Most of Destiny 2's weapons can be enhanced by Masterworking them. When a weapon is Masterworked, it gain additioanl 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.

Related: Destiny 2: Every Possible Way To Earn Exotic Ciphers

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 29, 2023, by Charles Burgar: Season of the Deep has added new Exotics and the Malfeasance Catalyst to Destiny 2. We've updated this guide to showcase how you can get your hands on all the new Exotic Catalysts introduced this season, explaining their drop source, Catalyst objectives, and what the Catalyst adds.

Table Of Contents

• What Are Exotic Catalysts
• Exotic Catalyst Drop Locations
• Every Exotic Catalyst

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.

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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.

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Every Exotic Catalyst

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.

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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.

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Arbalest

Arbalest's Catalyst drops from ritual activities—Vanguard Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.

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Bad Juju

Bad Juju drops from core activity completions.

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Black Talon

Black Talon's Catalyst can drop from any core activity—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.

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Borealis

Any enemy you kill in PvE (non-Crucible, non-Gambit) has a chance to drop the Borealis Catalyst.

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Centrifuse

Once you own Centrifuse, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to obtain this weapon's Exotic Catalyst quest. Complete the quest to obtain the Catalyst.

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Cerberus+1

Any enemy you kill in PvE (non-Crucible, non-Gambit) has a chance to drop the Cerberus+1 Catalyst.

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Cloudstrike

Completing Vanguard Ops, Crucible, or Gambit matches has a chance of dropping the Cloudstrike Catalyst. Once obtained, defeat 400 combatants to Masterwork the weapon.

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Coldheart

PvE combatant kills and strike/Nightfall completions drop Coldheart's Catalyst.

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The Colony

Completing Crucible matches and defeating Guardians in PvP will gran the Colony Catalyst.

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Crimson

Any enemy you kill in PvE (non-Crucible, non-Gambit) has a chance to drop the Crimson Catalyst.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Dead Messenger

Dead Messenger's damage type does not have to match the shield for Turnabout to trigger.

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Deathbringer

Complete core activities to obtain the Catalyst. Dead Weight halves the distance Deathbringer's projectiles need to travel before they deal maximum damage.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The Fourth Horseman

Complete ritual activities—Vanguard Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit—for a chance of obtaining this Catalyst.

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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.

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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.

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Graviton Lance

Graviton Lance's Catalyst can drop from any core activity—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.

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Hard Light

Strike and Nightfall completions have a chance of dropping the Hard Light Catalyst.

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Hawkmoon

Complete ritual activate for a chance of obtaining the Hawkmoon Catalyst.

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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.

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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:

1. Earn 50 points by obtaining Medals. Higher tier medals are worth additional points.
2. Complete 3 Contender Cards.
3. Collect 90 Competitive Spirit by landing Machine Gun final blows in the Daily Focus Playlist. Precision Blows grant bonus progress.
4. Land 700 final blows with Heir Apparent.

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.

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Hierarchy Of Needs

Complete the Spire of the Watcher dungeon on Master difficulty to receive this Catalyst. Once obtained, you'll need to defeat 700 PvE combatants to Masterwork the Bow.

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Huckleberry

End-of-match rewards from strikes, Crucible, and Gambit have a chance of granting the Huckleberry Catalyst.

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Izanagi's Burden

Izanagi's Burden's Catalyst drops from core activity completions—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.

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Jade Rabbit

Crucible match completions have a chance of dropping the Jade Rabbit Catalyst.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Leviathan's Breath

Defeating any boss-tier enemy (enemies with a yellow health bar) has a chance of dropping the Leviathan's Breath Catalyst.

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Lord Of Wolves

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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.

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Lumina

Lumina's Catalyst can drop from any core activity—those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.

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Malfeasance

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The Manticore

Once you acquire The Manticore SMG, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to receive its Catalyst quest. Complete the listed objectives to receive the Catalyst. The perk itself grants roughly 40% damage resistance (greatly reduced in PvP, likely 7.5%) for a few seconds upon landing an airborne final blow. This buff stacks multiplicatively with other damage resistance sources.

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Merciless

Merciless' Catalyst can drop from the final chest in strikes and Nightfalls.

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MIDA Multi-Tool

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.

