The term catalyst is used to describe the collective parts and pieces needed to further modify tier 3 weapons beyond their normal capabilities, allowing weapons to have more than three perks on them. Catalysts can also be applied to exotic weapons, even if the exotic weapon isn’t a tier 3 weapon (i.e. it only has one or two weapon perks).
Each weapon has a number of catalyst charges, determined by its grade. Installing a catalyst costs one or more of these charges + an amount of glimmer. You can’t install a catalyst if there aren’t enough charges to support it or if you don’t have enough glimmer to spend on the installation. The glimmer cost to install a catalyst is the same regardless of the number of charges the catalyst takes.
Keep in mind that perk effects apply in the order they are added to the weapon. You might want to apply your catalysts in a specific order to get your intended effect. While your weapon’s slot perks must be in their slot order, catalysts can be installed in any order, including in between slot perks.
| Weapon Grade | Max Charges | Cost to Install a Catalyst (gl) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 3 or Mundane | 3 | 4,000 gl | |
| Fine | 2 | 8,000 gl | |
| Superior | 1 | 10,000 gl | |
| Exquisite | 0 | 12,000 gl* |
*This cost is listed due to the existence of the weapon augmenter exotic item.
Catalysts are Perks
The normal rules of perks still apply to catalysts, and a perk’s description doesn’t change when it’s used as a catalyst. For instance, if you apply the Surrounded perk as a catalyst on a melee weapon, the melee weapon can’t benefit from the perk unless you specifically take a shot with the melee weapon. Spending shots from a weapon’s shot capacity is not the same as taking a shot.
Restrictions
Some catalysts have additional restrictions on how they may be used, which is included next to their name in the list of catalysts. A catalyst won’t function if the weapon it’s installed on is restricted from its use.
List of Catalysts
Catalysts are listed in alphabetical order by charge cost. Not all weapons perks are available as catalysts.
Costs 1 Charge
Air Assault
Situational: You do not gain disadvantage on shots you take with this weapon due to being airborne. Also, if you hit a hostile creature with a shot from this weapon while airborne, you immediately gain 5 additional feet of movement for this turn. You can spend this movement immediately after resolving the damage of your shot even if it’s not your turn.
Battle Runner
Situational: If you kill a hostile creature with a shot from this weapon, your base walking speed increases by 10 feet (to a maximum of total of 45 feet) for the next minute.
Cover Fire • Cannot have the Payload property.
Situational: If you perform the Revive action, you may take a shot with this weapon as part of that action. You can’t do this if this weapon has the Unwieldy property.
Discord
Perpetual: Shots with this weapon deal an additional 1d4 damage (type same as weapon) to elementally-aligned energy shields.
Situational: When you hit a target with a shot from this weapon, any concentration checks the target must make due to the damage dealt have their DC increased by 5.
Explosive Rounds
Perpetual: This weapon’s damage receives the explosive modifier. For example, if the weapon dealt kinetic damage before, it now deals explosive kinetic damage.
Lightweight
Situational: If you start your turn wielding this weapon, your base walking speed increases by 5 feet (to a maximum total of 45 feet) until the end of your turn.
Micro-Missile • Firearms only, must have scope ranges.
Perpetual: This weapon’s range band is increased, and its extended and maximum ranges are increased by half their tier 0 amount. In addition, if it didn’t already, this weapon’s damage receives the explosive modifier. For example, if it dealt kinetic damage before, it now deals explosive kinetic damage.
Osmosis
Situational: When you take a shot with this weapon, you may choose to change this weapon’s damage type to match the alignment of any Power you currently have a charge for. For instance, if you have a grenade Power charge and are able to cast either a void or stasis grenade Power, you may change this weapon’s damage type to either void or stasis. This change only affects the damage of that shot.
Rangefinder • Must have scope ranges.
Perpetual: The weapon’s range band increases, and all ranges of this weapon increase by half their tier 0 value.
Snapshot • Must have scope ranges.
Perpetual: It costs 10 less feet of movement to begin Aiming while you are wielding this weapon.
Thermoscopic Sights • Must have scope ranges.
Situational: You may use your bonus action to switch this weapon’s sights to a thermoscopic view. For the next minute, while Aiming and wielding this weapon, Unseen living creatures who also aren’t behind total cover are considered Clearly Visible to you.
Unflinching
Situational: If you’re Aiming and wielding this weapon when you are forced to make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, you may use your reaction to have advantage on the saving throw.
Costs 2 Charges
Army of One
Situational: If you kill a hostile creature with a shot from this weapon, you may make one melee and one grenade Power recharge roll.
Breakthrough
Perpetual: Creatures can’t benefit from their energy shield’s resistances against this weapon’s damage.
Cascade • Cannot have the Payload property.
Situational: Once on a turn, if you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with a shot from this weapon, you may immediately make an offhand weapon attack with this weapon or move up to half your speed. You can only choose to move if you end your movement within 5 feet of a hostile creature.
Crowd Control
Situational: When you kill a hostile creature with a shot from this weapon, this weapon gains an additional damage die for the next minute.
Demolitionist
Situational: If you kill a hostile creature with a shot from this weapon, you have advantage on grenade recharge rolls you make for the next minute. In addition to normal perk rules, this benefit also ends early if you are Incapacitated or if you regain a grenade Power charge.
Exhumed
Perpetual: When your Ghost resurrects you, you may choose to be wielding this weapon instead of what you were wielding when you died.
Situational: You may use a free action to take a shot with this weapon once on the turn that you are revived from death. You have advantage on your attack roll for that shot.
Field Scout
Situational: If you can’t detect any ally creatures within 10 feet of you, you gain a bonus +2 to attack and damage rolls when you take a shot with this weapon.
Final Round • Firearms only.
Perpetual: This weapon’s critical hit range is increased by one.
Situational: If you take a shot with this weapon and score a critical hit, you can add a bonus damage die to this weapon’s damage roll after accounting for the effects of the critical hit.
Firing Line • Cannot be installed on melee weapons.
Situational: If you can detect two or more allied creatures within 10 feet of you, you have a bonus +2 to your attack and damage rolls when you take a shot with this weapon.
Firing Mode • Combat bows or combat crossbows only.
Perpetual: Choose a second viable Slot 1 perk as this perk.
Situational: You can use your item interaction to change this weapon’s active firing mode, switching between either its normal Slot 1 perk or the additional Slot 1 perk you chose for this perk. This weapon only benefits from the effects of its active firing mode, including perpetual effects.
Focused Fire • Cannot be installed on melee weapons.
Perpetual: This weapon’s range band is increased, its effective range is halved, and its extended and maximum ranges are increased by the same amount the effective range was decreased. It also loses the High Recoil property, if present.
Situational: When you take a shot with this weapon while Aiming, its damage die size increases by one and it gains a +1 bonus to attack rolls.
Frenzy
Situational: After your first turn in a combat, if you start your turn wielding this weapon, and you never stopped wielding it since the start of your previous turn, this weapon gains a stack of Frenzy (a bonus +1 to attack and damage rolls), to a maximum of 3 stacks. In addition to normal perk rules, this benefit also ends early if you become Incapacitated or complete at least a brief rest.
Full Draw • Combat bows or combat crossbows only.
Perpetual: This weapon’s range band is increased, its damage die size is increased by one, and it gains an additional damage die. It also gains these properties: Finesse, Heavy (Str 11), and Unwieldy.
Headseeker • Must have the Automatic Fire property.
Situational: If you take a shot with this weapon while Aiming and hit, you can treat any 1’s on this weapon’s damage roll as the maximum for that damage die instead. Additionally, once per brief rest, if you take a shot with this weapon while Aiming, you may increase your critical hit range by one for that shot. You can choose to do this after making your attack roll.
Heavy Bolts • Combat bows or combat crossbows only.
Situational: When you hit a Large or smaller target with a shot from this weapon, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be knocked Prone.
Infiltrator • Firearms only.
Perpetual: This weapon makes significantly less noise, which is only audible within 20 feet or with a successful DC 20 Perception check.
Situational: If you are Hidden from a creature and miss it with a shot from this weapon, making the shot doesn’t reveal your position.
Luck in the Chamber • Firearms only.
Situational: When you roll damage for a shot from this weapon, roll a d6. Your shot has a bonus +5 to damage if the d6 lands on a 5, or a bonus +6 to damage if it lands on 6.
Mulligan • Firearms only, cannot have the Payload property.
Situational: If you miss with a shot from this weapon on your turn, you may roll a d4. On a roll of 4, one shot is refunded to this weapon’s magazine and you may immediately make an offhand weapon attack with it. This overcomes the Unwieldy property.
On Point
Situational: If you hit with a shot from this weapon, and your attack roll exceeds the target’s AC by at least 4, the shot deals an additional 1d10 damage (same type as the weapon).
Onslaught
Situational: The first time you you take a shot with this weapon on your turn, you gain one stage of Onslaught, to a maximum of 3 stages. On your turn, you may spend 3 stages of Onslaught to take a shot with this weapon as a bonus action. In addition to normal perk rules, you lose all stages of Onslaught if you complete at least a brief rest.
Opening Shot
Situational: If you take a shot with this weapon against a target you are Undetected to, or who has not taken a turn yet in the initiative order, you have a bonus +3 to the attack and damage rolls of that shot. Furthermore, if you draw this weapon at the start of your turn, you have a bonus +1 to attack and damage rolls with it until the start of your next turn.
Outlaw • Must have scope ranges.
Situational: When you take a shot with this weapon while Aiming, you have a bonus +2 to your attack roll. When you take a shot with this weapon while not Aiming, you have a bonus +2 to your damage roll.
Rapid Hit
Situational: Once on your turn, if you hit a hostile creature with a shot from this weapon, you gain a stage of Rapid Hit, to a maximum of 3 stages. Each stage grants you a bonus +1 to attack rolls with this weapon. In addition to normal perk rules, you also lose all stages of Rapid Hit early if you end your turn without hitting a hostile creature with a shot from this weapon.
Support Rounds • Simple firearms only.
Situational: When you take a shot against a target with energy shields, instead of making an attack or damage roll, the target heals an amount of energy shield points equal to 1d6 + your proficiency bonus. Only a single target can be subject to this.
Swashbuckler
Situational: When you deal 6 or more damage to a hostile creature with a shot from this weapon, you may make a tactical Power recharge roll.
Turnabout
Situational: If you take damage that reduces your energy shield points to 0, but you’re not Incapacitated, you may use your reaction to invoke this perk and gain Overshields. You can’t invoke this perk again until you complete at least a brief rest.
Under Pressure
Situational: If you have 0 energy shield points, you have advantage on shots you take with this weapon.
Vorpal Weapon
Situational: If you damage an Elite, Major, or Ultra creature with this weapon, this weapon gains an additional damage die for that damage roll.
Wellspring
Situational: If you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with damage from this weapon, you may invoke this perk to treat your Power level as 1 higher for the next grenade or tactical Power you cast within the next minute. Once you invoke this perk, you must complete at least a brief rest before you can do so again.
