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There aren't many Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 that have been quite as versatile and useful in endgame PVE consistently, but the Arbalest comes on top over and over again. Thanks to its buff following Bungie's 30th Anniversary Update, Arbalest has seen an increase in use in hard PVE game modes in particular.
It's an Exotic linear fusion rifle with some cool features that work brilliantly against Barrier Champions and any type of elemental shield. It was briefly used in Crucible as well and with the right mods and build, could even have the power to one-shot guardians. Here's how players can get the catalyst for the Arbalest, and what the catalyst does exactly, in Destiny 2.
How To Get The Arbalest In Season 16
The Arbalest is one of the more "elusive" Exotic weapons out there. Unlike many Exotics which can now be purchased easily with the right resources from the Tower's Exotic archives, the Monument to Lost Lights, the Arbalest is found in Exotic engrams that may drop from any activities, as well as world drops.
So it's all a matter of good RNG whether or not players can get their hands on this weapon, though visiting Xur and buying his Exotic engram using Legendary Shards and then the Exotic Cipher might be one way to hasten the process
How To Get The Catalyst
- Complete playlist activities, such as Vanguard strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.
Just as the Arbalest is elusive, so is its catalyst, unfortunately. Players will need to spend quite a bit of time grinding in various playlist activities in hopes for this catalyst to randomly drop, so it's advised to not put all eggs into one basket. Rather, players should focus on grinding their Pinnacle rewards by completing their weekly activities in these game modes.
Alternatively, players can grind out some other catalysts in these game modes while hoping for the Arbalest catalyst to drop. There are a few weapons that require kills in strikes or Crucible, so there's always something to do.
- Defeat targets to upgrade the catalyst.
The catalyst will now need to be upgraded before it can be properly used. Players will need to get quite a few kills with the weapon, at an estimated 500 total kills. These don't need to be precision kills, but given the weapon's somewhat lengthy charge time, it can take some practice to get used to hitting targets.
The main challenge will be getting enough Special ammo to keep farming for the catalyst. Players who aren't in a hurry can hop into any activity with a bunch of enemies and pop on some ammo finder mods and just go to town. However, for those looking to be more efficient, loading up Shuro-Chi's encounter in the Last Wish raid is by far the best strategy to warm catalysts for weapons that require either Heavy ammo or Special ammo.
Just remember to stock up on rally banners from Hawthorne before heading in, as players will need to rally to replenish their ammo after each round. Ammo finders will make this grind easier and allow players to get kills for the full duration of Shuro-Chi's timer.
What The Catalyst Does
- Genesis: Using the Arbalest to break an enemy shield fills the weapon's magazine from reserves. Energy weapons that break a shield matching its damage type regenerate ammo.
The Arbalest catalyst gives a reasonable improvement to a weapon that's already quite good, thanks to the Genesis perk. It's a fantastic way to make ammo management for players easier while using the Arbalest, which is key in any difficult endgame PVE content.
The perks it already has, however, are what truly carry this gun as the unsung hero of PVE. Disruption Break perk ensures that after a shield has been destroyed with the Arbalest, the target takes increased damage from kinetic weapons (which, by the way, includes the Arbalest). Its main "oomph" is undoubtedly its Intrinsic Perk, Compounding Force, which makes Arbalest naturally a beastly weapon against any type of enemy shields, including that of Barrier Champions.
Is The Arbalest Catalyst Worth The Grind?
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The Arbalest catalyst should be a top priority for any hardcore PVE Destiny 2 player. Although fusion rifles are not meta in season 16, the Arbalest's ability to do basically two jobs at once is what makes it incredibly powerful.
Rather than players choosing random weapons to counter elemental shields in difficult PVE activities, Arbalest simply covers them all, on top of intrinsically being able to delete Barrier Champion shields. This means players will need to apply one less artifact mod on their loadout as well. What more is there to like?
The Arbalest also deals impressive precision damage, even with Particle Deconstruction out of the equation. Pair it with a Void build, and most players will be surprised by just how much heavy lifting this humble-looking Exotic can do.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.