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, 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.
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 in 2022
List updated as of The Witch Queen’s release (S16). 
These are the 64 catalysts currently available in the game as of the release of The Witch Queen and Season 16 (note that we’ll need a little more time to rank the brand-new The Witch Queen Catalysts):
| Name | Type | Slot | Catalyst Rank | Catalyst Source | Available? | Requirements | Catalyst | Tier | Where to find it | How to unlock it | Catalyst effect | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Overture | Machine Gun | Heavy | Ongoing | Quest | Yes | The Witch Queen |  Grand Overture | Machine Gun | Ongoing... | Complete Banshee-44's quest The Witch Queen | ► Get 200 Solar kills, 200 Void kills, 200 Arc kills | ► Adds Turnabout perk: Using this weapon to break the shield of a combatant or a Guardian using their Super will grant you an overshield.. | Season 16 |
| Dead Messenger | Grenade Launcher | Energy | Ongoing | Quest | Yes | The Witch Queen |  Dead Messenger | Grenade Launcher | Ongoing... | Complete Vox Obscura quest on Hard mode The Witch Queen | ► Get 400 kills | ► Missile explosions will blind combatants. Those defeated by missile impacts then explode. | Season 16 |
| Le Monarque | Combat Bow | Energy | Ongoing | Playlist Activity completions | No | Forsaken Pack |  Le Monarque | Combat Bow | Ongoing... | Completions of Playlist activities  Forsaken Pack | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Unrelenting perk: Rapidly defeating targets triggers health regeneration. Guardians and powerful combatants count as more than one kill. | Season 16 |
| Witherhoard | Grenade Launcher | Kinetic | S › Best | Quest | Yes | Shadowkeep |  Witherhoard | Grenade Launcher | Best ❘ S | Complete Banshee-44's quest  Shadowkeep | ► Get 400 kills | ► Adds Silent Alarm perk: Maximizes handling, holstering this weapon automatically reloads it after a short period of time. | Season 11 |
| The Huckleberry | Submachine Gun | Kinetic | S › Best | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  The Huckleberry | Submachine Gun | Best ❘ S | Completions of Playlist activities  Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Bull Rider perk: Kills with this weapon now reload the entire magazine. | Season 14 |
| Eriana's Vow | Hand Cannon | Energy | S › Best | Quest | Yes | Shadowkeep |  Eriana's Vow | Hand Cannon | Best ❘ S | Complete Banshee-44's quest Shadowkeep | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds More to Give perk: Increases magazine size by +3 and adds the perk Auto-Loading Holster. | Season 8 |
| Arbalest | Linear Fusion Rifle | Kinetic | S › Best | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Arbalest | Linear Fusion Rifle | Best ❘ S | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Genesis perk: Breaking a combatant's shield with this weapon fills its magazine from reserves. Energy weapons regenerate ammo on hit when matching the damage type to the combatant's shield. | 30th Anniversary |
| Ace of Spades | Hand Cannon | Kinetic | S › Best | Strikes or Nightfalls | Yes | Forsaken Pack | Ace of Spades | Hand Cannon | Best ❘ S | Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls Forsaken Pack | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Funeral Pyre perk: Firefly does more damage while Memento Mori is active. | Season 4 |
| Izanagi's Burden | Sniper Rifle | Kinetic | S › Best | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Forsaken Pack |  Izanagi's Burden | Sniper Rifle | Best ❘ S | Completions of Playlist activities Forsaken Pack | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Peerless Edge perk: Increases the damage bonus of Honed Edge when all 4 bullets are consumed. | Season 14 |
| Riskrunner | Submachine Gun | Energy | S › Best | Quest | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Riskrunner | Submachine Gun | Best ❘ S | Complete Pain and Gain quest Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills ► Get 50 Arc Conductor kills | ► Increases range by +27. | Season 1 |
| Trinity Ghoul | Combat Bow | Energy | S › Best | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Trinity Ghoul | Combat Bow | Best ❘ S | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 400 kills | ► Adds Forked Lightning perk: Reduces draw time by -108 and Lightning Rod now triggers from any arc damage final blow. | Season 4 |
