How to Get the Sunshot Catalyst in Destiny 2: Fastest Farm & Unlock Guide (2026)

Quick answer: To get the Sunshot catalyst in Destiny 2 (Renegades / Monument of Triumph, 2026), you first need the Sunshot Exotic Hand Cannon itself, then farm the catalyst as a random drop from Portal activities at any difficulty, or buy it from Xûr when he stocks it for Strange Coins. Once it drops, unlock it by getting 500 kills with Sunshot and 1,000 Sun Blast explosion kills. The fastest place to grind the Sun Blast kills is the opening cave of the Grasp of Avarice dungeon, where Thralls and Acolytes spawn endlessly. When complete, the catalyst adds roughly +27 Range and +18 Stability (values per light.gg; Bungie has tuned these across patches).

Sunshot has been a top-tier Solar add-clear hand cannon since Destiny 2 launched, and its catalyst is one of the cleanest quality-of-life upgrades in the game — no gimmick, just a straight stat boost that fixes the gun's two weak points. This guide covers exactly where the catalyst drops, how to speed up both kill requirements, what actually counts as a "Sun Blast," and whether it's worth chasing in the current sandbox.

What is the Sunshot catalyst and what does it do?

Sunshot is a Solar Exotic Hand Cannon with the Sun Blast perk: precision kills (and most kills) cause the target to explode in Solar energy, scorching nearby enemies. It's a chain-reaction add-clear machine, which is why it slots into almost any Solar build.

The base gun's weakness is its shooting feel — middling Range and Stability that make it kick and fall off at distance. That's precisely what the catalyst fixes. Per light.gg, completing and applying the Sunshot catalyst grants approximately:

• +27 Range — noticeably tighter damage falloff and better target acquisition
• +18 Stability — less recoil, easier follow-up shots

There's no exotic-perk gimmick like some later catalysts — it's a pure stats buff. That sounds boring, but on a gun this good it's a meaningful upgrade: the extra Range in particular is what turns Sunshot from "fun" into a genuine keep-forever Solar primary. Bungie has adjusted the exact numbers across balance patches, so treat +27/+18 as the current ballpark rather than a locked value, and always confirm on the inspect screen.

Do you need Sunshot before you can get the catalyst?

Yes. The catalyst will not drop for you until you own the Sunshot Exotic Hand Cannon in your Collections. If you don't have it yet:

• Decrypt Exotic engrams — Sunshot is in the general world-drop Exotic pool, so any Exotic engram can roll it.
• Buy it from Xûr — the weekend vendor frequently stocks Sunshot in his Exotic inventory. If it's showing, grab it directly instead of gambling on engrams.
• Rahool focusing — you can also focus older Exotic weapons at the Cryptarch (Rahool) in the Tower using Exotic Engrams and glimmer if you're chasing a specific one.

Once Sunshot is in your inventory, the catalyst becomes eligible to drop.

How to get the Sunshot catalyst

The Sunshot catalyst is a random Exotic-rarity drop, not a quest, so there's no deterministic "do X, get it" path. Here's every current source, ranked by how reliable it is.

1. Portal activities (main source)

In the current Renegades sandbox (Year 8, Season: Lawless), the catalyst drops from completing Portal activities at any difficulty — the ritual playlists (Vanguard Ops, Crucible, Gambit) and the Ops nodes (Solo Ops, Fireteam Ops, Arena Ops) all run through the Portal and all qualify. The drop chance is low (as you'd expect for an Exotic drop), but it's account-wide and you only need it once. Run whatever Portal activity you enjoy and let the RNG resolve — higher activity throughput = more chances.

2. Crucible / Competitive victories (boosted odds)

Bungie increased catalyst drop rates from PvP wins. As the community trackers note:

"As of Update 7.3.5, Competitive matches will also have an increased chance to drop Exotic weapon catalysts on victories." — Bungie sandbox update, via light.gg

If you play Crucible anyway, Comp wins are a legitimately strong catalyst source right now.

3. Xûr (guaranteed if stocked)

Xûr occasionally sells the Sunshot catalyst for Strange Coins during his Friday–Tuesday visit. This is the only guaranteed way to get it — if it's in his stock, buy it and skip the RNG entirely. Check his inventory every weekend. (If you're short on his currency, see our Strange Coins farm guide.)

How to unlock the Sunshot catalyst: the two kill requirements

Getting the catalyst to drop is only half the job — it drops inert and immediately starts tracking two objectives. You must complete both before you can apply it:

Objective	Amount	What counts
Weapon kills	500	Any kill with Sunshot equipped and firing
Sun Blast kills	1,000	An enemy killed by Sunshot's explosion, not the bullet

The 500 weapon kills are trivial — you'll clear them just by using the gun. The 1,000 Sun Blast kills are the real grind and the part most players get wrong.

What actually counts as a "Sun Blast"?

A Sun Blast is the Solar explosion that triggers when you defeat an enemy with Sunshot. For it to count toward the catalyst, that explosion must kill at least one other enemy. Key clarifications players miss:

• The explosion, not the shot, is what needs the kill — so you want grouped, low-health enemies packed tightly.
• Sun Blast is not the same as a Solar ignition. If you're running a heavy Solar-ignition build (Ember of Ashes, high Scorch stacks), your ignitions can steal kills that would otherwise come from the Sun Blast explosion. Dial the ignition build back while grinding the catalyst so the gun's own explosions do the killing.
• Body-shot kills still produce Sun Blast explosions, so you don't need precision hits — you need volume of weak, clustered adds.

