Most of Destiny 2's weapons can be enhanced by Masterworking them. When a weapon is Masterworked, it can generate Orbs of Power on multikills. Legendary weapons also receive a +10 increase to a random stat that's rolled when the weapon is obtained. Show
Exotics work a bit differently. Rather than obtain a random stat bump, these weapons gain massive stat increases or new perks. Masterworking an Exotic requires the discovery of an Exotic Catalyst, an item that can drop from certain activities. Most Exotics, but not all, have a Catalyst that Guardians can earn. This guide will cover everything from what Catalysts are to what every single Exotic Catalyst does in Destiny 2. Updated September 21st, 2022, by Charles Burgar:Season of the Plunder added three Exotic Catalysts into Destiny 2. We now have Catalysts for Thunderlord, Delicate Tomb, and Touch of Malice. We've updated the guide to include these Catalysts, and we've also updated our table of contents to be easier to read. Table Of Contents
What Are Exotic Catalysts
Exotic Catalysts are a unique item found in a variety of activities. When you receive a Catalyst for a particular Exotic weapon, you can apply that Catalyst to an Exotic weapon from its perk menu. If a weapon does not have a Catalyst slot in its perk menu, it doesn't have one and, therefore, cannot be Masterworked. These Catalysts will Masterwork a weapon once their Catalyst objective is complete. While the objective varies from Exotic to Exotic, they generally ask for 500 combatant kills while using that weapon. Once a Catalyst objective is complete, inspect the weapon one more time and apply the Masterwork by hovering over the Catalyst icon. That Exotic weapon is now Masterworked, gaining additional stats or even a new perk. Return to Table of Contents Exotic Catalyst Drop Locations
Virtually every matchmade activity in Destiny 2 has an Exotic Catalyst in its drop table. While the Beyond Light expansion did sunset many of these activities, there are still quite a few ways to earn Catalysts. Every Exotic weapon in Destiny 2 that has a Catalyst can be farmed from a certain activity. The MIDA Multi-Tool Catalyst, for example, only drops in the Competitive Crucible playlist. Some Exotic Catalysts can drop from a variety of activities, one example being the Trinity Ghoul Catalyst which drops from strikes, Crucible, or Gambit matches. If you're looking for a specific Exotic Catalyst, they are all listed in the next section and this article's table of contents. Once again, if an Exotic weapon does not have a Catalyst slot in its perk screen, it cannot be Masterworked. Return to Table of Contents
Below this entry lists every Exotic Catalyst in Destiny 2. This list is up to date as of Season of the Lost. Each entry shows what the Catalyst does, if it is currently obtainable, how it can/was obtained, and the Catalyst objective. Feel free to use the table of contents above to look for specific Catalysts. If the Exotic weapon doesn't appear, it doesn't have an Exotic Catalyst. Ace Of Spades
Complete Strikes or Nightfalls to earn the Ace of Spades Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Ager's Scepter
While Will Given Form is active, you immediately lose 20% of your Super energy and lose about 5% per second. In return, you gain an 80% damage buff and slow targets with each hit. Return to Table of Contents Arbalest
Arbalest's Catalyst drops from ritual activities—Vanguard Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Return to Table of Contents Bad Juju
Bad Juju drops from core activity completions. Return to Table of Contents Black Talon
Black Talon's Catalyst can drop from any core activity—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Return to Table of Contents Borealis
Any enemy you kill in PvE (non-Crucible, non-Gambit) has a chance to drop the Borealis Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Cerberus+1
Any enemy you kill in PvE (non-Crucible, non-Gambit) has a chance to drop the Cerberus+1 Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Coldheart
PvE combatant kills and strike/Nightfall completions drop Coldheart's Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents The Colony
Completing Crucible matches and defeating Guardians in PvP will gran the Colony Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Crimson
Any enemy you kill in PvE (non-Crucible, non-Gambit) has a chance to drop the Crimson Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Cryosthesia 77K
Once you own Cryosthesia 77k, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to obtain this weapon's Exotic Catalyst quest. Complete the quest to obtain the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents D.A.R.C.I.
