Destiny 2 Cull’s Shadow Catalysts: How to Get All Four
- Cull’s Shadow is a Kinetic Exotic Fusion Rifle added in the Monument of Triumph update — the final Exotic weapon in Destiny 2’s history.
- It has four Exotic catalysts called Soulfire traits: Soulfire Succor, Soulfire Rancor, Soulfire Zeal, and Soulfire Skewer.
- All four come from three secret Oblation missions: Bloodline, Soulfed, and Immolation — on the Moon.
- Always carry a Weapon of Sorrow (Thorn, Osteo Striga, Necrochasm, Touch of Malice, or the Cull’s Shadow itself) throughout all missions.
- Do not leave after the boss dies in Oblation: Bloodline — the first catalyst and the unlock for Soulfed are found in the post-boss area.
- For the Soulfed rune sequence, look at the weapon model itself while hipfiring to read the correct order.
- Oblation: Immolation requires no secret mechanics — complete it normally and Soulfire Skewer drops automatically.
Destiny 2 Cull’s Shadow catalysts are locked behind three post-game Oblation missions on the Moon. This is the last Exotic weapon Bungie ever added to Destiny 2, and it has the most elaborate unlock chain of any weapon in the game’s final year. This guide covers every step to get all four Soulfire traits without missing any.
What Is Cull’s Shadow in Destiny 2?
Cull’s Shadow is a Kinetic Fusion Rifle that plays like a hybrid between a fusion rifle and a glaive. It uses Special Ammo and leans hard into melee combat.
Its base Exotic perks are:
- Blades of Unmaking — a two-hit melee combo using sharp frontal blades attached to the barrel
- Soulburn — melee final blows or rapid hits heal you and generate Soulfire Charges. Those charges make your fusion rounds inflict corruption on targets. Corrupted enemies take extra damage from the melee blades.
- Soulforge — enemies killed while corrupted leave behind explosive Soulfire Crystals. Destroy them with the blades for AoE damage.
The loop is simple: melee to build charges, shoot to apply corruption, melee again for bonus damage, let crystals explode. The four catalysts build on top of this loop with survivability, poison, and burst damage bonuses.
For honest context: Cull’s Shadow is excellent in casual and mid-tier content. At Grandmaster level, it does not match top-tier Legendary fusion rifles in raw output. But for lore fans and completionists, it is the perfect final weapon to master.
How to Unlock the Oblation: Bloodline Mission
Before you can start Oblation: Bloodline, you must unlock it. This happens through a secret trigger inside the Scarlet Keep Strike on the Moon.
- Launch the Scarlet Keep Strike from the Moon destination.
- Run the strike normally until you reach the final boss area with Hashladun.
- Do not kill the boss yet. Look around the arena for glowing Hive symbols on the walls.
- Shoot three symbols using a Weapon of Sorrow — this is mandatory. Regular weapons will not work.
- A door opens. Turn right and interact with the Hive crystal inside.
This triggers the unlock. The Oblation: Bloodline mission node then appears on the Moon destination map. You can now launch it directly.
Oblation: Bloodline — How to Get Cull’s Shadow and Soulfire Succor
Oblation: Bloodline is mostly platforming and puzzle sections. The mission drops the Cull’s Shadow weapon itself after you defeat the final boss.
Critical rule: do not leave the mission after the boss dies. Stay in the arena.
Here is what to do after the boss is down:
- Head back outside the boss room to where the three braziers are.
- Climb up the right side of the area to reach a tower on the left.
- At the top of the tower, interact with a floating Hive book.
- Grab the book and return to the boss room.
- On the far right of the boss room, find a door covered in Hive seals.
- Shoot the runes in order using a Weapon of Sorrow to break the seals and open the door.
This awards the Soulfire Succor catalyst and unlocks the next mission: Oblation: Soulfed. You can enter through the door or launch it from the Moon map.
What Does Soulfire Succor Do?
Soulfire Succor adds survivability to the weapon loop. It ties into your heal-on-melee mechanic and extends the window you benefit from active Soulfire Charges.
