Destiny 2: How to Upgrade Monument of Triumph Catalysts Fast

Monument of Triumph changes the Exotic weapon grind in a big way: Destiny 2 now adds 26 new Exotic catalysts and updates nine existing ones, which means every Exotic weapon finally has a catalyst path. The efficient way to handle this is not to chase everything at once. Split catalysts into three groups first: ritual activity drops, Exotic Orders, and raid or dungeon exclusives. Then prioritize the weapons you already use in weekly PvE or endgame DPS, because those catalysts pay you back immediately while you work on the rest. That approach matters even more now because the update broadens access, but it also looks like it can increase total grind if you treat the whole patch like one giant checklist.

This guide focuses on the rules that are clear right now across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam versions of Destiny 2. Exact weapon-by-weapon optimization and long-term balance rankings are still settling, but the best workflow for unlocking and upgrading catalysts is already clear enough to save you a lot of wasted runs.

What Monument of Triumph changed for Exotic catalysts

The headline change is simple: Bungie used Destiny 2’s final major content update before maintenance mode to finish catalyst coverage across the Exotic sandbox. If you had older Exotics sitting in the vault because they never got a catalyst, that excuse is gone. If you had an Exotic with a weak or outdated catalyst, there is also a good chance it is worth rechecking now because nine existing catalysts were updated alongside the new additions.

The important availability rules are more useful than any raw list of names:

• Most of the newly added catalysts are obtainable through ritual activities or through Exotic Orders.
• Raid-exclusive and dungeon-exclusive Exotics still keep their catalyst chases tied to those endgame activities.
• The broader patch also includes balance changes touching boss damage, utility, ammo behavior, subclasses, and gear, so catalyst value is not only about raw damage anymore.
• Because every Exotic now has an upgrade path, returning players need a priority plan instead of trying to clear the full catalog in release order.

That last point is the one that matters most in practice. The patch is generous in coverage, but not in time. If you try to start 20-plus catalysts at once, you will end up with a vault full of half-finished upgrades and very little actual benefit in your loadouts.

The best priority order for new catalysts

The best first catalysts are not necessarily the strongest on paper. They are the ones that improve weapons already in your normal loop. That keeps your farming efficient because every strike, Crucible match, dungeon run, or raid clear is doing double duty.

• First: Catalysts for Exotics you already use every week. If a weapon is in your standard PvE loadout, finish that catalyst first even if another one looks flashier. An upgrade you actively use is always better than a stronger upgrade that sits unfinished.
• Second: Catalysts that improve ammo economy, handling, reload feel, or utility. Monument of Triumph does more than push damage numbers. Ammo-related and utility-focused catalysts can quietly be the best quality-of-life gains because they improve every encounter, not just boss phases.
• Third: Boss-DPS Exotics that matter for raids, dungeons, and harder PvE. If your group runs endgame content regularly, these move up the list fast. If you mostly play solo playlists, keep them below your daily-driver weapons.
• Fourth: Raid- and dungeon-exclusive catalyst chases for weapons you do not currently use. These are the easiest to overvalue because they sound prestigious, but they also have the most obvious access gate.
• Last: Collection clean-up catalysts for novelty Exotics or PvP weapons you rarely touch. Save these for the point where your active arsenal is already covered.

A simple rule helps here: if the catalyst will affect your next ten activities, start it now. If it only matters in a hypothetical future build, park it. Monument of Triumph rewards focus much more than completionism.

Fastest workflow to unlock and finish catalysts

The fastest route is a loop, not a straight line: sort by source, unlock in batches, then finish objectives while you keep chasing the next batch. The main mistake is separating those steps too hard and turning each catalyst into its own isolated grind.

1. Sort every target weapon by source before you queue anything

Make three buckets on paper, in notes, or just mentally:

• Ritual activity catalysts: these are your playlist-friendly targets. Keep these grouped together because one farming session can progress several goals.
• Exotic Order catalysts: treat these as targeted chases. If the catalyst comes from an order instead of a random ritual drop, do that earlier because directed progress is usually more efficient than fishing for random rewards.
• Raid and dungeon catalysts: only start these when you already know your fireteam plans. Do not sink time into prep for an endgame catalyst if you are not actually running that activity this week.

This first sort prevents the most common waste: spending hours in playlists for a catalyst that never had a playlist source in the first place.

