Destiny 2 now offers more than 40 exotic masterwork catalysts that you can use to improve numerous weapon exotics. Here are 5 of the strongest catalysts that should be in every Guardian’s arsenal.
How to improve your exotics: With the Warmind expansion for Destiny 2, it became possible to upgrade many exotic weapons to masterworks.
This essentially represents an upgrade to the respective weapon, enhancing certain stats of the firearm or even granting the weapon additional perks.
The key to the masterwork upgrade are so-called masterwork catalysts. These must be found or earned and leveled up. In the end, the masterwork variant of the respective weapon is unlocked. However, not every exotic weapon has received a catalyst yet.
Which masterwork catalysts are we talking about? Some catalysts bring only minor changes to gameplay. Others can enhance a strong weapon exotic even more with subtle effects. Again, others can make the difference between an average and a top exotic. Here we present 5 of the strongest exotic masterwork catalysts that you can currently obtain and use in Season 11.
Note that: The selection was made considering numerous expert opinions, but also based on personal experiences and preferences. If your absolute top favorites are not listed, let us know in the comments and we can potentially expand the article later.
Huckleberry Catalyst
What makes this exotic masterwork catalyst special? This catalyst makes the submachine gun Huckleberry one of the strongest options for dealing with smaller enemies and entire groups of enemies.
With the catalyst, every kill with the masterwork version of Huckleberry fully reloads the magazine. If you play this SMG correctly, you hardly ever have to reload. Additionally, you can fully leverage the Rampage perk and easily maintain the 3 stacks of damage buff over extended periods.
Where can you get this catalyst? The masterwork catalyst for Huckleberry drops randomly after successfully completing heroic adventures.
How to level up the Huckleberry catalyst: Achieve 500 enemy kills.
Whisper Catalyst
What makes this exotic masterwork catalyst special? The exotic sniper Whisper of the Worm is currently one of the best choices for the heavy slot when it comes to boss damage.
The catalyst adds a modified stability perk to the Whisper. If you aim through the scope for a while without firing, you gain bonus range and bonus precision damage for a moment while remaining zoomed in. This further strengthens this already powerful weapon and helps you maximize its potential.
Where can you get this catalyst? The catalyst for Whisper of the Worm is tied to the heroic Whisper mission. What you need to do for the catalyst can be found here:
- Whisper of the Worm – How to get the new exotic sniper and its catalyst
- Destiny 2 changes quest about Whisper of the Worm – Players celebrate it
But be aware, the Whisper catalyst may not be available this way for much longer. Why, find out in this article: 17 weapon exotics you should obtain before “Beyond Light”
How to level up the Whisper catalyst: To level up, you must go into the heroic Whisper mission on Io: How to level up the masterwork catalyst for Whisper of the Worm
Trinity Ghoul Catalyst
What makes this exotic masterwork catalyst special? The catalyst for the exotic bow Trinity Ghoul is regarded as one of the best catalysts in Destiny 2 and is seen by many players as a prime example of how a catalyst should upgrade an average weapon.
The strength of Trinity Ghoul lies in its arc bolts, and these are improved along with the arc element by the catalyst. The exotic perk Chain Lightning, which grants precision kills to the next shot (all 3 arrows) with chaining lightning capabilities, now triggers with every arc kill – such as by melee, grenades, or a normal kill with this exotic.
Combined with an arc subclass, the bow becomes a true destruction machine as a masterwork, making entire groups of enemies tremble: This old exotic suddenly belongs to the super weapons of Season 11
Where can you get this catalyst? The Trinity Ghoul catalyst drops with a high chance from almost all core activities like Gambit, Strikes, or the Crucible.
How to level up the Trinity Ghoul catalyst: Simply achieve 400 enemy kills with the weapon.
Perfected Outbreak Catalyst
What makes this exotic masterwork catalyst special? The catalyst for Perfected Outbreak enhances the uniqueness of this weapon – namely the SIVA nanites.
The Outbreak generates swarms of these nanites on kills with critical hits and with rapid-fire hits, which then infest nearby enemies. For infected enemies, the weapon deals more damage based on the number of SIVA nanites stuck to the respective enemies.
The cool part: If several Guardians have the Outbreak equipped, all users of the weapon benefit from the nanite effect of other carriers. Especially in a group, extreme damage values can be achieved with a primary weapon. And the catalyst boosts it further. With the masterwork version, the nanite swarms cause even more damage. Additionally, enemies that still have nanites attached upon death generate more nanites.
If several or all players in a group have this exotic as a masterwork, bosses in Strikes and even in some Raids are melted away – even though it is a primary weapon.
Where can you get this catalyst? The Perfected Outbreak is tied to the mission Zero Hour. And, as with the quest for Whisper of the Worm a heroic mode of the mission is unlocked in which you obtain the exotic masterwork catalyst. You get the catalyst the first time you complete the heroic mission.
How to level up the Perfected Outbreak catalyst: This catalyst can only be leveled up in certain parts of the mission The Zero Hour. Killing enemies with precision shots from the Perfected Outbreak works everywhere. Collecting SIVA particles only works through the respective mission.
At the end of a run, you receive 100x particles, which corresponds to 20% of the total progress. Additionally, by solving the chest puzzle in the heroic version of “The Zero Hour”, you can gain another 13%. This makes a total of 33% progress possible weekly.
Witherhoard Catalyst
What makes this exotic masterwork catalyst special? The exotic grenade launcher Witherhoard from the current Season 11 quickly earned a reputation as one of the best weapon exotics in the game, as it can shine in all activities. Whether bosses, majors, or groups of enemies – Witherhoard is a great option, especially as a support weapon against almost any type of enemy. The corresponding masterwork catalyst makes this weapon even stronger.
First of all, with the masterwork the handling is also maximized. Furthermore, the weapon receives the additional perk Silent Alarm. Thus, the exotic grenade launcher automatically reloads after a short time when stowed (holstered). This effectively eliminates its primary weakness (the long reload time) when played correctly, allowing it to be used more effectively in both PvE and PvP.
You shoot at an opponent or a group, switch to another weapon (energy or heavy like a sword), and can deal additional damage over time from Witherhoard to the opponent or group. You then switch back to the grenade launcher, which is already reloaded, and repeat the process. In PvP, you can block entire zones or access points while completely neglecting the reload.
In short: Neither the grenade launcher itself nor the catalyst should currently be missing from your arsenal. Keep in mind, however, that it is possible that both the catalyst and the weapon will not be available after the end of Season 11, as they are seasonal items from the Season of Arrival.
Where can you get this catalyst? It is actually quite easy to get. After you obtain the weapon from the season’s Battle Pass, you will soon receive the self-explanatory catalyst quest automatically from gunsmith Banshee-44 in the Tower. You can’t miss it – he will be marked with a big, blinking quest marker.
How to level up the Witherhoard catalyst: After completing the tasks from the catalyst quest, it is unlocked and can be leveled. You need to eliminate 400 enemies with Witherhoard – for example here: These are the best 5 farm spots in Destiny 2 for quick kills in PvE
What do you think of these 5 catalysts? Absolute must-haves or are there other catalysts you prefer? Let us know in the comments.
