Most of Destiny 2’s weapons can be enhanced by Masterworking them. When a weapon is Masterworked, it gains additional properties such as bonus stats or new perks. Legendary weapons also receive a +10 increase to a random stat that’s rolled when the weapon is obtained.
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 May 9, 2025, by Charles Burgar: Episode: Heresy has added some new Exotic Catalysts to Destiny 2 that are quite powerful, notably Rewind Rounds for the recently-updated Queenbreaker LFR. We’ve updated this guide to include every Exotic Catalyst added in Episode: Heresy, including every catalyst variant for Barrow-Dyad.
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.
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 nested tables below. Once again, if an Exotic weapon does not have a Catalyst slot in its perk screen, it cannot be Masterworked.
Primary Exotic Catalysts
|
Weapon |
Drop Source |
Catalyst Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Ace of Spades |
Strikes and Nightfalls Get 500 kills |
New perk (Funeral Pyre):
Firefly deals more damage while Memento Mori is active. |
|
Alethonym |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 500 kills |
New perk (One for All): Hitting three separate targets in a short period grants a 35% damage buff for 10 seconds. |
|
Bad Juju |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills |
New perk (Unending Curse): Extends the duration of
String of Curses by one second. |
|
Barrow-Dyad |
Episode: Heresy Quests |
New perk (pick one):
|
|
Centrifuse |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Static Buildup): While Amplified, this weapon gradually gains overcharge. |
|
Cerberus+1 |
PvE Combatants Get 500 kills |
New perk (Focused Fire): After a final blow, hold the reload button to swap to a tighter, close-ranged spread that deals increased damage. |
|
Crimson |
PvE Combatants Get 500 kills |
+20 Range |
|
Cryosthesia 77K |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Cold Efficiency): Shattering a frozen target refills this weapon’s magazine from reserves. |
|
Dead Man’s Tale |
Presage (Expert) Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (Dark-Forged Trigger): Increased hipfire rate of fire and removes hipfire accuracy penalties. |
|
Fighting Lion |
PvE Combatants 500 kills; complete 100 bounties |
New perk (Chimera): +30 reload speed; after this weapon fires, equipped Kinetic and Power weapons gain a brief period of increased handling and accuracy. |
|
Final Warning |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 700 kills |
New perk (String Theory): Hits against marked targets deal increased damage and have a chance to refund ammo to the magazine. |
|
Graviton Lance |
Stikes and Nightfalls Get 500 kills and 100
Cosmology kills |
New perk (Hidden Hand): +20 range; better target acquisition (grants +15 aim assist). |
|
Hard Light |
Strikes and Nightfalls Get 1,000 kills |
+25 stability. |
|
Hawkmoon |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 700 kills |
New perk (Hunter’s Trance): +1 magazine size; gain increased handling, reload speed, and weapon range based on the number of stacks of Paracausal Charge. |
|
Hierarchy of Needs |
Spire of the Watcher (Master) Get 700 kills |
New perk (Panoptic Tessellation): Deploying a
Guidance Ring or striking a target with a seeking projectile improves draw time and reload speed for a moderate duration. |
|
The Huckleberry |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills |
New perk (Kinetic Tremors): Sustained damage to a target emits a shockwave that damages all nearby targets. |
|
The Jade Rabbit |
Crucible Get 500 kills |
+30 stability. |
|
Le Monarque |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 700 kills |
New perk (Unrelenting): +18 reload speed and +27 stability; rapidly defeating targets triggers health regeneration. Guardians and powerful combatants count as more than one kill. |
|
Lodestar |
Season Pass Reward Get 700 kills |
New perk (Supercharged Matrix): While Amplified, this weapon gains greatly increased reload speed, aim assist, and movement speed while aiming down sights. |
|
Lumina |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Heal 250 Guardians with Noble Rounds |
New perk (Resonant Virtue): Gain two Remnants per final blow instead of one. |
|
Malfeasance |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 700 kills |
New perk (Vorpal Weapon): +20 range; deal 20% increased damage against bosses and vehicles. Guardians in Super take 50% more damage. |
|
The Manticore |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 500 kills |
New perk (Flying Monster): Final blows with this weapon while airborne grant damage resistance. |
|
Monte Carlo |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 700 kills |
New perk (Stochastic Vengeance): At x5
