TL;DR
- Turncoat is a Void Exotic Hand Cannon added in Destiny 2’s Monument of Triumph update (June 9, 2026).
- Get it free from the Triumphant Rewards Pass — Rank 1 with the Premium pass, or Rank 35 on the free track.
- The Turncoat Catalyst unlocks at Rank 90 of the Triumphant Rewards Pass and requires 700 kills to complete.
- Its Exotic perk builds Latent Power through damage. Hold reload when full to activate Unleashed Power.
- Unleashed Power increases rate of fire, hip-fire accuracy, and causes shots to weaken enemies.
- Stay empowered too long and it becomes Overwhelming Power — it starts dealing damage to you. Reload or stow to cancel.
- The Catalyst adds Void Mastery: a Void Overshield when empowerment ends, scaling with how long you stayed empowered.
- Turncoat has a built-in Anti-Barrier intrinsic — no artifact perk needed.
Destiny 2 Turncoat is the only Exotic Void Hand Cannon in the game. It launched with the Monument of Triumph update as a Triumphant Rewards Pass weapon. The core loop is simple — shoot things, build power, go into an empowered state, and try not to hold it too long or you start hurting yourself. This guide covers exactly how to get it, what every perk does, how the catalyst works, and what you should know before using it in high-end content.
How to Get Turncoat in Destiny 2
Turncoat is exclusive to the Triumphant Rewards Pass — the final Rewards Pass Bungie released with Monument of Triumph. There are two tracks:
- Premium Triumphant Rewards Pass: Turncoat unlocks immediately at Rank 1. You get it the moment you purchase the pass.
- Free track: Turncoat unlocks at around Rank 35. You need to earn XP and progress the pass to reach it.
There is no other way to get Turncoat in 2026. It does not drop from activities, vendors, or Xur. The Triumphant Rewards Pass has no expiry date, so you can earn it at your own pace. Once you hit the required rank, open the Rewards Pass from the menu, hover over Turncoat, and claim it directly.
How to Get the Turncoat Catalyst
The Turncoat Catalyst is also on the Triumphant Rewards Pass, locked at Rank 90. Both free and Premium track players can unlock it — you just need to reach Rank 90 first.
After claiming the catalyst, you need to defeat 700 targets with Turncoat to complete the upgrade. Any enemy type counts. High-density playlist activities like Strikes, Gambit, or patrol zones are the fastest way to hit 700 kills.
Once completed, Turncoat is Masterworked and gains the Void Mastery perk.
Destiny 2 Turncoat Perks Explained
Latent Power / Barrier (Exotic Intrinsic)
This is Turncoat’s main Exotic perk. It has two phases.
Dealing damage with Turncoat builds a Latent Power energy bar. Precision hits and final blows fill it faster than body shots. Around six to seven headshots can fill the bar in a single engagement — kills are not required, hits count.
When the bar is full, hold your Alternate Weapon Action button (hold reload on console, hold left-click or the relevant key on PC) to activate Unleashed Power. While active:
- Rate of fire increases significantly.
- Hip-fire accuracy improves.
- Every shot applies the Weaken debuff to targets — enemies take increased damage from all sources.
- Every shot becomes an explosive round (with the Power Surge perk active).
After a short window, Unleashed Power degrades into Overwhelming Power. At this point the weapon starts dealing damage to you over time. To stop it, simply reload or stow the weapon. The damage stops immediately.
Power Surge
Rapid hits charge your next shot into an explosive round that deals bonus damage and accelerates Latent Power buildup on hit. While empowered, every shot is already explosive — so Power Surge essentially turns a single rapid-fire sequence into a chain of mini-explosions during Unleashed Power.
Anti-Barrier (Intrinsic)
Turncoat has Anti-Barrier built in as an intrinsic weapon property. This means it can pierce Barrier Champion shields without needing the Anti-Barrier artifact perk. In 2026 endgame content where Barrier Champions appear, Turncoat does not need to compete with other weapons for a dedicated Champion-counter slot.
Void Mastery (Catalyst)
When empowerment ends — either naturally by the timer or by reloading or stowing — you gain a Void Overshield. The strength of the overshield scales directly with how long you stayed in the empowered state. A longer Unleashed Power window gives you a stronger shield when it ends.
This partially offsets the self-damage risk of Overwhelming Power. If you push the empowerment phase a little longer in PvE before stowing, you exit with more protection than if you cut it short immediately.
Key Turncoat Mechanics Most Players Miss
Stowing preserves the empowered state
This is the most important thing to know about Turncoat. If you stow the weapon while Unleashed Power is active, it pauses the Overwhelming Power damage but keeps the empowered state banked. Swap to a secondary, use an ability, then swap back to Turncoat — you re-enter Unleashed Power without losing the buff.
This lets you control exactly when you take the self-damage risk. Activate Unleashed Power, swap to your heavy weapon for a burst of damage, then swap back when ready. The empowerment is still there waiting for you.
You do not need kills to build Latent Power
Any hit fills the bar. Final blows fill it faster, but in situations where enemies are hard to kill — Champions, mini-bosses, raid bosses — you can still reach full power just by landing shots consistently. Do not wait for a kill confirmation before swapping back to fire more rounds.
The Void Overshield scales with duration
With the Catalyst equipped, a short empowerment window gives a weak overshield. A longer window — where you push closer to Overwhelming Power before stowing — gives a much stronger one. In PvE, where you can manage the self-damage risk more easily, it is worth staying empowered slightly longer to bank a meaningful overshield for the next engagement.
Turncoat pairs well with Void Devour builds
The Weaken debuff from Unleashed Power increases damage dealt to affected enemies. Pair this with Void Hunter or Void Warlock builds running Devour — the combination of weakened targets, explosive rounds, and Devour healing creates a strong self-sustaining loop that offsets the Overwhelming Power self-damage.
Is Turncoat Worth Getting in Destiny 2?
For most players, yes — especially since the free track means you do not need to spend anything to eventually get it.
The Anti-Barrier intrinsic alone gives it consistent PvE value. The Weaken shots during Unleashed Power are genuinely useful against tanky enemies, and the Catalyst’s Void Overshield adds survivability on top. It is not a replacement for your heavy weapon DPS option, but as a primary slot Exotic that does not require a specific build to function, it earns its slot.
In PvP, the hip-fire accuracy boost during Unleashed Power lets it perform like a close-range aggressive pick, and the Weaken debuff means opponents die faster to teammate shots as well.
If you are grinding Monument of Triumph content alongside getting Turncoat, check out our guide on how to activate the Wishing Wall for the Mara’s Cipher Triumph — it is one of the quickest Triumph ticks available right now.
Turncoat Quick Reference
- Weapon type: Exotic Void Hand Cannon
- How to get: Triumphant Rewards Pass — Rank 1 (Premium) or Rank 35 (free)
- Catalyst location: Triumphant Rewards Pass — Rank 90
- Catalyst completion: 700 kills with Turncoat
- Catalyst perk: Void Mastery — Void Overshield on empowerment end (scales with duration)
- Champion perk: Anti-Barrier intrinsic (no artifact required)
- Key mechanic: Build Latent Power → Hold Reload → Unleashed Power → Stow before Overwhelming Power kicks in
- Best with: Void builds, Devour, hip-fire playstyles
