Destiny 2 Strike And Crucible Exotic Drop Rates Seem Broken This Season

Something is definitely off with the Exotic Catalyst drop rates in Destiny 2 for Season of Opulence. Usually it’s not impossible to get your hands on the Exotic Catalysts from Strikes and the Crucible, but this season one Guardian has found that there’s a major issue with how often they can be earned.

Over on the Destiny Subreddit, user Rustyfaw has reported their experience with Exotic Catalysts from Strikes and the Crucible. They say that after a total of 235 Crucible matches, and 170 Strikes during Season of Opulence, they have yet to earn a single one of the Exotic Catalysts released this season. If you’re astonished by that number, you should be because it’s a lot!

The Exotic Catalysts in question were all added in the past few months, and are the final batch from year 1: Rat King, Prospector, SUROS Regime, and Hard Light. The issue doesn’t seem to be that they’re impossible to obtain though. In fact, many Guardians seemed to be able to acquire these Exotic Catalysts early on in the season, while others are still grinding away for them.

While the Guardian in question here had all of the prior Exotic Catalysts before they attempted to acquire these four new ones, there are some theories floating around the community as to wy they, and others like them, might not be able to get these particular Exotic Catalysts.

Theory 1

The perk for Clans this season, which grants an increased chance to earn Catalysts, is super powerful. Those attempting to get these Catalysts without the Clan perk might be suffering because the odds are so massively stacked against them, since they’re out of a clan.

Theory 2

This second theory suggests that there’s a greater chance of obtaining these Exotic Catalysts if you’re also complaint a Daily or Weekly Milestone for Strikes or Crucible. While there’s no conclusive evidence just yet, I bet that this one is probably true. I always get better rewards from these Milestones, particularly the first ones of the week.

Theory 3

The third theory is that those who have managed to earn Exotic Catalysts this season have got them through either the Iron Banner, or Competitive Crucible playlists, which could mean they have better drop rates than Quickplay. Most Guardians play Quickplay for the Daily and Weekly Milestones, and if that playlist has worse drop rates, it could be why certain Guardians aren’t earning these Exotic Catalysts.

Theory 4

This fourth theory is that if a Guardian has a few unlocked but not completed Catalysts, it could be ruining their chances of unlocking new ones. It would make sense that Destiny 2 provides a lower Cataclyst drop rate to Guardians with so many unlocked but not finished, since it would provide a better sense of ongoing progression. No word from Bungie on this, but it seems like a likely option. However, the theory doesn’t work for the Guardian mentioned at the start fo this article, who already had every other Catalyst unlocked.

Our Take

It would be awesome if Bungie could implement a system that dropped Catalysts on a guaranteed basis. We’re not suggesting that for every 50 Strikes a Catalyst drops, but maybe some sort of guidance similar to Pinnacle Weapon Quests would work better. With this form of Guidance, Guardians would at least be able to work towards a specific Cataclyst, and avoid the pain of finally getting one, only to see that it’s irrelevant because they don’t have the weapon.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Thanks to Forbes for elaborating on this issue from the community.

Image Source: Forbes