| Dead Man's Tale | Scout Rifle | Kinetic | S › Best | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Dead Man's Tale | Scout Rifle | Best ❘ S | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 800 kills or 8 secret chests | ► Adds Dark-Forged Trigger perk: Increased hipfire rate of fire and removes hipfire accuracy penalties. | Season 12 |
| Ager's Scepter | Trace Rifle | Kinetic | S › Best | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Beyond Light |  Ager's Scepter | Trace Rifle | Best ❘ S | Completions of Playlist activities  Beyond Light | ► Get 1000 kills | ► Adds Will Given Form perk: Hold reload to drain Super energy, overflowing and empowering the beam with bonus damage and the ability to slow and freeze targets. Can only be activated when Super energy is full. | Season 15 |
| Gjallarhorn | Rocket Launcher | Heavy | S › Best | Grasp of Avarice Dungeon | Yes | 30th Anniversary |  Gjallarhorn | Rocket Launcher | Best ❘ S | Grasp of Avarice chests (x3) 30th Anniversary | ► Get 400 kills | ► Adds More Wolves perk: Increases magazine size. Final blows with Wolfpack Rounds spawn a faster, more powerful missile at the target's location. | 30th Anniversary |
| Lumina | Hand Cannon | Kinetic | A › Strong | Any activity | Yes | Forsaken Pack |  Lumina | Hand Cannon | Strong ❘ A | Completions or kills in Gambit, Crucible, Strikes, or Nightfalls Forsaken Pack | ► Get 250 Noble Round heals | ► Adds Resonant Vitrue perk: Gain two Remnants per final blow instead of one. | Season 7 |
| Rat King | Sidearm | Kinetic | A › Strong | Quest | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Rat King | Sidearm | Strong ❘ A | Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls Free-to-Play | ► Get 1,000 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. | Season 1 |
| The Wardcliff Coil | Rocket Launcher | Heavy | A › Strong | Strikes or Nightfalls | Yes | Free-to-Play |  The Wardcliff Coil | Rocket Launcher | Strong ❘ A | Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Pinpoint Guidance Module perk: Tightens rockets spread. | Season 1 |
| The Fourth Horseman | Shotgun | Energy | A › Strong | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Shadowkeep |  The Fourth Horseman | Shotgun | Strong ❘ A | Completions of Playlist activities Shadowkeep | ► Get 400 kills | ► Adds And its name was Death perk: Adds an additional round to the magazine and increases reload speed by +40. | Season 16 |
| Legend of Acrius | Shotgun | Heavy | A › Strong | Nightfall Ordeals completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Legend of Acrius | Shotgun | Strong ❘ A | Completions of Nightfall Ordeals Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +2 and expands the ammo reserves. ► Increases reload speed by +36. | Season 14 |
| MIDA Multi-Tool | Scout Rifle | Kinetic | A › Strong | Crucible | Yes | Free-to-Play |  MIDA Multi-Tool | Scout Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Kills or wins in Competitive Crucible matches at Legend Glory rank Free-to-Play | ► Get 250 precision kills in PVP | ► Adds No Distractions perk: Aiming this weapon for a short period reduces flinch. | Season 1 |
| Ruinous Effigy | Trace Rifle | Energy | A › Strong | PVE Kills | Yes | Shadowkeep |  Ruinous Effigy | Exotic Trace Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Any PVE kill Shadowkeep | ► Destroy all Savathun's Eyes or ► Get 5000 kills | ► Adds Deconstruction perk: Deals increased damage against targets damaged by Transmutation spheres. | Season 11 |
| Traveler's Chosen | Sidearm | Kinetic | A › Strong | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Shadowkeep | Traveler's Chosen | Sidearm | Strong ❘ A | Completions of Playlist activities Shadowkeep | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Osmosis perk: Using your grenade ability changes this weapon's damage type to match your subclass until you stow it. ► Adds Full Auto Trigger System perk: holding down the trigger will fire this weapon at full auto) perks. | Season 11 |
| Crimson | Hand Cannon | Kinetic | A › Strong | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Crimson | Hand Cannon | Strong ❘ A | Kill enemies in PVE Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Increases range by +18. | Season 2 |
| Bad Juju | Pulse Rifle | Kinetic | A › Strong | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Forsaken Pack |  Bad Juju | Pulse Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Completions of Playlist activities Forsaken Pack | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Unending Curse perk: Extends the duration of the perk String of Curses. | Season 14 |
