RELATED: Destiny 2: How To Beat The Oracles Encounter In The Vault Of Glass

The Prospector catalyst does improve things — maybe not enough to take it out of its niche, but it does make it more useful. It might not be the most important catalyst to chase down, but players with a fondness for the Prospector will definitely want it. Here’s what the Prospector catalyst does and where it can be obtained.

Updated on April 7, 2022, by Anastasia Maillot: The Prospector’s place in Destiny 2’s meta has remained surprisingly stagnant. Despite major meta changes, it hasn’t become favored by players due to other, better options coming into play. That said, the grenade launcher’s catalyst is an absolute must-have for those who do see use from this Exotic heavy weapon, as it significantly improves The Prospector and makes it a decent choice for quick burst DPS. Here’s where to get the weapon and its catalyst following the release of The Witch Queen expansion, and whether grinding it is actually worth it.

How To Get The Prospector In Season 16

The Prospector Exotic grenade launcher hasn’t been dropped into the Exotic kiosk’s vault just yet, and can still be obtained as of season 16 from various Exotic engrams. Players can either hope for good RNG and expect it to drop as an Exotic world drop, or they can head over to Xur on Fridays and check if he happens to be selling The Prospector.

Either way, players will need some patience and good luck in order to get their hands on this grenade launcher, and for the most consistent way, it’s best to regularly check Xur’s wares.

What The Prospector Catalyst Does

The Prospector catalyst comes with the perk Deeper Pockets. Deeper Pockets has a single, but important benefit it provides the Prospector:

Increased ammo reserves by three

This doesn’t sound like much, but the Prospector’s biggest flaws are a long reload time and a small magazine. Having three extra grenades to fire before reloading dramatically increases DPS. The Prospector is still a burst damage weapon, but it’s much more effective with the Prospector catalyst.

How To Find The Prospector Catalyst

The Prospector catalyst is a random reward for completing either Heroic or Nightfall Strikes. Both have the same odds of rewarding a Prospector catalyst, and there doesn’t appear to be a way to increase those odds.

RELATED: Destiny 2: What The Prometheus Lens Does & How To Find It

Nightfall Strikes are always a good choice for the loot, especially on weeks where double Nightfall rewards are active, but Heroic strikes can be done faster. Honestly, players are likely going to be doing a lot of both before the Prospector catalyst drops.

It’s also important to remember there’s no way to guarantee the Prospector catalyst will be the one that appears. It could be any of the other Heroic or Nightfall Strike-based catalysts that appears, like the Merciless catalyst.

Upgrading The Prospector Catalyst

Once the player has the Prospector catalyst, it’s a good idea to upgrade it. To do this players will need to kill 500 enemies using the Prospector grenade launcher. It doesn’t matter which enemies are killed or even where, though PVE is highly recommended given the nature of the Prospector.

It’s also worth noting that these kills can be done retroactively. If the player killed any enemies using the Prospector before getting the Prospector catalyst, they’ll count towards those 500. With that in mind, it’s often a good idea to use the Prospector on the Heroic and Nightfall Strikes while grinding.

Tips For Getting The Prospector Catalyst

The key to getting the Prospector catalyst is to complete Nightfall and Heroic Strikes quickly. For this reason, some players might prefer to run Heroic Strikes, as they can typically be completed faster than Nightfalls.

RELATED: Destiny 2: How To Get The Gjallarhorn Catalyst (& What It Does)

That being said, Nightfalls give great loot like Exotic Armor pieces and Nightfall-specific weapons. They may take longer, especially on higher difficulties, but the rewards are often worth it. Long story short, if the player wants just the Prospector catalyst, then quick Heroic Strikes are the way to go. If getting helpful loot while grinding is more important, then Nightfall is best.

Is The Prospector Catalyst Worth It?

In terms of heavy weapons for Destiny 2’s season 16, The Prospector definitely isn’t the first weapon to come to mind. While grenade launchers aren’t bad, there are simply other, far better choices out there that have been released with The Witch Queen, namely the Parasite grenade launcher that can deal far more damage.

The Prospector doesn’t have a specific place in either PVE or PVP, either. It simply lacks an oomph, even if its catalyst significantly improves its bad stats. However, because there isn’t a strict meta as of season 16, with some players using linear fusions and others favoring rocket launchers, technically, players can use The Prospector in PVE with decent results.

That said, should be noted that in endgame content, The Prospector falls flat compared to other heavy weapons and remains more of a niche pick or even a collector’s weapon. With no boost from the seasonal artifact either, The Prospector and its catalyst shouldn’t be at the top of any player’s priority list.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Destiny 2: How To Open The Vault Of Glass In The Waking Ruins