If you need a powerful, easy-to-use weapon to bring to Destiny 2’s PvP arena, the Crucible, it’s hard to go wrong with the Thorn. The hand cannon is great because it hits hard and poisons enemies for damage over time. This season it’s even better, thanks to a new exotic catalyst you can earn for your gun that increases its stats and capabilities. However, you will need to find the catalyst to unlock it and make the most of Thorn.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Thorn Exotic Catalyst, how to get it, and what benefits it brings when you do.
How to get the Thorn Exotic Catalyst
Like many other exotic catalysts, the Thorn Catalyst is not something you can earn through a quest or mission – instead, it comes as a random drop during gameplay. You can earn it through ritual actions: strikes, gambit matches or the crucible.
There’s no guaranteed way to get the Thorn Catalyst, which means you’ll have to work hard to get it. The good news is that you can get it from any of these three events, so you can chase the Thorn Catalyst while doing other things like advancing your Vanguard reputation.
What does the Thorn Catalyst do
The Thorn Exotic Catalyst is a major boost to the shotgun’s performance in many areas. First, it boosts the Thorn’s stats, offering a significant increase in range and a decent increase in stability. Range increases by 20 points, bringing it to 69, and stability gets a 10 point boost, bringing it to 65.
Even better, though, is the change in Thorne’s inner trait. Killing an enemy with Thorn spawns a Remnant, a small sprite you can pick up that automatically refills Thorn’s magazine. With an Exotic Catalyst, killing or picking up a Remnant also temporarily increases range and stability, as well as overall mobility. This means that the Thorn becomes even more effective when you kill, on top of its already high lethality thanks to its auto-recharge capabilities and damage-over-time element of ammo.
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