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, while others can be game-changing, taking an exotic to an entirely new level.

But as with most things in Destiny 2, it’s hard to keep 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 every exotic weapon in the game. 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 unlocked 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 2020

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 weapons themselves. For example, the best catalysts as S Tier because they bring significant improvements to already great weapons:

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

	Weapon	Catalyst Tier	Still Available?	Drops from / Difficulty	How to unlock	Catalyst effect	Type	Slot	Drops from	Still Available?
	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.	Combat Bow	Energy	Any activity	Yes
	Izanagi's Burden | Sniper Rifle	Best ❘ S		Complete Heroic Menagerie with a Masterworked Chalice of Opulence ❘ 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.	Sniper Rifle	Kinetic	Quest	No
	Legend of Acrius | Shotgun	Best ❘ S		Complete encounters and open Underbelly chests in Prestige Leviathan ❘ Hard	► 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.	Shotgun	Heavy	Raid	No
	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.	Submachine Gun	Energy	Exotic Quest	Yes
	The Huckleberry | Submachine Gun	Best ❘ S		Kills or completions on Heroic adventures ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	he Huckleberry Catalyst: ► Adds Bull Rider perk: Kills with this weapon now reload the entire magazine.	Submachine Gun	Kinetic	Heroic Adventures	No
	Eriana's Vow | Hand Cannon	Best ❘ S		Complete quest from Banshee-44 ❘ 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.	Hand Cannon	Energy	Quest	Yes
	Witherhoard | Grenade Launcher	Best ❘ S		Complete quest from Banshee-44 ❘ Average	► Get 400 kills	Witherhoard Catalyst: ► Adds Silent Alarm perk: Maximizes handling, holstering this weapon automatically reloads it after a short period of time.	Grenade Launcher	Kinetic	Quest	Yes
	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.	Hand Cannon	Energy	Strikes, Nightfalls or Crucible	Yes
	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.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes
	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.	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Exotic Quest	Yes
	Duality | Shotgun	Strong ❘ A		Complete quest from Banshee-44 ❘ Average	► Get 400 kills	Duality Catalyst: ► Increases weapon range by +20 and expands the magazine size by +2.	Shotgun	Energy	Season Pass	Yes
	Bad Juju | Pulse Rifle	Strong ❘ A		45 Tributes placed in the Tribute Hall ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	Bad Juju Catalyst: ► Adds Unending Curse perk: Extends the duration of the perk String of Curses.	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Tribute Hall	No
	Crimson | Hand Cannon	Strong ❘ A		Kill enemies in PVE ❘ Average	► Get 500 kills	Crimson Catalyst: ► Increases range by +18.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	PVE	Yes
	Hard Light | Auto Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Kills or completions in Strikes or Nightfalls ❘ Average	► Get 1000 kills	Hard Light Catalyst: ► Increases stability by +18.	Auto Rifle	Energy	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes
	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.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	Any activity	Yes
	Outbreak Perfected | Pulse Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Complete Zero Hour on Heroic difficulty ❘ Hard	► Collect 500 SIVA Nanites from Zero Hour on Heroic ► Get 500 precision kills	Outbreak Perfected Catalyst: ► Adds Disease Vector perk:Deal additional nanite damage.	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Quest	No
	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.	Sidearm	Kinetic	Exotic Quest	Yes
	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.	Trace Rifle	Energy	PVE	No
	Sleeper Simulant | Linear Fusion Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Complete encounters in Prestige Leviathan ❘ Hard	► Get 1000 Sniper Rifle kills, 1000 Shotgun kills, and 2000 Submachine Gun kills with IKELOS weapons ► Loot the Oracle Chest in The Whisper mission ► Get 500 kills	Sleeper Simulant Catalyst: ► Lowers charge rate by -250 and expands ammo reserves.	Linear Fusion Rifle	Heavy	Raid	No
	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".	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Crucible	No
	The Fourth Horseman | Shotgun	Strong ❘ A		Complete Season of the Worthy activities ❘ Average	► 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.	Shotgun	Energy	Raid	No
	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.	Scout Rifle	Kinetic	Crucible	Yes
	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.	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes
	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.	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes
	Whisper of the Worm | Sniper Rifle	Strong ❘ A		Complete The Whisper on Heroic difficulty ❘ Hard	► Farm 100 Blighted Essence from The Whisper on Heroic difficulty	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.	Sniper Rifle	Heavy	Quest	No
	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.	Trace Rifle	Energy	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes
	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.	Sword	Heavy	PVE	Yes
	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.	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	PVE	Yes
	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.	Trace Rifle	Energy	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes
	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.	Sniper Rifle	Heavy	PVE	Yes
	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.	Grenade Launcher	Energy	PVE	Yes
	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.	Pulse Rifle	Energy	Strikes, Nightfalls or Crucible	Yes
	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.	Fusion Rifle	Energy	Strikes or Nightfalls	Yes
