The Ace of Spades is a powerful Handcannon in Destiny 2. It comes with innate abilities that allow it to deal extra damage through headshots, increased damage after kills, and other perks. There’s a reason this weapon belonged to Cayde-6 for so many years.
Its highly recommended that any player who uses this weapon also takes the time to get a hold of the Ace of Spades Catalyst. It may take a bit of searching, but it comes with a powerful perk that makes the weapon even more deadly. Here’s what the Ace of Spades Catalyst does and where you can get it.
Updated On October 27, 2021 by Ben Baker: The Ace Of Spades Catalyst in Destiny 2 is a phenomenal parting gift from the late Cayde-6. Many players consider it the best Handcannon in the game and for good reason. Of course, it does require a bit of skill to get the full effect and for beginners or players who struggle with Precision kills this may not be the best choice. To help players decide the article has been updated with some examples of how the gun is meant to be used and advice on using it in either PVP or PVE. There is also a mention of the stats to show players the full potential of this great weapon.
What It Does
The Ace of Spades Catalyst offers a single perk with one benefit:
- Funeral Pyre – Firefly ability deals more damage whenever Memento Mori is active.
Memento Mori is an intrinsic perk that triggers whenever the player reloads. The fresh magazine will contain a few bullets that deal extra damage. If those bullets are used in a precise kill, typically a headshot, it will trigger Firefly. Firefly will cause the target to explode which deals Solar damage to anyone close by.
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It takes some practice to fully take advantage of this new perk. But for players who get it down, it’s a powerful effect that really ramps up the DPS of the weapon.
Weapon Stats With The Ace Of Spades Catalyst
- Impact – 84
- Range – 78
- Stability – 46
- Handling – 46
- Reload Speed – 48
- Rounds Per Minute – 140
- Magazine – 13
- Memento Mori – Reloading after a kill loads magazine with a few extra damage bullets. Grants radar while aiming down sights.
- Firefly – Precision kills with this weapon increase reload speed an cause target to explode, dealing Solar damage to nearby enemies.
- Funeral Pyre – Firefly deals more damage while Memento Mori is active.
How To Get It
Unfortunately getting the Ace of Spades Catalyst requires a bit of grinding. It’s a random drop that occurs whenever the player is in a Strike or Crucible match. There’s no indication on how commonly it drops, but according to various players, it's rather rare.
It may drop on the first handful of sessions, but more likely you’re looking at playing several rounds for a few weeks to get it. Playing higher-level matches in Crucible or tougher Strikes seems to help, but the player should strive for a balance between difficulty and efficiently finishing rounds.
Upgrade
Once obtained the player will want to take the time to upgrade the Ace of Spades Catalyst. To do so players will need to kill 500 enemies with the Ace of Spades weapon. This will obviously take some time, but fortunately, the Ace of Spades is a great weapon for killing other players in Crucible and taking down enemies in strikes so players will likely achieve this organically.
Tips
An important thing to keep in mind is that the kills needed to upgrade the Ace of Spades Catalyst are retroactive. Players can get quite a few kills grinding for the Catalyst and have them applied as soon as they get it.
Whether the player completes Strikes or Crucible matches doesn’t matter so players should choose whichever they’re most comfortable with. Given the effectiveness of Ace of Spades in Crucible, players should take some time to get familiar with its use there.
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If players are going the Strikes route it should be noted that this weapon works well against enemies weak to Solar damage. Many players prefer this weapon when dealing with Hive Wizards, for instance.
Advice On Using The Ace Of Spades Catalyst
The D2 Ace Of Spades Catalyst is meant for an aggressive style of play in either PVP or PVE and does well at both. In PVP this weapon is great for quickly taking down opponents with headshots. The key is to get into a rhythm of kills to get the most impact. Takedown an enemy with a Precision kill to trigger firefly causing them to explode and harm nearby allies with Solar damage. Then reload to trigger Memento Mori to get bullets with extra damage. Which then causes Firefly to be even more devastating and easier to achieve Precision kills.
In PVE this is just as effective thought groups can be a little tricky. Sometimes triggering the Firefly explosion is enough to wipe out or severely weaken a swarm, but other times it isn’t. Not to mention players will have to get precision kills to get Firefly which requires accurately picking off enemies. It’s great against single powerful targets aided by ads.
In general, it’s a fantastic weapon for those who have great aim and can consistently get the precision kills. For those who don’t have good aim, the weapon still offers some perks with Memento Mori, but a different weapon may be a better choice.