Destiny 2: The Touch of Malice and the Price of Power

Destiny 2 Touch of Malice Scout Rifle Exotic deals bonus damage but drains health; precision kills and healing can sustain its deadly DPS.

In the echoing halls of King's Fall, a fireteam of Guardians moves through shadow and stone. Their goal is not merely to survive the raid but to claim a weapon that has haunted the Destiny 2 community since its original debut: the Touch of Malice. With the return of King's Fall, this Scout Rifle Exotic came back into the loot pool, and many players still consider it one of the highest damage-dealing Primary weapons in the game. Its reputation is built on a dangerous bargain, one that turns the wielder's own life force into ammunition.

The core perk that channels this rifle's DPS is also called Touch of Malice. It causes the final fired round from the magazine to deal bonus damage. After leaving the barrel, that final round regenerates itself, allowing the Guardian to keep firing and dealing continuous bonus DPS. The effect is strange, almost parasitic. The weapon does not simply reload; it feeds. Each self-replenishing shot extends the damage window, but it also asks the wielder to accept a constant risk.

However, the Touch of Malice's powerful perk comes at the cost of the wielder's HP. The regenerating projectiles drain life from their Guardian. The final shot also has noticeably higher recoil, which can affect accuracy. A Guardian who cannot control the kick may find the bonus damage slipping past their target. Yet there is a reprieve. If players slay three enemies using these self-replenishing shots within quick succession, they can potentially restore their lost health. The loop rewards aggression, precision, and speed. It punishes hesitation. In the hands of a skilled player, the rifle becomes a rhythmic engine of destruction. In the hands of an unprepared one, it becomes a slow, glowing countdown.

Touch of Malice also possesses another perk known as Charged With Blight. Whenever the weapon's user successfully lands Precision Hits, they charge up an orb of darkness. Players can then fire this orb with the Touch of Malice perk's final round to deal 50% more damage, as tested by YouTube content creator gmeiners. Gmeiners has also stated that Guardians can bolster their Recovery stat rate in Destiny 2 by using The Stag's Rift and Radiance. The healing provided by these abilities can counter the life drain inflicted by the Scout Rifle Exotic. In practice, a Warlock who builds around recovery and healing can turn the weapon's self-damage into a manageable rhythm rather than a death sentence.

Perk	Effect
Touch of Malice	The final round in the magazine deals bonus damage, regenerates itself, and drains the wielder's health. Three quick kills with these shots can restore lost health. The final shot has higher recoil.
Charged With Blight	Precision Hits charge an orb of darkness. Firing that orb with the final round deals 50% more damage.

Despite its HP-stealing mechanic, the perks of this Scout Rifle Exotic make it undoubtedly one of the best Primary weapons a Guardian could have if they are looking to deal high DPS in combat. Accordingly, to unlock the Touch of Malice in Destiny 2, players must defeat the final boss of the King's Fall Raid, Oryx, the Taken King. Once Oryx has been slain, the loot provided at the end of the run has a chance of spawning the Touch of Malice. In other words, there is no guarantee clearing the Raid will reward players with the Scout Rifle Exotic. The drop is a roll of the dice, and Oryx does not negotiate.

Moreover, to confront the Taken King, Guardians must get through every encounter within the Raid. This entire process, including the boss fight, might take up to 40 minutes or longer, depending on the team. Therefore, unless luck is on the players' side during the Raid clear, they may need to farm Oryx until they eventually receive the Touch of Malice drop in Destiny 2. For many fireteams, the hunt becomes a weekly ritual. They return to the Dreadnaught's shadow, clear the same puzzles, survive the same jumps, and stare down the same king. Sometimes the rifle appears. Sometimes it does not.

How Guardians Chase the Touch of Malice in 2026

1. Assemble a fireteam that can communicate and survive King's Fall's encounter mechanics.

2. Clear every encounter in the Raid, from the opening sections to the final confrontation.

3. Defeat Oryx, the Taken King, at the end of the Raid.

4. Open the final loot chest and hope the Touch of Malice appears.

5. If the drop does not appear, return in later weeks or with other characters to farm Oryx again.

As of 2026, the King's Fall Raid remains a legacy challenge, and the Touch of Malice still asks the same question it always has: how much health is power worth? The answer changes with every trigger pull. For some Guardians, the rifle is a trophy. For others, it is a tool. For the best players, it is a bargain they have learned to survive, one final round at a time.