Destiny 2: How to Get Heirloom and the Heirloom Catalyst (Equilibrium Dungeon Guide)

• Heirloom is Destiny 2’s first Special-ammo Exotic crossbow — a Solar weapon from the Equilibrium dungeon introduced with the Renegades expansion.
• It drops randomly from the final encounter (Dredgen Sere) and is limited to one drop chance per character per week — three characters give you three rolls per week.
• Complete specific Praxic Title Triumphs to permanently increase your Heirloom drop rate by up to +10 total — each Triumph gives +1 and all bonuses stack.
• Heirloom’s Exotic perk is Big Game Hunter — aim down sights to overcharge your next bolt, increasing damage and explosion radius at each charge level.
• The Heirloom Catalyst is unlocked by completing The Way Between quest in Equilibrium, then selecting the catalyst attunement at the Inner Temple Brazier for it to drop from encounters.
• The catalyst adds Scorch on direct hits from charged bolts, giving Heirloom strong Solar build synergy for endgame PvE.
• Legendary weapons and armor from Equilibrium have no weekly lockout and can be farmed freely — only Heirloom is capped at one drop per character per week.

Destiny 2 Heirloom is the Exotic weapon from the Equilibrium dungeon — the first Special-ammo crossbow in the game, added with the Renegades expansion in December 2025. It sits in the Energy slot, fires explosive Solar bolts, and has a charged shot mechanic that scales damage and area of effect with how long you hold aim. Farming it requires knowing the weekly drop rules, which Triumphs permanently improve your odds, and how the catalyst unlocks separately through The Way Between quest. This guide covers all of it.

What Is Heirloom in Destiny 2

Heirloom is a Solar Exotic Combat Bow — specifically a crossbow — in the Energy weapon slot, using Special ammo. That combination makes it unique. No other weapon in Destiny 2 occupies the Special ammo slot as a crossbow with Energy-slot placement, which opens up loadout flexibility that heavy ammo Exotics do not offer.

Thematically, Heirloom is inspired by the Wookiee bowcaster from Star Wars, a nod to the Renegades expansion’s heavy Star Wars creative influence alongside the Praxic Blade lightsaber. It fires high-powered explosive bolts that deal Solar area damage on impact and are intrinsically effective against Unstoppable Champions.

Heirloom Perks

• Bolt Thrower (Intrinsic): Fires high-powered explosive bolts. Strong against Unstoppable Champions.
• Big Game Hunter (Exotic Trait): Aim down sights for a period of time to overcharge the next bolt fired. Increases damage and area of effect for each charge level. The longer you hold aim, the bigger the hit.
• Ultralight Rail: Lightweight rail construction increases handling speed. Decreases reload speed.
• Light Heatsink: Lightweight, agile battery. Increases handling and vent speed.

Big Game Hunter is the core perk to understand. Heirloom rewards patience — holding aim charges the next bolt through multiple tiers, each one hitting harder and covering a wider explosive radius. In practice it functions like a precision mini-rocket launcher: one charged bolt can one-phase yellow-bar enemies and deal serious burst damage to bosses in the right build. The Unstoppable Champion intrinsic makes it viable in Grandmaster Nightfalls and Dungeons without requiring an artifact perk slot for Champion coverage.

How to Get Heirloom From the Equilibrium Dungeon

Heirloom is an exclusive drop from the final encounter of the Equilibrium dungeon — the Dredgen Sere boss fight. It does not drop from any other encounter, vendor, or activity.

The drop is not guaranteed. It is a random roll from the final chest. You will not receive Heirloom on your first clear unless RNG favours you. Most players need multiple clears before it appears.

Weekly Lockout Rule

Heirloom has a one drop chance per character per week from the final encounter. After the final encounter drops your weekly loot, the Heirloom roll is spent for that character until the weekly reset on Tuesday at 12 PM EDT.

This means a maximum of three Heirloom drop attempts per week across three characters. If you want to maximise weekly chances, run the full dungeon on your Titan, Hunter, and Warlock each week. Legendary weapon and armor drops from Equilibrium have no weekly lockout — you can farm those encounters as many times as you like. Only Heirloom is rate-limited.

Checkpoint Farming the Final Encounter

You do not need to complete the full dungeon from start to finish every week to get your weekly Heirloom rolls. Use the checkpoint system:

• On your first character, run the full dungeon and complete the first two encounters normally.
• At the final Dredgen Sere encounter, intentionally wipe without completing it.
• Switch to a second character that has not cleared the dungeon this week. Rejoin the fireteam and wipe again to transfer the checkpoint to that character.
• Launch using the character holding the checkpoint. Swap your main character back in and complete the final encounter.
• Repeat for each character.

This approach means subsequent Heirloom attempts only require completing the final encounter, saving significant time compared to full clears.

How to Increase Heirloom Drop Rate

Equilibrium has a Triumph-based permanent drop rate system. Completing specific Triumphs tied to the Praxic Title each grants a +1 increase to your Heirloom drop chance. All bonuses are permanent once unlocked and apply to every future run. The maximum bonus available is +10 drop rate from completing all eligible Triumphs.

