How to get the Forerunner Catalyst in Destiny 2

Get a taste of Halo in Destiny 2 with the Forerunner, released alongside the 30th Anniversary Pack.

The Exotic pistol is a unique weapon: it has a full-auto firing mode, uses Special ammo, and fires deadly heavy caliber rounds that deal extra precision damage to unshielded targets. Its unique trait, Pace Yourself, reduces recoil and improves accuracy when tapping the trigger, rewarding players who take the time to line up a perfect shot.

Though those elements already make the gun a solid addition to any guardian’s arsenal, Forerunner’s catalyst makes the weapon even stronger and adds versatility (and a bit of flair) to the weapon. The gun is linked to Dares of Eternity and available to all players, regardless of whether they bought the 30th Anniversary Pack.

Related: How to get Forerunner in Destiny 2’s Magnum Opus quest

What does the Forerunner Catalyst do?

The Forerunner Catalyst gives it a perk called The Rock. The catalyst lets players consume part of their ammo reserves to convert their next grenade ability into a fragmentation grenade, according to the in-game tooltip, which acts as a separate ability and doesn’t seem to burn your cooldown.

This perk will let you chain grenades in PvE, though using it consecutively comes with a hefty ammo cost. It can also be useful in PvP modes due to the grenade’s high damage, possibly giving players another way to use a grenade if theirs is on cooldown.

How to get the Forerunner Catalyst in Destiny 2?

The Forerunner Catalyst is locked behind Xûr’s reputation track, meaning players will have to participate in their share of Dares of Eternity runs. Players must reach max rank with the intergalactic merchant to unlock an Anomalous Access Card, which will kick off the quest for the catalyst.

The time it takes to unlock the Forerunner Catalyst will vary, but some players reported taking around 70 runs for the catalyst. This number may vary wildly depending on the activity streak: like other activities, Dares of Eternity will reward you with more and more reputation the longer you play consecutive rounds, but the game doesn’t explicitly show that counter. Players must keep an eye on their reputation gains at the end of a match.

After you reach maximum reputation with Xûr, you’ll start a short catalyst quest to unlock it from Banshee-44 in the Tower. The actual bonus is locked behind a catalyst objective, but unlocking its full potential is a fairly simple endeavor. Players need to defeat 700 targets if they want to make the most out of Forerunner. Since it’s not a seasonal Exotic, the usual steps of taking it to the Crucible and defeating other guardians don’t apply.

Although the catalyst objectives will unlock naturally as you use the weapon, players looking to farm quick kills with Forerunner can use some tried-and-true methods to speed up their progress. Altars of Sorrow on the Moon will offer a good number of enemies to kill, and players will likely find several ammo drops throughout each wave. Forerunner’s innate ammo efficiency (despite using Special ammo) helps make this a viable catalyst farming path.

Getting a Shuro Chi checkpoint in the Last Wish raid can also be a good way to farm it due to the sheer number of enemies that come at you, though it may take several respawns and Raid Banners before finally defeating 700 enemies.