Destiny 2 Hand Cannon Tier List [Ranked For PvP]

In Destiny 2, there are a total of 44 hand cannons. 24 are Kinetic, and the other 20 are energy weapons. These are legendary and exotic hand cannons. My Destiny 2 Hand Cannon Tier List is based on the PvP only. Hand cannons in Destiny 2 in PvE where enemies are plenty and denser are not recommended as in close range they are not good so I don’t want to waste your time on it. 

All Hand Cannons In Destiny 2 Ranked 

Here is a complete ranking of all the 44 hand cannons in Destiny 2. The table shows the name of the hand cannons, the slot, rarity, impact, range, stability, handling, reload speed, aim assistance, inventory size, zoom, airborne effectiveness, recoil, damage fall-off, and magazine size. 

No.	Hand Cannon	Tier	Slot	Rarity	Impact	Range	Stability	Handling	Reload Speed	Rounds Per Minute	Reload Time	Aim Assistance	Inventory Size	Zoom	Airborne Effectiveness	Recoil	Damage Fall-off	Magazine
1	Austringer	S	Energy	Legendary	78	44	67	41	37	180	3.08s	75	53	14	13	95	~20.14m Hip / 30.21 ADS	11
2	Ace of Spades	S	Kinetic	Exotic	84	78	46	46	48	140	3.19s	70	56	14	14	100	-	13
3	Exalted Truth	S	Energy	Legendary	84	50	58	55	47	140	3.05s	72	58	14	22	95	~20.50m Hip / 30.75 ADS	11
4	Crimson	S	Kinetic	Exotic	92	60	82	51	64	415	2.72s	75	100	14	15	55	-	8
5	Eyasluna	S	Kinetic	Legendary	84	56	68	54	50	140	3.11s	80	54	14	10	96	~21.04m Hip / 31.56 ADS	11
6	Hawkmoon	S	Kinetic	Exotic	78	57	67	74	63	140	2.74s	93	52	14	26	96	-	8
7	The Steady Hand	S	Kinetic	Legendary	92	60	25	20	20	120	3.88s	65	40	14	10	85	~23.40m Hip / 35.10 ADS	8
8	Igneous Hammer	S	Energy	Legendary	92	65	35	37	30	120	3.55s	69	55	14	23	95	~23.85m Hip / 35.78 ADS	9
9	Round Robin	S	Kinetic	Legendary	92	56	20	24	22	120	3.81s	58	52	14	14	97	~23.04m Hip / 34.56 ADS	8
10	The Palindrome	S	Energy	Legendary	84	50	58	50	42	140	3.19s	79	50	14	21	98	~20.50m Hip / 30.75 ADS	11
11	Bottom Dollar	S	Energy	Legendary	92	60	28	31	25	120	3.71s	66	59	14	10	85	~23.40m Hip / 35.10 ADS	9
12	Sturm	S	Kinetic	Exotic	92	64	56	46	55	110	2.97s	50	30	14	12	80	-	9
13	True Prophecy	A	Kinetic	Legendary	92	58	22	30	22	120	3.81s	62	52	14	10	93	~23.22m Hip / 34.83 ADS	9
14	Rose	A	Kinetic	Legendary	84	43	45	60	55	140	2.84s	85	58	14	20	95	~19.87m Hip / 29.80 ADS	11
15	Cantata-57	A	Energy	Legendary	84	46	51	52	45	85	3.11s	82	45	14	12	85	~20.14m Hip / 30.21 ADS	11
16	Fatebringer	A	Kinetic	Legendary	84	51	61	60	51	140	3.08s	84	53	14	10	98	~20.14m Hip / 30.21 ADS	11
17	Lumina	A	Kinetic	Exotic	80	44	46	74	65	140	2.7s	88	58	14	27	95	-	13
18	Luna's Howl	A	Energy	Legendary	80	47	61	41	59	150	2.87s	79	60	14	10	95	~19.69m Hip / 29.54 ADS	10
19	Not Forgotten	A	Energy	Legendary	84	41	57	35	54	140	2.87s	79	60	14	10	95	~19.69m Hip / 29.54 ADS	10
20	Posterity	A	Energy	Legendary	78	39	60	36	57	180	2.79s	79	53	14	22	100	~16.00m Hip / 24.00 ADS	13
21	Sunshot	A	Energy	Exotic	80	31	40	81	72	150	2.45s	60	53	14	27	98	-	12
22	The Last Word	A	Kinetic	Exotic	78	28	46	28	82	225	2.3s	40	40	11	19	100	-	8
23	Ancient Gospel	A	Energy	Legendary	84	47	62	51	49	140	3.16s	74	57	14	10	100	~19.69m Hip / 29.54 ADS	11
24	Crisis Inverted	A	Energy	Legendary	84	40	50	55	60	140	2.72s	83	52	14	17	92	~19.60m Hip / 29.40 ADS	10
25	Dire Promise	B	Kinetic	Legendary	80	45	50	61	54	150	3s	83	60	14	10	84	~19.78m Hip / 29.67 ADS	11
26	Frontier's Cry	B	Energy	Legendary	78	42	59	41	47	180	3.05s	75	48	14	19	94	~19.78m Hip / 29.67 ADS	13
27	Malfeasance	B	Kinetic	Exotic	78	40	80	29	80	180	2.3s	50	57	14	53	98	-	14
28	Nation of Beasts	B	Energy	Legendary	84	40	57	42	45	140	3.11s	71	51	14	10	95	~19.60m Hip / 29.40 ADS	11
29	D.F.A	B	Kinetic	Legendary	84	45	54	42	47	140	3.05s	77	58	14	18	88	~20.05m Hip / 30.08 ADS	9
30	Survivor's Epitaph	B	Kinetic	Legendary	78	32	56	43	45	180	3.11s	74	47	14	10	83	~18.88m Hip / 28.32 ADS	12
31	Annual Skate	C	Energy	Legendary	84	46	54	52	44	140	3.31s	75	52	14	10	88	~19.60m Hip / 29.40 ADS	10
32	Judgment	C	Kinetic	Legendary	84	50	48	48	46	140	3.25s	75	50	14	10	95	~20.59m Hip / 30.88 ADS	9
33	Loud Lullaby	C	Kinetic	Legendary	92	58	25	32	31	110	3.78s	60	48	14	10	98	~22.77m Hip / 34.16 ADS	8
34	Something New	C	Kinetic	Legendary	92	58	27	24	25	120	3.71s	60	51	14	23	98	~23.22m Hip / 34.83 ADS	8
35	Trust	C	Energy	Legendary	78	37	56	35	50	180	2.97s	78	60	14	10	96	~19.33m Hip / 28.99 ADS	12
36	Waking Vigil	C	Energy	Legendary	84	37	43	63	56	140	2.82s	82	46	14	10	98	~19.33m Hip / 28.99 ADS	12
37	Thorn	C	Kinetic	Exotic	80	41	60	69	46	150	3.25s	85	60	14	21	100	-	11
38	Pure Poetry	C	Kinetic	Legendary	92	53	23	26	26	120	3.68s	60	50	14	15	95	~22.77m Hip / 34.16 ADS	8
39	Vulpecula	D	Kinetic	Legendary	78	32	53	29	52	180	2.92s	69	52	14	10	97	~18.88m Hip / 28.32 ADS	12
40	Eriana's Vow	D	Energy	Exotic	100	100	30	23	24	90	3.74s	80	0	24	9	100	-	6
41	Finite Impactor	D	Energy	Legendary	84	42	51	50	46	140	3.25s	74	49	14	16	99	~19.24m Hip / 28.86 ADS	10
42	Seventh Seraph Officer Revolver	D	Kinetic	Legendary	78	28	52	30	49	180	3s	68	52	14	10	84	~18.52m Hip / 27.78 ADS	11
43	Zaouli's Bane	D	Energy	Legendary	84	43	52	46	43	140	3.16s	77	50	14	19	89	~19.87m Hip / 29.80 ADS	10
44	IKELOS_HC_V1.0.3	D	Energy	Legendary	78	32	55	33	33	180	3.46s	75	53	14	14	91	~18.88m Hip / 28.32 ADS	12

