TheCrimsonis a popular Hand Cannon inDestiny 2thanks to its unique abilities. TheCruel Remedyperk allows kills to heal the wielder and precision kills to top off the magazine. Combined with its strong damage potential, it’s an effective weapon for tanky builds.
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But determining if tracking down and upgrading theCrimsonCatalyst is worth it or not is a different story. It does boost the weapon’s potential, yet, for some players, it’s more of a bonus than a requirement. To decide for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about theCrimsonCatalyst and how to get a hold of one.
Updated on May 29, 2025 by Ben Baker:TheDestiny 2Crimsonshould honestly be a staple weapon for all players. It comes with handy perks like burst damage, refill ammo, and healing, all of which make it easy to use. For more experienced players, though, the usefulness of this weapon may be questionable as it compromises damage for sustainability. It may not be the most efficient weapon, but victory is always more efficient than defeat, so for some, it’ll be worth it. In the end it’s up to the tastes and preferences of the player but it’s worth giving a shot. To this end and to help with this decision, this article has been updated with the weapon’s stats and examples of how best to use this weapon.
What It Does
TheCrimsonCatalyst comes with a single perk:
That’s not exactly a groundbreaking change for an already powerful weapon. That being said, any range boost on a Hand Cannon is a welcome one, and this boost can give theCrimsonmore utility in combat. That extra bump in range can let the player use theCrimsonin more situations than otherwise and avoids having to switch to something else.
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But players should know that there is a bit of farming involved in getting theCrimsonCatalyst and it takes quite a few kills to upgrade it. Read on below to learn how to obtain and upgrade this piece of hardware.
Weapon Stats With TheCrimsonCatalyst
How To Find It
TheCrimsonCatalyst is a random rare dropwhenever the player kills a non-Guardian enemy anywhere in the game. It doesn’t matter if it’s a low-level enemy wandering around in the environment, or a powerful Fallen lurking in a playlist. Any enemy that isn’t a Guardian can drop theCrimsonCatalyst upon dying.
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Of course, the chances of this happening are pretty low, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to increase those odds. Further compounding the issue is the fact that there’s no guarantee this particular Catalyst will drop when the game triggers a Catalyst drop. As a result, players will be in for quite a bit of grind to get theCrimsonCatalyst specifically.
Upgrading
Once obtained, players will want to spend some time upgrading theCrimsonCatalyst to get its full potential. To upgrade theCrimsonCatalyst players will need toget 300 precision kills using theCrimson. They can be any type of enemy, including Guardians, but the kill must be made using a Precision shot.
These kills can also be done retroactively. This means that if the player achieved any precision kills using theCrimsonprior to obtaining theCrimsonCatalyst it’ll count towards the 300. A great way to maximize efficiency is to aim for precision kills with theCrimsonwhile grinding for theCrimsonCatalyst.
Tips For Getting & Upgrading TheCrimsonCatalyst
Because any enemy kill has the chance of dropping theCrimsonCatalyst, the player could opt forchasing after low-level enemies.This allows them to burn through a large number of kills, which gives more chances for a drop to occur.
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Alternatively, the player can aim for getting theCrimsonCatalyst to drop organically while pursuing other goals. For instance, players could be grinding Strikes to get theDeathbringerCatalystto drop, and result in aCrimsonCatalyst during that time. Then it’s just a matter of upgrading theCrimsonCatalyst afterward.
Advice On Using TheCrimsonCatalyst
TheDestiny 2Crimsonis solid in both PVP and PVE settings. In PVP, its perks combine tofire three shots, heal the player, and refill the magazine.If used carefully and with great accuracy, players will never need to reload, and can receive heals as they fight. That being said, it doesn’t compare DPS-wise against something like theHawkmoon. Usually, the enemy’s strategy against theCrimsonwill be to out-damage its healing.
In PVE this is less of a concern, as enemies aren’t this smart. This makes Crimsons a great weapon when fighting against tough enemies or bosses. Keep in mind these fights will take a bit longer, though, as the DPS isn’t as good as the competition.For players struggling to stay alive in these fights, theCrimsonis a perfect choice. For players who don’t have this problem, however, choosing something with better damage may be more appropriate.
Generally speaking, any Hunter who wants to take advantage of something like theLucky Pantsbuff will want this gun.Hunters will benefit the most from the healingand get the most perks with Handcannons. Beginners will also find this weapon very useful as they learn the ropes and begin to understand enemy patterns and strategies.
