Hand Cannons are some of the most popular weapons in Destiny 2, the go-to weapon for those that like to push forward and stay deep in the action. With every shot dealing big damage at close range, only a few options let the player step back and pick off enemies. In fact, only a select bunch of hand cannons can compete in Destiny 2's long list of available weapons. Seeing as there are over 60 available options, it would take a long while before players could narrow down the best choices.
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The popularity of the Hand Cannon ebbs and flows with the changing stats and mechanics in the game. Those that are truly dedicated will ignore the constant flip-flopping of effective weapons and hone their skills on the battlefield instead of the stat board. To save players time, here's a look at the best hand cannons Destiny 2 offers.
Updated on September 9th, 2024, by Nathan Halsey: It's been a while since Hand Cannons have been this good in PvE, so this article has been thoroughly rewritten to reflect that. This list will encompass the best of both PvE and PvP, as this weapon type is an extremely useful pick in both modes. On the PvE end of the spectrum, Hand Cannons have gotten the new Heavy Burst archetype that gives the weapon type a new way to excel at close to mid-range. Many of the game's Exotic Hand Cannons are fantastic as of this writing, with Legendaries that are incredibly competitive, allowing players many options to keep a Hand Cannon somewhere in their loadout no matter what the activity calls for.
10 Igneous Hammer
One of the Few 120 RPM's Still Kicking
- How to Acquire: Trials of Osiris
- Element: Solar
- Frame: Aggressive Frame, 120 RPM
Igneous Hammer is a Legendary Energy Hand Cannon deserving of its status. Its Aggressive Frame immediately gives it high recoil and high damage, making it a worthy companion when it comes to long-range engagements. This weapon is one of the best Hand Cannons for PvP, and the best choice for those looking for an Energy Hand Cannon.
The biggest perk of this weapon is that it is a Legendary weapon that punches way above its weight, allowing players to use the game's more potent Special weapons, like Conditional Finality and 
The Chaperone.
9 Fatebringer
Kinetic Hand Cannon That Bends The Rules
- How to Acquire: Vault of Glass Raid
- Element: Kinetic
- Frame: Adaptive Frame, 140 RPM
Fatebringer, a Legendary Kinetic Hand Cannon, easily boasts some of the best handling of its weapon type. Its 
Adaptive Frame gives a well-grounded grip and easier maneuvering. The biggest boon of this weapon is that, with the correct perk combo, it can essentially roll with the benefits of three perks. This comes from the fact that it rolls 
Firefly in its second column, which is like a combination of 
Outlaw and Dragonfly, and this is without considering the first column.
On top of this, Fatebringer can roll 
Rewind Rounds, which refunds 60% of landed shots when the cylinder is emptied, as well as Explosive Payload, which buffs weapon damage by around 15% in PvE, as well as makes 50% of the damage dealt completely unaffected by distance. This essentially extends the weapon's range and gives it a damage boost all in one perk. These two combinations mean that Fatebringer is loaded with benefits that other weapons can only dream of.
8 Midnight Coup
Strong Companion To Fatebringer
- How to Acquire: Onslaught (Focusable at Zavala)
- Element: Kinetic
- Frame: Adaptive, 140 RPM
Midnight Coup is another strong candidate in the Kinetic slot, and it’s incredibly easy to farm as well. The weapon earns its place because of how its perks are structured; it is able to roll Firefly in the first column, and damage perks on top of that in the second column.
This enables Midnight Coup to get the reload and add-clear bonus in one column, and then even more damage in the next column. Desperate Measures pushes the weapon to 30% increased damage when getting three ability kills, and Kinetic Tremors deals Area of Effect damage when getting multiple headshots.
7 Warden's Law
Rapid Fire And Reliable Sidekick
- How to Acquire: Nightfall Strikes (On Rotation)
- Element: Kinetic
- Frame: Heavy Burst, 257 RPM
Warden's Law was the first iteration of the Heavy Burst archetype Hand Cannons, and is one of the best Hand Cannons in PvE. The Heavy Burst archetype is a super powerful weapon type that dominates at close to mid-ranges. The weapon feels almost like a Precision Frame Submachine Gun, but if it were focused exclusively on single-target damage. This allows the weapon to really dish out damage to smaller targets, making it feel like a Submamachine gun even in difficulties where actual Submachine guns struggle.
Good perks for this weapon include 
Enlightened Action, Frenzy, Perpetual Motion, and even Vorpal Weapon. Hunters, in particular, can use the exotic 
Lucky Pants with Vorpal Weapon to boost weapon damage so high that the gun can destroy Champions in one cylinder. This weapon is definitely a must-have for Hand Cannon lovers, and it even comes in Adept versions for those able to complete Grandmaster Nightfalls.