S-Tier

These are the most reliable and potent hand cannons in the game. They have very minor weaknesses but they are the best hand cannons you can use in PvP. They are the absolute best in the game. They may not suit everyone’s play style, but for many, they can be the unrivaled choice.

A-Tier

These are great hand cannons and may give the elite hand cannons from the S Tier a run for their money. Overall they are stellar performance but they do have minor drawbacks that can be countered if you have a good strategy or you have an adaptable play style. 

B-Tier

These are good hand cannons and they adeptly fulfill their role. They can be really good if you have the skill level as the potential is impressive and can be even better than the weapons in the A Tier but I have decided to keep things a little simple because these hand cannons can feel good if you are skilled enough on the other hand they can be mediocre too.

C-Tier

These are the mediocre hand cannons that often fall in the category of misfits. They can’t be placed in the worst tier or the tiers above. They get the job done and at times they feel very lackluster. The lingering sense of underperformance at times sets them apart from the unconventional choices.

D-Tier 

These may not be inherently terrible hand cannons, but they are very limited in PvP. You will be left vulnerable while using these weapons. I said they are not terrible because one can wield one and enjoy the experience. Ultimately it boils down to personal preference, some people enjoy peanut butter on cooked chicken breast, but we don’t judge!

Destiny 2 Hand Cannons Tier List Criteria

The hand cannons in my tier list are ranked considering the following statistics:

• Slot
• Rarity
• Impact
• Range
• Stability
• Handling
• Reload Speed
• Rounds Per Minute
• Reload Time
• Aim Assistance
• Inventory Size
• Zoom
• Airborne Effectiveness
• Recoil Damage
• Fall-off
• Magazine

In my Destiny 2 Hand Cannons Tier List, I tried to help you pick the best hand cannons for PvE. I have also shown you the ones you may want to skip, but they are not inherently bad. This tier list aims to help you get to know about all the hand cannons in the game using a subjective tier system. My opinion is not absolute and you may have different thoughts. 

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