2022’s first Destiny 2 Guardian Games event is here as part of The Witch Queen and Season of the Risen. Pitting Warlocks, Titans, and Hunters against one another once more, the Guardian Games present all sorts of features for both newcomers and veterans who are participating once more, from a new SMG called The Title to cosmetics, medallions to hoard, and much more. As part of many of the missions you’ll encounter, you’re gonna stumble upon the Competitive Catalyst quest. This guide explains the steps and how to get the Destiny 2 Heir Apparent catalyst during the Guardian Games 2022.
How to Get the Destiny 2 Heir Apparent Catalyst 2022
You can have a chance to obtain the Destiny 2 Heir Apparent catalyst quest whenever you turn in a Gold or Platinum Medal. It’s called Competitive Catalyst, and has three steps for you to complete. If you don’t have Heir Apparent you won’t potentially get the catalyst quest whenever you turn in a medal.
Remember, you can obtain a Gold Medal from completing Contender Cards, which you can purchase from Eva Levante at the Tower for 100 Laurels each. Once you have the Contender Card, the objectives are usually in the vein fo getting Void or Statis final blows in Guardian Games and Vanguard playlists, for example. It won’t take too long, so I recommend to always have at least one Contender Card active at all times so you’re making the most out of each activity you set foot in.
As for Platinum Medals, you need to purchase Platinum Cards from Eva Levante instead. These cost 200 Laurels each and present harder challenges. Keep in mind that you have to own the gun to actually earn the catalyst. Because of this, I strongly recommend prioritizing acquiring this weapon first, so you can potentially earn the catalyst throughout the event as you progress with everything else.
How to Complete the Heir Apparent Catalyst
Once you obtain the catalyst, you will need to complete four steps to fully masterwork this weapon. Three of the four are tied to Guardian Games, so you’ll definitely want to try and obtain this catalyst as soon as possible.
1. Earn 50 Points by Obtaining Medallions
You can obtain Medallions from Contender Cards, Triumphs, and finishing Guardian Games’ activities. Any medals you earn be stored in your Medal Case and then these items are deposited on the podium at The Tower. You’ll need to earn a total of 50 Points, but obtaining Gold and Platinum Medals earn you additional progress.
2. Complete 3 Contender Cards
For this step, all you need to do is complete three different Contender Cards. The difficulty of the Contender Cards doesn’t matter, so pick which one you’ll find easiest to complete.
3. Collect 90 Competitive Spirit
Your next step requires you to enter the Daily Focus playlist and kill combatants with any Heavy machine gun. Doing so will reward you with Competitive Spirit, however, you can earn additional progress by landing precision final blows. I recommend using Commemoration, Thunder Lord, or Seventh Seraph SAW for this step. The Heir Apparent isn’t terribly accurate and you cannot land precision blows with Xenophage. Stick to machine guns where you can consistently land critical hits.
4. Get 700 Kills With Heir Apparent
This is outside the quest itself, but you’re gonna have to do it to upgrade the catalyst. All you need to do is kill 700 enemies with the Heir Apparent. This section can be completed at any time, so don’t fret about getting 700 kills during the Guardian Games event. Some recommended areas for farming these kills are Blind Well, Altars of Sorrow, the Shuro Chi encounter in the Last Wish raid, and the Kingship Dock Lost Sector in The Tangled Shore.
What Does the Catalyst Do?
The Heir Apparent catalyst impacts the weapon in two different ways. The first is it will increase the strength of the Arc shield it produces and the gun will now partially reload whenever that shield shatters. While I don’t think that these changes will make the weapon viable in endgame content, it’s still a fun bonus for those who like to use Heir Apparent. Additionally, the weapon will produce Orbs of Power upon multi-kills and track how many enemies you’ve defeated with it.
