Destiny 2 Catalysts Guide

Exotic catalysts are some of the most sought after items in Destiny 2.

Unlike legendary weapons, some Exotics can be dramatically enhanced by their catalyst. Granted, some catalysts are duds, barely improving a weapon, but others can be game-changing, able to take an Exotic to an entirely new level.

But as with most things in Destiny 2, it’s hard to keep track of all the Exotics and catalysts in the game: Which Exotics have a catalyst? How can you get them? Are they even worth it?

What is a Catalyst? Catalysts allow you to “upgrade” Exotic weapons by granting them either more stat points, a new perk, or both.  Note that not every Exotic weapon has a Catalyst and every Catalyst needs to be first found and then unlocked. More about that below.

Our Exotic Tier list covers all the Exotic weapons. It explains how to get them, what they do, and more. That’s a good place to start. This guide focuses on the Catalysts themselves and tells you how to get them, how to unlock them, and what effect they grant.

In the table below, we cover and rank every Exotic Catalyst in the game.

Destiny 2 Exotic Catalyst list 2021

These are the different Tier levels used for the table below:

• S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapons in our Tier List.
• A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapons, but not on the same level as S Tier Choices.
• B Tier – Average: Decent choices that can be lethal in the hands of a skilled player.
• C Tier – Weak: The middle of the pack, somewhat mediocre.
• D Tier – Worst: Lagging behind the competition, these don’t have much to offer.

For the sake of clarity, the ranking below focuses on the benefits of each Catalyst but is also influenced by the weapons themselves. For example, the best Catalysts can be considered S Tier because they bring significant improvements to already great weapons:

Removed: Catalysts highlighted as “Currently Unavailable” were removed from the game and won’t be available anymore until Bungie implements new ways to acquire them (and that could take months).

