What Are The Best Hand Cannons in Destiny 2?
Four iconic Destiny 2 Hand Cannons: Rose, Thorn, Ace of Spades, and Fatebringer.
Hand Cannons are some of the most iconic weapons in Destiny 2. Not only have they been central staples of almost every PvP meta that has come and gone over the years, but they’ve been known to make their mark in PvE as well. So, what are the best hand cannons in the game today? Let’s take a look.
10. The Last Word (Great for PvP)
The infamous Tex Mechanica Revolver, The Last Word.
A fan favorite in the original Destiny, The Last Word was reintroduced during Season of the Forge. Unlike most Hand Cannons, The Last Word is Intended to be hip-fired and fired in full-auto mode. This not only makes it a close-range powerhouse, but it also fulfills your inner wild west space-cowboy fantasies.
The Destiny 2 community at large has always been very divided on this weapon. There are those who think it’s not worth the time needed to master it, but there are also those who swear by it being the best PvP hand cannon in the game. So why the divide? It largely has to do with input method. The Last Word requires exceptional precision for mouse-and-keyboard players, but the aim assist the weapon receives for controller users makes it nearly unstoppable at close ranges, with time to kills comparable to most SMGs.
What The Last Word Excels In:
- Close-range duels – The Last Word is at its best when you’re in the enemy’s face. What it lacks in range, it more than makes up for up-close. This weapon pairs well with movement abilities to help you close the gap.
- Cleaning Up Kills – It’s no secret that Destiny 2 PvP is often decided by its Special Weapons – Shotguns, Snipers, and Fusion Rifles. When things go well, these weapons score one-hit kills. But things don’t always go well. Sometimes your opponent is left standing with just enough health to ruin your day. The Last Word has carved out quite a niche for finishing off Guardians left on death’s doorstep by special weapons, especially sniper rifles.
- Picking Off Lone Guardians – You’ve seen it before. A stalemate at a chokepoint. Both teams waiting for the other to make a move. Suddenly, a ping of red comes across your motion sensor. It was over before it started. The enemy sent an invisible Hunter behind your lines and broke your resolve. With its blitzing rate of fire and time to kill, The Last Word, however, could have quickly turned the tides and stopped the massacre before it started.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact - 78
- Range – 20
- Stability – 40
- Handling – 20
- Reload Speed – 80
- Aim Assistance – 40
- Airborne Effectiveness – 19
- Rounds Per Minute - 225
How to Get:
The Last Word is easily obtainable at the Exotic Archive in the Tower.
9. Malfeasance (Great for PvE)
A Hunter readies the Taken slayer, Malfeasance.
Originally added in the Forsaken Expansion, Malfeasance has risen to the top of the PvE meta in recent years. Its unique perks lay explosive slugs into opponents, causing significant damage when they go off.
Over the last year or so, Malfeasance has received some substantial buffs. Its perk was reworked a bit to stun Unstoppable Champions, giving the Hand Cannon added utility in endgame content like Grandmaster Nightfalls. It later received an Exotic Catalyst that gives the weapon the perk Vorpal Weapon, buffing its damage against bosses.
What Malfeasance Excels In:
- Countering Champions – Every few months, the Seasonal Artifact changes what weapons can counter Champions in Destiny 2, so it’s a real strength when some Exotics, like Malfeasance, have an always-present option for handling them. Built right into the weapon, Malfeasance is a counter to Unstoppable Champions you can count on throughout the year.
- Killing Taken Enemies – While it doesn’t struggle against any race, Malfeasance truly sets itself apart against Taken enemies, dealing significantly increased damage to them. As Taken can be found in some of the most difficult endgame content, getting extra juice out of your infinite-ammo primary weapon is nothing to scoff at.
- Boss Damage – Something that doesn’t normally come to mind when talking about Primary Weapons is boss damage, a job that is usually reserved for Heavy and Special weapons. Malfeasance, however, is an exception. When paired with the Hunter Exotic Lucky Pants, this hand cannon can put out some seriously impressive DPS, making it an excellent complement to burst-damage Heavy Weapons like Rocket Launchers.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 78
- Range – 40
- Stability – 80
- Handling – 29
- Reload Speed – 80
- Aim Assistance – 50
- Airborne Effectiveness – 53
- Rounds Per Minute – 180
How to Get:
Malfeasance can be easily acquired at the Exotic Archive in the Tower. Its Exotic Catalyst is a random drop from playlist activities.
8. Hawkmoon (Great for PvP)
The Exotic Hand Cannon, Hawkmoon, in Action.
Hawkmoon is another returning champ from Destiny 1. While it did receive a redesign from its original counterpart, the new Hawkmoon can still absolutely dominate lobbies in the right hands.
