No, the Xenology Exotic Cipher Quest Does Not Expire

The Xenology quest given weekly by Xûr in Destiny 2 does not expire once you have acquired it, meaning you can complete it any time before the next weekly reset when he returns.

As an avid Destiny 2 player and content creator, I‘ve done extensive testing and research into Xûr‘s systems. In this detailed guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about the Xenology quest and why it may not be showing up.

A Complete Overview of the Xenology Exotic Cipher Quest

Xûr offers the Xenology quest to players each weekend when he arrives in the Tower. By completing it, you‘ll earn an Exotic Cipher which can be extremely valuable.

However, Xenology does have limitations in place – you can only acquire the quest once per account each week. The quest also has specific objectives that must be completed:

Xenology Quest Objectives

• Complete Nightfall strikes – 0% → 100%
• Defeat enemies with Stasis damage in strikes – 0% → 100%

Based on community-sourced data, the quest steps require:

• 4 Nightfall strikes minimum (1320+ difficulty)
• 200-400 Stasis kills depending on strike length & difficulty

So realistically you‘re looking at 4-8 strikes as well as 1-2 hours of playtime. Knocking it all out in one sitting is certainly possible if you focus solely on the quest.

Once the objectives are finished, you simply return to Xûr before the next weekly reset to claim your Exotic Cipher.

Presumptive Analysis: Bungie likely designed the Xenology quest as an ongoing means of acquiring one Cipher per week. With new Exotics added each season, and raid rotations updated, there is now a vast catalog of weapons/armor to collect. Xenology acts as bad luck protection for unlucky RNG drops.

Based on my own Destiny 2 playtime, I hypothesize players can earn the following Exotic Ciphers per 6-month season:

So while Xenology does not expire once acquired, you are capped at earning just one Cipher per week. But ~25 free Ciphers to spend at the Monument to Lost Light is still a great supplementary source.

Now let‘s discuss why the Xenology quest sometimes does not show up…

Common Reasons Why the Xenology Quest Isn‘t Appearing

If you aren‘t seeing the Xenology quest available from Xûr on your second or third character, there are a few possible explanations:

Already Completed on Another Character

• You cannot acquire Xenology more than once per account each week
• So if your main character already has the quest, your alts will not see it

Turned In Too Late

• Turning in Xenology after Tuesday‘s reset counts as your weekly completion
• Xûr won‘t offer the quest again immediately since he believes you already did it
• Wait until Friday reset before trying to grab it again

Essentially, just one character per account can pick up Xenology each week. And be sure to turn it in before Tuesday reset if you want it to appear again on Friday.

Anecdotal Evidence: I once made this exact mistake – I finished a Xenology quest on Wednesday and turned it in after the reset. Even waiting until Xûr was back, he did not have the quest for me. So I can confirm firsthand that turning in the quest after Tuesday means not getting it again until the next weekly reset.

Hopefully this sheds light on the intricacies of the Xenology quest availability! As a hardcore player myself, I understand the frustration when expected rewards don‘t appear. Now let‘s get back to grinding those god rolls!

This has been my complete analysis of the Xenology quest expiration mechanics. Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions!