Destiny 2’s armory boasts various exotic rifles, shotguns, launchers and more, but none carry as much punch as the hand cannon.
This ONE Esports guide explains the best hand cannons Destiny 2 has to offer for PvE and PvP.
These high-powered firearms pose a huge threat at close range, taking out most players in just two shots. But it can be hard to choose among them given there are over a hundred, so we hand-picked the strongest ones to dominate the hand cannon meta.
Best hand cannons Destiny 2 list
This list includes some of the best-performing hand cannons in Destiny 2. All these options are strong in their own right, and a gun can always be god-tier if you have fun with it.
Lunas Howl Hand Cannon
First up is Luna’s Howl, a superb Legendary drop from Onslaught that shines especially well in PvE due to its insane Incandescent perk combos.
Despite its relatively slow reloads, pairing Heal Clip and Incandescent on this hand cannon lets you survive any dungeon run solo. With added AOE damage/cures, we had to give a shoutout for what we think is the best hand cannon for PvE right now!
Rose Hand Cannon
An extremely popular Crucible reward, Rose sports some of the strongest perk combinations for hand cannons, making it the most versatile pick on our list.
Moving Target, Explosive Payload, Aim Assistance and Slideshot are some of the essential perks in Rose’s god roll, making it a solid contender for best hand cannon in Destiny 2. But some come even closer.
Thorn Hand Cannon
Thorn’s main barrier of entry (besides being an Exotic) is its reliance on its catalyst. But once you have the increased range, Thorn shoots up to the top of any tier list for its low time-to-kill (or “TTK”).
This is thanks to the Soul Devourer perk, which remedies its slow reloads and lower mag size, making it a powerful killstreak machine in Destiny 2.
Ace of Spades Hand Cannon
Spatial awareness, two-tap potential, and high Aim Assist make Ace an incredibly popular loadout in PvP.
Memento Mori and the Radiant damage buff lets you kill most enemies with Ace of Spades in two body shots. On top of that, running it with Firefly lets enemies explode when they die, giving you big 1v2 potential.
Igneous Hammer Hand Cannon
Easily the punchiest hand cannon of the bunch, Igneous Hammer is considered the father of all Destiny 2 hand cannons, and it holds today.
Its enhanced perk sets grant near-perfect range while keeping a consistent TTK. That said, 120 cannons are usually used more at higher levels of play since all your shots need to land to outduel a 140 at close range. But if scoring crits from downtown is more your style, run Igneous Hammer.
READ MORE: How to complete the Twilight Triumph in Destiny 2