Catalyst	Catalyst Tier	Requires	Where to find it / Difficulty	How to unlock	Catalyst effect	Catalyst Source	Catalyst Available?	Type	Slot	Requirements?
Trinity Ghoul | Combat Bow	Best ❘ S		Completions or kills in Gambit, Crucible, Strikes, or Nightfalls ❘ Easy	► Get 400 kills	Trinity Ghoul Catalyst: ► Adds Forked Lightning perk: Reduces draw time by -108 and Lightning Rod now triggers from any arc damage final blow.	Playlist Activities completions	Yes	Combat Bow	Energy	Free-to-Play
Riskrunner | Submachine Gun	Best ❘ S		Complete Pain and Gain quest ❘ Easy	► Get 500 kills ► Get 50 Arc Conductor kills	Riskrunner Catalyst: ► Increases range by +27.	Quest	Yes	Submachine Gun	Energy	Free-to-Play
The Huckleberry | Submachine Gun	Best ❘ S		Completions of Playlist activities ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	The Huckleberry Catalyst: ► Adds Bull Rider perk: Kills with this weapon now reload the entire magazine.	Playlist Activities completions	Yes	Submachine Gun	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Witherhoard | Grenade Launcher	Best ❘ S		Complete Banshee-44's quest ❘ Average	► Get 400 kills	Witherhoard Catalyst: ► Adds Silent Alarm perk: Maximizes handling, holstering this weapon automatically reloads it after a short period of time.	Quest	Yes	Grenade Launcher	Kinetic	Shadowkeep
Izanagi's Burden | Sniper Rifle	Best ❘ S		Completions of Playlist activities ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	Izanagi's Burden Catalyst: ► Adds Peerless Edge perk: Increases the damage bonus of Honed Edge when all 4 bullets are consumed.	Playlist Activities completions	Yes	Sniper Rifle	Kinetic	Forsaken
Sunshot | Hand Cannon	Best ❘ S		Kills, completions or wins on Strikes, Nightfalls or the Crucible ❘ Average	► Get 500 Sturm kills ► Get 1000 Sun Blast kills	Sunshot Catalyst: ► Increases stability by +18 and range by +27.	Strikes, Nightfalls or Crucible	Yes	Hand Cannon	Energy	Free-to-Play
Eriana's Vow | Hand Cannon	Best ❘ S		Complete Banshee-44's quest ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	Eriana's Vow Catalyst: ► Adds More to Give perk: Increases magazine size by +3 and adds the perk Auto-Loading Holster.	Quest	Yes	Hand Cannon	Energy	Shadowkeep
Legend of Acrius | Shotgun	Best ❘ S		Completions of Nightfall Ordeals ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	Legend of Acrius Catalyst: ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +2 and expands the ammo reserves. ► Increases reload speed by +36.	Nightfall Ordeals completions	Yes	Shotgun	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Ruinous Effigy | Exotic Trace Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Any PVE kill ❘ Easy	► Destroy all Savathun's Eyes or ► Get 5000 kills	Ruinous Effigy Catalyst: ► Adds Deconstruction perk: Deals increased damage against targets damaged by Transmutation spheres.	PVE Kills	Yes	Trace Rifle	Energy	Shadowkeep
Crimson | Hand Cannon	Strong ❘ A		Kill enemies in PVE ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	Crimson Catalyst: ► Increases range by +18.	PVE Kills	Yes	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Outbreak Perfected | Pulse Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Currently Unavailable ❘ NA	-	Outbreak Perfected Catalyst: ► Adds Disease Vector perk:Deal additional nanite damage.	Currently Unavailable	No	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Forsaken
No Time To Explain | Pulse Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Complete quest from the Exo Stranger at the end of the Beyond Light campaign ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	No Time to Explain Catalyst: ► Adds Blast from the Side perk: Projectiles from the time portal shoots more frequently.	Quest	Yes	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Deluxe Edition
Hard Light | Auto Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 1000 kills	Hard Light Catalyst: ► Increases stability by +18.	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes	Auto Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Whisper of the Worm | Sniper Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Currently Unavailable ❘ NA	-	Whisper of the Worm Catalyst: ► Adds Whispered Breathing perk: Aiming down the scope for 3 seconds increases range and precision damage while the weapon scope remains zoomed.	Currently Unavailable	No	Sniper Rifle	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Bad Juju | Pulse Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Completions of Playlist activities ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	Bad Juju Catalyst: ► Adds Unending Curse perk: Extends the duration of the perk String of Curses.	Playlist Activities completions	Yes	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Forsaken
Lumina | Hand Cannon	Strong ❘ A		Completions or kills in Gambit, Crucible, Strikes, or Nightfalls ❘ Easy	► Get 250 Noble Round heals	Lumina Catalyst: ► Adds Resonant Vitrue perk: Gain two Remnants per final blow instead of one.	Any activity	Yes	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Forsaken
Rat King | Sidearm	Strong ❘ A		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 1000 kills while everyone in your fireteam is also using Rat King	Rat King Catalyst: ► Adds Infestation perk: Increases aim assist and recoil direction. Refreshes health when Vermin activates.	Quest	Yes	Sidearm	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
The Wardcliff Coil | Rocket Launcher	Strong ❘ A		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	The Wardcliff Coil Catalyst: ► Adds Pinpoint Guidance Module perk: Tightens rockets spread.	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Free-to-Play
The Fourth Horseman | Shotgun	Strong ❘ A		Completions of Legendary Lost Sectors ❘ Hard	► Get 400 kills	The Fourth Horseman Catalyst: ► Adds And its name was Death perk: Adds an additional round to the magazine and increases reload speed by +40.	Lost Sectors completions	Yes	Shotgun	Energy	Shadowkeep