	Polaris Lance | Scout Rifle	Average ❘ B		Complete the 5th and final Nascent Dawn quest ❘ Average	► Get 500 Kills ► Get 50 Perfect Fifth kills	Polaris Lance Catalyst: ► Adds Dragonfly perk: Precision kills create an explosion around defeated enemy.	Scout Rifle	Energy	Quest	No
	Symmetry | Scout Rifle	Average ❘ B		Complete quest from Banshee-44 ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	Symmetry Catalyst: ► Adds Electric Styx perk: Increases the max stack size of Dynamic Charge from x15 to x20.	Scout Rifle	Energy	Quest	Yes
	Tommy's Matchbook | Auto Rifle	Average ❘ B		Complete quest from Banshee-44 ❘ Average	► Get 700 kills	Tommy's Matchbook Catalyst: ► Adds Heat of the Moment perk: While Ignition Trigger is active, your health recovers much faster.	Auto Rifle	Energy	Quest	Yes
	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.	Shotgun	Heavy	PVE	Yes
	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.	Pulse Rifle	Kinetic	Crucible	Yes
	Telesto | Fusion Rifle	Weak ❘ C		Complete encounters in Prestige Eater of Worlds ❘ Hard	► Acquire the Gift of the Lighthouse, then interact with the forge on Mercury	Telesto Catalyst: ► Adds Deeper Pockets perk: Increases the magazine size by +3 and expands ammo reserves.	Fusion Rifle	Energy	Raid	No
	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.	Shotgun	Energy	Any activity	Yes
	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.	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	Crucible	Yes
	Skyburner's Oath | Scout Rifle	Weak ❘ C		Complete encounters in the Leviathan raid ❘ Hard	► Get 1000 Cabal kills	Skyburner's Oath Catalyst: ► Increases range by +27.	Scout Rifle	Energy	Raid	No
	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.	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	PVE	Yes
	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.	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	Strikes, Nightfalls or Crucible	Yes
	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.	Sniper Rifle	Energy	PVE	Yes
	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.	Scout Rifle	Kinetic	Crucible	Yes
	Worldline Zero | Sword	Worst ❘ D		Kill enemies in PVE with a sword equipped ❘ Easy	► Hit all 5 of the weekly bosses in Mars Protocol with Worldline Zero while they’re unshielded	Worldline Zero Catalyst: ► Adds Another Dimension perk: Reduces the activation time for the perk Tesseract.	Sword	Heavy	PVE	No
	Anarchy | Grenade Launcher	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Grenade Launcher	Heavy	-	No
	Arbalest | Linear Fusion Rifle	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Linear Fusion Rifle	Kinetic	-	No
	Bastion | Fusion Rifle	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Fusion Rifle	Kinetic	-	No
	Deathbringer | Rocket Launcher	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	-	No
	Devil's Ruin | Sidearm	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Sidearm	Energy	-	No
	Divinity | Trace Rifle	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Trace Rifle	Energy	-	No
	Heir Apparent | Machine Gun	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Machine Gun	Heavy	-	No
	Jötunn | Fusion Rifle	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Fusion Rifle	Energy	-	No
	Le Monarque | Combat Bow	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Combat Bow	Energy	-	No
	Leviathan's Breath | Combat Bow	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Combat Bow	Heavy	-	No
	Malfeasance | Hand Cannon	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	-	No
	Monte Carlo | Auto Rifle	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Auto Rifle	Kinetic	-	No
	One Thousand Voices | Fusion Rifle	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Fusion Rifle	Heavy	-	No
	Tarrabah | Submachine Gun	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Submachine Gun	Energy	-	No
	The Chaperone | Shotgun	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Shotgun	Kinetic	-	No
	The Last Word | Hand Cannon	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	-	No
	The Queenbreaker | Linear Fusion Rifle	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Linear Fusion Rifle	Heavy	-	No
	Thorn | Hand Cannon	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Hand Cannon	Kinetic	-	No
	Thunderlord | Machine Gun	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Machine Gun	Heavy	-	No
	Traveler's Chosen | Sidearm	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Sidearm	Kinetic	-	No
	Truth | Rocket Launcher	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	-	No
	Two-Tailed Fox | Rocket Launcher	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Rocket Launcher	Heavy	-	No
	Wavesplitter | Trace Rifle	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Trace Rifle	Energy	-	No
	Wish-Ender | Combat Bow	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Combat Bow	Kinetic	-	No
	Xenophage | Machine Gun	-	No Catalyst	-	-	-	Machine Gun	Heavy	-	No

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 on November 10, 2020, with the release of Beyond Light. 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 is going 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 effective removed from the game

As explained by Bungie, the catalysts for the following weapons 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. Outbreak Perfected*
10. Whisper of the Worm*
11. Worldline Zero*

Bungie does clarify the following:

If you have these catalysts already equipped and their objectives completed, you can continue using them at your leisure. If you already have any catalysts with an asterisk, make sure you finish completing the necessary objective to apply it as the objective will no longer be available at the end of Season of Arrivals.

As you can see, a lot of exotics and catalysts are leaving. If you crave any of these, you better get started before it’s too late. In fact, if you have limited playtime and can only chase 1 or 2 of these, I recommend:

• Whisper of the Worm 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. Hopefully, they will find a meaningful way to re-introduce them into the game soon, 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!