Oblation: Soulfed — How to Get Soulfire Rancor and Soulfire Zeal
Oblation: Soulfed picks up where Bloodline ended. This mission introduces a new mechanic: Soulfire Worms. Light a brazier with a Soulfire Charge and worms spawn nearby. Throw them at Soulfire Crystals to open paths forward. The whole mission is built around this loop.
Keep moving forward through the worm-and-crystal sections until you reach a part where you carry a worm by jumping across sacriphages over a Soulfire pool.
How to Get Soulfire Rancor
The Soulfire Rancor catalyst drops from the loot chest after defeating the three final bosses in Soulfed. You do not need to do anything special for this one — just clear the encounter.
How to Get Soulfire Zeal
After the boss fight, a book appears in the middle of the arena. Interact with it. Hive runes will appear both on the outside walls of the arena and on the Cull’s Shadow weapon model itself.
The rune order is shown on the weapon. Hipfire while looking at the Cull’s Shadow to read the sequence. Shoot the arena runes in that exact top-to-bottom order.
Do this correctly and you receive the Soulfire Zeal catalyst. A nearby Hive button also appears — the fireteam leader must interact with it to unlock the final mission.
What Does Soulfire Rancor Do?
Soulfire Rancor adds poison damage to the weapon’s corruption effect. Enemies that are already corrupted and take Soulburn damage also take poison ticks over time.
What Does Soulfire Zeal Do?
Soulfire Zeal speeds up melee energy regeneration when you destroy Soulfire Crystals. It makes the melee loop faster and more consistent in sustained fights.
There is also a secret shortcut in Soulfed. During the worm-carrying section over the Soulfire pool, do not throw the worm at the crystal immediately. Instead, drop down onto the bowls held by the Hive statues under the doorway and jump through the arch. This hidden mechanism activates a glowing door in the pit area below. Inside that room is another Hive book — needed to progress the mission correctly and ensure the book spawn triggers for Soulfire Zeal later.
Oblation: Immolation — How to Get Soulfire Skewer
Oblation: Immolation is the final mission in the chain. It is longer and harder than the previous two.
There are no secret books or hidden rune puzzles in this mission. You do not need to do anything extra.
Simply complete the mission from start to finish. After the final encounter against the Soulfed Bellow Stoker boss, a rewards chest spawns. Open it to receive the Soulfire Skewer catalyst.
What Does Soulfire Skewer Do?
Soulfire Skewer causes the weapon’s frontal blades to inflict corruption when nearby Soulfire Crystals detonate. This means crystal explosions now spread corruption to enemies caught in the blast, which chains into more crystals spawning from the newly corrupted enemies. In the right situation, this creates a chain reaction.
All Cull’s Shadow Catalysts: Quick Reference
- Soulfire Succor — Post-boss mechanic in Oblation: Bloodline. Find the tower book, return to boss room, shoot Hive rune door.
- Soulfire Rancor — Drops from the loot chest after killing the three bosses in Oblation: Soulfed.
- Soulfire Zeal — Post-boss arena rune puzzle in Oblation: Soulfed. Read the sequence from the weapon model. Shoot runes in order.
- Soulfire Skewer — Automatic drop from the rewards chest at the end of Oblation: Immolation. No extras required.
Tips Before You Start the Oblation Missions
- Always have a Weapon of Sorrow equipped. You need one throughout all three missions for rune interactions. Thorn, Osteo Striga, Necrochasm, Touch of Malice, and the Cull’s Shadow itself all count.
- Never leave a mission immediately after a boss dies. Bloodline and Soulfed both have post-boss steps that are easy to miss.
- The Oblation quest chain does not have to be done in one sitting. You can complete each mission separately.
- If you are running with a fireteam, the fireteam leader must interact with the Hive button at the end of Soulfed to unlock Immolation for the group.
- The rune sequences are not fixed across all players — the order on your weapon model may differ from someone else’s. Always read your own weapon’s display.
More Destiny 2 Guides
If you are working through Destiny 2’s final content, these guides will help:
