How to Get Thunderlord in Destiny 2 (and Its Catalyst)

Thunderlord has no quest. Its Collections entry lists 2 sources: Exotic engrams and extremely rare world drops.

1. Open every Exotic Engram. Each one can roll Thunderlord.
2. Keep playing activities. Thunderlord can also drop on its own as a world drop. That drop is extremely rare.
3. Check Xûr. His Strange Gear Offers can stock Thunderlord. Our Xûr guide shows where he stands.
4. Start the catalyst. Once Thunderlord is yours, the catalyst run below comes next.

Route	What you do
Exotic Engram	Open it. It can roll Thunderlord.
World drop	Play any activity. The drop is extremely rare.
Xûr	Buy it when his Strange Gear Offers list it.

A Pro can also get Thunderlord on your account, with the catalyst as an option on the same order.

The Thunderlord Catalyst is a random drop from playlist activity completions. Strikes, Crucible and Gambit all count.

1. Complete playlist activities. Strikes, Crucible matches and Gambit matches can each drop the catalyst.
2. Insert the catalyst. It goes into the empty catalyst socket on Thunderlord.
3. Defeat 500 targets with Thunderlord. The catalyst then unlocks.

The finished catalyst adds Return Stroke. Each lightning strike from the gun partially reloads the magazine from reserves.

Our exotic catalyst list covers every other catalyst in the game.

Thunderlord is an Exotic Arc machine gun that uses Heavy ammo. It fires at 450 RPM from a 62-round magazine.

• Reign Havoc (intrinsic). Final blows call stunning lightning strikes from above. Each strike grants a stack of Bolt Charge. The perk also counters Overload Champions.
• Lightning Rounds. The gun fires faster and more accurately the longer you hold the trigger. Sustained damage also calls lightning strikes.
• Feeding Frenzy. Rapid kills raise reload speed for a short time.
• Polygonal Rifling and Armor-Piercing Rounds. The barrel adds stability. The rounds deal extra damage to shields and pass through targets.

For where it ranks among heavy Exotics, see our exotic weapon tier list.

The live update is Monument of Triumph, Update 9.7.0 from 9 June 2026. Thunderlord still sits in the Exotic engram pool, and its catalyst still drops from playlist activities.

On 29 October 2026 Bungie laid out its next plans for Destiny. The Un-Vault guide lists the older content you can play today.

A Pro plays on your account and gets you Thunderlord.

• Thunderlord. The machine gun itself, from the Exotic pool.
• Thunderlord Catalyst. For a Thunderlord you already own.
• Catalyst masterwork. The 500 kills done for you.
• Exotic Engram farm. 1 to 20 Exotic engrams earned on your account.

Each card shows its live price. Tell the chat which part you still need.