As far as Kinetic hand cannons go, Sturm is one of the best in Destiny 2. Admittedly it is outclassed by other hand cannons in PVP like Igneous Hammer, and it performs better if paired with Drang. Still, on its own, it’s a solid weapon that can get the job done.
The Sturm catalyst is also helpful for making Sturm even more deadly and easier to use. Fortunately, the catalyst is one of the easier to track down, though upgrading can be tricky depending on the player’s situation. To determine if the trouble is worth it, here’s an explanation of what the Sturm catalyst does and where players can get their hands on it.
Updated on April 6, 2022, by Anastasia Maillot: Sturm's position as an Exotic hand cannon has gone through a lot of changes thanks to the meta shifts in Destiny 2 since Beyond Light and The Witch Queen's release. Like many old Exotic weapons, it's unlikely some newer players even know of its existence, save for a few old-time Destiny veterans running it in the Crucible. However, players who are curious about how to get this weapon and its catalyst in 2022 will need a bit of guidance, as it has one of the more unique catalyst grinds out of most Exotic weapons. Moreover, players will need to know how to get Drang, its counterpart, to complete the catalyst in Destiny 2.
How To Get Sturm In Season 16
It used to be that Sturm dropped from its own dedicated Exotic quest, but as time has progressed and Bungie has vaulted some of the content, Sturm has become one of the many weapons now only available for purchase through the Exotic kiosk over at the Tower. Sturm is a Red War Exotic, so navigate over to the first thumbnail.
Players should head over there and visit Master Rahool for resources in order to afford the hand cannon. Here's what resources are needed to purchase it:
- 1 Exotic Cipher
- 100,000 Glimmer
- 150 Microphasic Datalattice
- 1 Ascendant Shard
What The Sturm Catalyst Does
The Sturm Catalyst comes with two helpful boosts to the hand cannon:
- Range increases by 18.
- Handling increases by 36.
Increased range is always a luxury on hand cannon, especially in PVP situations. The Handling is also a nice touch, making sure the player gets the first shot and can switch weapons more efficiently. Though it still requires a skilled hand to use, the Sturm catalyst makes the weapon much more forgiving.
How To Find The Sturm Catalyst
The Sturm catalyst is rather unique in that it doesn’t require a quest or completing a specific game mode. To get the Sturm catalyst, players will need to defeat PVE enemies anywhere on the planetoid Nessus.
The drop is randomized, so the player may need to kill quite a few opponents — or it may pop up early on in the grind. It doesn’t matter what activity the player is doing, so long as the enemies being killed aren’t guardians and they are located on Nessus.
Upgrading The Sturm Catalyst
To upgrade the Sturm catalyst the player will need to kill 500 enemies with both Sturm And Drang equipped. Because of this, players should make sure they have Drang before bothering to kill any enemies with Sturm.
To get Drang, players previously needed to complete the Exodus Black legendary quest on Nessus. However, this quest has been vaulted, so now, players will be able to purchase Drang from the gunsmith Banshee after acquiring Sturm for the first time.
Afterward, any kill the player performs with either Drang or Sturm will count towards the 500, so long as both are equipped at the time of the kill. Any kills obtained prior to getting the Sturm catalyst will count retroactively, so long as the previously mentioned criteria were met.
Tips For Getting The Sturm Catalyst
Because the player needs to kill enemies on Nessus to get the Sturm catalyst, it pays to grind out activities located on Nessus. There are three Strikes and Nightfall Strikes the player should prioritize:
- Exodus Crash
- The Inverted Spire
- The Insight Terminus
All three take place on Nessus, and all three have Nightfall loot the player can grind for. Many players will mistakenly use other farming locations to try and grind kills out of habit. These won’t count as it’s not located in Nessus.
The other perk to chasing down Strikes and Nightfall Strikes on Nessus is that it’s a great way to grind for other catalysts as well as the Sturm catalyst. For instance, the Prometheus Lens catalyst has a chance to drop whenever completing these Strikes.
Is The Sturm Catalyst Worth It?
Sturm is one of the oldest Exotic weapons in Destiny 2, and most Red War Exotics have been buried in the dust, rightfully so. Given that the PVE meta of season 16 doesn't particularly favor hand cannons, there's no real reason to run it over some of the other, better Exotic hand cannons like Ace of Spades for example. Even if Exotic primaries did receive a 40% buff, it doesn't quite help Sturm to defeat other, better primaries.
In PVP some players with niche builds might see some value out of it, though again, its true value is unlocked when used with Drang, and Drang being a sidearm, which is among the worst weapon types in the game right now... well, the uses are simply too limited to be justified.
Sturm and its partner Drang are more of a collectible at this point but probably won't see much use in the near future of Destiny 2's meta. For now, players should worry about completing catalysts for other weapons that will serve them better in the current balance patch.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.