The Tractor Cannon is a great weapon for support players and solos alike in Destiny 2. Thanks to The Repulsor Force perk, it can knock enemies back and make them more vulnerable to all forms of damage. This can increase the fireteam’s DPS and give everyone some much-needed breathing room to survive a swarm.
The Tractor Cannon Catalyst is a handy addition to the weapon that isn’t terribly complicated to obtain. As with most things in Destiny 2, there is a bit of grind involved, but it is bearable compared to other Catalysts. To learn more, here’s everything the player needs to know about what exactly the Tractor Cannon Catalyst does and how to find one.
Updated on April 8, 2022, by Anastasia Maillot: Tractor Cannon is one of the more unique heavy weapons in Destiny 2. Most heavy weapons scream "heavy" just based on their weapon type, but a shotgun, which is typically a Special ammo weapon, doesn't come to mind first when talking about heavy weapons. That said, the Tractor Cannon is an absolute beast of a damage weapon, and thanks to its Void element, it could potentially see some use in season 16. This guide has been updated with information on where to get the Tractor Cannon, tips on how to upgrade the Tractor Cannon catalyst, as well as a small analysis of its role in this season and the seasons to come.
How To Get The Tractor Cannon Exotic Shotgun
The Tractor Cannon is one of those Exotics that hasn't been added to the Monument to Lost Lights, but is rather considered a world drop. If players want to get it, they'll need some serious luck. While Exotic drops can happen during PVE activities from time to time, it's going to take a while before new players can get their hands on a specific Exotic weapon.
Another way to get it is to check what Xur is selling every Friday when he arrives with his wares, either at the EDZ, Nessus, or Tower Hangar. He sells one random Exotic weapon per week for some Legendary Shards, so keep an eye out for the Tractor Cannon.
What The Tractor Cannon Catalyst Does
The Tractor Cannon Catalyst offers a single perk called Deeper Pockets. This perk provides a single benefit to the shotgun:
- Increase Tractor Cannon’s Ammo Reserves
This gives the player more chances to repulse enemies before needing to reload. It also ensures the damage buff stays up longer for teammates to do some extra damage before it goes down. Having those extra shots may not seem like much, but really adds up over the course of battle.
How To Find The Tractor Cannon Catalyst
The Tractor Cannon Catalyst is a random drop that may occur whenever the player kills a non-Guardian enemy. This can be a boss or a random add in PVE. There doesn’t seem to be a way to increase the odds of a drop, but owning the Tractor Cannon is required for the Tractor Cannon Catalyst to appear.
It’s not required for the player to use the Tractor Cannon for the kill, or even to have it in their loadout. As long as the player owns the weapon, the catalyst has a chance of appearing.
Upgrading The Tractor Cannon Catalyst
Once the player owns the Tractor Cannon catalyst they can begin the process of upgrading it. To do this, the player needs to kill 300 enemies using the Tractor Cannon. That means the final blow must be dealt using the Tractor Cannon, or it won’t count towards the 300.
These 300 kills can be done retroactively, meaning kills obtained before getting the Tractor Cannon catalyst count towards the 300. This has been a bit buggy and some players have noted that sometimes kills won’t always count for various reasons. Unlike obtaining the Tractor Cannon catalyst, any kill, including Guardians, will count towards the 300.
Tips For Getting The Tractor Cannon Catalyst
While the Tractor Cannon is best used in team situations, it may be a better idea to get the 300 kills for the upgrade by going solo. This is because the weapon is usually used to weaken the enemy for a teammate to get the kill. Players will find their kills robbed by other players a majority of the time.
Because the Tractor Cannon catalyst will drop from any non-Guardian kill, the player can and should pursue just about any activity outside of winning Crucible matches. A highly recommended path is to farm for other Catalysts that drop during specific encounters. For instance, it may be worth chasing down the Symmetry Catalyst in its own questline, as these kills will also have a chance to drop the Tractor Cannon Catalyst.
Since the Tractor Cannon is a heavy weapon, players will find that getting the 300 kills will take quite some time. Put on some heavy ammo finder mods before starting the grind. A good place to grind for heavy weapon catalysts is the Dares of Eternity activity, where players can activate Starhorse's Favor to unlock unlimited heavy ammo. Loading up the Last Wish raid's Shuro-Chi encounter through the Wish Wall is also an option, though this method requires players to invest in several stacks of rally banners.
Is The Tractor Cannon Catalyst Worth It?
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There are two good things about the Tractor Cannon that make it an absolute beastly weapon, even in season 16's meta: for one, it weakens enemies and makes them take more damage, which is exactly what players want now in an era of post-Particle Deconstruction. And for two, it's a Void heavy weapon, which players very nicely into season 16's Void 3.0 changes.
Though there are some better damage combinations as of now (Izanagi's Burden + Palmyra B + one fireteam member with Gjallarhorn), Tractor Cannon can still dish out quite a bit of damage and is a nice niche yet valid approach given the current meta.
Even during the Particle Deconstruction era, it was a great choice and can even be used to take down the infamous Gorgons in the Vault of Glass raid that pack a real punch. So, if players have some time on their hands, this catalyst is definitely worth unlocking.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.