| The Jade Rabbit | Scout Rifle | Kinetic | A › Strong | Crucible | Yes | Free-to-Play |  The Jade Rabbit | Scout Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Kills or wins in the Crucible Free-to-Play | ► Get 250 PVP kills | ► Increases stability by +27. | Season 2 |
| The Prospector | Grenade Launcher | Heavy | A › Strong | Strikes or Nightfalls | Yes | Free-to-Play |  The Prospector | Grenade Launcher | Strong ❘ A | Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +1 and expands ammo reserves. ► Increases blast radius by +20. | Season 1 |
| Heir Apparent | Machine Gun | Heavy | A › Strong | Guardian Games event | No | Free-to-Play |  Heir Apparent | Heir Apparent | Strong ❘ A | Guardian Games event Free-to-Play | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Legion's Bullwark perk: Increases the Arc Shield's durability and partially reloads the magazine if it is destroyed. | Season 10 |
| SUROS Regime | Auto Rifle | Kinetic | A › Strong | Crucible | Yes | Free-to-Play |  SUROS Regime | Auto Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Kills or wins in the Crucible Free-to-Play | ► Get 300 PVP kills | ► Adds SUROS Ascendance perk: Improves recoil direction and increases the chance to activate "SUROS Legacy". | Season 3 |
| Sunshot | Hand Cannon | Energy | A › Strong | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Sunshot | Hand Cannon | Strong ❘ A | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills ► Get 1000 Sun Blast kills | ► Increases stability by +18 and range by +27. | Season 1 |
| Duality | Shotgun | Energy | A › Strong | Quest | Yes | Beyond Light |  Duality | Shotgun | Strong ❘ A | Complete Banshee-44's quest Beyond Light | ► Get 400 kills | ► Increases weapon range by +20 and expands the magazine size by +2. | Season 12 |
| Hawkmoon | Hand Cannon | Kinetic | A › Strong | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Hawkmoon | Hand Cannon | Strong ❘ A | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 700 kills | ► 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. | Season 16 |
| Outbreak Perfected | Pulse Rifle | Kinetic | A › Strong | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Forsaken Pack |  Outbreak Perfected | Pulse Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Completions of Playlist activities Forsaken Pack | ► Get 500 precision kills | ► Adds Disease Vector perk: Deal additional nanite damage. | Season 16 |
| No Time to Explain | Pulse Rifle | Kinetic | A › Strong | Quest | Yes | Deluxe Edition |  No Time To Explain | Pulse Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Complete quest from the Exo Stranger at the end of the Beyond Light campaign Deluxe Edition | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Blast from the Side perk: Projectiles from the time portal shoots more frequently. | Season 12 |
| Hard Light | Auto Rifle | Energy | A › Strong | Strikes or Nightfalls | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Hard Light | Auto Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls Free-to-Play | ► Get 1000 kills | ► Increases stability by +18. | Season 1 |
| Whisper of the Worm | Sniper Rifle | Heavy | A › Strong | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Whisper of the Worm | Sniper Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► TBC | ► Adds Whispered Breathing perk: Aiming down the scope for 3 seconds increases range and precision damage while the weapon scope remains zoomed. | Season 16 |
| Cryosthesia 77K | Sidearm | Kinetic | A › Strong | Quest | Yes | Beyond Light |  Cryosthesia 77K | Sidearm | Strong ❘ A | Complete Banshee-44's quest Beyond Light | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Cold Efficiency perk: Shattering a frozen target refills this weapon's magazine from reserves. | Season 14 |
| Lorentz Driver | Linear Fusion Rifle | Energy | A › Strong | Quest | Yes | Beyond Light |  Lorentz Driver | Linear Fusion Rifle | Strong ❘ A | Complete Banshee-44's quest Beyond Light | ► Get 400 kills | ► Adds Jump Driver perk: Lorentz Driver gains an enhanced radar. Additionally, while this weapon has 3 telemetry patterns, EM Anomaly detonations no longer require a precision final blow. | Season 15 |
| Forerunner | Sidearm | Kinetic | A › Strong | Quest | Yes | 30th Anniversary |  Forerunner | Sidearm | Strong ❘ A | Reach Rank 16 with Xur 30th Anniversary | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds The Rock perk: For several seconds after a final blow, you can consume part of your ammo reserves, converting your next grenade into a fragmentation grenade. | 30th Anniversary |
| Fighting Lion | Grenade Launcher | Energy | B › Average | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Fighting Lion | Grenade Launcher | Average ❘ B | Kill enemies in PVE Free-to-Play | ► Get 1000 kills ► Complete 167 bounties | ► 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. | Season 1 |
| Prometheus Lens | Trace Rifle | Energy | B › Average | Strikes or Nightfalls | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Prometheus Lens | Trace Rifle | Average ❘ B | Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Increases stability by +18 and handling by +18. | Season 2 |
| Graviton Lance | Pulse Rifle | Energy | B › Average | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Graviton Lance | Pulse Rifle | Average ❘ B | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills ► Get 1000 Cosmology kills | ► Adds Hidden Hand perk: Increases the aim assist and targeting acquisition stats. ► Increases range by +18. | Season 1 |
| Tommy's Matchbook | Auto Rifle | Energy | B › Average | Quest | Yes | Shadowkeep |  Tommy's Matchbook | Auto Rifle | Average ❘ B | Complete Banshee-44's quest Shadowkeep | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Heat of the Moment perk: While Ignition Trigger is active, your health recovers much faster. | Season 10 |
| D.A.R.C.I. | Sniper Rifle | Heavy | B › Average | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  D.A.R.C.I. | Sniper Rifle | Average ❘ B | Kill enemies in PVE Free-to-Play | ► Get 300 kills | ► Increases stability by +18. | Season 1 |
| Black Talon | Sword | Heavy | B › Average | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Black Talon | Sword | Average ❘ B | Kill enemies in PVE Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Reversal perk: Shots blocked immediately after guarding increase the damage of Crow’s Wings for a very short duration. | Season 4 |
| Coldheart | Trace Rifle | Energy | B › Average | Strikes or Nightfalls | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Coldheart | Trace Rifle | Average ❘ B | Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls Free-to-Play | ► Get 300 kills | ►Increases stability by +18 and reload speed by +18. | Season 1 |
| Deathbringer | Rocket Launcher | Heavy | B › Average | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Shadowkeep |  Deathbringer | Rocket Launcher | Average ❘ B | Completions of Playlist activities Shadowkeep | ► Get 400 kills | ► Adds Dead Weight perk: Increases how quickly Dark Descent reaches its full potential. | Season 14 |
| Merciless | Fusion Rifle | Energy | B › Average | Strikes or Nightfalls | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Merciless | Fusion Rifle | Average ❘ B | Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Increases stability by +36 and range by +36. | Season 1 |
| Cerberus+1 | Auto Rifle | Kinetic | B › Average | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Cerberus+1 | Auto Rifle | Average ❘ B | Kill enemies in PVE Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Focused Fire perk: Hold reload to swap to a tighter, close-ranged spread. | Season 4 |
| Vigilance Wing | Pulse Rifle | Kinetic | B › Average | Crucible | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Vigilance Wing | Pulse Rifle | Average ❘ B | Kills or wins in the Crucible Free-to-Play | ► Get 250 PVP kills ► 5 Blood for Blood medals | ► Adds Full Auto Trigger System perk: Makes the weapon fire fully automatic when holding down the fire button. | Season 1 |
| Polaris Lance | Scout Rifle | Energy | B › Average | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Polaris Lance | Scout Rifle | Average ❘ B | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 Kills ► Get 50 Perfect Fifth kills | ► Adds Dragonfly perk: Precision kills create an explosion around defeated enemy. | Season 14 |
| Symmetry | Scout Rifle | Energy | B › Average | Quest | Yes | Shadowkeep |  Symmetry | Scout Rifle | Average ❘ B | Complete Banshee-44's quest Shadowkeep | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Electric Styx perk: Increases the max stack size of Dynamic Charge from x15 to x20. | Season 9 |
| Leviathan's Breath | Combat Bow | Heavy | B › Average | PVE Kills | Yes | Shadowkeep |  Leviathan's Breath | Combat Bow | Average ❘ B | Defeat Powerful enemies with Leviathan's Breath Shadowkeep | ► Obtain 1500 points. Kills give 1 point | ► Adds Colossal Quiver perk: Expands the ammo reserves by +5. | Season 12 |
| Sleeper Simulant | Linear Fusion Rifle | Heavy | B › Average | Nightfall Ordeals completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Sleeper Simulant | Linear Fusion Rifle | Average ❘ B | Completions of Nightfall Ordeals Free-to-Play | ► Get 300 kills | ► Lowers the weapon charge rate stat by -250 and expands the ammo reserves. | Season 14 |