Fastest ways to farm Sun Blast kills

You want dense, infinitely-respawning, low-tier adds. These are the best spots, free and premium:

Grasp of Avarice — opening cave (best free method)

The opening encounter of the Grasp of Avarice dungeon is the community-standard farm. Drop into the cave, let the Thralls and Acolytes spawn continuously, and blow them up as they cluster. They're low-health and pack in tight, so nearly every kill triggers a chain Sun Blast that catches two or three more. You can solo it, and if you die or want to reset, just reload the activity. Expect to clear a large chunk of the 1,000 in a single sitting.

Blind Well — Dreaming City

The Blind Well throws waves of grouped enemies at you. Ignore the tier mechanics, stand where the adds funnel, and farm explosions. Great when you want a change of scenery from the dungeon.

Caldera / Solo Ops & Arena Ops (Portal)

The Caldera Solo Ops activity and general Arena Ops have plenty of grouped trash mobs, and running Portal activities doubles as a chance to farm the catalyst drop itself if you don't have it yet. Two birds.

Any Lost Sector or seasonal add-dense activity

At higher difficulty, add-heavy Lost Sectors and seasonal activities work too — the requirement is just "lots of clustered weak enemies," so use whatever you enjoy grinding.

Tips to grind the catalyst faster

• Run a light Solar build, not a heavy ignition build. You want the gun's Sun Blast to land the kills, not your subclass verbs. Weaken your Scorch/ignition output while farming.
• Aim for the middle of packs. One explosion killing three adds counts as (potentially) multiple Sun Blast kills — maximize enemies in the blast radius.
• Farm the drop and the unlock together. If you don't have the catalyst yet, run Portal Solo/Arena Ops with Sunshot equipped so you're building kill progress the moment it drops.
• Buy from Xûr to skip the drop RNG. If the catalyst is in his weekend stock, spend the Strange Coins — it's the only guaranteed acquisition.

Is the Sunshot catalyst worth getting in 2026?

Yes. It's one of the highest value-for-effort catalysts in the game. Sunshot is still an elite Solar add-clear primary, and the catalyst directly fixes its only real flaws (Range and Stability) without changing how it plays. The 1,000 Sun Blast grind is the only friction, and Grasp of Avarice trivializes it in a session or two. If you use Sunshot in any Solar loadout — and most Solar builds want it — the catalyst is a permanent, account-wide upgrade you complete once and never think about again.

If you'd rather skip the grind entirely, our fireteam can knock out the Sun Blast farm, catalyst completions, and dungeon runs for you while you keep your loot:

Fast-track your Sunshot catalyst and every other Destiny 2 grind:

- Destiny 2 Carries & Boosts — catalysts · exotics · dungeons · farms

- Destiny 2 Raid Carries — day-one & weekly, pro fireteam

- Destiny 2 Power Leveling — fast, safe light/power level

- Destiny 2 (all services) — raids · trials · leveling · more

Chasing other Exotics and catalysts? See our guides on how to get the Truth catalyst, how to get Necrochasm, and the Cull's Shadow Oblation exotic missions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get the Sunshot catalyst in Destiny 2? You need the Sunshot Exotic Hand Cannon first, then the catalyst drops randomly from completing Portal activities (Solo/Fireteam/Arena Ops) at any difficulty, from Competitive Crucible victories at boosted odds, or by buying it from Xûr for Strange Coins when he stocks it. After it drops, unlock it with 500 Sunshot kills and 1,000 Sun Blast kills.

What counts as a Sun Blast kill for the Sunshot catalyst? A Sun Blast is the Solar explosion Sunshot triggers when you defeat an enemy. It only counts toward the catalyst when that explosion kills at least one other enemy, so you want grouped, low-health adds. Note that a Sun Blast is different from a Solar ignition — heavy ignition builds can steal kills, so tone the ignition down while grinding.

Where is the fastest place to farm Sun Blast kills? The opening cave of the Grasp of Avarice dungeon, where Thralls and Acolytes spawn endlessly and cluster tightly, so nearly every kill chains an explosion into several more. Blind Well in the Dreaming City and the Caldera Solo Ops activity are strong alternatives.

What does the Sunshot catalyst do? It's a pure stat upgrade with no added perk, granting roughly +27 Range and +18 Stability (per light.gg; Bungie has tuned the values over time). That tightens Sunshot's damage falloff and reduces recoil, fixing the gun's two main weaknesses.

Can you buy the Sunshot catalyst from Xûr? Yes. Xûr occasionally sells the Sunshot catalyst for Strange Coins during his weekly Friday–Tuesday visit. It's the only guaranteed way to get it, so check his inventory every weekend if you don't want to rely on the drop RNG.

Do I need Sunshot before the catalyst can drop? Yes — the catalyst will not drop until you own the Sunshot Exotic Hand Cannon. Get the gun from Exotic engrams, from Xûr, or by focusing it at Rahool, then the catalyst becomes eligible to drop.