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Bungie is always trying to find new and innovative ways to keep Destiny 2 players on their toes and grinding for powerful gear in an ever-expanding universe. Their introduction of Weapon Catalysts created some additional oomph for all of the unique and exciting Exotic Weapons scattered throughout the game, and, more importantly, it gave content-hungry players one more reason to strap their gear on and leave the comforts of The Tower.
As Destiny 2 continues to grow and evolve, developers are constantly shuffling new weapons (and their catalysts) in and out of the game. While most exotics are here to stay, some Catalysts and their appropriate quests come and go with the winds of change. Any discerning Destiny 2 player looking to get the most out of their Exotic Weapons is definitely going to want to keep up with the slew of Weapon Catalysts available.
Updated on March 8, 2022, by Anastasia Maillot: Destiny 2 has come a long way with new Exotic weapons and a bunch of new catalysts. With The Witch Queen expansion and season 16, a few new catalysts have been added back into the game for Exotic weapons that didn't previously have any. This resource page has been updated and divided into three weapon categories: Kinetic, Energy, and Power. Players looking to grind a specific Exotic weapon's catalyst should first find the category that Exotic weapon is in. Some weapons have yet to have their catalysts added in, and guides for newer catalysts will be updated on this guide as time goes on.
What Are Weapon Catalysts?
To go a little more in-depth, Weapon Catalysts are specialized upgrades that can really unlock the true potential of an Exotic Weapon, turning it into an immensely valuable tool of destruction. What they do and how difficult they are to get depends entirely on the weapon, and some of them may seem much more valuable than others. Some are capable of turning slow-firing exotics into rapid-fire machines and others can unlock the true potential of Exotic perks (like upgrading Ace of Spades' Firefly ability).
Bungie did a great job incorporating these catalysts in a way that makes them feel truly useful for most Exotics, so it's definitely worth it to snag as many as possible. It's rough enough to miss out on an Exotic because players neglected to log in during a specific season or event, but the FOMO surrounding catalysts is way more painful. Thankfully, throughout the years, Bungie has shown its willingness to keep catalysts around by simply changing the way they can be farmed.
How To Find All Weapon Catalysts
There are an abundance of Weapon Catalysts available and the manner in which they are unlocked varies from weapon to weapon. Some will have players going on a lengthy quest, many will have them killing a specific amount of enemies, others require them to fulfill conditions, and few are just plain RNG luck. The following guides can get players up and running on each of these catalysts.
Destiny 2 classifies its weapons into Kinetic, Energy, and Power, with weapons using either Primary, Special, or Heavy ammo depending on their type. Each Exotic's weapon type has also been added in for players looking to grind a specific weapon's, such as an auto rifle's or grenade launcher's, catalyst.
Kinetic Weapons
All Kinetic Exotic weapons in the game, or weapons found in the first weapon slot. Those with catalysts will link to a guide on how to get them.
|
Name |
Weapon Type |
Ammo Type |
|---|---|---|
|
Pulse Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
|
Grenade Launcher |
Special |
|
|
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
|
Pulse Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Scout Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Trace Rifle |
Special |
|
|
Sidearm |
Special |
|
|
Arbalest |
Linear Fusion Rifle |
Special |
|
Submachine Gun |
Primary |
|
|
Auto Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Pulse Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
|
Scout Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Submachine Gun |
Primary |
|
|
Auto Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
|
Auto Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Sniper Rifle |
Special |
|
|
Outbreak Perfected |
Auto Rifle |
Special |
|
Bastion* |
Fusion Rifle |
Special |
|
Sidearm |
Primary |
|
|
Scout Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Malfeasance* |
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
Monte Carlo* |
Auto Rifle |
Primary |
|
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
|
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
|
The Chaperone* |
Shotgun |
Special |
|
The Last Word* |
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
Traveler's Chosen |
Sidearm |
Primary |
|
Wish-Ender* |
Combat Bow |
Primary |
|
Thorn* |
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
*There is currently no catalyst available for this Exotic weapon.
Energy Weapons
Weapon Catalysts for Energy weapons, or weapons found in the second slot.
|
Name |
Weapon Type |
Ammo Type |
|---|---|---|
|
Fusion Rifle |
Special |
|
|
Coldheart |
Trace Rifle |
Special |
|
Grenade Launcher |
Special |
|
|
Hand Cannon |
Primary |
|
|
Pulse Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Scout Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Sniper Rifle |
Special |
|
|
Submachine Gun |
Primary |
|
|
Auto Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Trace Rifle |
Special |
|
|
Fusion Rifle |
Special |
|
|
Shotgun |
Special |
|
|
Hand Cannon |
Special |
|
|
Combat Bow |
Primary |
|
|
Combat Bow |
Primary |
|
|
Linear Fusion Rifle |
Special |
|
|
Le Monarque |
Combat Bow |
Primary |
|
Dead Messenger |
Grenade Launcher |
Special |
|
Cloudstrike* |
Sniper Rifle |
Special |
|
Devil's Ruin* |
Sidearm |
Primary |
|
Divinity* |
Trace Rifle |
Special |
|
Edge Of Action/Concurrence/Intent* |
Glaive |
Special |
|
Jötunn* |
Fusion Rifle |
Special |
|
Scout Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Trace Rifle |
Special |
|
|
Scout Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Tarrabah* |
Submachine Gun |
Primary |
|
Shotgun |
Special |
|
|
Auto Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Fusion Rifle |
Primary |
|
|
Wavesplitter* |
Trace Rifle |
Special |
|
Shotgun |
Special |
*There is currently no catalyst available for this Exotic weapon.
Heavy Weapons
Weapon Catalysts for weapons found in the Heavy weapon slot, or in the third weapon slot. Note: all weapons in this slot use Heavy ammo by default.
|
Name |
Weapon Type |
|---|---|
|
Grenade Launcher |
|
|
Rocket Launcher |
|
|
Shotgun |
|
|
Sniper Rifle |
|
|
Grenade Launcher |
|
|
Linear Fusion Rifle |
|
|
Whisper Of The Worm |
Sniper Rifle |
|
Sword |
|
|
Rocket Launcher |
|
|
Gjallarhorn |
Rocket Launcher |
|
Grand Overture |
Machine Gun |
|
The Lament* |
Sword |
|
The Queenbreaker* |
Linear Fusion Rifle |
|
Thunderlord* |
Machine Gun |
|
Xenophage* |
Machine Gun |
|
Machine Gun |
|
|
Eyes Of Tomorrow* |
Rocket Launcher |
|
Sword |
|
|
Truth* |
Rocket Launcher |
|
Two-Tailed Fox* |
Rocket Launcher |
|
Anarchy* |
Grenade Launcher |
|
Salvation's Grip* |
Grenade Launcher |
|
Shotgun |
|
|
Combat Bo |
|
|
One Thousand Voices* |
Fusion Rifle |
|
Parasite* |
Grenade Launcher |
*There is currently no catalyst available for this Exotic weapon.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.