Best Hand Cannons Destiny 2 Tier List [2023]

In This Article, We'll Be Ranking The Best Hand Cannons In The Game.

Destiny 2 provides a wide range of weapons to choose from, among which are hand cannons. So in our Best Hand Cannons Destiny 2 tier list, we will rank them according to their capabilities and traits. So after going through this article you might be able to decide which hand cannon is best suited for you.

For those who might be unaware, Destiny 2 is a first-person multiplayer shooter game with some incredibly powerful weapons. You get to play as a superpowered guardian from different classes chosen by the player, eventually levelling up and upgrading your gear by playing different activities. And many of the rewards that you get from these activities are in fact weapons like Hand Cannons.


Key Points

  • We will rank the 16 most popular ones in Season 19.
  • Our article will rank them on the basis of Impact, Range, Stability, and Reload speed.
  • You will observe Ace of Spades, Sunshot, Thorn and Lumina in higher ranks.
  • Among the lowest ranks are Malfeasance, Vulpecula and Finite Impactor.

Summary

Before we dive further in the article, the following table shows the rank of all the hand cannons. 

S RankA RankB RankC RankD Rank
• Ace of Spades
• Sunshot
• Thorn
• Palindrome
• Lumina
• Hawkmoon
• Crimson
• The Last Word
• Bottom Dollar
• Ancient Gospel
• Sturm
• Judgement
• Posterity
• Malfeasance
• Vulpecula
• Finite Impactor

Continue reading to learn more.

S Tier

Best Hand Cannons Destiny 2
S Tier.

The S tier is the highest and best tier in the tier system, where only the best hand cannons in Destiny 2 can be found. All of the weapons ranked here are notable for their unrivalled range and damage combined with a diverse set of traits. 

Ace of Spades

By all means, this exotic hand cannon is the best in terms of range and stability. With its smooth reload and powerful mechanics, it not only provides you high range without range founder but also gives radar while you are aiming down sights. Furthermore, combined with its firefly perk its indisputable.

Sunshot

Sunshot is the only 150 rpm hand cannon that earns S rank in our best hand cannon Destiny 2 list due to its absolute best range and damage. You could be football felid away and can still deal the intended amount kill. This hand cannon has a quick reload spead and is great for gamers playing with controllers. However, it is only held back by one thing, which is that it must have an Exotic Catalyst like Sturm to unleash its absolute potential.

Consider Reading: Best Destiny 2 Class Tier List: All Subclasses Ranked

Thorn

Thorn has by far the best appearance in destiny 2 but its ability to wreak havoc in PvP precedes its appearance. Moreover, it increases your burn damage and reloads a portion of the magazine due to Soul Devourer Green Orb, which you get after each kill. Its best suited for aggressive players due to its high handling and delayed opponent recovery provided by burn damage, however, it will surely assist if you want to run the lobby and rumble.

Palindrome

In our best hand cannon list palindrome has top-tier base range and stability. It’s the finest 140 rpm hand cannon since release, which is mostly used with the combination of its killing wind and range finder trait.

A Tier

Best Hand Cannons destiny 2
A Tier.

The weapons in the A rank of our Best Hand Cannons Destiny 2 Season 19 can also compete with S-ranked hand cannons, but there are a few minor issues with them that prevent them from being the absolute best. You can still absolutely decimate your foes with them though.

Lumina

Lumina is a streak machine; it boosts damage with amazing perk combos. However, Lumina is a better team player exotic gun because each kill grants you a noble round 2 for catalyst hit fire, and shooting your teammate with it grants them a 20% damage bonus.

Hawkmoon

This hand cannon is mostly used with a catalyst, which gives gamers an extra bullet for headshots and increases handling, range, and reload speed. It also provides a Paracasual Charge that accumulates after each headshot, increasing the damage boost at the final bullet based on how high your counter is.

Crimson

Crimson makes the best Hand Cannons list because of the useful abilities it provides players, such as striking a kill that heals you and reloading your magazine after a headshot. Furthermore, it provides really good accuracy in the air.

B Tier

B Tier.

The B tier, which is the third-highest position in the tier system, is the most subjective. For expert players, the weapons listed in this tier are regarded as a desirable option. The weapons in this area are capable of competing with some A-rank hand cannons. Additionally, they weren’t effective enough to reach the A tier as a whole.

The Last Word

Many hand cannons in Destiny 2 are ideal on PC, but this hand cannon is pretty dissatisfying with a mouse and keyboard or a controller. It’s a machine gun truly above every gun on the list.

Bottom Dollar

Bottom Dollar has the most amazing perk combos out there and good aesthetic sounds. It has a pretty decent range, stability, and reload speed, but its only drawback is that it’s really hard to get.

C Tier

Best Hand Cannons Destiny 2
C Tier.

Guns listed in the C rank are not that great in terms of damage output, range and stability, but they have some interesting perks that can potentially make them useful. These weapons might be not great in competitive play, but they work well in a team environment. 

Ancient Gospel

Ancient Gospel has the best headshot accuracy, but it has very few traits, which give other hand cannons an edge over it in PvP. Moreover, its sight expands horizontally, which makes it really hard to see where you are shooting at.

Sturm

With Sturm, there are two different perspectives on using it. First, it gives a solid 120 rpm due to unnaturally high handling recoil, range, and stability. Secondly, if you pair it with the sidearm Drang, it will overcharge the next bullet in Sturm whenever you get a kill, so swapping will give you 80% more damage in PvP.

Similar Article: V Rising Abilities Tier List: 2023 Ranking

Judgement

This hand cannon is pretty low on the stability side, which is a great drawback as higher stability means better aim assist. It does have interesting perks like moving targets and opening shots, but doesn’t really show its full potential in PvP.

Posterity

Posterity has cool perk options, with Rapid Hit and Opening Shot being by far the most used ones. It has a high-range stat but poor reload speed and damage.

D Tier

D Tier.

The D tier is at the bottom of the hierarchy of tiers. Due to their lowest damage output and inadequate range, the hand cannons at this tier seem to be not quite beneficial in the game. These weapons offer no indications of usefulness to the players unless the developers of Destiny 2 intend to release additional upgrades that improve them.

Malfeasance

On our Best Hand Cannons Destiny 2 Crucible Tier List, Malfeasance ranks in the lowest tier because any good player with solid movement will most likely kill you before you’re able to shoot them down. Its only significant upside is its ability to kill with just 5 body shots regardless of range. Moreover, the exotic perk makes it decent in a team environment.

Vulpecula

This 180 rpm hand cannon doesn’t have the best stats in terms of range. However, Vulpecula has two powerful perks: Encore and Harmony. It can also allow gamers to roll an explosive payload, which flinches your opponent.

Finite Impactor

Finite impactor is a 140 rpm hand cannon, which has the same impact as Annual Skate but different perks. It does not have great reload speed, damage, or any other notable perk to mention.

Verdict

Well, that was our Best Hand Cannons for Destiny 2. The article contains all the information you need to know when picking a hand cannon that is best suited for you.

It’s okay if many of you readers don’t agree with our decisions. We continue to appreciate constructive comments, and we will continue to update the article as new updates to hand cannons stats and perks are frequently introduced.