Any enemy you kill in PvE (non-Crucible, non-Gambit) has a chance to drop the D.A.R.C.I. Return to Table of Contents Dead Man's Tale
Hip-firing with Dead Man's Tale will increase the fire rate to 180 RPM at x5 Cranial Spike stacks in exchange for a 20% damage loss. Hip-fire accuracy suffers no penalties with this weapon while the Catalyst is applied, even with no Cranial Spike stacks active. Return to Table of Contents Dead Messenger
Dead Messenger's damage type does not have to match the shield for Turnabout to trigger. Return to Table of Contents Deathbringer
Complete core activities to obtain the Catalyst. Dead Weight halves the distance Deathbringer's projectiles need to travel before they deal maximum damage. Return to Table of Contents Delicate Tomb
Once you obtain Delicate Tomb, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to obtain Delicate Tomb's Exotic Catalyst quest. Complete the quest to earn the Catalyst. Duality
Once you obtain Duality, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to obtain Duality's Exotic Catalyst quest. Complete the quest to earn the Catalyst. Duality can be purchased from the Exotic Kiosk in the Tower. Return to Table of Contents Eriana's Vow
Once you obtain Eriana's Vow, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to receive this weapon's Exotic quest. Complete this quest to obtain the Exotic Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Fighting Lion
Any enemy you kill in PvE (non-Crucible, non-Gambit) has a chance to drop the Fighting Lion Catalyst. The 167 bounties part of the Catalyst objective is not a typo; it really is 167 bounties. Weekly, daily, and repeatable bounties all count towards this Catalyst objective. Return to Table of Contents Forerunner
Forerunner's Catalyst is obtained by claiming the Anomalous Access Card reward from Xur at his Treasure Hoard, available at Rank 16. Increase your Strange Favor to unlock this item. Fragmentation Grenades are similar to Incendiary Grenades but deal all of their damage in the explosion. The explosion leaves Guardians at a sliver of HP in PvP and kills most fodder enemies in PvE. Activating The Rock does not grant a grenade charge; you'll still need to recharge your grenade before you can throw a fragmentation grenade. Return to Table of Contents The Fourth Horseman
Complete ritual activities—Vanguard Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit—for a chance of obtaining this Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Gjallarhorn
Gjallarhorn's Exotic Catalyst drops from special chests in the Grasp of Avarice dungeon. Your team must have completed the Gjallarhorn quest and opened three hidden chests in the dungeon to find the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Grand Overture
Once you've obtained Grand Overture, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to receive its Exotic Catalyst quest. Completing the quest will grant the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Graviton Lance
Graviton Lance's Catalyst can drop from any core activity—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Return to Table of Contents Hard Light
Strike and Nightfall completions have a chance of dropping the Hard Light Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Hawkmoon
Complete ritual activate for a chance of obtaining the Hawkmoon Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Heartshadow
The Duality dungeon has a chance of dropping the Heartshadow Sword when cleared, certain Triumph completions granting you a higher drop chance. By obtaining the sword, three enemies called "failed assassins" will spawn in subsequent runs. You'll need to defeat these assassins to obtain Standard Essence. Deposit this Standard Essence for all three assassins to obtain the Catalyst. Reddit user u/AlphaOmega1356 has a thread discussing where you can find all three assassins you can find here. Wraithwalk increases your sprint speed by 12.5% while active. This perk works with all sources of invisibility; you just need the Sword in your hands to benefit from this perk. Return to Table of Contents Heir Apparent
After you obtain the Catalyst, there are multiple objectives you'll need to complete before you can Masterwork the gun. They are the following:
This Catalyst is only obtainable while Guardian Games is active. Legion's Bulwark triples the strength of Heir Apparent's shield. When the shield breaks, you automatically load 100 rounds into the magazine. These rounds cannot overload the magazine past its ammo maximum. Return to Table of Contents Huckleberry
End-of-match rewards from strikes, Crucible, and Gambit have a chance of granting the Huckleberry Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Izanagi's Burden
Izanagi's Burden's Catalyst drops from core activity completions—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Return to Table of Contents Jade Rabbit
Crucible match completions have a chance of dropping the Jade Rabbit Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Jotunn
