Skill goes a long way in Destiny, but can still only carry you so far. Your gear more than anything else will determine success, and there is a plethora of weapons and gun types to choose from.
Read Our Guide To Destiny's Best Exotic Weapons Here
Each category has its own uses, but it serves to have a varied arsenal. We'll break down each weapon type for you, listing the best exotics and legendaries in each type. Below are the best Hand Cannons available in Destiny, with multiple options to suit different scenarios.
There's no two ways about it--Hawkmoon is the game's best Hand Cannon. While certainly not as flashy as other weapons in the category, the exotic gets the job done by the straightforward virtue of dealing high damage. An extremely high impact rating, 331 Attack, and a relatively sizable 13 bullet clip will consistently cut through enemies, and Hawkmoon supplements a strong foundation with bonus damage. Its Luck in the Chamber talent means one random bullet in the clip will do bonus damage, and Holding Aces provides the same effect for two additional bullets. If you're lucky enough to find or buy Hawkmoon, use it!
One of Destiny's legendary weapons that's almost good enough to replace an exotic, Fatebringer is a fantastic weapon for bringing down crowds of enemies. It's capped only at 300 damage, but has excellent talents that make it very useful to keep around. Its Firefly ability causes targets to explode, and you can choose to add Explosive Rounds to further the effect. If that weren't enough, it also deals Arc damage, and the Outlaw talent rewards precision kills with increased reload speed. Fatebringer may not be an exotic or a Raid drop, but you'll find plenty of reason to use it in PvE.
The Word of Crota can be more difficult to acquire than most others on this list, but that doesn't mean it should be left off by any means. It's available solely as a Raid drop in Crota's End on Hard Mode, and it's only awarded in the Crota fight. It's not the game's most powerful Hand Cannon, but it's definitely deadly, and complaints about its high level of effectiveness in the Crucible have trickled in. The bullets can be upgraded with Explosive Rounds, it deals Void damage, and Phantom Gift rewards precision hits with more ammo. Zen Moment means an already fairly accurate gun gains stability as you deal damage, and (as an added bonus) Hive Disruptor increases damage to Hive Majors.
A very unique weapon in its category, The Last Word can be fired as quickly as you can press the trigger (okay, fine, you can just hold it down too) with its Fan Fire talent. This both has the effect of looking very cool (your Guardian repeatedly jams the top of the gun as you shoot, in the fashion if an old west revolver) and tearing through enemies--especially in PvP. It can make short work of players in the Crucible with its fire rate, but the small magazine (eight bullets) and fast firing means frequent reloads. It promotes shooting from the hip: there's extra damage with hip-fired precision shots with the Last Word talent--which also gives more bonus damage and stability in general--and an accuracy-increasing Hip Fire talent. The Last Word is perhaps the most fun weapon to use in the game, and is very effective with the right upgrades (especially when reducing reload times), but it's smaller clip can be frustrating.
Thorn is useful in a variety of the game's modes, but lacks a specialization. The Last Word is great for PvP, while Thorn can be used effectively in multiple scenarios. Its Mark of the Devourer talent adds more piercing damage and damage over time, and the last round in the magazine deals bonus damage thanks to Final Round. Other than that and its 331 Attack, though, Thorn doesn't offer many appealing reasons to use it over the Hand Cannons listed above. It's better than other legendary gear and still plenty effective, though, so don't be disappointed to pick this one up.
This one isn't too common, given that it was only offered in the Iron Banner, but it can be a great weapon nonetheless. It's largely dependent on variable talents (though its base 94 Impact certainly helps), so you'll have to roll a good one in order to have reason to use it over the alternatives. The re-roll feature offered by Lord Saladin during Iron Banner makes it easier to get a good version of this gun, and that does add the bonus of finding one that suits exactly what you're looking for, as long as you're willing to keep re-rolling. Timur's Lash might not be offered next time around, but it can be a good Hand Cannon to use if you managed to grab it.