Here are the Triumphs and what each one requires:

• Finish Line (+1): Complete all encounters in Equilibrium with the Phase Race feat active
• Challenger Approaching (+1): Complete all encounters with Encounter Challenges active
• Blade Against Blade (+1): Complete all encounters with the Cutthroat Combat feat active
• Lifetime Limit (+1): Complete all encounters with the Token Enabled feat active
• Imperial Hordes (+1): Complete all encounters with the Battalions feat active
• Never De-Feated (+1): Complete all encounters with all feats active simultaneously
• Listen In (+1): Find all three collectibles within Equilibrium
• Perfect Record (+1): Complete all encounters as a fireteam without dying and without leaving the activity
• Me and My Shadow (+1): Complete all encounters solo without leaving the activity
• To Walk Alone (+1): Complete all encounters solo without dying and without leaving the activity

The most accessible Triumphs to complete first are Listen In (find the three collectibles — straightforward on a normal run) and the individual feat Triumphs, which only require one feat at a time rather than all of them. Complete these before farming seriously to build your base drop rate before spending your weekly rolls.

The hardest Triumphs are To Walk Alone (solo flawless) and Perfect Record (flawless with a fireteam). These are not required for casual Heirloom farming — they are for dedicated players pushing for the full Praxic Title. Even completing the five easier Triumphs gives you +5 to drop rate, which meaningfully reduces the average number of clears needed.

How to Get the Heirloom Catalyst

The Heirloom Catalyst is a separate unlock from the weapon itself. It does not drop from normal dungeon clears. Getting it requires two steps: completing The Way Between quest, then selecting the catalyst attunement inside the dungeon.

Step 1: Complete The Way Between Quest

The Way Between is a post-dungeon questline that requires finding all four hidden relics across multiple Equilibrium runs and defeating a secret boss called the Shade of Sere. Completing it unlocks the catalyst attunement system and gives you access to the Heirloom Catalyst drop path.

The full relic locations and puzzle solutions for The Way Between are covered in the Equilibrium dungeon relic locations guide. At minimum, the quest requires four full clears of the dungeon to complete.

Step 2: Select the Catalyst Attunement at the Temple Brazier

After completing The Way Between, re-enter the Equilibrium dungeon. Inside the Inner Temple — the large room in the Harvester encounter area — you will find a Temple Brazier. Interact with it and select the Heirloom Catalyst attunement.

This tells the game to include the Heirloom Catalyst in your loot pool for this run. With the attunement active, the catalyst can drop from any encounter completion in the dungeon — not just the final boss. You do not need to own Heirloom before the catalyst drops; it will go to your inventory regardless and apply once you acquire the weapon.

What the Heirloom Catalyst Does

The Heirloom Catalyst adds Scorch on direct hits from charged bolts. This transforms Heirloom from a standalone burst weapon into a Solar build enabler. Each charged hit scorches the target, which stacks toward Ignition when Scorch reaches the threshold — triggering a Solar explosion that spreads to nearby enemies.

In Solar builds running Ember of Ashes or Ember of Char, the Scorch stacks from Heirloom’s catalyst synergise directly with ability-based Scorch and Ignition loops. The result is a weapon that contributes meaningfully to the Solar ecosystem rather than just dealing its own damage in isolation. For endgame PvE content in Monument of Triumph in 2026, this makes the catalyst a significant power increase worth pursuing.

Heirloom in PvP

Heirloom is usable in Crucible, Trials of Osiris, and Iron Banner but is not considered meta for PvP. The charge mechanic on Big Game Hunter requires holding aim, which is a liability in fast-paced PvP where reaction time and movement are prioritised. Uncharged bolts deal less damage than a charged shot, and the time required to reach max charge is often not available in a real PvP engagement.

Use Heirloom primarily in PvE. The Unstoppable Champion intrinsic, Big Game Hunter’s burst damage, and the catalyst’s Scorch application all translate poorly to PvP where those features are either inactive (no Champions) or too slow to use effectively.

Is Heirloom Worth Farming in 2026

Yes, particularly if you are running Solar builds in endgame content. Heirloom fills a gap that no other weapon in the current sandbox covers: a Special-ammo Energy slot weapon with Unstoppable intrinsic, high burst damage from overcharged bolts, and Solar ignition synergy via the catalyst. That combination makes it genuinely useful in Grandmaster Nightfalls, high-end Pantheon encounters, and Dungeon farming where Champion coverage and sustained Solar pressure both matter.

The weekly drop structure is the main grind factor. With a full +10 drop rate bonus from Triumphs and three characters, you are generating meaningful chances each week without an unreasonable time investment. Complete the easier Triumphs first to build the passive bonus, then farm weekly final encounters until Heirloom drops.

If you are working through Monument of Triumph content between Equilibrium runs, the Exotic Orders guide covers how to farm Exotic Catalysts for other weapons in parallel. For Heirloom builds that lean into Solar ignition, check the new Monument of Triumph Exotic Catalysts guide to see which other weapons pair well in the same build. And if you want to max out your Equilibrium rewards while farming Heirloom, completing The Way Between quest alongside your weekly clears means you progress the catalyst unlock while also logging your weekly Heirloom rolls.