests in a single run of Grasp of Avarice — at Skywatch, the Rusted Gangplank, and the Sunken Lair. Each is guarded by a Reaver Vandal that drops a Burdened by Riches engram; grab it, then open the chest before the timer runs out. You must open the first two for the third to appear.
Can you solo Grasp of Avarice? Yes. It's a 1–3 player dungeon and is fully solo-viable — the death timer and shield-deposit cycle just take longer alone. Managing Burdened by Riches without a deposit partner is the main challenge.
Who are the bosses in Grasp of Avarice? Two: Phry'zhia, the Insatiable (an Ogre, first boss) and Captain Avarokk, the Covetous (the final Fallen Captain).
What weapons drop in Grasp of Avarice? Four reprised Destiny 1 legendaries — Eyasluna (hand cannon), Matador 64 (shotgun), 1000 Yard Stare (sniper), and Hero of Ages (sword) — plus the class-specific Echo armor set and the Gjallarhorn exotic via quest.
