One of Destiny 2’s most iconic Exotic hand cannons is finally getting a catalyst

In season 22, Destiny 2 fulfilled some long-held player fantasies when Bungie introduced a catalyst for the Monte Carlo Exotic auto rifle. Next season, Bungie is gearing up to give yet another classic Exotic weapon a similar treatment.

Announced in today’s This Week in Destiny blog, Thorn—an Exotic hand cannon that’s been around since the original Destiny—is finally set to receive a catalyst in season 23. Unlike many catalysts added in the past, which have a pattern of focusing on PvE efficacy, Thorn’s new catalyst is instead going to give the gun some major stat boosts that will inevitably make it a monster in PvP.

Based on a preview screenshot conveniently provided in the blog, the Thorn catalyst considerably bumps up the hand cannon’s range and stability stats. That’s 69 range and 65 stability to be exact, which puts it into the ballpark of Destiny 2’s strongest Crucible-oriented 140 RPM hand cannons such as Eyasluna and Fatebringer.

That’s before we add in the catalyst’s additional effects. Killing blows and picking up Remnants generated by killing blows will both grant Thorn even more range, on top of briefly improving both mobility and handling simultaneously.

If this is sounding familiar, that’s because it is—this effect is identical in its description to that of the perk Killing Wind. Whether the boosts will be identical remains to be seen, but Killing Wind is a staple of many PvP god rolls for Legendary weapons. Thorn receiving the same benefits with its catalyst indicates a goal on Bungie’s end to bring up the gun’s potency in the Crucible.

It’s no surprise that the Crucible would be where the catalyst is focused. Thorn has already become notorious in PvE over the past few years thanks to its synergy with the Necrotic Grip Exotic armor for Warlocks. Being a Weapon of Sorrow, Thorn is able to proc Necrotic Grip’s Grasp of the Devourer effect on kills to spread heavy-hitting poison ticks through a group of enemy combatants. This has made it a go-to Primary weapon option in PvE, but has done little to move the needle on its strength against other Guardians.

When it comes to a release date, it’s presumed that the Thorn catalyst will be available the day that season 23 launches in a few months. As with other catalysts that Destiny 2 has retroactively added to classic weapons, the Thorn one will most likely be obtained via random drop chance from playlist activities such as Strikes and the Crucible.