The Jade Rabbit | Scout Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Kills or wins in the Crucible ❘ Average	► Get 250 PVP kills	The Jade Rabbit Catalyst: ► Increases stability by +27.	Crucible	Yes	Scout Rifle	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
The Prospector | Grenade Launcher	Strong ❘ A		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	The Prospector Catalyst: ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +1 and expands ammo reserves. ► Increases blast radius by +20.	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Ace of Spades | Hand Cannon	Strong ❘ A		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	Ace of Spades Catalyst: ► Adds Funeral Pyre perk: Firefly does more damage while Memento Mori is active.	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Forsaken
SUROS Regime | Auto Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Kills or wins in the Crucible ❘ Average	► Get 300 PVP kills	SUROS Regime Catalyst: ► Adds SUROS Ascendance perk: Improves recoil direction and increases the chance to activate "SUROS Legacy".	Crucible	Yes	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Duality | Shotgun	Strong ❘ A		Complete Banshee-44's quest ❘ Average	► Get 400 kills	Duality Catalyst: ► Increases weapon range by +20 and expands the magazine size by +2.	Quest	Yes	Shotgun	Energy	Deluxe Edition
Hawkmoon | Hand Cannon	Strong ❘ A		Complete the Crow's quest ❘ Hard	► Get 700 kills	Hawkmoon Catalyst: ► Adds the Hunter's Trance perk: Increases magazine size to 9. Also increases handling, reload speed, and range based on the number of Paracausal Charge stacks.	Quest	Yes	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Deluxe Edition
D.A.R.C.I. | Sniper Rifle	Average ❘ B		Kill enemies in PVE ❘ Average	► Get 300 kills	D.A.R.C.I. Catalyst: ► Increases stability by +18.	PVE Kills	Yes	Sniper Rifle	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Polaris Lance | Scout Rifle	Average ❘ B		Completions of Playlist activities ❘ Average	► Get 500 Kills ► Get 50 Perfect Fifth kills	Polaris Lance Catalyst: ► Adds Dragonfly perk: Precision kills create an explosion around defeated enemy.	Playlist Activities completions	Yes	Scout Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Symmetry | Scout Rifle	Average ❘ B		Complete Banshee-44's quest ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	Symmetry Catalyst: ► Adds Electric Styx perk: Increases the max stack size of Dynamic Charge from x15 to x20.	Quest	Yes	Scout Rifle	Energy	Shadowkeep
Tractor Cannon | Shotgun	Average ❘ B		Kill enemies in PVE ❘ Average	► Get 300 kills	Tractor Cannon Catalyst: ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +3 and expands ammo reserves.	PVE Kills	Yes	Shotgun	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Prometheus Lens | Trace Rifle	Average ❘ B		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	Prometheus Lens Catalyst: ► Increases stability by +18 and handling by +18.	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes	Trace Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Graviton Lance | Pulse Rifle	Average ❘ B		Kills, completions or wins on Strikes, Nightfalls or the Crucible ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills ► Get 1000 Cosmology kills	Graviton Lance Catalyst: ► Adds Hidden Hand perk: Increases the aim assist and targeting acquisition stats. ► Increases range by +18.	Strikes, Nightfalls or Crucible	Yes	Pulse Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Tommy's Matchbook | Auto Rifle	Average ❘ B		Complete Banshee-44's quest ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	Tommy's Matchbook Catalyst: ► Adds Heat of the Moment perk: While Ignition Trigger is active, your health recovers much faster.	Quest	Yes	Auto Rifle	Energy	Shadowkeep
Black Talon | Sword	Average ❘ B		Kill enemies in PVE ❘ Easy	► Get 500 kills	Black Talon Catalyst: ► Adds Reversal perk: Shots blocked immediately after guarding increase the damage of Crow’s Wings for a very short duration.	PVE Kills	Yes	Sword	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Coldheart | Trace Rifle	Average ❘ B		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 300 kills	Coldheart Catalyst: ►Increases stability by +18 and reload speed by +18.	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes	Trace Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Merciless | Fusion Rifle	Average ❘ B		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	MercilessCatalyst: ► Increases stability by +36 and range by +36.	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes	Fusion Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Fighting Lion | Grenade Launcher	Average ❘ B		Kill enemies in PVE ❘ Average	► Get 1000 kills ► Complete 167 bounties	Fighting Lion Catalyst: ► Adds Chimera perk: When Fighting Lion is fired, equipped Kinetic and Power weapon gain increased handling and accuracy for a brief period of time. ► Increases reload speed by +27.	PVE Kills	Yes	Grenade Launcher	Energy	Free-to-Play
Cerberus+1 | Auto Rifle	Average ❘ B		Kill enemies in PVE ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	Cerberus+1 Catalyst: ► Adds Focused Fire perk: Hold reload to swap to a tighter, close-ranged spread.	PVE Kills	Yes	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Sleeper Simulant | Linear Fusion Rifle	Average ❘ B		Completions of Nightfall Ordeals ❘ Average	► Get 300 kills	Sleper Simulant Catalyst: ► Lowers the weapon charge rate stat by -250 and expands the ammo reserves.	Nightfall Ordeals completions	Yes	Linear Fusion Rifle	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Vigilance Wing | Pulse Rifle	Average ❘ B		Kills or wins in the Crucible ❘ Average	► Get 250 PVP kills ► 5 Blood for Blood medals	Vigilance Wing Catalyst: ► Adds Full Auto Trigger System perk: Makes the weapon fire fully automatic when holding down the fire button.	Crucible	Yes	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Ticuu's Divination | Combat Bow	Average ❘ B		Complete Banshee-44's quest ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	Ticuu's Divination Catalyst: ► Adds Causality Quiver perk: Perfectly drawn arrows that detonate Sacred Flames increase arrow damage. Striking targets unaffected by Sacred Flame refreshes Causality Arrows' duration.	Quest	Yes	Combat Bow	Energy	Season 13
