TheHard Lightauto rifle is one of the more troublesome weapons inDestiny 2. Originally, it had a terrible case of the shakes whenever it was continuously fired. Recentpatches have made it more manageableand dramatically increased accuracy, but it’s still a little wobbly.
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Fortunately, theHard LightCatalyst improves things even further, to make theHard Lighta much better experience. Whether or not theHard Lightis still worth it after this point is debatable. Additionally, obtaining and upgrading theHard LightCatalyst is no picnic. Here’s everything players should know about what theHard LightCatalyst is capable of and where to get one.
Updated on July 21, 2025 by Ben Baker:It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for theHard Light. For a brief period, it was a monster of a weapon dominating PVP metas, then it received a nerf. Now theHard LightCatalyst 2021has found what many considered a balanced sweet spot. To demonstrate how viable this weapon still is it seemed important to mention theHard LightCatalyst’s stats. There are also some notes on the best times to use it post-nerf. Generally speaking, it’s a solid choice in PVP and a monster in PVE. For beginning players or those who struggle with aiming knowing how to getHard LightCatalyst is worth knowing.
What It Does
As mentioned earlier, theHard LightCatalyst helps minimize the shakiness that comes with firing theHard Lightin continuous firing mode. This is accomplished by the following benefit that comes with theHard LightCatalyst:
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It’s impossible to understate how wonderful this added stability is on top of the recent patch changes. For players who may have given up on this weapon a long time ago, it’s definitely worth taking another look with theHard LightCatalyst installed.
Weapon Stats With TheHard LightCatalyst
How To Find It
TheHard LightCatalyst will appear randomly whenever the player completes Heroic or Nightfall Strikes. There’s no indication exactly how rare aHard LightCatalyst drop is, but like other, Catalysts it’s not likely to appear right away.
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Whether the player is in Heroic or Nightfall doesn’t seem to affect the odds of a drop. The important thing to remember is that it appears as a result of successfully completing a Strike. Thus, players should only tackle a difficulty they can manage.
Upgrading
Once players have obtained theHard LightCatalyst,they can further augment it via upgrading. This is where a bit of grinding comes into play, as it takes one thousand kills with theHard Lightto upgrade. It doesn’t matter whether the enemies are PVE or Guardians, so long as one thousand are defeated.
It’s also important to note that the player must achieve these kills with theHard Light. It doesn’t matter how the enemy took damage; as long as the final blow is dealt with theHard Lightweapon, it will count. These kills can also be retroactive. If the player killed anything with theHard Lightbefore obtaining theHard LightCatalyst, it will also count towards the thousand.
Tips For Using TheHard Light
Hard Lightis handy in certain PVP situations thanks to its ability to destroy enemy shields. For some players, this meanswinning Crucible matcheson smaller maps where the continuous fire can wreak havoc. There are far better weapons for PVP though, so this isn’t the best choice.
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Alternatively, players can take theHard Lightinto PVE. Its Fundamentals perk enables players to alternate between different elemental damages whenever they want. This means theHard Lightweapon will enable players to have elemental advantage no matter what enemy they face. The continuous fire and high penetration are also helpful against tanky enemies, like bosses.
Advice On Using TheHard LightCatalyst
TheHard Lightis very forgiving for players with bad aim and an absolute menace for those with good aim. The direct fire combined with ricochets can really shred a group of enemies or antagonize those behind cover. This is a great weapon in PVP for providing covering fire, flushing out a stubborn enemy, or laying waste to anyone who groups up.
In PVE theHard LightCatalystis monstrous. The damage falloff is higher, the ricochet damage is higher, and it’s stable enough to wield. The same principle in PVP applies in PVE, those behind cover, keeping heads down, and shredding hordes. It’s a solid weapon that’s great for beginners.