2. Pair acquisition farming with completion farming

As soon as a catalyst drops, inspect the weapon and read the objective text before jumping into the next activity. Do not assume the completion step is always just enemy kills. Some catalysts historically leaned on kills, others on completions or more specific conditions, and the right farm depends on that difference.

The efficient pattern looks like this:

• If you are chasing ritual drops, use that same ritual session to advance any catalyst that also benefits from repeated activity clears.
• If the catalyst wants kills, fold it into enemy-dense PvE instead of continuing a low-kill playlist just because that is where it dropped.
• If the catalyst is tied to a raid or dungeon Exotic, plan the full chain in one window whenever possible: acquire access, clear the activity, then keep the weapon in focus until the catalyst is actually finished.

The point is to stop treating “unlocking” and “upgrading” as separate grinds. Monument of Triumph adds enough catalyst volume that you need overlap wherever the game allows it.

3. Work one kinetic/primary-style target and one special or heavy target at a time

Even without exact weapon-by-weapon routes, one practical rule holds up: do not stack too many heavy-dependent catalysts at once. Heavy ammo can slow your pace, and juggling several boss-focused Exotics together often means none of them progress cleanly. A better rhythm is to pair one easy-to-feed weapon with one higher-investment weapon. That keeps your runs productive without forcing every activity to revolve around ammo drops.

This also helps with build friction. Monument of Triumph shipped alongside broader gear and subclass tuning, so forcing three awkward Exotics into one session can make your farming slower than the catalyst bonus is worth.

4. Recheck older Exotics before you ignore them

Nine existing catalysts were updated, which means some weapons that felt weak, clunky, or overly niche before this patch may deserve another look. You do not need to rebuild your whole loadout around every rework, but you should at least inspect the Exotics you had written off for poor ammo feel, limited utility, or weak boss contribution. The patch explicitly touches those areas.

The safest way to do this is practical, not theoretical: test the updated weapon in the content you already play. If it improves your real rotation, move it up. If it still feels niche, leave it behind for later. The meta will keep settling, but your own use case is the better filter right now.

The endgame gates that decide your real progress speed

The biggest progress divider is not your power level or platform. It is whether the catalyst sits behind content you can run on demand.

• Ritual catalysts are your default progress engine because they are the easiest to queue repeatedly.
• Exotic Order catalysts are usually the best targeted mid-priority path because they remove some randomness from the chase.
• Raid and dungeon catalysts are hard gates. If you do not have a group, an LFG plan, or the time block for the activity, that catalyst is not a quick project no matter how strong the weapon is.

This is why raid and dungeon catalysts should almost never be your first Monument of Triumph focus unless that content is already part of your weekly schedule. Players lose the most time here by assuming every new catalyst is equally available. It is not. The update widened coverage, but it did not erase activity identity for endgame Exotics.

Common mistakes that slow catalyst progress

• Starting too many catalysts at once and finishing none of them.
• Ignoring the source category and farming playlists for an endgame-exclusive catalyst.
• Chasing prestige weapons before upgrading the Exotics already carrying your weekly content.
• Assuming every catalyst objective wants the same kind of farm.
• Not revisiting older Exotics even though nine catalysts were updated.
• Judging every catalyst only by boss DPS when utility and ammo changes may matter more for your actual loadout.

The easiest fix is ruthless focus. Pick three to five target weapons, not the entire catalog. Try to have at least one low-friction target in that set so every session ends with visible progress. That matters more than it sounds, because Monument of Triumph is structured like a final sandbox send-off: generous in options, easy to overgrind.

What to do first if you are returning for Monument of Triumph

If you are jumping back into Destiny 2 specifically for this update, start by opening your most-used Exotics and checking their catalyst status. Build a short list that covers one all-purpose PvE weapon, one special or heavy weapon you bring into bosses, and one weapon whose catalyst is clearly accessible through ritual activities or Exotic Orders. That gives you a clean first week without forcing raid or dungeon scheduling immediately.

After that, only move into endgame-exclusive catalysts when your core arsenal is already upgraded. That order gives you faster gains, less frustration, and a much better chance of actually finishing the catalyst chains you start.

Practical takeaway

Monument of Triumph makes Destiny 2’s Exotic collection feel complete, but the smart play is selective, not exhaustive. Start with catalysts for the Exotics you already use, favor ritual and Exotic Order sources before raid and dungeon chases, and always read the objective before choosing the farm. If you treat the update like a source-management problem instead of a giant scavenger hunt, you will get the useful catalysts online much faster and avoid the grind trap that comes with trying to finish everything at once.