Jotunn's Catalyst has a small chance of dropping from any ritual activity—the Vanguard Ops playlist, Crucible, and Gambit. You'll need to defeat 500 enemies with Jotunn to finish the Catalyst, granting this weapon the Cornered and Incandescent perks. Return to Table of Contents Legend Of Acrius
Nightfall: the Ordeal missions have a chance of granting the Legend of Acrius Exotic Catalyst upon completion. Lord of Wolves' Catalyst can drop from any core activity—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Return to Table of Contents Le Monarque
You can obtain Le Monarque's Catalyst by completing Vanguard activities, Crucible matches, or Gambit games. Once you have the Catalyst, defeat 700 combatants with this weapon to complete the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Leviathan's Breath
Defeating any boss-tier enemy (enemies with a yellow health bar) has a chance of dropping the Leviathan's Breath Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Lord Of Wolves
Return to Table of Contents Lorentz Driver
After you obtain Lorentz Driver, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower. He'll give you a quest that, when completed, will grant the Catalyst for Lorentz Driver. Return to Table of Contents Lumina
Lumina's Catalyst can drop from any core activity—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Return to Table of Contents Merciless
Merciless' Catalyst can drop from the final chest in strikes and Nightfalls. Return to Table of Contents
The MIDA Multi-Tool Catalyst only drops in the Glory Crucible playlist. It has a chance of dropping upon winning a game while your Glory rank is Fabled or higher. If your rank is Legend, your next game has a 100% chance of dropping the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents No Time To Explain
The Exo Stranger grants an Exotic Catalyst quest named Soon. Complete this quest to obtain the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Osteo Striga
Ammo returned to the magazine through the Catalyst can overflow the magazine, granting it a 100+ round magazine. Obtaining the Catalyst requires you to craft an Osteo Striga, available upon completing The Witch Queen campaign. Once crafted, get the weapon to level 10 to reforge the weapon with a Catalyst. The Catalyst requires three Ascendant Alloys. Return to Table of Contents Outbreak Perfected
Complete ritual activities—Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit—for a chance to obtain the Outbreak Perfected Exotic Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Polaris Lance
Complete core playlist activities to obtain this Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Prometheus Lens
Complete strikes and Nightfalls for a chance at obtaining the Prometheus Lens Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents The Prospector
Complete strikes and Nightfalls for a chance at obtaining the Prospector Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Rat King
Complete strikes and Nightfalls for a chance at obtaining the Rat King Catalyst. To Masterwork Rat King, your allies must kill enemies while they are also using Rat King. They only need the weapon equipped for the Catalyst objective to progress. Return to Table of Contents Riskrunner
The Pain and Gain quest grants the Riskrunner Exotic Catalyst upon completion. If you didn't get this quest from the New Light introductory campaign, you can obtain it from the Quest Archive terminal beside the Postmaster in the Tower. Return to Table of Contents Ruinous Effigy
Defeating enemies in PvE has a small chance of dropping the Ruinous Effigy catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Skyburner's Oath
Skyburner's Oath's Catalyst drops from any core activity—Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Return to Table of Contents Sleeper Simulant
Completing any Nightfall has a chance of granting the Sleeper Simulant Catalyst. Its Catalyst objective was also changed to require generic kills. Return to Table of Contents Sturm
Kill any enemies on Nessus for a chance to obtain the Sturm Catalyst. Drang is a Sidearm that Banshee-44 sells at the Tower. Return to Table of Contents Sunshot
Sunshot's Catalyst can be obtained by completing any core activities—strikes, Crucible, or Gambit. Return to Table of Contents SUROS Regime
The SUROS Regime Catalyst has a chance to drop after a Crucible game. Return to Table of Contents Sweet Business
Sweet Business' Catalyst drops from strike, Crucible, or Gambit match completions. Return to Table of Contents Symmetry
After you obtain Symmetry from the Exotic Kiosk, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to obtain this weapon's Exotic quest. Complete this quest to earn the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Telesto
Completing Legend or Master Lost Sectors has a chance of granting the Telesto Catalyst. Its objective was also changed from Prophecy completions to combatant kills. Return to Table of Contents Thunderlord