Hawkmoon is a weapon that rewards you for playing well. Unlike other damage perks like Kill Clip or Rampage that have limited time windows encouraging you to push for clip-worthy multikills, Hawkmoon simply rewards you for hitting more and more headshots over time. With good enough aim, you will be consistently two-tapping Guardians, and occasionally even pulling off one-shot-kills.
What Hawkmoon Excels In:
- Dueling – With base stats that are well above average (Aim Assistance of 93!), its Paracausal Shot benefits, and random rolls for extra personalization, Hawkmoon just plain “wins its ones.”
- Shutting Down Supers – With a fully charged Paracausal Shot, Hawkmoon can one shot Guardians, even in their super. Even with fewer stacks, however, it can still put out some of the highest damage of any Primary in the game. A Hawkmoon in the hands of someone with decent aim will make enemies think twice before blindly rushing out in a Super.
- Team Shooting – People often think of team shooting in conjunction with weapons like Pulse and Scout Rifles. With its high damage Paracausal Shots, however, Hawkmoon makes an excellent weapon to focus enemies down with your buddies.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 84
- Range – 52
- Stability – 63
- Handling – 71
- Reload Speed – 59
- Aim Assistance – 93
- Airborne Effectiveness – 26
- Rounds Per Minute – 140
How to Get:
Hawkmoon is currently only obtainable from Xur.
7. Round Robin (Great for PvP)
The Aggressive Frame Hand Cannon from Neomuna, Round Robin.
It’s not every day an Aggressive Frame Hand Cannon comes along that can dethrone Igneous Hammer. When Lightfall launched, however, Round Robin did just that. As one of the first Strand weapons introduced into Destiny 2, it offers some unique perks for PvE, but PvP is where it truly shines.
As a craftable weapon, every Guardian can, with enough time investment, make a perfect Round Robin, making it something of an equalizer in PvP. Being craftable also gives it access to Enhanced Perks, which are some of the tip-top best traits in the entire game. Whether you’re all about damage perks and multikills (Keep Away/Kill Clip) or prefer pure consistency (Keep Away/Opening Shot), Round Robin has something for you.
What Round Robin Excels In:
- Dueling – Ok, dethroning Igneous Hammer is a pretty bold claim. Most of what this weapon does, Igneous does just as well, if not better. So where do I get off anointing it the best Aggressive Frame Hand Cannon in Destiny 2? Nanotech Rockets. Hailing from Neomuna, Round Robin has a special Origin Trait that can’t be found on Igneous or other Hand Cannons that gives added homing micro-rockets as a reward for rapidly landing hits. These rockets will allow you to win duels you had no business winning.
- Closing the Deal – We’ve all had it happen. You and an opponent peek the same lane. You lock eyes. Shots are fired. You’ve got the upper hand. You know it. He knows it. He decides to turn tail and run, only to return later with teammates in tow. Wouldn’t life be simpler if you had a homing rocket you could send after him, ending his retaliation plans before they begin? Again, I will point to the incredible usefulness of Nanotech Rockets. Remind your opponents that you finish your duels.
- Laning – If you’re unfamiliar with the term, laning is when you set up hard control over an area by locking down its entry points and travel paths with powerful weapons. As a powerful Aggressive Frame Hand Cannon with high range and exceptional perks to choose from, Round Robin is a top choice for shutting down sections of the map for your enemies, forcing them to play into your team’s hands.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 92
- Range – 56
- Stability – 20
- Handling – 24
- Reload Speed – 22
- Aim Assistance – 58
- Airborne Effectiveness – 14
- Rounds Per Minute – 120
How to Get:
Craftable; obtain from completing activities on Neomuna.
6. Sunshot (Great for PvE & PvP)
The timeless Exotic Hand Cannon, Sunshot.
An oldie but a goodie, Sunshot has been around since Destiny 2’s launch, but it has gotten some love in recent years that has cemented its place in the meta.
Some time ago, Bungie nearly removed an entire family of Hand Cannons from Destiny 2 – Lightweight Frame 150 Round Per Minute Hand Cannons. I say “nearly removed” because there was one exception – Sunshot. Now finding itself the only Hand Cannon in the game that can fire 150 Rounds Per Minute, it then received some extra reworks after Solar 3.0 launched, causing it to apply Scorch stacks to enemies for adding explosive juiciness.
What Sunshot Excels In:
- Decimating Everything in Sight – It doesn’t really matter how littered with adds an encounter is, a few kills from Sunshot and its chaining explosions will have you popping off in no time.
- Countering Team Shooters - In PvP, enemies will often group up. While normally advantageous, a crafty Sunshot user can turn this against them. With its high rate of fire, you can surprise them with a quick kill and, in some cases, chain explosive damage to his buddy leading to a quick multikill.