| Tractor Cannon | Shotgun | Heavy | B › Average | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Tractor Cannon | Shotgun | Average ❘ B | Kill enemies in PVE Free-to-Play | ► Get 300 kills | ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +3 and expands ammo reserves. | Season 1 |
| Ticuu's Divination | Combat Bow | Energy | B › Average | Quest | Yes | Beyond Light |  Ticuu's Divination | Combat Bow | Average ❘ B | Complete Banshee-44's quest Beyond Light | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Causality Quiver perk: Perfectly drawn arrows that detonate Sacred Flames increase arrow damage. Striking targets unaffected by Sacred Flame refreshes Causality Arrows' duration. | Season 13 |
| Vex Mythoclast | Fusion Rifle | Energy | B › Average | Raid | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Vex Mythoclast | Fusion Rifle | Average ❘ B | Vault of Glass Puzzle Free-to-Play | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds Calculated Balance perk: While in full auto mode, final blows with this weapon grant bonus damage, accuracy, and stability for a short duration. | Season 14 |
| Lord of Wolves | Shotgun | Energy | C › Weak | Any activity | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Lord of Wolves | Shotgun | Weak ❘ C | Completions or kills in Gambit, Crucible, Strikes, or Nightfalls Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Fang and Claw perk: Increases reload speed while Release the Wolves is active and increases stability when it's not. | Season 4 |
| Sturm | Hand Cannon | Kinetic | C › Weak | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Sturm | Hand Cannon | Weak ❘ C | Kill enemies in PVE on Nessus Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 Sturm kills ► Get 500 Drang kills | ► Increases handling by +40 and range by +18. | Season 1 |
| Skyburner's Oath | Scout Rifle | Energy | C › Weak | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Skyburner's Oath | Scout Rifle | Weak ❘ C | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 1000 Cabal kills | ► Increases range by +27. | Season 14 |
| Telesto | Fusion Rifle | Energy | C › Weak | Lost Sectors completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Telesto | Fusion Rifle | Weak ❘ C | Complete Legend or Master Lost Sectors Free-to-Play | ► Get 300 kills | ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +3 and expands ammo reserves. | Season 14 |
| The Colony | Grenade Launcher | Heavy | C › Weak | Crucible | Yes | Free-to-Play |  The Colony | Grenade Launcher | Weak ❘ C | Kills or wins in the Crucible Free-to-Play | ► Get 500 kills | ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +1 and expands ammo reserves. | Season 2 |
| Sweet Business | Auto Rifle | Kinetic | C › Weak | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Sweet Business | Auto Rifle | Weak ❘ C | Completions of Playlist activities Free-to-Play | ► Get 250 Multikills | ► Adds Serious Business perk: Reduces incoming flinch when firing Sweet Business at full speed. | Season 1 |
| Worldline Zero | Sword | Heavy | D › Worst | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Worldline Zero | Sword | Worst ❘ D | Kill enemies in PVE with a sword equipped Free-to-Play | ► Get 300 kills | ► Adds Another Dimension perk: Reduces the activation time for the perk Tesseract. | Season 14 |
| Borealis | Sniper Rifle | Energy | D › Worst | PVE Kills | Yes | Free-to-Play |  Borealis | Sniper Rifle | Worst ❘ D | Kill enemies in PVE Free-to-Play | ► Get 150 Solar Mode kills, 150 Void Mode kills, 150 Arc Mode kills | ► Increases reload speed by +18. | Season 1 |
These are the different Tier levels used for the table above:
- 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 an already great weapon.
Destiny 2 Catalysts in-depth:
| Eriana's Vow |  Special |
| Outbreak Perfected |  Primary |
| Rat King | Primary |
| Sturm | Primary |
| Sunshot | Primary |
| Sweet Business | Primary |
| The Fourth Horseman | Special |
| The Wardcliff Coil |  Heavy |
| Trinity Ghoul | Primary |
| Whisper of the Worm | Heavy |
How to get Catalysts in Destiny 2
There are 11 different methods to acquire Catalysts in Destiny 2:
- Participating in any activity
- Complete a specific quest
- Complete Playlist Activities
- Complete Strikes or Nightfalls
- Complete Nightfall: Ordeals
- Get PVE Kills
- Complete Legend or Master Lost Sectors
- Get Kills and Wins in the Crucible
- Participate in the Guardian Games event
- Complete the Vault of Glass Raid
- Complete the Grasp of Avarice Dungeon
The table above will tell you exactly what is required to get a specific Catalyst.