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The Navigator

This Catalyst requires you to defeat three hidden bosses in the Ghosts of the Deep dungeon. You'll find a pile of dead Ghosts in the opening encounter and both jumping puzzle sections. Activate the pile of Ghosts and activate a nearby Hive statue to spawn the boss. Exact instructions for each boss can be found in YouTuber 360 GameTV's video guide.

No Time To Explain

The Exo Stranger grants an Exotic Catalyst quest named Soon. Complete this quest to obtain the Catalyst.

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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.

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Outbreak Perfected

Complete ritual activities—Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit—for a chance to obtain the Outbreak Perfected Exotic Catalyst.

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Polaris Lance

Complete core playlist activities to obtain this Catalyst.

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Prometheus Lens

Complete strikes and Nightfalls for a chance at obtaining the Prometheus Lens Catalyst.

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The Prospector

Complete strikes and Nightfalls for a chance at obtaining the Prospector Catalyst.

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Quicksilver Storm

Speak with Banshee-44 in the Tower to receive this Catalyst quest. You'll need to complete a short quest before gaining access to this Catalyst. When installed, Quicksilver Storm will deal Strand damage and spawn Tangles with grenade alt-fire kills.

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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.

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Revision Zero

All Revision Zero Catalysts are currently unobtainable.

Revision Zero is the only Exotic weapon in Destiny 2 with multiple Exotic Catalysts. This weapon has four Catalysts you can earn:

1. Grants Feeding Frenzy
2. Grants Under Pressure
3. Grants Outlaw
4. Grants Fourth Time's the Charm

Once obtained, you may insert any Catalysts into the weapon through the Enclave's crafting station in Savathun's Throne World. Only one Catalyst may be inserted at a time.

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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.

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Ruinous Effigy

Defeating enemies in PvE has a small chance of dropping the Ruinous Effigy catalyst.

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Skyburner's Oath

Skyburner's Oath's Catalyst drops from any core activity—Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.

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Sleeper Simulant

Completing any Nightfall has a chance of granting the Sleeper Simulant Catalyst. Its Catalyst objective was also changed to require generic kills.

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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.

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Sunshot

Sunshot's Catalyst can be obtained by completing any core activities—strikes, Crucible, or Gambit.

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SUROS Regime

The SUROS Regime Catalyst has a chance to drop after a Crucible game.

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Sweet Business

Sweet Business' Catalyst drops from strike, Crucible, or Gambit match completions.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Tractor Cannon

Any PvE enemy has a chance of dropping the Tractor Cannon Catalyst.

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Traveler's Chosen

Complete core activities to obtain the Catalyst.

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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.

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Trinity Ghoul

Any core activity can drop the Trinity Ghoul Catalyst, those being strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.

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Two-Tailed Fox

Completing ritual activities has a chance of dropping the Two-Tailed Fox Catalyst. Once installed, the second rocket fires an additional Arc rocket that Jolts targets, greatly improving this weapon's damage output.

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Verglas Curve

Once you obtain Verglas Curve, speak to Banshee-44 in the Tower to receive its Exotic Catalyst quest. Once complete, defeat 700 enemies to unlock the Shiver Quiver perk. It acts similarly to Archer's Tempo, triggering whenever you freeze a target with this Bow.

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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:

1. To the right of spawn.
2. Beside the first hidden chest in the Trial of Kabr.
3. Enter the hidden path to Gatekeeper from the Templar encounter. Descend to find the plate. If you played Destiny 1, it's where the Exotic chest used to be.
4. As you enter the jumping puzzle before the Gatekeeper encounter, head right instead of straight ahead.
5. Reach the pillar containing a portal at the very end of the jumping puzzle.

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Vigilance Wing

Crucible match completions have a chance of dropping the Vigilance Wing Catalyst.

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The Wardcliff Coil

Strike and Nightfall completions have a chance of dropping the Wardcliff Coil Catalyst.

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Whisper Of The Worm

Complete Vanguard Strikes, Crucible, or Gambit for a chance to receive the Whisper of the Worm Catalyst.

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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.

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Worldline Zero

Any PvE combatant has a chance of dropping the Worldline Zero Catalyst. Its objective was changed, now asking for combatant kills.

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Next: Destiny 2: The Best Perks You Need On Your Weapons