Destiny 2 Merciless + Catalyst: How to get them

Considered mediocre for years, Merciless received several buffs with the release of Season of the Seraph (S19). While this Exotic Fusion rifle is not the most popular weapon out there, it is extremely solid and worth chasing if you don’t already have it, especially when coupled with its Catalyst.

Today, we cover how powerful this Exotic is and tell you exactly how to get both Exotic weapon and catalyst.

Name: Merciless

Type: Fusion Rifle Archetype: Exotic

Ammo: Special Element: Solar

Craftable: No Released: Season 1

Source: Exotic Engram Requires: Free-to-Play

How to get the Merciless Catalyst

The Merciless Catalyst can drop from either “Kills or completions in Strikes & Nightfalls.”

The Catalyst grants the following stat bump: Increases stability by +36 and range by +36.

Once acquired, you’ll need 500 weapon kills to unlock it. Using typical farming methods such as Shuro Chi or the opening section of Grasp of Avarice will speed things along.

Merciless Catalyst, Destiny 2

How to get Merciless

Merciless is an elusive Exotic. The weapon isn’t tied to a specific Exotic quest, nor can be purchased from the Monument to Lost Lights. You’ll have to get lucky and have it drop from one of these random RNG-based sources:

• Random Exotic drops or Activity Completion
• Xur’s rotation or Xur’s Fated Engram

Getting the weapon through Xur can be frustrating, as it may take months, but due to the Fated Engram providing an Exotic you do not have, you will get it if you don’t give up. Therefore, if you don’t own the Exotic weapon or class-specific armor piece that Xur is currently selling, buy them to improve your odds with the Fated Engram.

How to get Merciless, Destiny 2

How good is Merciless?

With the buffs from Season of the Seraph (S19), Merciless became an excellent PvE weapon. As covered by Reddit user Zommander_Cabala:

The stacks you’ve gained no longer expire on kill, despite what the gun’s still-existing description text tells you, meaning that once you just fire off two volleys, you can clear entire rooms, all in the same magazine.

Plus, the weapon also features a built-in hidden Feeding Frenzy perk and pre-nerf Kill Clip (+66% damage on reload). Overall, with these buffs, Merciless features:

• A 66% damage boost
• Instantaneous charge time
• Ultra-fast reloading
• 8 Magazine liquefier

Overall, we consider Merciless A-Tier for PvE.

Before you go…

Are you looking for other top-tier Exotics worth chasing? We cover How to get Ace of Spades + Catalyst here.