Touch of Malice is the Exotic Scout Rifle associated with King’s Fall.
Originally introduced in Destiny, Touch of Malice returned in Destiny 2 as the raid’s signature Exotic weapon. The weapon rewards aggressive play by converting the wielder’s life force into additional damage, allowing skilled players to maintain sustained damage output long after other weapons would normally need to reload.
For many Guardians, obtaining Touch of Malice is one of the primary reasons to continue running King’s Fall after earning their first clear.
Touch of Malice excels in encounters that reward sustained damage output.
Because the weapon can continue firing without reloading while using the final round, it performs particularly well when paired with healing effects, damage resistance, or encounter mechanics that offset its health cost.
The weapon is also effective against tougher enemies thanks to its alternate fire mode and strong sustained damage profile.
The weapon’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness.
Firing the final round repeatedly consumes the user’s health, making poor positioning or lack of healing extremely dangerous.
Players who fail to manage their health carefully can quickly eliminate themselves during damage phases.
Touch of Malice also requires more awareness than many other Exotic weapons, as maximizing its potential depends on balancing damage output against survivability.
Touch of Malice has a chance to drop from the final reward chest after defeating Oryx, the Taken King.
Each eligible completion provides an opportunity to obtain the weapon.
If the Exotic does not drop, players can continue completing King’s Fall in future weeks or farm Oryx whenever King’s Fall becomes the featured raid.
During normal weeks, players receive one Exotic drop opportunity per character class each week.
Guardians with multiple character classes can earn multiple chances per reset.
When King’s Fall becomes the featured raid, Oryx can be farmed repeatedly for additional Touch of Malice drop opportunities.
Several Kingslayer triumphs and encounter challenges increase the drop rate of Touch of Malice.
Completing raid objectives, challenge triumphs, and title-related triumphs naturally improves the likelihood of receiving the weapon over time.
Because these bonuses are account-wide, pursuing Kingslayer progress is one of the most efficient ways to improve your chances.
The final round of the magazine deals increased damage.
Instead of requiring a reload, the weapon draws from the wielder’s health to continue firing additional rounds.
This allows experienced players to maintain damage output for extended periods of time, particularly when healing effects are available.
Rapid precision hits and final blows charge an alternate firing mode.
This alternate attack launches a Taken blight projectile that damages enemies and can be used to create additional offensive opportunities.
Touch of Malice remains one of the most unique Exotic weapons in Destiny 2.
Its distinctive gameplay loop, strong sustained damage potential, and connection to one of Destiny’s most iconic raids make it a valuable addition to any Guardian’s collection.
Whether you’re pursuing Exotic collections, raid completions, or specialized damage strategies, Touch of Malice is absolutely worth chasing.
The Touch of Malice Catalyst enhances the Exotic Scout Rifle by improving its stability and handling while also granting the Rapid Hit perk.
Rapid Hit increases reload speed and stability after landing precision hits, making the weapon significantly easier to control during extended engagements.
Because Touch of Malice rewards sustained fire and precision damage, the catalyst provides a meaningful quality-of-life improvement that complements the weapon’s core design.
The Touch of Malice Catalyst is earned within King’s Fall by activating a series of hidden relics throughout the raid.
Players must locate and interact with these relics in the correct order during a single raid run.
After all relics have been activated, a special encounter becomes available that rewards the catalyst upon completion.
Unlike Touch of Malice itself, players must already own the Exotic Scout Rifle before they can acquire the catalyst.
Several hidden relics are scattered throughout King’s Fall.
These relics are found between encounters and require players to interact with them as they progress through the raid.
Because the relics must be activated in sequence, missing one requires the fireteam to backtrack or restart the process.
Players should ensure every relic has been activated before advancing to the next major encounter.
The first relic can be found shortly after entering the raid.
Interact with the relic before progressing deeper into the Dreadnaught.
The second relic is located between the early encounters of the raid.
Activate the relic before continuing toward Warpriest.
The third relic is hidden within the traversal areas deeper inside the Dreadnaught.
Carefully explore side paths and hidden alcoves while progressing through the raid.
The fourth relic appears after Golgoroth and before the final encounters.
Ensure the relic has been activated before advancing.
The final relic is located near the end of the raid.
Once activated, the catalyst encounter becomes available.
After all relics have been activated, a special Taken enemy encounter becomes available.
The fireteam must work together to defeat the enemies before the timer expires.
The encounter is generally straightforward for groups already capable of completing King’s Fall, but communication remains important.
Once the encounter is completed successfully, the Touch of Malice Catalyst is awarded to all eligible players.
Landing rapid precision hits grants increased stability and reload speed.
The bonus stacks with additional precision hits and makes Touch of Malice significantly easier to use during prolonged engagements.
Because Touch of Malice encourages continuous firing, Rapid Hit helps offset one of the weapon’s few weaknesses by improving overall weapon handling.
The catalyst enhances the weapon’s consistency during sustained damage phases and makes maintaining precision fire much easier.
Players who frequently use Touch of Malice for boss damage or high-health targets will notice the greatest benefit.
Absolutely.
Touch of Malice is already a unique and powerful Exotic weapon, and the catalyst further improves its performance without changing its core identity.
The stability improvements and Rapid Hit perk make the weapon feel noticeably smoother during extended engagements and provide additional value in both raid and endgame content.
For players who regularly use Touch of Malice, the catalyst is highly recommended.