How many Catalysts can a character equip?
Up to three. The slot count is per character, not per team, so a full party of four can carry up to twelve Catalyst effects in total. In practice the limit that matters is how many you own and how far World Level has opened the slots, not the theoretical maximum.
Treat the three slots as a small loadout rather than a stat pile. Because every Catalyst is cashed out through the same trigger, a character with three defensive Catalysts plays very differently from one with three burst options, even with identical stats.
What are Droplets and how do you earn them?
Droplets are the energy unit of the Reactor gauge. Dealing damage generates them, and charged attacks collect them noticeably faster than basic hits. That is the whole economy: you are paid in Droplets for hitting things, with a bonus for the slower, committed attack.
Because the gauge is shared by the party, Droplets are a team resource rather than a personal one. A character who attacks quickly can fund a swap for a character who attacks slowly, which is one reason the four-person structure is more flexible than a fixed rotation. The combat guide covers how charged attacks and pursuits fit into that.
When does a Catalyst effect actually trigger?
On the swap that spends a full gauge segment. One complete segment buys one swap-triggered Tactical Assault, and the equipped Catalyst effect resolves alongside it. Partial charge does nothing, so the useful unit of planning is "one full segment" rather than "some energy".
Ownership follows the incoming character, not the outgoing one. That means the Catalyst you want to fire belongs on the character you are swapping in, and the outgoing character's Catalysts do not enter the calculation. Build each character's loadout around the moment they appear.
What kinds of Catalyst effect exist?
Five broad categories have been observed: burst damage, shields, healing over time, damage buffs and crowd control. They are not exclusive — a single Catalyst can combine a defensive effect with a secondary benefit — and the exact values are unpublished.
| Effect family | What it is for | When it helps most |
|---|---|---|
| Burst damage | Extra hit on the swap | Opening a break window or finishing a low-health target |
| Shield | Damage absorption | Swapping into a boss pattern you cannot dodge |
| Healing over time | Sustained recovery | Long fights where a healer slot is not available |
| Damage buff | Higher output for a window | Set up before an execution or a burst phase |
| Crowd control | Interrupt or hold | Stopping a cast or grouping adds |
How does World Level change what you can equip?
Raising World Level unlocks more Catalyst slots and raises the Reactor power cap. It is the progression gate for the whole layer, which means an early-game character is not expected to have three slots active and a capped gauge.
No numeric thresholds are published, so do not plan around a specific World Level number. The direction is what matters: the Catalyst layer gets deeper as the account progresses, and investing in it early competes with investing in characters. For how World Level fits the wider economy, the progression page collects the related systems.
How should Catalysts match your Resonance plan?
Match the Catalyst's Reactor to the Reactor mix you are already building around. The observed rule is that a Catalyst whose Reactor aligns with the team's Resonance plan amplifies the bonus; a mismatched Catalyst still works, but it contributes less to the party's main damage engine.
This is the practical link between the two systems, and it is why a Catalyst set is a team decision rather than a per-character one. If your party is stacked on Ignis for a high Resonance tier, an Ignis Catalyst on the character you swap into most often is worth more than a slightly stronger off-Reactor option. The Resonance guide explains the tiers and Phase Transition.
Do Catalysts run on cooldowns?
No. There is no cooldown system anywhere in Silver Palace combat, and Catalysts are no exception. The gate is the gauge: no full segment, no trigger. That makes Droplet generation, not timer management, the thing to optimise.
A team that lands hits constantly will fire more Catalyst effects over a fight than a team with higher single-hit damage and slower attacks. This is the same principle that makes attack frequency the closest thing the game has to cooldown reduction — see the team building page for how to staff that.
Common questions
Can every character use three Catalysts?
The cap is three per character, but how many slots are open depends on your World Level. Early on, expect fewer usable slots.
Do Catalysts fire without a swap?
No. The trigger is one full gauge segment spent on a swap, which also fires the incoming character's Tactical Assault.
Do Catalyst effects have cooldowns?
No. They are limited by Droplet charge and the gauge, not by a timer.
Should all four characters carry the same Reactor?
Only if you are deliberately stacking for a high Resonance tier. Otherwise match Catalysts to the Reactor plan you already have rather than forcing every slot.