Markov Chain , hold reload to charge your bayonet. Landing a bayonet melee hit grants melee energy. |
|
MIDA Multi-Tool |
Competitive PvP Land 250 precision kills in PvP |
New perk (No Distractions): Aiming this weapon for a short period reduces flinch. |
|
Necrochasm |
Crota’s End Acquire 35 Oversoul Essence |
New perk (One For Thrall): Hitting three separate targets increases damage, range, handling, and aim assist for a moderate duration. |
|
No Time to Explain |
Exo Stranger Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Blast from the Side): Projectiles from the time portal shoot more frequently. |
|
Osteo Striga |
Get Osteo Striga to Level 10+ Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (Osteo Striga Catalyst): Poison final blows return ammo to the magazine. |
|
Outbreak Perfected |
Zero Hour (Expert) Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (Disease Vector): Increases nanite damage. Enemies that die with nanites attached to them generate additional nanites. |
|
Polaris Lance |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills and 50
The Perfect Fifth kills |
New perk (Dragonfly): Precision kills create an elemental damage explosion. |
|
Quicksilver Storm |
Post-Lightfall Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Nano-Entanglement): This weapon’s damage type becomes Strand. Final blows with grenades from this weapon create Tangles. |
|
Rat King |
Strikes and Nightfalls Get 1,000 kills while you or anyone in your fireteam is using Rat King |
New perk (Infestation): Improved aim assist and recoil direction. Refreshes health on Vermin invisibility trigger. +20 aim assist, recoil, and +80 bounce intensity |
|
Red Death Reformed |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Helping Hand): Final blows charge the weapon. Once charged, your next kill creates a healing burst at your location and leaves a remnant behind that provides restoration to allies. |
|
Revision Zero |
Operation: Seraph’s Shield Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (pick one):
|
|
Riskrunner |
Pain and Gain quest Get 500 kills and 50
Arc Conductor kills |
+30 range |
|
Skyburner’s Oath |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit 500 Cabal kills |
+20 reload speed |
|
Sturm |
Nessus kills Get 500 kills and 500 Drang kills |
+20 range, +40 handling |
|
Sunshot |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills and 100
Sun Blast kills |
+30 range, +20 stability |
|
SUROS Regime |
Crucible Get 300 kills |
New perk (SUROS Ascendance): Increases chance for kills to regen health. +50 recoil and bounce intensity. |
|
Sweet Business |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 250 multikills |
New perk (Serious Business): When this weapon is fully spun up, the flinch from incoming damage is greatly reduced. |
|
Symmetry |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Electric Styx): Increases the maximum number of
Dynamic Charge stacks to 20. New perk (Eddy Current): Gain reload speed and handling after sprinting or while Amplified. The effect is improved while you’re Amplified. |
|
Thorn |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills |
New perk (Refined Soul): Dealing a final blow or absorbing a Remnant grants additional increased range, as well as increased mobility and handling for a short time. +15 range, +5 stability |
|
Ticuu’s Divination |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Causality Quiver): Perfectly drawn arrows that detonate Sacred Flames increase arrow damage, up to +100%. Striking targets unaffected by
Sacred Flame instead refreshes
Causality Arrows’ duration. |
|
Tommy’s Matchbook |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Heat of the Moment): While
Ignition Trigger is active, your health recovers much faster, and sustained fire Scorches your target. |
|
Touch of Malice |
King’s Fall Get 700 kills |
New perk (
Rapid Hit ): Rapid precision hits temporarily increase stability and reload speed. |
|
Traveler’s Chosen |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 700 kills |
New Perk (Osmosis): Using your grenade ability changes this weapon’s damage type to match your subclass until you stow it. +2 magazine size. New Perk (Surplus): Increases handling, reload speed, and stability for each fully charged ability. |
|
Trespasser |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Tunnel Vision): Reloading after defeating a target greatly increases target acquisition and aim down sight speed for a short duration. |
|
Trinity Ghoul |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 400 kills |
New perk (Forked Lightning):
Lightning Rod now triggers from any Arc damage final blow. -30 draw time. |
|
Verglas Curve |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Shiver Quiver): Freezing a target grants this weapon faster draw speed for a short duration. |
