Destiny 2 Arbalest catalyst guide: How to get and what it does 

Arbalest has become one of the best weapons in Destiny 2 PvE. This Kinetic Linear Fusion Rifle was significantly buffed after the 30th Anniversary patch back in December, where the weapon got both an Anti-Barrier Intrinsic and a catalyst for added benefit in the weapon's ammo economy.

To sum up Arbalest's use right now, the following achievements can be earned by it:

• Players can use this to break a combatant's elemental shield.
• Barrier break of Champions.
• Deals added damage after shield break due to the "Disruption Break" perk.
• Genesis perk from catalyst to fully reload the magazine after breaking the shield.

The following article explains the best way to get Arbalest's catalyst to drop and how it works in endgame activities.

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How to get the Arbalest catalyst In Destiny 2?

Playlist activity inside the Director (Image via Destiny 2)

In Destiny 2, Arbalest can be acquired from the world pool, either by opening Exotic engrams or by purchasing from Xur. This 533 Charge Time Kinetic Linear Fusion Rifle holds the capability to one-shot any elemental shield, be it Solar, Arc, or Void. This is also why it's highly viable for endgame activities.

The catalyst, on the other hand, can be obtained from playlist activities such as Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit. Mayhem and Team Scorched finish up pretty quickly, where you can breeze through per match to get a chance at the catalyst on each completion.

Gambit runs with a fireteam of four can also be quick, alongside Vanguard playlist Strikes. One thing to note here is that the Arbalest catalyst drops only from the playlist (random strikes) and not from the ones that can be activated from individual planets.

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What does the Arbalest catalyst do in Destiny 2?

The intrinsic perk of Arbalest (Image via Destiny 2)

After acquiring the catalyst by going through the aforementioned methods, you will need to score a total of 500 enemy kills to unlock it. Shuro Chi checkpoints from the Last Wish Raid or the opening encounter from the Grasp of Avarice Dungeon are great places to earn kills quickly.

The catalyst grants added Handling to the weapon, alongside the "Genesis" perk. The latter states the following:

"Breaking a combatant's shield with this weapon fills its magazine from reserves. Energy weapons regenerate ammo on hit when matching the damage type to the combatant's shield."

Hence, alongside dealing added damage to enemies due to the Disruption Break perk, Genesis will reload Arbalest's magazine from its reserves.

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How to properly use Arbalest in high-tier Destiny 2 PvE?

To start things off, Arbalest offers the Disruption Break perk, which further grants players 50% increased Kinetic damage after breaking an elemental shield. This allows you to keep firing weapons to finish off any elite or trash mobs in Grandmasters or Raids.

However, one hidden perk that isn't mentioned anywhere regarding Disruption Break is that it works against Barrier Champions as well. So be it Solar Wizards, Arc Knights, or even Barrier Champions, every enemy will receive the 50% increased damage from Arbalest after their shields get shut down.