The best hand cannons in Destiny 2 right now include Ace of Spades and Hawkmoon for exotic picks, Fatebringer and Eyasluna for PvE, and The Palindrome or Igneous Hammer for PvP. The weapon type rewards clean play and punishes spam, making skill expression a real factor in how well they perform.
Hand cannons have been a staple of Destiny 2 since the beginning. They hit hard, they feel satisfying to use, and when you find the right roll, they genuinely carry you through content. Whether you are clearing endgame PvE or going deep in competitive PvP, there is almost always a hand cannon worth bringing along.
The challenge is that not all hand cannons are created equal. Some are incredible in one mode and fall flat in another. Some shine with a perfect perk combination, while others are powerful almost regardless of the roll. This guide breaks down every hand cannon worth running so you know exactly where to invest your time and resources.
If you are looking for the Destiny 2 best hand cannons across both PvE and PvP, this is the full breakdown. Exotics, legendaries, and what to look for when you get a drop.
What Makes a Hand Cannon Worth Using?
Before jumping into specific picks, it helps to understand what separates a good hand cannon from a great one. The weapon type has a unique stat profile compared to other primaries. Range and aim assist are the two most important stats, but the base archetype determines how forgiving each shot feels.
120 RPM hand cannons hit the hardest per shot and are the dominant archetype in PvP right now. They reward precision and give you a meaningful TTK when you are consistent. 140s sit in the middle ground and tend to be more forgiving. 180s fire faster but deal less damage per shot, which limits their ceiling in most content.
The dominant hand cannon archetype in Destiny 2 PvP, offering the highest damage per shot among all hand cannon types and the most consistent time-to-kill at medium range.
Perks matter a lot too. For PvE, you want damage perks like Vorpal Weapon, Rampage, or Firefly pairing with utility perks like Outlaw or Rapid Hit to keep your reload fast. For PvP, perks that extend range or increase handling tend to matter more than raw damage boosters.
With that baseline in mind, here are the Destiny 2 best hand cannons you should actually be using.
Best Exotic Hand Cannons in Destiny 2
Exotic hand cannons each bring something unique to the table. They often define entire builds or playstyles and tend to perform above what legendary guns can do in the right situation. These are the ones worth farming or grabbing from collections.
Ace of Spades
Ace of Spades is one of the most consistent exotic hand cannons in the game. Memento Mori gives it additional rounds after a kill that deal bonus damage, and the gun's base stats are strong enough to compete in both PvE and PvP. In the Crucible specifically, landing a kill and then securing the next one with buffed shots creates a snowball effect that is hard to match. It fires at 140 RPM and handles like a dream, which keeps it relevant even as the meta shifts around it.
Hawkmoon
Hawkmoon is one of those exotics that rewards skill directly. Paracausal Shot charges with precision kills and body shots, and when it fully charges, the final shot in the magazine hits with massive bonus damage. This makes it genuinely dangerous in both PvP and higher-tier PvE content. The random roll version from its exotic quest also means you can tune it toward your preferred stat profile. If you enjoy guns that reward consistent aim, Hawkmoon pays that off in a satisfying way.
Thorn
Thorn has been in the game from the very beginning and it still has a dedicated following for good reason. Soul Devourer lets you stack Mark of the Devourer on your enemies, which causes damage over time after a hit. This is especially useful in PvP where a bodyshot can secure a kill your opponent thought they escaped. The void damage typing also plays well into void build synergies, and the lore attached to this weapon is some of the best in Destiny 2 if that sort of thing matters to you.
Malfeasance
Malfeasance is the go-to exotic hand cannon for players who spend a lot of time fighting Taken enemies or Champions. Explosive Shadow embeds a small explosive in each target hit, detonating after five shots and dealing a burst of bonus damage. This makes it excellent against bosses and Champions in endgame content. It operates at 180 RPM, which typically limits its ceiling, but the built-in perk more than compensates in the right encounters.
Best Legendary Hand Cannons for PvE
Legendary hand cannons give you the flexibility to chase god rolls tailored to exactly how you play. These are the ones that consistently show up in endgame loadouts and actually hold their own in harder content.
Fatebringer
Fatebringer has been widely considered one of the best legendary hand cannons in Destiny 2 history. It is a 140 RPM void hand cannon from the Vault of Glass raid, and the reason it stands out is the combination of perks it can roll. Explosive Payload and Firefly together give it solid damage output and crowd control on kills. Overflow is another solid pairing that doubles your magazine from pickups. If you have access to Vault of Glass, farming a clean Fatebringer roll should be on your list.
Eyasluna
Eyasluna is a 120 RPM stasis hand cannon that pulls from the Grasp of Avarice dungeon loot pool. What makes it special is the perk combination potential combined with the high base stats typical of 120s. Headstone is its most interesting perk, spawning a Stasis crystal on precision kills that can shatter for burst damage. In content where Stasis builds are strong, Eyasluna fits naturally into the loop. Even without leaning into Stasis synergies, it is a high-performing hand cannon on its own merits.