|
Vex Mythoclast |
Vault of Glass Get 700 kills |
New perk (Calculated Balance): While in full auto mode, final blows with this weapon grant 20% bonus damage, accuracy, and stability for a short duration. |
|
Vigilance Wing |
Crucible Get 250 kills |
New perk (Ensemble): Improves handling and reload speed when allies are nearby. |
|
Wicked Implement |
Whetstone Get 700 kills |
New perk (Hadopelagic Tribute): Collecting Stasis Shards gradually overflows the magazine. New perk (Headstone): Precision final blows generate a Stasis Crystal at the target’s location. |
|
Wish-Keeper |
Starcrossed Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (pick one):
|
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Special Exotic Catalyst
|
Weapon |
Drop Source |
Catalyst Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Ager’s Scepter |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 1,000 kills |
New perk (Will Given Form): Hold reload to drain Super energy, overflowing the magazine and empowering the beam with bonus damage and the ability to slow and freeze targets until the magazine or Super energy runs out, or the weapon is stowed. Can only be activated when Super energy is full. |
|
Arbalest |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills |
New perk (Genesis): Breaking a combatant’s shield with this weapon fills its magazine from reserves. +1 magazine size. |
|
Borealis |
PvE Combatants Get 150 Arc, Solar, and Void kills |
+20 reload speed |
|
Buried Bloodline |
Warlord’s Ruin Get 500 kills |
New perk (Splitvein Lineage): While Devour is active, this weapon weakens on hit. |
|
Choir of One |
Encore Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (pick one):
|
|
Cloudstrike |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 400 kills |
New perk (Triple Tap): Rapidly landing precision hits will return one round to the magazine. +25 handling. |
|
Coldheart |
PvE Combatants; Nightfalls Get 300 kills |
+20 reload speed and stability |
|
Dead Messenger |
Vox Obscura (Expert) Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (Turnabout): Using this weapon to break the shield of a combatant or a Guardian using their Super will grant you an overshield. |
|
Delicate Tomb |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills. |
New perk (Ionic Interment): Collecting an Ionic Trace partially reloads the magazine from reserves. |
|
Duality |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 400 kills |
+20 range, +2 magazine size |
|
Ergo Sum |
Excision (Grandmaster) Get 500 kills |
New perk (Transcendent Steel): Dealing damage with a Transcendent grenade grants Ergo Sum ammo. |
|
Eriana’s Vow |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 400 kills |
New perk (More to Give): Increases magazine size by three. Holstering this weapon automatically reloads it after a short period of time. |
|
Ex Diris |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 400 kills |
New perk (Berserk Rush): Weapon enrages faster while Amplified. Final blows with this weapon make you Amplified. |
|
Forerunner |
Xur’s Treasure Hoard Get 700 kills |
New perk (The Rock): For several seconds after a final blow, hold reload to consume part of your ammo reserves, converting your next thrown grenade into a fragmentation grenade. |
|
The Fourth Horseman |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 400 kills |
New perk (And Its Name Was Death): Adds an additional round to the magazine and increases reload speed. +40 reload speed. |
|
Ice Breaker |
Vesper’s Host Quest. |
New perk (Icing-Breaker): Landing a hit on a slowed or frozent arget has a chance to return the round to the magazine. |
|
Izanagi’s Burden |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills |
New perk (Peerless Edge): Increases the damage bonus of
Honed Edge by 20% when four bullets are consumed. |
|
Jötunn |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills |
New perk (Cornered): Faster charge time or draw time when surrounded by combatants. New perk (Incandescent): Defeating a target spreads scorch to those nearby. More powerful combatants and opposing Guardians cause scorch in a larger radius. |
|
Lord of Wolves |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills |
New perk (Fang and Claw): Increases reload speed while
Release the Wolves is active, and increases stability when it is not. |
|
Lorentz Driver |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 400 kills |
New perk (Jump Driver): Lorentz Driver gains an enhanced radar. Additionally, while this weapon has 3 telemetry patterns,
Em Anomaly detonations no longer require a precision final blow. |
|
Merciless |
Strikes and Nightfalls Get 500 kills |
+40 range, +40 stability |
|
The Navigator |
Ghosts of the Deep Get 500 kills |
New perk: Special reload and then fire to create a
Grapple Tangle at the targeted point. |
|
Prometheus Lens |
Strikes and Nightfalls Get 500 kills |
+20 stability, +20 handling |
|
Ruinous Effigy |
PvE Combatants Get 700 kills |
New perk (Deconstruction): This weapon deals increased damage against targets damaged by
Transmutation spheres (targets take 25% increased damage). |
|
Slayer’s Fang |
Kell’s Fall Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (pick one):
|
|
Telesto |
Expert Lost Sectors Get 300 kills |
New perk (Deeper Pockets): Increased ammo reserves. +3 magazine size. |
|
Tessellation |
Final Shape Quest Get 400 kills |
New perk (Property: Unavoidable): Targets near the blast of Property: Irreducible are [afflicted}burdened}cursed] with an elemental effect matching your equipped grenade’s damage type. |
|
Witherhoard |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 400 kills |
New perk (Silent Alarm): Increases handling. Holstering this weapon automatically reloads it after a short period of time. +40 handling. |
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Heavy Exotic Catalysts
|
Weapon |
Drop Source |
Catalyst Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Black Talon |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 350 kills |
New perk (Reversal): Shots blocked immediately after guarding increase the damage of
Crow’s Wings by 50% for two seconds. |
|
The Colony |
Crucible Get 500 kills |
New perk (Deeper Pockets): Increased ammo reserves. +1 magazine size. |
|
D.A.R.C.I. |
PvE Combatants Get 100 kills |
+20 Stability; New perk (Networked Targeting): While Personal Assistant is active, hits grant this weapon and nearby allies’ non-Exotic Sniper Rifles increased weapon performance and precision damage. Granting maximum stacks of the effect to an ally grants this weapon bonus damage. |
|
Deathbringer |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 400 kills |
New perk (Dead Weight): Increases how quickly
Dark Descent reaches its full potential. |
|
Dragon’s Breath |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Pyromancer): This weapon replenishes its fuel faster. Defeating targets with this weapon causes them to periodically drop Firesprites. |
|
Finality’s Augur |
Sundered Doctrine Quest |
New perk (Bait and Switch): Dealing damage with all three weapons in a short duration increases this weapon’s damage by 30% for 10 seconds. |
|
Gjallarhorn |
Grasp of Avarice Get 400 kills |
New perk (More Wolves): Increases magazine size. Final blows with
Wolfpack Rounds spawn a faster, more powerful missile at the target’s location. +1 magazine size. |
|
Grand Overture |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills |
New perk (Grant Overture Catalyst): Missile explosions will blind combatants. Those defeated by missile impacts then explode. +20 Handling and Stability. |
|
Heir Apparent |
Guardian Games Event Complete Catalyst Quest |
New perk (Legion’s Bulwark): Increases the Arc Shield’s durability and partially reloads the magazine if it is destroyed. |
|
Legend of Acrius |
Banshee-44 Quest Get 700 kills. |
New perk (Deeper Pockets): Increased ammo reserves. +40 reload speed, +4 magazine size. |
|
Leviathan’s Breath |
Bosses slain by Leviathan’s Breath Get 500 kills |
New perk (Colossal Quiver): Increases quiver size (grants five additional arrows in your reserves). New perk (Archer’s Tempo): Draw time decreases after every precision hit. |
|
The Prospector |
Strikes and Nightfalls Get 500 kills |
+40 blast radius, +50 reload speed |
|
The Queenbreaker |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 400 kills |
New perk (Rewind Rounds): When this weapon’s magazine is empty, it refills from reserves based on the number of hits. |
|
Sleeper Simulant |
Nightfalls Get 300 kills |
New perk (Deeper Pockets): Increased ammo reserves. -75 charge time. |
|
Thunderlord |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 500 kills |
New perk (Return Stroke): Causing a lightning strike with this weapon partially reloads the magazine from reserves. |
|
Tractor Cannon |
PvE Combatants Get 300 kills |
+20 reload speed, +2 magazine size |
|
Two-Tailed Fox |
Strikes, Crucible, Gambit Get 350 kills |
New perk (Third Tail): Adds an additional Arc rocket to the second shot in a volley. The Arc rocket Jolts targets. |
|
The Wardcliff Coil |
Strikes and Nightfalls Get 500 kills |
New perk (Pinpoint Guidance Module): Improved tracking on projectiles. |
|
Whisper of the Worm |
The Whisper (Expert) Reforge at the Enclave |
New perk (Whispered Breathing): Aiming this weapon without firing for a brief moment grants bonus range and precision damage while it remains zoomed. +30 reload speed. |
|
Worldline Zero |
PvE Combatants Get 300 kills |
New perk (Another Dimension): Reduces the activation time of
Tesseract . |
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