Leviathan's Breath | Combat Bow	Average ❘ B		Defeat Powerful enemies with Leviathan's Breath ❘ Average	► Obtain 1500 points. Kills give 1 point	Leviathan's Breath Catalyst: ► Adds Colossal Quiver perk: Expands the ammo reserves by +5.	PVE Kills	Yes	Combat Bow	Heavy	Shadowkeep
The Colony | Grenade Launcher	Weak ❘ C		Kills or wins in the Crucible ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	The Colony Catalyst: ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +1 and expands ammo reserves.	Crucible	Yes	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Telesto | Fusion Rifle	Weak ❘ C		Completions of Legendary or Master Lost Sectors ❘ Hard	► Get 300 kills	Telesto Catalyst: ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +3 and expands ammo reserves.	Lost Sectors completions	Yes	Fusion Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Sweet Business | Auto Rifle	Weak ❘ C		Kills, completions or wins on Strikes, Nightfalls or the Crucible ❘ Average	► Get 250 Multikills	Sweet Business Catalyst: ► Adds Serious Business perk: Reduces incoming flinch when firing Sweet Business at full speed.	Strikes, Nightfalls or Crucible	Yes	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Lord of Wolves | Shotgun	Weak ❘ C		Completions or kills in Gambit, Crucible, Strikes, or Nightfalls ❘ Easy	► Get 500 kills	Lord of Wolves Catalyst: ► Adds Fang and Claw perk: Increases reload speed while Release the Wolves is active and increases stability when it's not.	Any activity	Yes	Shotgun	Energy	Free-to-Play
Sturm | Hand Cannon	Weak ❘ C		Kill enemies in PVE on Nessus ❘ Average	► Get 500 Sturm kills ► Get 500 Drang kills	Sturm Catalyst: ► Increases handling by +40 and range by +18.	PVE Kills	Yes	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Skyburner's Oath | Scout Rifle	Weak ❘ C		Completions of Playlist activities ❘ Average	► Get 1000 Cabal kills	Skyburner's Oath Catalyst: ► Increases range by +27.	Playlist Activities completions	Yes	Scout Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
MIDA Multi-Tool | Scout Rifle	Worst ❘ D		Kills or wins in Competitive Crucible matches at Legend Glory rank ❘ Hard	► Get 250 precision kills in PVP	MIDA Multi-Tool Catalyst: ► Adds Outlaw perk: Increase weapon reload speed after a precision kill.	Crucible	Yes	Scout Rifle	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Worldline Zero | Sword	Worst ❘ D		Kill enemies in PVE with a sword equipped ❘ Easy	►	Worldline Zero Catalyst: ► Adds Another Dimension perk: Reduces the activation time for the perk Tesseract.	PVE Kills	Yes	Sword	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Borealis | Sniper Rifle	Worst ❘ D		Kill enemies in PVE ❘ Average	► Get 150 Solar Mode kills, 150 Void Mode kills, 150 Arc Mode kills	Borealis Catalyst: ► Increases reload speed by +18.	PVE Kills	Yes	Sniper Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Monte Carlo | Auto Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Tarrabah | Submachine Gun	-		-	-	-	-	No	Submachine Gun	Energy	Forsaken
Traveler's Chosen | Sidearm	-		-	-	-	-	No	Sidearm	Kinetic	Shadowkeep
Divinity | Trace Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Trace Rifle	Energy	Shadowkeep
Arbalest | Linear Fusion Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Linear Fusion Rifle	Kinetic	Free-to-Play
Jötunn | Fusion Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Fusion Rifle	Energy	Forsaken
The Lament | Sword	-		-	-	-	-	No	Sword	Heavy	Beyond Light
Thunderlord | Machine Gun	-		-	-	-	-	No	Machine Gun	Heavy	Forsaken
The Queenbreaker | Linear Fusion Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Linear Fusion Rifle	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Truth | Rocket Launcher	-		-	-	-	-	No	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Forsaken
Wavesplitter | Trace Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Trace Rifle	Energy	Free-to-Play
Bastion | Fusion Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Fusion Rifle	Kinetic	Shadowkeep
Wish-Ender | Combat Bow	-		-	-	-	-	No	Combat Bow	Kinetic	Forsaken
Thorn | Hand Cannon	-		-	-	-	-	No	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Forsaken
Le Monarque | Combat Bow	-		-	-	-	-	No	Combat Bow	Energy	Forsaken
The Last Word | Hand Cannon	-		-	-	-	-	No	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Forsaken
Two-Tailed Fox | Rocket Launcher	-		-	-	-	-	No	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Free-to-Play
Malfeasance | Hand Cannon	-		-	-	-	-	No	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Forsaken
Cloudstrike | Sniper Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Sniper Rifle	Energy	Beyond Light
Xenophage | Machine Gun	-		-	-	-	-	No	Machine Gun	Heavy	Shadowkeep
Deathbringer | Rocket Launcher	-		-	-	-	-	No	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Shadowkeep
Salvation's Grip | Grenade Launcher	-		-	-	-	-	No	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Beyond Light
Devil's Ruin | Sidearm	-		-	-	-	-	No	Sidearm	Energy	Shadowkeep
Eyes of Tomorrow | Rocket Launcher	-		-	-	-	-	No	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Beyond Light
Anarchy | Grenade Launcher	-		-	-	-	-	No	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Forsaken
One Thousand Voices | Fusion Rifle	-		-	-	-	-	No	Fusion Rifle	Heavy	Forsaken
The Chaperone | Shotgun	-		-	-	-	-	No	Shotgun	Kinetic	Beyond Light
Heir Apparent | Machine Gun	-		-	-	-	-	No	Machine Gun	Heavy	Shadowkeep
	Strong ❘ A		-	-	-	-	Yes	Scout Rifle	Kinetic	Season 13

