In Destiny 2, some Exotics that don’t even need it will soon become stronger. How do players know which catalysts are next to come to the action MMO?
In Destiny 2, players can give their powerful Exotics the finishing touch with so-called masterwork catalysts, making them even stronger. Not all Exotics have a catalyst yet, so Guardians are always excited when more weapons finally get their final form.
These are the 3 Exotics: New entries for catalysts have now been found for three popular and powerful weapons:
- Divinity: The unusual trace rifle weakens enemies from a distance and significantly enlarges their critical hit box. The support weapon is indispensable in the endgame of Destiny 2 and essential for many raid teams.
- Xenophage: Unlike typical heavy machine guns, Xenophage fires only slow shots, but with heavy damage, and you won’t (and can’t) land precise shots with it, yet it deals full damage at great distances. This power weapon is one of the most popular Exotics in the game season after season because it is easy to use and can keep up with every activity.
- Monte Carlo: The exotic auto rifle Monte Carlo is popular mainly for its appearance and fully focuses on melee action. Your melee skills charge up extremely quickly, and damage peaks when you kill an enemy in melee combat.
Databases have (again) spoiled
Where were the upgrades found? Players of Destiny 2 can retrieve numerous game infos in databases thanks to API interfaces, which are fed with official info. Databases like light.gg often hide new weapons, stories, or quests that are not yet in the game itself. Now there are also the info about the 3 catalysts for the powerful Exotics.
It is now noticeable that the placeholder icons for the catalysts have been removed, and there are special images for Divinity, Xenophage, and Monte Carlo in the databases (via light.gg). Even the number of kills required to perform the upgrade is visible – for Xenophage, it’s 400 kills, for example.
When will it happen? When the catalysts will ultimately arrive in the game or what exactly the individual upgrades will improve on the already good Exotics is currently unknown.
However, Bungie officially announced that in the season starting on August 24, they want to make a total of 15 primary weapons stronger and help some Exotics with a new catalyst, so many players expect a release in the next season (via Bungie.net).
Old weapons suddenly become new monsters
This is why catalysts are so great: New catalysts for old Exotics can create a new weapon meta overnight. Little-used Exotics suddenly became very strong right after their upgrade. Just because they received a new perk thanks to the catalyst or a weakness was fixed.
- Here’s how it went with the Trinity Ghoul: The old Exotic is suddenly among the super weapons of season 11
- Suddenly, Truthbringer was a hit: The new strongest rocket launcher in Destiny 2 happens to be the Exotic that no one wanted to play
It’s somewhat unusual, however, that Xenophage and Divinity are absolute player favorites even without their catalyst. Other weapons would definitely need the upgrade much more.
But our MeinMMO reader Millerntorian would surely be pleased: “[…] Well, if the existing items would get a catalyst (from Monte Carlo to Misadventure), then I would be satisfied. Then I wouldn’t need anything new temporarily. […]”.
Do you think the new database entries for the 3 exotic weapons indicate a quick release of the new catalysts? What do you think will the upgrades bring for improvements? Or do you have other Exotics in mind that need attention much more urgently than Xenophage, Divinity, and Monte Carlo? Let us know in the comments.
