How to get the Hatchling catalyst for Barrow-Dyad in Destiny 2

The Barrow-Dyad Exotic SMG has another catalyst available, which gives it the Strand-flavored Hatchling perk. Unlocking this upgrade requires a couple of steps, though—and one of them can be particularly tricky.

As with other craftable Exotics, the Barrow-Dyad SMG has multiple catalysts. The discoveries started with the release of Act Two, which let guardians add the High-Impact Reserves trait to their new weapon. Now, there’s another choice, though we’re sticking with the first catalyst for now.

Here’s how you can grab the Hatchling catalyst for Barrow-Dyad in Destiny 2.

How to unlock the Hatchling Barrow-Dyad catalyst in Destiny 2

While the previous catalyst required you to finish an Expert run of Court of Blades to grab the quest in the first place, the Hatchling catalyst is a bit simpler. You need to interact with the Rites of the Deep Tithe in the Trenchway after being caught up in the seasonal story.

Load into the Nether until you spawn in the Trenchway. From there, go to the inner part of the area (opposite Saturn) and look for the hidden chest near the secret platforming puzzle on the far left side of the zone, where the Solar Crystal sometimes spawns.

Pull out your Ghost near the end of the ledge and look for the invisible platforms that appear. Climb onto them and go inside the hole in the wall just ahead. Search for a prompt that says Rites of the Deep Tithe Found Worthy on the left side of the room, which spawns another portal. If your message says “found lacking” instead, content creator Skarrow9 suggests joining on someone who can interact with this object.

Hitting the prompt teleports you to an area inside the Invasion Bay, in a closed-off section of the Derealize Exotic mission for Barrow-Dyad. Open the chests to get a Heavy Osseous Spine, then take it to the Shaping Slab to unlock the A Hammer’s Path quest.

The first step requires you to be level 12 with the Path of Ambition, so upgrade the Act Two vendor to progress. The trickiest part comes after that: before unlocking the Hatchling catalyst for Barrow-Dyad, you must finish an Expert run of the Nether using only shotguns, glaives, swords, and/or the Barrow-Dyad SMG, as confirmed by content creator Aztecross.

You can pick any combination of those, and your biggest problem might be fighting the boss in the Founts since it’s usually high up. Being up close to Tormentors and Subjugators isn’t the best idea, either, but the Ascendant Servitor feels like the biggest barrier at first glance, but finishing the run should award you with the catalyst. It’s unclear if this objective is retroactive, so it’s best to play it safe and only attempt this run once you’re in the correct quest step.

Hatchling is one of four catalysts for Barrow-Dyad, and it competes against High-Impact Reserves, One For All, and Target Lock for a spot. Hatchling definitely adds some flavor for this weapon if you’re aiming for a more Strand-focused build, but we’d rather take something that leans into what makes Barrow-Dyad so unique.