Named for Hades’ inadequately three-headed pet, Destiny 2‘s Cerberus+1 is an exotic auto rifle with four barrels. When the weapon first released as part of the Destiny 2: Forsaken expansion, it was generally seen as a relatively mediocre exotic, since its short effective range meant it was outclassed by other exotics in most situations. But with Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Bungie introduced a Cerberus+1 Exotic Catalyst that shakes things up considerably, giving players the option to reduce the gun’s range even further in exchange for a more contained bullet spread and increased damage. In this Destiny 2 Cerberus+1 Catalyst location guide, we’ll tell you how to get the Cerberus+1 catalyst and how to unlock its new abilities once you’ve got it.
Destiny 2 Cerberus+1 Exotic Catalyst changes
Before we cover how to find the Cerberus+1 Catalyst, let’s discuss what it actually does. Unlocking the Cerberus+1 Masterwork Catalyst enables an alternate fire mode that drastically changes how the weapon works. By holding a button, you can switch between the normal fire mode and the new, slower fire mode (indicated by the changing colors of the lights on the left side of the gun). This mode reduces the bullet spread and significantly increases the damage. This has enabled players like those in YouTuber Ehroar’s fireteam to defeat the Emperor Calus raid boss in one damage phase. Rat King and Outbreak Perfected are the only other kinetic weapons known to have been able to do this.
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The downside to this massive damage spike is a considerably reduced range, giving Cerberus+1 significant damage falloff outside of shotgun/SMG range. Players have seen damage numbers as low as 5 per hit when using Cerberus+1’s slower fire mode at longer ranges.
Destiny 2 Cerberus+1 Exotic Catalyst location
Unlike some other Destiny 2 Exotic Catalysts, the Cerberus+1 Catalyst does not have a specific source. The benefit of this, however, is that you have a chance of finding it in almost any activity you participate in (besides PvP). Your best bet at getting it would be to load up level one of Escalation Protocol on Mars, the Vex Offensive, strikes, the Engine area of the Leviathan raid, or other spots where you’ll be able to kill large amounts of enemies again and again. Once you have the Catalyst, unlocking the new fire mode is a matter of simply getting kills with the weapon.