The streamer Gladd has released a video that gets by without many words. In the clip, he demonstrates the power of hand cannons in Destiny 2. This seems to create a small hype.
What kind of video is it? It is a one-minute video on YouTube: a simple DPS test. The biggest Destiny streamer on Twitch, Gladd, takes out targets with the Recluse in 23 seconds. The Recluse was long considered the best PvE weapon in Destiny 2.
After that, he switches to a hand cannon and gets through the enemies in 19 seconds.
Gladd is considered one of the best PvE players in Destiny 2. His word carries weight.
Why are hand cannons in focus now? It is a strange phenomenon with hand cannons in Destiny 2. The weapon class was introduced with House of Wolves and was never really taken seriously by many. Many swore by the auto rifles they already knew and loved.
In the last major patch for Destiny 2, hand cannons were only slightly improved: target acquisition was slightly enhanced. But otherwise, not much has changed about hand cannons.
It seems primarily that players are revisiting what weapons are strong in Destiny 2 after the nerf of the clearly dominant weapon, Recluse.
Some content creators and players have come to realize that hand cannons are cool weapons that are stronger than their reputation. They seem to be slightly replacing SMGs in Season 9 now.
Thus, the prominent YouTuber Mtashed extensively discusses the hand cannon “Last Hope” and asks: How can a hand cannon be this good? He talks about a “hand cannon meta.”
The 3 most used hand cannons in PvE of Destiny 2
Which hand cannons are being discussed exactly? According to Destiny Tracker, the 3 most popular hand cannons in PvE by usage rate are:
- Breachlight (Breachlight) – we introduced the weapon on MeinMMO last week
- Buzzard
- And Last Hope – Last Hope is the weapon that Mtashed also praises
How are the players reacting? There are some who now say: Hand cannons have always been this good. They were just overshadowed by the Recluse.
There are among the Guardians true hand cannon fans who nod knowingly that even “others” are now giving the weapon type the respect it deserves.