Ikelos HC v1.0.2
The Ikelos HC is a world drop that often gets overlooked but punches above its weight in PvE. As a 120 RPM solar hand cannon, it can roll with Rapid Hit and Incandescent, which is one of the better PvE perk combinations you can get on any primary. Incandescent spreads Scorch to nearby targets on a kill, and in content with tightly packed enemies, that add-clearing potential is genuinely impactful. Worth picking up if one drops with that pairing.
A great hand cannon roll is one you notice immediately. The reload feels instant, the shots count, and the secondary perk fires off constantly. If you have to think about whether a roll is good, it probably is not the one.
Best Legendary Hand Cannons for PvP
PvP is where hand cannons genuinely shine. The combination of high damage per shot and manageable recoil makes them one of the most effective primary archetypes in the Crucible. These are the legendary options that consistently perform at the highest level.
The Palindrome
The Palindrome is a 120 RPM void hand cannon that comes from the Nightfall loot pool. It has been at or near the top of the PvP meta for a long time because of how well it rolls. Rangefinder and Snapshot Sights is the classic combination that extends the effective range while making the ADS transition nearly instant. That combination makes it one of the cleanest dueling weapons in the game. If you are not already farming Palindrome, it is worth dedicating some Nightfall time to.
Rose
Rose is one of the more accessible options on this list since it comes from Iron Banner and the general Crucible loot pool. It fires at 140 RPM and has a very forgiving stat spread that makes it easy to use without a perfect roll. Desperado is the standout perk here, activating after a precision kill and increasing fire rate temporarily. In a game mode where securing kills quickly matters, that burst of speed after the first kill can decide fights in your favor. Rose is a reliable pick that does not ask too much of you to perform well.
Igneous Hammer
Igneous Hammer is a 120 RPM solar hand cannon from the Trials of Osiris loot pool. Its combination of strong base range and the ability to roll Explosive Payload with Incandescent or Eye of the Storm makes it one of the more versatile hand cannons in the PvP sandbox. Eye of the Storm specifically improves accuracy as your health drops, which is exactly what you want when duels go tight. The Trials source means you will need to put in some time to farm it, but the ceiling on a good Igneous Hammer roll is genuinely high.
Hand Cannon Comparison at a Glance
Here is a quick reference for every hand cannon covered in this guide so you can see how they stack up side by side.
| Hand Cannon | Type | RPM | Best For | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ace of Spades | Exotic | 140 | PvP / PvE | Exotic Kiosk |
| Hawkmoon | Exotic | 140 | PvP / PvE | Exotic Quest |
| Thorn | Exotic | 140 | PvP | Exotic Kiosk |
| Malfeasance | Exotic | 180 | PvE | Exotic Quest |
| Fatebringer | Legendary | 140 | PvE | Vault of Glass |
| Eyasluna | Legendary | 120 | PvE / PvP | Grasp of Avarice |
| Ikelos HC v1.0.2 | Legendary | 120 | PvE | World Drop |
| The Palindrome | Legendary | 120 | PvP | Nightfall |
| Rose | Legendary | 140 | PvP | Crucible / Iron Banner |
| Igneous Hammer | Legendary | 120 | PvP | Trials of Osiris |
Frequently Asked Questions
If you want one hand cannon that works in nearly every situation, Ace of Spades is the safest answer. It has strong base stats, a useful exotic perk in both PvE and PvP, and has remained relevant through multiple content cycles. For players who want something with a higher ceiling in PvP specifically, Hawkmoon or The Palindrome are worth chasing.
Yes. Hand cannons have been consistently viable through most of Destiny 2's history. The 120 RPM archetype in particular is strong in the current PvP sandbox, and legendary hand cannons with the right perks continue to hold up in endgame PvE. The weapon type rewards precision, so players who have good aim tend to get more out of them than most other primary options.
Fatebringer is the standard recommendation for endgame PvE due to its strong perk pool and void damage typing. If you are running a solar build, a god roll Ikelos HC with Rapid Hit and Incandescent is excellent for add clear. For Stasis builds, Eyasluna with Headstone is worth farming from Grasp of Avarice.
Rangefinder and Snapshot Sights is the gold standard combination for hand cannons in PvP. Rangefinder extends your effective range while Snapshot Sights makes aiming down sights nearly instant. Other strong PvP perks include Eye of the Storm, which improves accuracy at low health, and Opening Shot, which gives a bonus to range and accuracy on the first shot of each draw.
Malfeasance still performs reasonably well outside of Taken content, but its ceiling drops considerably. The Explosive Shadow perk is most impactful against Taken enemies and Champions, where the burst detonation deals substantial bonus damage. In general PvE content, a legendary hand cannon with better perk synergy for your build will often outperform it. That said, if you are doing content with a high density of Taken or Champions, Malfeasance is genuinely one of the Destiny 2 best hand cannons for that specific context.
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