In Destiny 2, players love to roam as space cowboys with hefty revolvers. However, the most traditional ones are useless. We take a look at the shine that the 140s used to emit and why that is a thing of the past – but at the end, there’s also a glimmer of hope.
Why do guardians love hand cannons so much? At first glance, the old-fashioned firearms hardly seem to fit into the MMO shooter. However, during their adventures in the world of Destiny, many guardians have developed a deep bond with hand cannons and carry them proudly in their inventory.
The hefty revolvers are archaic weapons that one would expect in the hands of Clint Eastwood but not in the hands of a sorcerer slaying aliens in a distant future. Yet, it is precisely the models that are as old-fashioned or quirky as possible that have shot their way into the hearts of players; laser blasters like those from a generic sci-fi film do not fare well in Destiny at all.
The Destiny story is therefore also the story of special hand cannons:
- The first PvP year of Destiny 1 was dominated by the triumvirate of exotic hand cannons
- The legendary Fatebringer lured guardians week after week to raid in the Vault of Glass
- In year 2, the Imago Loop was up as the weekly strike drop, and it was clear what was being farmed
- A hand cannon duel sparked heated discussions in year 3: Eyas Luna or Palindrome?
- In the beta of Destiny 2, everyone wanted to try out the Exotic Sunshot for themselves
- In the Leviathan raid, the Midnight Coup was considered the highlight
- In memory of Cayde, Bungie brought back the Exotic Pinace to Destiny 2, which has more perks and abilities than a Swiss Army knife
- With Forsaken, every guardian celebrated or cursed Luna’s Howl and Not Forgotten – it all depended on which side of the race you stood on
It is noticeable that an above-average number of revolvers belong to the 140 family. In Destiny, weapons are usually classified according to their rate of fire.
Even MyMMO colleague Tom Rothstein has sung a love song to the revolvers:
Space cowboys and their revolvers have a tough time in Destiny 2
This is how things stand for hand cannons in PvE: The playstyle differs significantly from many other weapons: A rather leisurely rate of fire makes every bullet count, and the high damage rewards precision, creating a real power fantasy when pulling the trigger – or at least it should.
Especially the traditional 140s, with which the guardians “grew up”, are now just a shadow of their former selves.
In PvE, one bullet is often not even enough to take down a trash mob. Yes, even with a critical hit, the red bars continue to laugh. A corresponding reddit post has received over 6,400 upvotes in a single day, and nearly 500 comments lament the once flagship weapons.
This is the situation in PvP: In PvP, the 140s don’t fare any better. While the flow of taking cover, firing a powerful shot, and hiding again is still a popular tactic — unfortunately not with 140 hand cannons.
This also reflects in the usage rate in the Crucible (via Destinytracker). Looking at the most used weapons, you have to scroll far down in both Quickplay and Comp to find a legendary hand cannon of the 140s.
Out of all 4 types of hand cannons, only one is currently useful
In principle, the entire weapon archetype is useless. The 150 cousins like the Night Watcher simply do everything better: they shoot faster without dealing significantly less damage and grant intrinsic bonuses to movement speed.
In February 2020, we broke down on MyMMO that only the 150 revolvers actually have a real benefit. The 180s and 110s also need attention from Bungie.
However, against the currently fully automatic guns, no revolver stands a chance. The entire category does not fare as well as the players would like.
That’s why there’s reason to hope: Bungie officially announced that one of the most iconic 140 Exotic hand cannons is making its return in the fall. We expect that the long-neglected revolvers will finally get polished: Destiny 2: Why the return of Hawkmoon is hopeful for an entire weapon category
What do you think, will the space cowboys rejoice in Beyond Light over improved hand cannons? Why do the hefty revolvers hold such a special place in your heart? Some players even say that we should part ways with nostalgic memories and completely remove the 140s in Destiny 2.