- Solar 3.0 Builds – Any time an Exotic weapon interacts with subclass keywords, there’s fun to be had, and Sunshot is no exception. Now that this timeless Exotic applies Scorch stacks, you can set up some insane combos where you prime the room by taking out minor enemies with Sunshot and following up with your various class abilities to Ignite the majors and bosses in your very own space fireworks show.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 80
- Range – 31 (+30 with catalyst)
- Stability – 40 (+20 with catalyst)
- Handling – 81
- Reload Speed – 72
- Aim Assistance – 60
- Airborne Effectiveness – 27
- Rounds Per Minute – 150
How to Get:
Sunshot is acquired from Exotic engrams and extremely rare world drops. Its catalyst is acquired as a random drop from Crucible or the Vanguard Ops playlist.
5. Nation of Beasts (Great for PvE)
The workhorse Hand Cannon from Last Wish, Nation of Beasts.
A fan-favorite weapon from the Last Wish raid, Nation of Beasts recently received the craftable weapon rework, making it a top pick across the game once again.
With a phenomenal and robust perk pool, Nation of Beasts can be crafted to fit your personal desires. With top-end add-clearing options like Voltshot and Dragonfly, along with the ever-popular Explosive Payload for countering damage falloff at longer ranges, there’s nothing to stop you from creating the workhorse Hand Cannon you’ve always dreamed of.
What Nation of Beasts Excels In:
- Add Clearing – When crafted with Enhanced Dragonfly and Enhanced Voltshot, Nation will make short work of even the most-densely populated encounters. In fact, it would not surprise me if encounters can’t keep up with you, and you often find yourself wishing there were more adds, just so you could enjoy frying them even more.
- Being a Workhorse – With a roll like Dragonfly and Explosive Payload, you’ll have armed yourself with a primary you can take into anything from simple Vanguard Ops and Seasonal Activities to Raids and Grandmaster Nightfalls. Dragonfly will bring the boom for minors, and Explosive Payload will add excellent anti-Champion utility for seasons when Hand Cannons are a featured type.
- Arc 3.0 Builds – After its launch, it didn’t take long at all for Voltshot to cement itself among the absolute premier add-clearing perks in the game. Other perks like Eddy Current and its Origin Trait, Explosive Pact, give Nation of Beasts even more synergy with Arc 3.0 builds that often center around becoming Amplified and spamming grenades.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 84
- Range – 40
- Stability – 57
- Handling – 42
- Reload Speed – 45
- Aim Assistance – 71
- Airborne Effectiveness – 10
- Rounds Per Minute – 140
How to Get:
Craftable; obtained from the Last Wish raid.
4. Exalted Truth (Great for PvP)
The Adaptive Frame Hand Cannon, Exalted Truth, sporting its Trials of Osiris ornamentation.
Sporting its beautiful Trials of Osiris ornamentation, Exalted Truth is something to behold. True to its source activity, this is a Hand Cannon for Trials players.
With some of the highest base stats of any Adaptive Frame Hand Cannon in all of Destiny 2, Exalted Truth was released to immediate acclaim among the PvP community. On top of its gaudy stats, Exalted Truth also boasts some of the most sought-after perks for any PvP Hand Cannon enthusiast, such as Killing Wind, Rangefinder, and of course, Eye of the Storm.
What Exalted Truth Excels In:
- Dueling – Combining its nearly unmatchable stats with upper-echelon consistency perks like Rangefinder and Eye of the Storm, Exalted Truth will feel almost like cheating with how easily you’ll be landing headshots.
- Challenging Pulse Rifles – Adding Accurized Rounds and Rangefinder to its already impressive Range, this Hand Cannon can break into ranges normally reserved for Pulse Rifles. On top of that, its Origin Trait, Suros Synergy, will reduce flinch received from those pesky Pulses, further increasing your chances of breaking through their lines.
- Looking Good – Who hasn’t heard of Dresstiny? It’s even been said that fashion is the true endgame in Destiny 2. If you’re a player who likes to not only slay out, but look good doing it, then look no further. Bungie’s artists absolutely aced this one.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 84
- Range – 50
- Stability – 58
- Handling – 55
- Reload Speed – 47
- Aim Assistance – 72
- Airborne Effectiveness – 22
- Rounds Per Minute – 140
How to Get:
Trials of Osiris.
3. Austringer (Great for PvP and PvE)
The fan-favorite Austringer from Season of Opulence.
Originally introduced in Season of Opulence, Austringer immediately endeared itself with Guardians in PvP and PvE alike. After finding itself on the wrong end of the Sunsetting fiasco, Austringer made its triumphant return during Season of the Haunted – and this time, it’s craftable.
For PvE players, look no further than the classic combo of Outlaw and Rampage. This traditional duo can sometimes get lost in the crowd of newer and flashier perks wrapped up in Subclass 3.0 keywords, but it still absolutely gets the job done, and there’s just something truly wholesome feeling about the simplicity of Bungie’s always-sensational gunplay at its finest. Of course, PvP is where Austringer truly made a name for itself. Its crisp and sticky aiming combined with the precise customization that crafting brings puts Austringer in the hands of numerous top players and content creators to this day.
