Trace rifles haven't ever been in a strong position in Destiny 2, and they are one of the rarest weapons in the game. It was only recently in November 2021 that Bungie even introduced the first Legendary trace rifle into the game, as prior to that, only Exotic trace rifles existed.
One of these rare trace rifles is 
Coldheart. It's definitely not the most appealing weapon in the game due to trace rifles, in general, being so weak and downright useless, but players who like to collect everything will still need to know where to get Coldheart's catalyst and how it improves the trace rifle in Destiny 2.
Updated September 22nd, 2023 by Paul Woodward: Even after all of these years, there are only a handful of Trace Rifles in the game. Eight of them are Exotic while the rest are Legendary. With some of the new perks that Legendary Trace Rifles can have, older weapons like Coldheart have been left in the dust. Even the catalyst is fairly weak compared to more interesting catalysts like the one for The Navigator. Nevertheless, for completionists looking to obtain every Exotic along with completing all the catalysts will need to track down the Coldheart catalyst eventually.
How To Get The Coldheart Exotic Trace Rifle
Coldheart is among the oldest weapons in the game, dating back to the first season of Destiny 2. In fact, original fans of the Destiny franchise will fondly remember Coldheart as the pre-order Exotic weapon for those who pre-ordered Destiny 2 before its first release.
Nowadays, Coldheart is a random drop. It can be acquired from Exotic engrams that randomly drop in the world or bought from Xur on the weeks that he sells it, or by buying his Exotic engram. A bit of good RNG is needed to get it, but considering it's not a must-have weapon, players shouldn't be in a hurry to earn it.
How To Get The Catalyst
- Complete Vanguard Nightfall strikes. Difficult strikes and difficult enemies have a higher chance of rewarding the catalyst.
It's a bit unclear exactly how the Coldheart catalyst drops, but it seems that Nightfall strikes are the go-to place to grind for it. More specifically, it's stated that only the strongest of enemies will drop the catalyst, so most likely defeating bosses will give players a chance to earn it.
Since higher difficulties usually mean better loot, players should attempt to play at the highest possible level they can afford. The ideal choice would be Grandmaster Nightfalls, but given the requirements for this activity, it can be difficult for the average player.
- Defeat targets to upgrade the catalyst.
Players will now need to score kills with Coldheart to upgrade the catalyst. The number of kills required is about 500, and what makes this task more annoying is the fact that Coldheart requires Special ammo. Players will want to slap on the Special Ammo Finder mod if they wish to complete the catalyst quickly.
What The Catalyst Does
- Improved stats: boosts stability and reload speed.
The catalyst for Coldheart is one of the most underwhelming ones in the game. The only benefit it really provides is a stat boost for the weapon, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when compared to some other Exotic catalysts, it's definitely among the worst. Exotic catalysts originally just provided stat boosts for the most part. However, more recent catalysts focus on adding new perks and functionality to weapons. Unfortunately, this makes the catalyst for Coldheart feel far more disappointing in comparison.
Luckily, Coldheart is already a pretty decent weapon even without its catalyst. Its 
Cold Fusion and 
Longest Winter perks ensure that when players aim and shoot at a single target, the laser is continuous and does more damage the longer players stay on the target.
Is The Coldheart Catalyst Worth It?
Coldheart isn't a weapon that will see much use in any endgame activities. No matter the Season or the current meta, there is always a better option. Just like most trace rifles in the game, with the exception of maybe Ager's Scepter, it's mostly a useless, gimmicky weapon that will pop up in some activity bounties every once in a while. If players really want to use a Trace Rifle, they are better off farming Root of Nightmares for Acasia's Dejection. While it is just a Legendary Trace Rifle, its perks outclass Coldheart and allows players to use an Exotic weapon with a more viable catalyst instead.
Because of this, players shouldn't focus their time on grinding out its catalyst. Perhaps if Bungie has a trace rifle meta sometime in the future, things might change, but for now, that time and effort can be invested in other, more powerful Exotic weapons. Plus, even if players like to include trace rifles in their builds, Coldheart has one of the worst catalysts out there, so it's actually better to focus on a weapon that has better utility.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.