The Hand Cannon Eriana’s Vow, holds a special place in the hearts of many Destiny 2 players. It’s considered one of the best Handcannons for PVE content, and for good reason. This unique Special Hand Cannon packs a serious wallop and can really punch holes in armored opponents and bosses.
The Eriana’s Vow Catalyst is also a nice perk that gives the weapon additional abilities. Acquiring and upgrading the Eriana’s Vow Catalyst can take some time, so players must be prepared for some grinding. Here are some details on what the Eriana’s Vow Catalyst does and the best way to get it.
Updated on October 26, 2021 by Ben Baker: Destiny 2 Eriana’s Vow is a good weapon to have in a player’s arsenal, even if it isn’t used all that often. Many players overlook the weapon’s usefulness, and in doing so make things just a little harder on themselves. To showcase why this happens, this article has been updated to further discuss when and where to use Eriana’s Vow. It isn’t the best weapon in all of Destiny 2, as evidenced by the stats also mentioned, but it is great against shields and long-range foes. For players who’ve been ignoring this weapon, it’s worth giving it another look and considering the potential uses for this hand cannon in PVP.
What The Eriana’s Vow Catalyst Does
The Eriana’s Vow Catalyst introduces the perk More To Give, which comes with two effects:
- Increase the weapon's magazine size
- Holstering Eriana’s Vow will automatically reload it after a bit.
The first perk of an increased magazine size is that it allows the player to chain precision shots while aiming down the sights. This is because of the trait Death At First Glance, which gives bonus damage to the first shot fired down the sights, and keeps that bonus for the next shot so long as the player continues getting precision shots.
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Being able to reload via a holster is always a nice perk on Hand Cannons. It allows players to switch to something else to soften up enemies or finish off groups while the weapon automatically reloads.
Weapon Stats With The Eriana’s Vow Catalyst
- Impact – 100
- Range – 100
- Stability – 37
- Handling – 31
- Reload Speed – 32
- Rounds Per Minute – 90
- Magazine – 6
- Looks Can Kill – Eriana’s Vow fires special shield-piercing ammunition. It comes with a scope. Strong against Barrier Champions.
- Death At First Glance – Bonus damage while aiming down sights on the opening shot of an attack. Bonus is preserved if the shot deals with precision damage or strikes an elemental shield.
- More To Give – Increases magazine size. Holstering this weapon automatically reloads it after a period of time.
How To Find It
To get the Eriana’s Vow Catalyst, players will need to complete The Vow quests given by Banshee-44. He charges the player with testing the weapon in either Gambit, Gambit Prime, Crucible, Vex Offensive, or Strike activities to earn 400 Progress.
It doesn’t matter which activity the player picks, or even if they mix and match, so long as Eriana’s Vow is the weapon that is used. Completing content on higher difficulty levels will quickly speed up Progress gains. After 400 Progress is obtained, the player simply needs to return to Banshee-44, at which time he will turn over the Eriana’s Vow Catalyst.
Upgrading The Eriana’s Vow Catalyst
Upgrading Eriana’s Vow Catalyst will be more tedious than the quest to obtain it. The player will need to defeat 700 enemies using Eriana’s Vow. These enemies can be sourced from anywhere, but given the role of the weapon, it’s recommended to seek out enemies in PVE content.
These 700 kills can also be obtained retroactively. If the player killed any enemies using the Eriana’s Vow prior to obtaining the Catalyst, they should count towards the 700. Considering players need to use the Eriana’s Vow Catalyst quest to get progress, the player should have knocked out a decent chunk of the 700 with that quest.
Tips For Obtaining & Using The Catalyst
The quest to obtain the Eriana’s Vow Catalyst doesn’t take very long, and thankfully can help towards upgrading. Deciding to commit to upgrading via grind after the quest is up to the player. For those who enjoy participating in PVE content then it’s definitely worth it, otherwise, the player might be better off spending their time elsewhere.
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A good idea to save players on overall grind time is to chase down other Catalysts while grinding out those 700 kills. Some Catalysts, like the Cerebrus+1 Catalyst, will drop when any non-Guardian enemy is killed. Those 700 kills, assuming they’re non-Guardian, will all have a chance to drop this Catalyst and others like it.
Advice On Using The Eriana’s Vow Catalyst
The D2 Eriana’s Vow Catalyst serves a small but vital niche in the game, which makes it more than worth having. In PVP, this weapon is capable of one-shotting opponents at an incredible distance for a Handcannon. This is a great substitute for Sniper Rifles that offers better mobility and control. The downside is that if the player misses the headshot the weapon takes a while to reload and struggles in close quarters.
In PVE, this weapon is almost exclusively for dealing with shields and long-range fighters. With its perks, it can knock down barriers and that headshot is great for taking down mages. The ammo is also easy to find, so running out should be a rarity. But as this weapon is designed more for Champions it's lackluster when facing anything else.
It’s a good weapon, and it can be satisfying to watch annoying enemies drop with a single long-range headshot. But unless there are shields to break or snipers to counter, it isn’t the best option out there.