What Austringer Excels In:
- Dueling – As one of the rare weapons that can sport the Eye of the Storm/Opening Shot combo, Austringer is able to boost the accuracy of its shots at both ends of its magazine. This leads to a feeling of consistency that really can’t be matched.
- Ability Spam Builds – Sporting the powerful To Excess Origin Trait, Austringer is a rare weapon that provides energy recharge to your melee and grenade abilities without dedicating your trait slots to doing so.
- Just Plain Feeling Good – Destiny 2 has a LOT of Hand Cannons. Each one of course comes with minor differences in its perk pool or stats, but at the end of the day, a lot of what goes into choosing your Hand Cannon is just how it feels. Once you’ve found the right one, you’ll spend so much time using it, it will start to feel like an extension of your hands. It’s hard to quantify exactly what it is about Austringer, but when Hand Cannon enthusiasts talk about which ones just “feel the best,” its name comes up more often than almost any other.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 84
- Range – 46
- Stability – 59
- Handling – 47
- Reload Speed – 46
- Aim Assistance – 75
- Airborne Effectiveness – 13
- Rounds Per Minute – 140
Where to Get:
When available from Xur or Banshee-44
2. Fatebringer (Great for PvE)
Back from Destiny 1, Fatebringer sporting its new Timelost look.
Yet another returning contender from Destiny 1, the fabled Fatebringer has often been called the “King of All Hand Cannons.”
With its iconic perk combo from Destiny 1 returning and the Timelost variant’s access to Adept Mods, Fatebringer is stronger than ever. While many have tried, few hand cannons have ever matched the consistency and effectiveness of the prize from the Vault of Glass.
What Fatebringer Excels In:
- Add Clear – Its signature roll of Explosive Payload and Firefly does it all. A simple precision kill will clear small areas in no time at all.
- Simplicity – In the world of Subclass 3.0, things can get complicated. Sometimes you just want a no-frills workhorse that you can throw on and count on to get the job done. It doesn’t matter what subclass you’re wielding. It doesn’t matter if your build is good or bad. Fatebringer can handle things just fine on its own.
- The Endgame – With Firefly to clear adds and boost reload speed, Explosive Payload for combating damage falloff at longer ranges, and access to Adept Big Ones Spec for boosting damage against Champions, Fatebringer is the ideal workhorse Primary to take into the most difficult content in the game.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 84
- Range – 46
- Stability – 57
- Handling – 55
- Reload Speed – 46
- Aim Assistance – 84
- Airborne Effectiveness – 10
- Rounds Per Minute – 140
Where to Get:
Vault of Glass raid.
1. Ace of Spades (Great for PvE and PvP)
Cayde-6 aiming down the sights of his trusty Ace of Spades.
The signature weapon of Cayde-6 himself, the Ace of Spades launched alongside the Forsaken expansion and has found itself among the most favored weapons in the game ever since.
This Exotic powerhouse has more going for it than almost any other weapon in the game. Perks like High-Caliber Rounds for inflicting added flinch to targets and Memento Mori providing radar even when aiming down sights make it a natural choice for PvP. The infamous Hand Cannon also has Firefly for a boost to reload speed and explosive goodness, as well as a built-in damage booster in Memento Mori, making it an excellent choice in PvE as well.
What Ace of Spades Excels In:
- Situational Awareness – Always. On. Radar. It’s really that simple. The drawback to aiming down sights has always been that it removes your motion sensor, reducing your knowledge of what’s going on around you. Ace eliminates this weakness, allowing you to stay focused on your enemies and your own back at the same time.
- Wiping Out Rank and File Enemies – As a recipient of recent boosts in damage to exotic primary weapons, Ace combines strong base damage with the explosive power of Firefly to make quick work of enemies on the front line. As a reward for just using the weapon, Memento Mori then buffs Ace’s own damage itself (and Firefly’s too if you have the catalyst), making it able to follow-up on nearby elite enemies too.
- Being the Ultimate Go-to Option – Ace of Spades is so good across the board that you can confidently equip it regardless of what type of activity you’re going into. Raids, Nightfalls, Crucible, Gambit, Vanguard Ops, Seasonal Activities, Dungeons, it doesn’t matter. This is a weapon that will be valuable in your loadout anywhere, making it an ideal choice for taking on the unknown.
Weapon Stats:
- Impact – 84
- Range – 75
- Stability – 40
- Handling – 40
- Reload Speed – 42
- Aim Assistance – 70
- Airborne Effectiveness – 14
- Rounds Per Minute – 140
Where to Get:
Ace of Spades is easily obtained at the Exotic Archive at the Tower. The catalyst is a random drop form Vanguard Ops or the Crucible.
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