‘Destiny 2’ A New, Monster Thorn Catalyst Half A Season Early

When Bungie said that it was going to release a new, much-requested catalyst for a new Destiny 2 weapon this season, everyone was flipping a coin between whether they meant Monte Carlo or Thorn, easily the two that people have been waiting for the most.

It was Monte Carlo, and the catalyst was the one Destiny 2 fans had always wanted to see, the ability to stab people with its bayonet, which Bungie says is the most technically complicated catalyst they’ve ever made. However, Bungie has now revealed that it’s Thorn’s turn, and during next season, it will get its catalyst. No stabbing but uh, it does look like it’s going to be insane, in particular for PvP, a flashback to its former dominance in the mode eons ago.

Here’s what the catalyst does:

“Grants bonus range and stability. Dealing a final blow or absorbing a Remnant grants additional increased weapon range, as well as increased mobility and handle for a short time.”

• So to recap, at baseline the catalyst gives you 20 range and 10 stability, which hell, is sometimes the entirety of a catalyst we’ve seen on other guns.
• Then getting a kill or getting a Remnant, which is left behind after a kill and increases DoT damage and partially refills the magazine, grants more range, mobility and handling.
• So if range is already at 69 now, at minimum that’s probably what, another 20 range? So it will be close to max, if not totally maxed.
• Then increasing handling, given that it’s at 85 already, is almost certainly just going to be maxed.
• Mobility, we don’t know, but usually we see bonuses of 20-30 for “increased mobility” perks like this. That includes faster strafing while ADS, playing into the increased handling.

All of this adds up to a hand cannon that is likely to turn into a PvP monster. And hell, it may feel pretty great in PvE as well, given the recent, massive buffs to hand cannon damage there, the baseline 40% red bar buff, and the persistent necrotic grip synergy on Warlocks. I mean, I’m certainly gonna try it out there.

Bungie has been doing extremely well with its catalysts to reinvigorate old weapons recently, probably starting all the way back to when they turned Trinity Ghoul into a monster ad clear machine after being total useless before that. They’re not all winners (a few are just flat stat boosts) but with these special weapons it’s clear they really put the work in. No, I don’t think Bungie will ever fully catch up, given that they only do one old weapon catalyst a season now and they’re missing dozens, but I am okay with that if we keep getting fun ones like these.

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