About the Destiny Content Vault (DCV)

The DCV was a big deal. In Bungie’s words:

Each year, usually at the expansion boundaries, we will cycle some destination and activity content out of the game (and into the DCV) to make room for new experiences.

Close to 50% of the game was “vaulted” and put into the DCV with the release of Beyond Light on November 10, 2020. This means that roughly half of the locations, activities, and gear were removed from the game and cannot be experienced anymore.

A comprehensive list including everything that went away would be too long to cover here, but when it comes to Exotic quests, and Catalysts, this is everything you need to know:

Exotic catalysts effectively removed from the game

Several Catalysts became unavailable on November 10, 2020, with the launch of the Beyond Light Expansion:

1. Bad Juju
2. The Huckleberry
3. Izanagi’s Burden
4. Legend of Acrius
5. Polaris Lance
6. Skyburner’s Oath
7. Sleeper Simulant
8. Telesto
9. Worldline Zero
10. Outbreak Perfected
11. Whisper of the Worm

But luckily, most of them have returned with Season of the Chosen!

The only Catalysts that remain unobtainable are those for Whisper of the Worm and Outbreak Perfected.

Bungie does clarify the following:

If you have these Catalysts already equipped and their objectives completed, you can continue using them at your leisure.

Now that several Catalysts have returned, these are some I would recommend chasing in case you have very limited playtime:

• Izanagi’s Burden if you’re in need of an excellent PVE weapon
• Telesto if you’re looking for a great PVP option

Your Turn

When I first got into Destiny 2, Exotic Catalysts were some of the most mysterious items for me. Where do they come from? Do you have to find them and then unlock them? Granted, by themselves, Catalysts are not overly complicated, it’s just another system that is hardly explained in-game.

With this guide, hopefully, all of your questions have been answered and you should have all the information you need to know what Catalysts you want and how you can go about finding them.

Beyond Light did add a couple of new Catalysts to chase. But in parallel, it removed a lot of them. It’s therefore great to see that Bungie found quick methods to re-introduce them, just as they did with Exotic weapons and the Monument to Lost Lights.

So which are your favorite Exotic Catalysts? Let me know in the comments section below!