6 Maahes HC4
First Energy Heavy Burst Hand Cannon
- How to Acquire: World Drop
- Element: Void
- Frame: Heavy Burst, 257 RPM
Maahes HC4 is one of the best Legendary Hand Cannons in the elemental slot. This is thanks to the fact that the Heavy Burst archetype is so good. On top of this, it also has some really good perk combinations. The gun has four different reload perks in both columns, as well as Destabilizing Rounds, and Repulsor Brace for solid Void builds. It's an easy weapon to acquire as well.
Any of the reload perks, be it Enlightened Action, Perpetual Motion, 
Rapid Hit, or Frenzy, are all great, allowing this weapon to really slide into the Submachine gun's territory in terms of how often players can keep their damage up. Paired with Destabilizing rounds, this weapon really does function like a Submachine gun, more so than Warden's Law, with a pure add-clear perk designed to spread damage around. Players who rely on Void Keywords for their build, or just want a new Void weapon, should get a good roll out of this.
5 Zaouli's Bane
Great Alternative To Sunshot
- How to Acquire: King's Fall Raid
- Element: Solar
- Frame: Adaptive Frame, 140 RPM
Zaouli's Bane is like 
Sunshot's little cousin. In PvE, it serves the same purpose of add-clear, and comes with some good perks for the job. Like Fatebringer, it can roll with both Explosive Payload and Firefly, giving it both add-clear and reload, but it can also run with Incandescent, which gets rid of the reload benefit for more add-clear through spreading stacks of Scorch.
This fits well into Solar subclass builds that may build upon that key word. This weapon being craftable also means that players can choose what roll they want, so long as they grind long enough for the weapon itself.
4 Thorn
Deals Damage Over Time
- How to Acquire: Monument to Lost Lights for One Exotic Cipher, 125k Glimmer, and One Ascendant Shard
- Element: Kinetic
- RPM: 140
Thorn is one of the greatest weapons in PvP thanks to the fact that it can deal damage over time. Not only does this allow players to continue to do damage even after they've tagged their opponent, and keep up the pressure as a result, but it also gives the user information on their opponent's location, as they can see the damage numbers through walls.
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Getting kills with this weapon creates Remnants which, when collected, increase the poison damage that Thorn deals and refills ammo, allowing players to preserve momentum the more they kill. In PvE, Thorn has an interesting interaction with Warlock's " 
Necrotic Grip" that allows it to spread its poison damage to nearby targets, giving the weapon some PvE use for those who don't want to run Osteo Striga.
3 Malfeasance
Best Single Target Damage In Its Weapon Type
- How to Acquire: Defeat Taken Servitor in Gambit, complete "Darkness in the Light" Quest
- Element: Kinetic
- RPM: 180
Malfeasance is the best single-target damage Hand Cannon in the game. This weapon's main trait, 
Explosive Shadow, acts similarly to Halo's Needler, causing targets to explode when imbued with enough rounds. This makes the weapon excellent at higher difficulties where single-target damage is a necessity for both weaker enemies and Champions; which this weapon decimates.
This is not only the result of Unstoppable Rounds, but also just how much damage this weapon does when proccing Explosive Shadow, which is easy to do on Champions when they are stunned and unable to move.
2 Ace Of Spades
Heavily Kitted For PvP
- How to Acquire: Monument to Lost Lights for One Exotic Cipher, 125k Glimmer, and One Ascendant Shard
- Element: Kinetic
- RPM: 140
Ace of Spades is a staple Hand Cannon in PvP all thanks to its main trait, Momento Mori, which grants the ability to see the radar while aiming, while giving a damage boost as well so long as players reload shortly after a kill. The weapon is a consistent three shot to the head within its optimal range, and the ability to constantly have the radar up allows for constant intel on enemy positions.
Firefly doesn't have a ton of use in PvP, and is really situational, but it can punish players who stack too close to one another, and is essentially a neat bonus on top of a gun that has two perks rolled into one with its main trait.
1 Sunshot
The Best Solar Add-Clear Weapon
- How to Acquire: Exotic Engrams
- Element: Solar
- RPM: 150
Sunshot is definitively the best Hand Cannon in PvE. A sole survivor of the 150 RPM archetype, the weapon has arguably the best crowd control in the game. This comes from its main trait, 
Sunburn, which makes the weapon's bullets deal area-of-effect damage, and its main perk, 
Sun Blast, which causes enemies who die by the weapon to explode, Scorching nearby targets. Enemies who gain too many stacks of Scorch also explode, and spread more Scorch around them.
What ensues is a weapon that essentially spreads explosive damage through the enemies it targets, which can create large chain reactions of explosions. This considerably reduces the amount of time players will require to get rid of large groups of enemies, often only requiring a kill or two before Sun Blast removes the rest. The best part is, that's it. There is no damage rotation to remember, or any alternative fire mode; just shoot and explode.
Destiny 2
- Released
- August 28, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bungie
- Platform(s)
- PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
- Genre(s)
- FPS
