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Exotic bows in Destiny 2 have generally been a bit hit or miss. However, Le Monarque has found itself in a strong position, particularly on the PVP side of things. This is one of the few Exotic combat bows that players should try to get their hands on to expand their Exotic collection.
Le Monarque also has a catalyst available, which further enhances the weapon's effects and makes it more powerful. Players who plan on making Le Monarque a staple weapon in their arsenal, in particular, should focus on unlocking its catalyst. Here's where to find the bow's catalyst and what it does in Destiny 2.
How To Get Le Monarque Exotic Combat Bow In Season 16
Le Monarque was introduced into the game during the Forsaken DLC era. This means that it's among the oldest Exotics in Destiny 2, and can be purchased from the Tower if players head over to the Monument to Lost Lights. In order to afford the bow, players will need to put together the following resources:
- 1 Exotic Cipher
- 125,000 Glimmer
- 200 Dusklight Shards
- 1 Ascendant Shard
Since the Forsaken DLC was recently vaulted at the end of 2021, some players who haven't played since might have received free Forsaken tokens that allow them to purchase weapons from this era for free. Make good use of them by investing in Le Monarque, even if bows might seem niche.
How To Get The Catalyst
- Complete playlist activities such as Vanguard strikes, Crucible, and Gambit.
Le Monarque's catalyst is unfortunately a random one, meaning players will need to grind quite a bit before the catalyst drops. A lot of time, patience, and good RNG are needed for it. Focusing on completing Pinnacle activities, Nightfall strikes, and such while perhaps grinding other already found catalysts might be a good strategy for players who wish to maximize their time and efficiency. Otherwise, it's all a big waiting game.
- Defeat opponents to upgrade the catalyst.
Like most catalysts, Le Monarque's catalyst requires players to score kills in order to upgrade it and unlock the updated perk. Players will need an estimated 700 kills to fully upgrade its catalyst, which is definitely on the higher end of catalysts.
The good news is that Le Monarque uses Primary ammo, which means players won't need to worry about Special or Heavy ammo drops while grinding out the catalyst kills. There are many game modes where running this combat bow is viable, and since it even works well in the Crucible, players can simply incorporate this weapon as their primary in PVP and mid-level PVE activities.
What The Catalyst Does
- Unrelenting: Rapid kills will trigger health regeneration, with powerful enemies counting as more than one kill.
Given how powerful Le Monarque is on its own, it's no surprise that the catalyst's additional perk is a bit underwhelming. While it does also improve the bow's stability and reload speed by a few points, the real "juice" in Le Monarque isn't exactly in its catalyst.
The bow's intrinsic perk, Poison Arrows, already does so much heavy lifting for this weapon that some might argue the Unrelenting catalyst perk is just an average bonus perk. Le Monarque shoots arrows that inflict targets with poison effect, and any precise hits also spread this effect to other nearby enemies. In PVP, the poison effect is powerful as it hinders health regeneration.
Is Le Monarque's Catalyst Worth It?
Should players dedicate their time to grinding out the catalyst? For the Unrelenting perk alone, perhaps not. However, the stat improvement might be interesting for players who will genuinely see themselves running Le Monarque in PVP and even in some PVE content.
With Void being so powerful in season 16, it's also not a bad time to use Le Monarque in any Void-themed builds, given that it's a Void combat bow. Overall, it will most likely best pair with PVP players who enjoy using this unique combat bow and are able to get critical hits, as well as reap the benefits of the poison effect easily.
Destiny 2. The Witch Queen is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.