Completing ritual activities has a small chance of dropping the Thunderlord Catalyst. The Exotic perk causes the weapon to load 17 rounds into the magazine after each lightning strike. Lightning strikes created from Thunderlord kills or consecutive hits can trigger this perk. Return to Table of Contents Ticuu’s Divination
This weapon is earned from Season 13's Season Pass. Once earned, speak to Banshee-44 to start the Catalyst quest. When completed, you'll need to finish the Catalyst by defeating 700 combatants with the Bow. Note that Ticuu's explosions don't contribute towards the Catalyst objective. The Exotic Catalyst perk, Causality Quiver, grants a stacking damage bonus whenever your arrows explode. Damaging targets not affected by a hip-fired arrow will refresh this buff's duration. This perk can stack up to six times, and grants the following damage buff per stack:
Credit to Reddit user u/Flopppywere for the damage numbers. Return to Table of Contents Tommy's Matchbook
Obtain Tommy's Matchbook, then speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower. He will give an Exotic quest tied to this gun. Complete it to obtain the Tommy's Matchbook Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Touch Of Malice
During the King's Fall raid, you'll need to find hidden orbs and deposit them at various statues, similar to the Hall of Souls opening encounter. Dunking enough orbs at three different locations will grant the Catalyst. Specific locations can be found here. At least one player needs Touch of Malice in their inventory to start the Catalyst puzzle. Return to Table of Contents Tractor Cannon
Any PvE enemy has a chance of dropping the Tractor Cannon Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Traveler's Chosen
Complete core activities to obtain the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Trespasser
Upon obtaining the Trespasser Exotic Sidearm, speak with Banshee-44 in the Tower to receive its Exotic quest. As with most seasonal Exotics, this quest requires you to use Trespasser and other Sidearms across Destiny 2's various activities, both PvE and PvP. Once you've finished the quest, you'll need to defeat 700 enemies with Trespasser to finish the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Trinity Ghoul
Any core activity can drop the Trinity Ghoul Catalyst, those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Return to Table of Contents Vex Mythoclast
Once you've obtained the Vex Mythoclast, you must take the weapon to five hidden Vex plates scattered throughout the Vault of Glass raid. Upon standing on a plate, you'll have to shoot multiple Oracles in a certain order. Do this at all five plates to obtain the Exotic Catalyst. The plates are at the following locations:
Return to Table of Contents Vigilance Wing
Crucible match completions have a chance of dropping the Vigilance Wing Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents The Wardcliff Coil
Strike and Nightfall completions have a chance of dropping the Wardcliff Coil Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Whisper Of The Worm
Complete Vanguard Strikes, Crucible, or Gambit for a chance to receive the Whisper of the Worm Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Witherhoard
Obtain Witherhoard, then speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower. He will grant an Exotic quest tied to this gun. Finish it to earn the Catalyst. Return to Table of Contents Worldline Zero
Any PvE combatant has a chance of dropping the Worldline Zero Catalyst. Its objective was changed, now asking for combatant kills. Return to Table of Contents Next: Destiny 2: The Best Perks You Need On Your Weapons Can you still get the MIDA multiHow To Obtain The MIDA Multi-Tool Catalyst. You must win Crucible matches in the Glory playlist to obtain the MIDA Catalyst. The drop chance increases as you increase your Glory rank.
How do you get Ticuu's divination catalyst in season 15?Players that have Bungie's latest season pass exotic weapon for Destiny 2, Ticuu's Divination, need to complete the exotic catalyst quest.. Collect 100 Orbs of Power.. Defeat 50 Guardians.. Defeat 100 combatants.. How do you get the ace of spades catalyst in 2021?To do so players will need to kill 500 enemies with the Ace of Spades weapon. This will obviously take some time, but fortunately, the Ace of Spades is a great weapon for killing other players in Crucible and taking down enemies in strikes so players will likely achieve this organically.
How do I get Gjallarhorn catalyst?Defeat targets to upgrade the catalyst.
After finishing the quest, players will just need to defeat targets to upgrade the catalyst for the Gjallarhorn. The amount is 400 enemies, which, given the Gjallarhorn's ability to kill a bunch of enemies at once, shouldn't be too difficult of a task.
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