[Top 15] Destiny 2 Best Weapons for Hunters

When it comes to weapons in destiny 2, hunters are all about precision,

From fighting at range with a sniper or bow to duelling with your favourite 140 handcannon at the ready, or bursting an enemy down at close range with a sidearm.

No matter how you do it, once you see those golden numbers pop out on your screen, just know that you’re doing your deft and agile character justice.

Especially with some subclasses and exotics rewarding you for hitting those critical shots.

However…

With over a thousand weapons in the game it can be quite difficult to know which weapons will enable you to get the most out of your hunter.

Which is why in this article we’ll cover the 15 ranked best weapons to use on hunters in PvE or PvP.

Without further ado let's get into it

15. Sturm (PvP)

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Sturm, Exotic Handcannon, Found at Exotic Kiosk

On the Surface, Sturm is a fantastic 120 that boasts fantastic range stability and handling, which is a rare combination to find with most 120s either lacking in handling or stability.

However what really helps this weapon shine is when you pair it with the sidearm drang.

When you defeat an enemy with drang whilst sturm is equipped, you get an overflowed magazine with bonus damage rounds.

If that wasn’t good enough for you then sturms exotic perk ,accomplice, will enable you to refill your energy weapon from reserves when defeating an enemy with sturm.

Since drang is an energy sidearm.

Theoretically you have a loadout which means you will never have to reload. 

Combine this with the hunters Lucky Pants leg armour which significantly buffs the handling and ready speed of hand cannons.

Sturm Excels in:

• Chip Damage: Sturm being a 120 means its fantastic for dealing chunks of damage at long ranges, perfect if you want a slower safer.
• Best in slot: Even though sturm is an exotic, it is the best in-slot 120rpm handcannon you can get, its handling, stability and recoil direction make it very difficult to pass up.
• Perfect synergy with energy weapons: Even if you don’t have Drang, Sturm still gives energy weapons a direct buff for defeating enemies with this gorgeous hand cannon.

Weapon Stats(with catalyst)

• Impact:92
• Range:90
• Stability:51
• Handling:70
• Reload Speed:30
• RPM:120
• Magazine:12
• Recoil Direction:100

What type of Hunter:

Gunslinger(solar) is the best bet for precision based weapons, purely because of the On your Mark Aspect which will grant you increased handling and reload speed on precision defeats.

Speaking of reload, marksman's dodge will automatically reload your weapon when it is used, perfect for intense engagements where pausing to reload means staring at your respawn screen.

However you aren’t limited to this subclass and this weapon will perform just as well with the rest of them.

14. Wave Splitter(PvE)

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The Trace rifle that made its appearance in the Forsaken expansion has reared its head as a mob shredding machine.

This weapon operates as you’d expect from a trace rifle in PvE, viable for defeating minor adds and some beefier enemies thanks to the exotic perk harmonic laser which increases the power the longer the trigger is held down.

What really gets it going is when you pick up orbs of power. The dial gets turned to 11 as you now have a max power wavesplitter that will tear through any and everything you point it at.

And if it doesn’t, well you probably should be using a heavy weapon or damage super on that enemy.

In addition to the max power, this weapon also benefits from gaining volatile rounds, so with the right build, this weapon will always have some kind of buff on it.

Wave Splitter Excels in:

• Shredding minor enemies: This thing will melt any minor adds and it deals more damage the longer you hold down the trigger on an enemy.
• Sustained fire: Trace rifles are known for sustained fire with little to no recoil and wavesplitter rewards you for holding down the trigger.
• Debuffing enemies: With the changes that came with void 3.0, Wavesplitter is the perfect choice for applying debuffs.

What type of Hunter:

A void hunter with gyrfalcons huberk exotic chest piece equipped is the play here.

Whilst I won’t go into too much depth here, I recommend the stylish execution and vanishing step aspects.

The gameplay loop looks something like this:

• 1.Dodge to go Invisible and gain Volatile Rounds.
• 2.Defeat enemies  with wavesplitter to make enemies Volatile, go Invisible, make a Void Breech, and at least one Orb of Power.
• 3.Pick up a Void Breech or Orb of Power to get Devour.
• 4.Kills with Void Weapons will Heal, spread Volatile and make you Invisible.
• 5.Weaken enemies through melee or Scatter Grenade
• 6.Dodge if you no longer have Volatile Rounds to regain them.
• 7.As long as you are able to go invisible by any means then this gameplay loop will theoretically work infinitely.

Weapon Stats:

• Impact:6
• Range:67
• Stability:96
• Handling:46
• Reload:45
• RPM:1000
• Magazine size:100
• Recoil:100

13. Round Robin(PvP)

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Round Robin. Kinetic Legendary Handcannon, Found in Neomuna Activity reward chests

With the release of the lightfall expansion new weapons and perks were introduced for guardians across the globe to sink their teeth into.

One such weapon is the Round robin and there are two specific perks you’re looking for.

The first is keep away which gives you +10 range when you’re 15m away from an enemy.

This is great for 120s as their optimal range is well above 15m meaning you could have keep away active most of the time.

And since its a range game with 120s you want every benefit you can get when fighting at longer ranges.

The second perk which is a must is kill clip, where reloading after defeating an enemy will give you increased bullet damage for a set duration.

This combined with the origin trait, nanotech tracer rockets makes the Round Robin the only available 120 handcannon which has consistent two tap potential.

Round Robin excels in:

• Long range engagements: being able to potentially 3 tap a guardian at long range makes it perfect for those who like to engage in combat at a safe distance from the intense fighting.
• Peak shooting: Since Round Robin is a precision based weapon, its perfect for taking pop shots from cover or letting off one or two rounds and disengaging whilst dealing substantial damage.
• Team Shooting: Due to how much damage per shot Round robin can deal, its a perfect weapon for focusing a single target. You could land a precision shot on a target and then your team mate could deal the final blow in quick succession.
• Round Robin pairs quite well with a strand hunter using the Cyrtarachne's Facade helmet which will grant you woven mail for ten seconds, this will make you resistant to body shots leading you to being a lot tankier.

What Type of Hunter:

Hunters, there is too much utility granted from using Strand to run much else...

Especially with the grapple ability...

Benefits of Grappling are granted through the Fragment Thread of Ascent which gives the following bonuses after using Grapple: reloads equipped weapon, grants increased Handling, bonus Airborne Effectiveness, and increased Reload Speed.

Pair this with Thread of Transmutation which creates a Tangle when the user has Woven Mail. Shoot the tangle to create a blast that has been buffed by the artefact perks untangler and threaded blast to suspend targets.

With round robin being a strand weapon it perfectly synergises with strand hunter meaning you can soak up a whole lot more damage whilst fighting further away thanks to Round robin and its recommended perks meaning opponents will have a harder time landing headshots.

Weapon Stats:

• Impact:92
• Range:56
• Stability:25
• Handling:39
• Reload Speed:22
• RPM:120
• Magazine:8
• Recoil:97

12. Wish Keeper(PvE)

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Wishkeeper, Exotic Strand Bow, Reward from Completing "Starcrossed" Exotic Mission

The latest exotic bow brought in with the season of the wish has some serious potential.

And since it is a crafted exotic(similar to Revision zero), it can only get better with some of the catalysts behaving like buffs to the weapons already strong perks.

This strand bow takes suspend, unravel and threadlings and dials it all the way up to 11.

You now have 2 different ways to suspend enemies via the two shackle grenades you have plus the wish keeper itself, where dealing precision hits to enemies will build up charges that once at makes will launch a snare to the floor when hip firing the bow.

Tangling everything that gets caught in this snare.

In addition to this you will consistently spawn a Whirling Maelstrom going that deals great damage and spreads unravel. 

Then to top it off your bow will hit 85% harder almost all the time since suspend is active and our Exotic Foetracer will be active  all the time with its perk being activated by any ability or Tangles. 

I dare say we have on our hands one of the strongest crowd control weapons in the game once you get to grips with the gameplay loop.

Wish Keeper excels in:

• Precision damage: Like all bows, this weapon has a high damage output over long ranges, perfect for situations where you don't want to get too close.
• Dealing with champions: This weapon is a hard counter against unstoppable champions in season of the wish and is a big help with overload and piercing barrier champs shield due to unravel rounds.
• Crowd control: This weapon was already adept at crowd control but combined with strand, we’re looking at a very strong contender for the top spot in terms of damage control.

You’ll want to be a strand hunter with foetracer for this weapon, just to get all the additional benefits of suspend, unravel and threadlings.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Throw a shackle grenade to suspend an enemy, this will proc foetracer.
• Now defeat the enemy with Wishkeeper that now has a 85% damage buff thanks to foe tracer.
• Where that enemy once was you’ll now have a tangle, destroy it to create the whirling maelstrom.
• By this time you should have enough charges on you wish keeper to suspend enemies again to restart the cycle.

‘Weapon Stats

• Impact: 76
• Accuracy:67
• Stability:62
• Handling:69
• Reload Speed:40
• Draw time:684m/s
• Recoil Direction:100

11. Malfeasance(PvP)

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This weapon struggled to find its place in the armoury for quite some time. It defeated low health enemies too fast for its exotic perk to kick in and too slow to chew through beefier targets to justify using it over a special, heavy or super.

However…

It’s found its place in pvp for one simple reason,

It technically has no range drop off

Allow me to explain.

Malfeasance’s perk generates an explosion on the target immediately after 5 hits land, this will drop a guardian in a normal state.

Now considering this weapons archetype(180) takes four shots to defeat a guardian in normal range but more than 5 as you’re further away.

This isn’t the case with malfeasance due to the explosion. So technically you’ll be able to defeat a guardian with no more than five shots at any range(considering you land all shots on target.

Malfeasance excels in:

Accuracy: Being in the 180 archetype means that malfeasance fires quickly with high accuracy and vertical recoil(no deviation).

Gambit: On top of taking no more than 5 bullets to drop a guardian, this weapon also deals increased damage against invaders in gambit.

Destroying guardians in supers:when a guardian activates a super, they tend to gain additional health and armour, this is where malfeasance will shine as guardians in super take more damage.

The subclass of the hunter doesn’t really matter much, you could run solar for the stacking bonuses when landing precision hits and useLucky Pants leg armour to buff the low handling speed.

Hunters, your subclass doesn't change the mechanics of Malfeasance drastically to warrant use of one over the other

However, The Lucky Pants leg armour has the perk "Illegally modded holster" which increases your handcannons damage with each shot when you swap to it from another weapon

Weapon Stats:

• Impact:78 
• Range:45
• Stability:95
• Handling:24
• Reload Speed:60
• RPM:180
• Magazine:10
• Recoil Direction:98

10.Riptide(PvE)

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Out of all the weapons to be found in the crucible, Riptide is all about buffing your damage to a boss or beefy target, like a major or champion.

The way it makes this possible for you is in the form of the perk chill clip, what this perk does is that whenever your magazine is full, the top half applies a detonation that slows enemies on direct hit This bonus damage from the explosion is great.

What makes it better is the fact that it pairs so well with rocket launchers.

You fire the rocket, reload and then switch to riptide and dump 2 to three shots into the boss then it's back to the rocket launcher. In addition to a fast rate of fire,  it makes for a fantastic damage rotation.

Another reason why chill clip is a fan favourite is because of how easy it is to activate, just make sure that once you’ve dumped the top half of your magazine in, you reload to refresh the perk.

Riptide excels in:

• Burst damage: For when you have only a few seconds to deal damage, a quick fire rate combined with explosions of chill clip is not one to miss.
• Dealing with champions: Due to the freezing and slowing nature of riptide, this weapon will be able to deal with multiple champions, ignoring the influence of artefact perks that can pigeon hole your loadout.
• Sidestepping ammo economy: With lead from gold allowing you to gain special ammo when you pick up heavy ammo relieves. This is perfect if you run double special loadouts.

You’ll want to use solar hunter with this specifically shards of galanor with the powered melee “knife trick” and dragon's breath rocket launcher You’ll be in disbelief when you see how fast a bosses health bar gets melted away.

All from a simple gameplay loop that goes like this:

• 1.Shoot Dragon’s Breath at boss to proc Damage over T
• 2.Land Throwing Knifes to trigger Ignition and debuff the boss
• 3.Cast Blade Barrage
• 4.Dump riptide rounds into the boss for damage
• 5.Shoot Dragon’s Breath when it auto-loads
• 6.Dodge and use Knife Trick again if enemies are nearby
• 7.Cast super a 2nd time
• 8.Repeat

Weapon Stats:

• Impact:60
• Range:21
• Stability:36
• Handling:65
• Reload Speed:45
• Charge Time:500
• Magazine: 7
• Recoil Direction:

9.Ragnhild-D(PvP)

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Ragnhild-D,Legendary Kinetic Shotgun, Found in random loot drops

Ragnhild was introduced with the launch of the witch queen expansion, this falls under the aggressive frame shotgun family

A perfect weapon to handle rival guardians that get a bit too close for your liking or for swapping to get a quick cleanup.

That aside, this is a fantastic weapon for new crucible players due to the fact that it is craftable

Meaning you can get the perfect roll guaranteed Which consists of Perpetual motion  and elemental capacitor. These two perks will negate the low handling intrinsic to aggressive shotguns, making it super snappy and allowing you to spec completely into range.

Ragnhild D excels in:

• CQC: In close quarter engagements where you don’t have time to line up the perfect shot or spray and pray, Ragnhild-D is the perfect pick to get out of those sticky situations.
• Cleanup: In moments where you just need a bit more damage to secure that final blow to win the round, Ragnhild D deals enough damage to make it happen.
• Handling: The combined effect of perpetual motion and elemental capacitor on arc hunter will grant 100 handling to this weapon, making it super snappy and quick to switch to, in a game where time is everything. You’ll want as much handling as possible to beat your opponents to the draw.

You’ll want to use arc hunter for in order to receive the handling benefits of elemental capacitors. There isn’t really a build needed, just make sure you’re on arc hunter.

Weapon Stats:

• Impact:80
• Range:35
• Stability:36
• Handling: 30
• Reload Speed:33
• RPM:55
• Magazine size: 5
• Recoil direction:64

8. Dead Messenger(PvE)

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Dead messenger is a waveframe exotic grenade launcher introduced in Season of the Risen

Waveframes have taken the top spot for  clearing hordes of enemies with as little ammo as possible and dead messenger is no exception.

With the unique project spread that splits into three lines instead of a singular line and the fundamentals which combine elemental capacitor and the ability to have arc solar and void damage types on the weapon.

There isn’t much that shields can do for the enemy when you have access to that element on command.

Dead Messenger Excels in:

• Add clear: the three line projectile pattern will annihilate hordes of enemies with a single shot.
• Utility:Being able to switch between arc solar and void at anytime is always welcome it can fit into most builds.
• Ease of use: Most waveframe grenades are easy to use as you point to the ground heading towards the enemy and shoot, with dead messengers wider projectile spread, its extremely forgiving.

You don’t need a specific build to make this strong in PvE, but for hunters I would recommend solar for the reload speed or arc for the handling.

Weapon Stats:

• Blast Radius:100
• Velocity:93
• Stability:27
• Handling:70
• Reload Speed:60
• RPM:72
• Magazine:1
• Recoil Direction:73

7.Trespasser(PvP)

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A personal favourite of mine that has been around since D1, the trespasser is an exotic 3 burst sidearm that is brilliant in the 6v6 playlist

This is due to its intrinsic trait unrepentant, This perk will transform your next burst into a staggering 6 round onslaught upon reloading after an enemy defeat. With this perk active, no one will stand a chance against you

If that wasn’t good enough for you then in its perk slot it also has the perk Be the Danger, when you defeat an enemy with the supercharged burst, two things will happen.

The first is that it will refill your ammo directly into your magazine and the second is that it will refresh the 6 round burst automatically.

This will allow you to go on an absolute tear in 6’s. Nothing complex, just an avenue to get your killstreak going.

Trespasser excels in:

• The 6v6 playlist:To get the most out of this sidearm, you want to be in game modes where there’s enemy guardians flying in at you none stop, if you can get that first enemy defeat, that gets the ball rolling and the other 5 enemy players are at your mercy.
• Ease of use: Sidearms in general are quite forgiving but the high stability rating of trespasser means you feel that ease of use and forgiveness with every pull of the trigger.
• Cleanup: If your teammate lands a sniper body shot whilst you’re closing down on a target, the trespasser will be able to clean up the rest without much hassle.

This weapon is really good on hunters with mechaneers tricksleeve gauntlets on. The increased handling combined with the bonus damage at critical health means you're dangerous at all times.

Weapon stats

• Impact:76
• Range:59
• Stability:90
• Handling:53
• Reload Speed:33
• RPM:491
• Magazine:48
• Recoil Direction:100

6. Scatter Signal(PvE)

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This is a fusion rifle that serves a very similar functionality to riptide mentioned earlier. The reason this strand weapon is ranked higher is because it is both craftable and easier to target farm.

You’ll definitely want controlled burst on this which will increase the damage of this weapon when landing all bolts on a target.

You then have the option of either going for slice which will apply a sever debuff when shooting an enemy after using your class ability.  Or overflow which will fill the magazine beyond normal capacity when picking up ammo.

Scatter Signal Excels in:

• Burst Damage; The fast fire rate, controlled burst and slice makes for some high damage output in a short space of time.
• Debuffing targets: sever makes enemies deal around 30% less damage, perfect in moments where you’re in a damage phase against an enemy returning fire.
• Dealing with majors. If your primary isn’t cutting it and you want to conserve heavy ammo, scatter signal is the perfect weapon of choice to deal with those in the middle enemies.

The build for hunters is more or less the same as the one for riptide.

• 1.Shoot Dragon’s Breath at boss to start DOT
• 2.Land Throwing Knifes to trigger Ignition and debuff the boss
• 3.Cast Blade Barrage
• 4.Dump Scatter Signal rounds into the boss 
• 5.Shoot Dragon’s Breath when it auto-loads
• 6.Dodge and use Knife Trick again if enemies are nearby
• 7.Cast super a 2nd time
• 8.Repeat

5. Rose(PvP)

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Fellow Guardians were ecstatic to see this fan favourite handcannon return to solidify itself as a top pick in the crucible playlist.

There are a multitude of reasons as to why this weapon is so strong in the crucible.

The first reason is its unique archetype, Lightweight frame. This intrinsic trait is only available on the rose and the only 150 handcannon that isn’t sunset which is sunshot.

Lightweight gives Rose better handling and faster movement with the weapon equipped, and if you’re a person that frequents the trials of osiris as often as you can, then you’ll know that getting into position first can win you the round.

The second is its perk pool, the perk options on this thing are heavily weighted for crucible usage, in the first column you have the option of: Elemental capacitor, moving target, slideshot,rapid hit, perpetual motion and quickdraw. All of which are fantastic for pvp.

That's not even addressing the second column which includes;Eye of the storm improving accuracy when you reach critical health, explosive payload which adds extra flinch to targets hit and rangefinder which improves effective range.

Plus the viable perks in the form of snapshot and opening shot.

Rose excels at:

• Duelling: Rose is the go to handcannon to get into 1v1s and will remain reliable due to its great stats and crucible oriented perks.
• Aggressive/shut down play: The intrinsically high handling of rose makes it perfect to quickly swap to another weapon with high handling, perfect for aggressive plays or the situation calls for a weapon swap.

Hunter wise, the subclass doesn’t really matter. However, using arc or void whilst elemental capacitor is applied will enable a bonus 50 handling whilst arc is applied or additional stability whilst on the void subclass.

Weapon Stats:

• Impact:84
• Range:43
• Stability:55
• Handling:80
• Reload Speed:55
• RPM:140
• Magazine:11
• Recoil:95

4.Sunshot(pve)

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A Vanilla D2 weapon has emerged from the guardian vault to take its place as the best pve hand cannon in the game and that is Sunshot.

What has made this weapon great is multiple factors.

First is what the intrinsic perk does to the weapon. You essentially have Explosive payload, chain reaction and can fire faster due to it being the only 150rpm handcannon in the game.

Plus the exotic catalyst which causes enemies to explode on defeat which doubles down on the explosivity.

The second fact is that there was a 75% damage buff to majors with primary weapons. This makes Sunshot an absolute add clear monster and a must have within your inventory.

Sunshot excels in:

• Add clear: with so many strong PvE perks rolled into one this thing will tear through mob enemies, in fact, you’ll see the true capability of sunshot when you have mob enemies hurling themselves at you.
• Its one of a kind: Being the only 150 rpm Handcannon in the game is mean sit has a faster fire rate and grants faster movement speed when equipped.
• Synergy with Solar 3.0: With alot of its intrinisc perks synergising well with solar builds, sunshot is a must have in your inventory.

Hunters will definitely want to run the solar subclass on this one, I won't go into too much detail regarding the build here but if you’re using the shards of galanor blade barrage build. Then sunshot is the perfect weapon to maintain the Radiant.

Weapon Stats(W/catalyst)

• Impact:80
• Range:71
• Stability: 65
• Handling:91
• Reload Speed:72
• RPM:150
• Magazine:12
• Recoil Direction:100

3.Forerunner(PvP)

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Exotic Kinetic Sidearm, Found at Exotic Kiosk.

A nod to Halo, one of the most iconic gaming franchises in the world. Forerunner was introduced in the 30th anniversary pack and man…It did not disappoint.

I know it says “sidearm '' in its weapon bio but it behaves like a hand cannon, a 200 rpm hand cannon with insane range, stability and reload speed.

Plus a blisteringly fast 0.6 ttk, makes it a serious problem in the hands of accurate players.

Whilst it is a specially ammo weapon, you could pair it with another sidearm in the energy slot. Perfect for you sidearm aficionados.

In addition to this, Forerunner also has full auto firing baked into it, which is great for those who have full auto on their weapon is preferred/needed for accessibility reasons.

Forerunner excels in

• Long range engagements: For a sidearm that is capable of outranging some hand cannons in combat, forerunner is perfect to take the fight to players at a distance.
• Consistency: Having 100 recoil direction plus almost maxed out stability and a forgiving 3 tap potential, forerunner is as smooth as butter to use.
• Peak shooting: Not only is the forerunner extremely consistent, it's also great for peak shooting from behind cover.

You don’t need to go too crazy when it comes to subclass builds. I recommend solar with the on your mark aspect equipped. Exotic wise you want to use Mechaneers Tricksleeves for the various buffs to sidearm stats and damage, especially if you are running an energy sidearm in your build.

Weapon Stats

• Impact:36
• Range:100
• Stability:87
• Handling:65
• Reload Speed:95
• RPM:200
• MagazIne 12
• Recoil Direction:96

2. Dragons Breath(Pve Best)

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When Dragons breath was revealed to be the seasonal exotic, little did people know that it would become the most popular rocket launcher in the game for PvE.

Sure, the likes of gjallarhorn and two tailed fox exist, but dragon's breath really shines when used with a solar hunter with shards of galanor equipped.

This weapon heavily leans into weapon swapping. Once fired, the rocket will stick into the target and inject fuel, scorching the target.

Whilst the weapon is not being fired it builds fuel from the ignitions caused, eventually granting it auto reload at maximum fuel level. Since Auto reload is essentially built in

You’ll want to fire it then utilise other weapons whilst the fuel builds up.

Once the rocket is reloaded, pull the trigger and start the damage all over again.

Swapping weapons bodes well for this weapon and when paired with blade barrage hunter you will have insane damage output.

Dragons breath excels in:

• Burst Damage: If used on its own, Dragons breath is at its best when fired and forgotten (think anarchy back in the day)  which is perfect when you need to get  a burst of damage off quickly.
• Igniting targets: Explosions will rain everywhere with the amount of scorch and ignites dragons breath will cause.
• Weapon swapping: Auto loading holster baked into the weapon and being activated from using the weapon makes dragons breath perfect for firing and switching to a sniper or riptide/scatter signal.

Hunters you absolutely want to be on solar for this weapon and also use Shards of galanor to add your super(blade barrage) to your damage output, here's how the damage cycle will look.

You’ll want to be using your powered melee as much as possible  getting final blows to charge up your super and grant yourself radiant.

Fire Dragons breath to deal damage over time and build up ignition stacks.

Use blade barrage to deal staggering amounts of damage. Depending on the number of knives that hit from the barrage, up to 50% of your super will be refunded thanks to shards of galanor.

Use a fusion rifle with chill clip or slice like riptide or scatter signal respectively, this will deal insane amounts of damage whilst helping regenerate your super.

Once this has all been done you’ll be able to fire dragons breath again, hence starting the damage phase all over again.

Weapon Stats:

• Blast Radius:100
• Velocity:67
• Stability:27
• Handling:92
• Reload Speed:37
• Rounds Per Minute:15
• Magazine:1
• Recoil Direction:55

1.Le Monarque (PvE/Best in PvP)

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Quite possibly one of the strongest exotic primaries in the game for PVP and a pretty good weapon of choice in PvE, Le Monarque stands at the top.

Bows are very strong in PVP, their high aim assist combined with high single shot damage makes a competent bow player a nightmare to face…

…But when you add a damage over time effect that prevents your recovery from kicking in and taking your opponent out of the fight, regardless of if you hit the head or body.

Plus a high handling stat that allows you to  quickswap to 1 tap with a 120 or even 140 hand cannon at  close range .

Then you see the power of Le Monarque, Hunters will buff this to even further measures(will get into that shortly).

Le Monarque Excels in:

• Long range engagements: High aim assist and high single shot damage output makes Le Monarque perfect for fighting at long ranges.
• Disrupting opponents: The poison ticks not only damage enemies over time on direct hit, but landing a head shot will cause the poison to spread to nearby opponents.
• Quickswapping: Pair this with a quickdraw 120/140 hand cannon and you can become a two tapping terror.

Hunters I have one word for you; oathkeepers.

This exotic will allow you to hold the drawstring back indefinitely.

What makes Le monarque so powerful is the fact that oathkeepers removes its one weakness.

When holding the drawstring back too long, the poison effect is lost and a normal arrow is fired, with oathkeepers equipped you can hold the drawstring back for as long as you want and the poison effect will still be applied.

Hence removing what seems to be the only weakness to this bow.

Subclass doesn’t necessarily matter, although if you can’t get a hand cannon in the kinetic slot with quickdraw applied, then the elemental capacitor on arc subclass is a perfect substitute.

Weapon Stats W/Catalyst:

• Impact:68
• Accuracy:78
• Stability:81
• Handling:69
• Reload Speed:70
• Draw time:612
• Magazine size:1
• Recoil Direction:78