Players can acquire the exotic hand cannon from Xur, but what is the best Hawkmoon roll you should use in Destiny 2?

Page Updated November 3, 2022, 12:57 |First Published March 5, 2022, 00:20

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Destiny 2 has no shortage of exotic weapons. These unique tools of destruction offer a variety of exclusive perks, with slick, recognisable designs.

Indeed, some are notably harder to get than others. For example, before The Witch Queen, the Hawkmoon exotic hand cannon had to be obtained by completing a special and repeatable exotic quest. 

The Hawkmoon mission was one of the two repeatable exotic quests during Year 4 of the action MMO, with the other being Presage, which rewarded the Dead Man's Tale exotic scout rifle.

With both of them now retired from the game, the only way to get them is by purchasing a random roll from Xur, the elusive vendor. Hawkmoon, alongside DMT, are the first exotic weapons that can drop with random rolls, making them extremely unique even compared to other exotics.

As usual, players wonder what the perfect trait to pair with Hawkmoon's intrinsic perk, Paracausal Shot, which powers up the last bullet of a magazine with each kill or precision hits.

Best Hawkmoon roll in Destiny 2

Hawkmoon is known as a more PvP centric weapon, with much less utility from high-end activities in PvE, more on that later.

For Crucible, this is what we're looking at in each column:

• 1st Column - Corkscrew Rifling, Extender Barrel, Hammer-Forged Rifling, Polygonal Rifling, or Smallbore
• 2nd Column - Alloy Magazine
• 3rd Column - Opening Shot, Rangefinder, Moving Target, Killing Wind, Eye of the Storm, or Surplus
• 4th Column: Heavy Grip, Polymer Grip, or Smooth Grip

Unlike other weapons, the Hawkmoon god roll might be similar for both PvE and PvP, as you're looking for stability and range to be effective in both modes to take advantage of Paracausal Shot.

The Rangefinder is a perfect perk for it, as it adds 10% zoom and 5% projectile speed. If you're looking for a more aggressive trait, then Opening Shot is what you're looking for, as it adds a +20 on both Aim Assist and Range.

With the current Xur roll having the Quickdraw trait, we do not recommend you pick this version of Hawkmoon.

Finally, as a quick reminder, this is what purchasing the Hawkmoon exotic hand cannon will set you back:

• 125k Glimmer
• 200 Legendary Shards
• 1 Exotic Cipher
• 1 Ascendant Shard

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if you want to wait for a better roll or get your hands on the gun now.

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