Build it. The Catabolyst offers unique gameplay with its powerful reload grenade, especially when fully emptied. Its main weakness is the manual reload requirement and self-stagger from the grenade.
Throws a Corrosive grenade when reloading. Reloading from an empty magazine throws a larger grenade with increased Damage, Critical Chance and Status Chance.
The Catabolyst is an Infested secondary weapon that fires a short-ranged beam of Corrosive bile. Its unique mechanic involves throwing its clip as a grenade upon reloading, with significantly increased potency if reloaded from an empty magazine.
This weapon excels at applying status effects with its extremely high status chance and high fire rate. The primary beam has linear damage falloff and a damage ramp-up over time, while the reload grenade offers powerful area-of-effect damage.
Players must manually reload the Catabolyst, as it will not reload on its own. This manual reload is crucial for utilizing its signature grenade mechanic effectively, especially when aiming for the more powerful empty-magazine grenade.
How to get the Catabolyst
- Research the Catabolyst blueprint from the Bio Lab in the Clan Dojo.
Stats
| Class | Secondary |
|---|---|
| Mastery Rank | 11 |
| Trigger | HELD |
| Noise | Alarming |
| Fire Rate | 12 |
| Accuracy | 6.3 |
| Magazine | 31 |
| Reload | 1.7 s |
| Critical Chance | 11% |
| Critical Multiplier | 2.9x |
| Status Chance | 43% |
| Riven Disposition | (1.2) |
| Damage | 53 total |
|---|---|
| Corrosive | 53 |
The Catabolyst has a high riven disposition of 1.20x (4/5 dots), allowing rivens to provide substantial stat bonuses. This can significantly enhance its performance, particularly for critical chance or damage.
Builds
Given its extremely high status chance and high critical multiplier, a hybrid build focusing on both status and critical damage is ideal. The innate Corrosive damage allows for easy combination with Viral or Heat for potent damage over time stacks. Prioritize mods that boost critical stats for the grenade and status chance/damage for the beam.
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
Pistol
| Mod | Why it’s here |
|---|---|
| Hornet Strike | +220% Damage |
| Barrel Diffusion | +120% Multishot |
| Lethal Torrent | +60% Fire Rate; +60% Multishot |
| Galvanized Diffusion | +110% Multishot; On Kill: +30% Multishot for 20s. Stacks up to 4x. |
| Galvanized Shot | +80% Status Chance; On Kill: +40% Direct Damage per Status Type affecting the target for 14s. Stacks up to 3x. |
| Pistol Pestilence | +60% Toxin; +60% Status Chance |
| Frostbite | +60% Cold; +60% Status Chance |
| Primed Heated Charge | +165% Heat |
Secondary Merciless is the pick: stacking damage on kills with faster reloads. Secondary Encumber for a status build (a chance at a second random proc), Secondary Deadhead if you land headshots.
Reviewed September 2026.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Extremely high status chance on both beam and grenade.
- Very high critical multiplier, especially for the grenade.
- Powerful reload grenade with increased potency when empty.
- Innate Corrosive damage, simplifying elemental combinations.
- High fire rate for rapid status application.
Cons
- Must be reloaded manually, cannot auto-reload.
- Reload grenade causes self-stagger.
- Low critical chance on the primary beam.
- Limited range of 19 meters for the primary beam.
The Catabolyst offers a unique and engaging playstyle centered around its powerful reload grenade. Mastering the manual reload and managing the self-stagger are key to unlocking its full potential. Its high status chance and critical multiplier make it a formidable weapon for those who enjoy active gameplay.