Catalysts & the DCV
When Bungie introduced the Destiny Content Vault (DCV), close to 50% of the game was “vaulted” and effectively removed from the game. Roughly half of the locations, activities, quests and gear were removed from the game and still cannot be experienced to this day. As explained by Bungie:
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.
With the DCV, several Exotic weapons and catalysts were removed too and became unavailable to new players for a long time.
Reintroduced Exotic catalysts
Slowly, Bungie has been reintroducing some of those lost catalysts. With the release of the Witch Queen expansion, the following Catalysts were reintroduced:
- Outbreak Perfected
- Whisper of the Worm
- The Fourth Horseman
- Hawkmoon
- Dead Man’s Tale
- Ager’s Scepter
In Season of the Chosen (S13), 9 catalysts were reintroduced:
- Bad Juju
- Izanagi’s Burden
- Sleeper Simulant
- The Huckleberry
- Worldline Zero
- Polaris Lance
- Telesto
- Legend of Acrius
- Skyburner’s Oath
At this stage, virtually all existing catalysts are available to new players (except Heir Apparent’s, which can only be obtained during the yearly Guardian Games event).
It’s 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.
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, Catalysts are not overly complicated, but they are part of yet 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 start chasing and unlocking more catalysts.
Which are your favorite Exotic Catalysts? Let me know in the comments section below!
Latest changes
Things change fast in Destiny 2, especially the Meta. The weapons we call the best one day can completely change the next, in this applies to Exotic Catalysts too. All it takes are a few minor changes on Bungie’s end. For that reason, this ranking will be updated at least once per season.
Changes introduced this season:
The following exotic catalysts were added with the release of The Witch Queen expansion and Season 16:
- Grand Ouverture’s catalyst
- Dead Messenger’s catalyst
- Le Monarque’s catalyst
Why is the Suros Regime marked as not available?
Is it ok to use Destiny 2 boosting services? Like d2-recovery.com? I want to buy catalyst from them, but afraid a bit.
I wouldn’t recommend a service like that. First of all, they break the game’s terms of service and could get your account banned. Second, I find the whole thing shady, with lots of fine print (like that you need to have found the catalyst first and then they just do the kills to unlock it).
I wouldn’t touch that stuff even with a ten-foot pole!
I used to write bots for another popular game and almost all of the seller’s of such services were in the same IRC chat I belonged to— short version it’s that they use a lot of hacks and/or bots to do the hard work. This puts your account at significant risk.
This page was better before, you could know how to get the catalysts and not only what are the requirements to finish them.
I’m surprised. Maybe there’s a formatting issue or something. Are you on mobile or desktop? From here, I can see the following columns:
– Where to find it ❘ Requires
– How to unlock it
– Catalyst effect
Really? I’m on desktop, for me the page definitely changed. I even tried a different browser to see if the problem was on my side but it’s the same on both browsers. I tried even on my phone now and got the same page.
I have two columns, how to unlock the catalysts and what the catalysts do.
Here, a Print as proof. https://prnt.sc/194b2fz
Thanks for the follow up and the print screen. Just solved a huge catching issue that was plaguing that page (and maybe many more) and completely ruining the content!
It should be finally solved now… Hopefully it did for you too. In any case, THANKS A LOT for the alert.
I’m glad I was able to help. This page has been on my favorites since I started playing d2 last year and I always check here to get information. I’m really glad you were able to fix the problem, grats!
why is monte carlo not on the list?
Monte Carlo doesn’t have a catalyst yet
Hi. It says Riskrunner is in the Free to Play column, but requires a quest only available after Shadowkeep, which is not available to me as a free to play player currently. Is there something I’m missing? I understand Shadowkeep is a DLC.
i was also free to play but is still got it
isnt the riskrunner catalyst like 500 pve kills or something
got the masterwork as a f2p
You only need to finish the initial mission, which is available for all players
Sleeper catalyst should be A tier tho.
I miss how to get Jötunn catalyst? How can I get it? Please explain.
FYI – Le Monarque has a catalyst now…
The Dead Messenger and Grand Overture catalyst effects are out of order.