My 2026 Destiny 2 Exotic Hand Cannon Ranking

As a player who has spent hundreds of hours in Crucible and Grandmaster Nightfalls, I still find myself coming back to hand cannons in 2026. They just feel right. Exotic hand cannons, in particular, bring personality that legendary weapons can't match. This is my personal ranking, from the ones gathering dust in my vault to the one I never take off.

Before I dive in, here is a quick reference table:

Rank	Weapon	Element	RPM	How to Get
10	Sturm	Kinetic	120	Monument to Lost Lights (Red War)
9	Eriana's Vow	Solar	90	Monument to Lost Lights (Shadowkeep)
8	Crimson	Kinetic	415	Exotic Engram drop
7	The Last Word	Kinetic	225	Monument to Lost Lights (Forsaken)
6	Hawkmoon	Kinetic	140	Xur, 23 Strange Coins
5	Lumina	Kinetic	140	Monument to Lost Lights (Forsaken)
4	Thorn	Kinetic	140	Monument to Lost Lights (Forsaken)
3	Malfeasance	Kinetic	180	Drifter Exotic quest
2	Ace of Spades	Kinetic	140	Monument to Lost Lights (Forsaken)
1	Sunshot	Solar	150	Exotic Engram drop

10. Sturm

Whenever I look at Sturm, I remember the old double-primary system. It combines with Drang, but that restriction makes it feel dated in 2026. Its first perk refills energy weapon magazines on kills, and kills with Drang reload Sturm with a bonus high-damage round. It can hit hard, but I rarely choose it over faster, more flexible options. It sits in my vault like a relic.

9. Eriana's Vow

Eriana's Vow is the only Special ammo hand cannon, and it pierces Barrier Champion shields. I want to love it. The first aimed shot gets bonus damage if you hit a shield or crit, but it demands perfect accuracy. In practice, Arbalest does the same job from much farther away, so Eriana's often stays home. Still, it has a unique place in my heart for Solar builds.

8. Crimson

Crimson fires in three-round bursts, which makes it feel more like a pulse rifle than a hand cannon. Its Cruel Remedy perk heals me on kills and refills the magazine on precision kills. For aggressive PvP play, this is a comfort pick. I switch to Crimson when my aim is shaky because its burst is forgiving. It doesn't have the same burst damage ceiling, but the survivability is real.

7. The Last Word

The Last Word is pure cowboy fantasy. Fan Fire lets me shoot from the hip with almost no bloom, granting bonus precision damage and faster reload on hits. I sometimes pair it with a controller just to feel the aim assist. It shreds at close range in Crucible, but the short falloff keeps it from going higher. Still, when I want to feel like a space western legend, this is my gun.

6. Hawkmoon

Hawkmoon is a PvP sniper in hand cannon form. Paracausal Charge stacks on precision hits and final blows, then the final round deals massive bonus damage. If I stow it at max charge, the buff disappears, so the gun demands commitment. In 2026 it can still two-tap or even one-tap with enough stacks. I keep a few rolls from Xur, and when I'm dialed in, Hawkmoon feels unfair.

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5. Lumina

Lumina is the support player's hand cannon. Kills create Noble Rounds that I can hip fire into teammates to heal them and refill their magazine. Blessing of the Sky then grants both of us a 35% damage boost for a short time. That is one of the strongest team buffs in the game. I don't use Lumina often in solo content, but in a coordinated fireteam it can change a fight.

4. Thorn

Thorn has been a PvP menace for years. Mark of the Devourer applies damage over time with every hit. Soul Devourer creates Remnants on kills that refill ammo and increase the poison damage. This lets me keep pressure on enemies without reloading. On Warlock, Necrotic Grips spread the poison to nearby combatants, giving Thorn real PvE potential too. It's a psychological weapon as much as a physical one.

3. Malfeasance

Malfeasance is my workhorse for high-end PvE. Explosive Shadow causes targets to explode after consecutive hits, giving it absurd single-target damage. In Grandmaster Nightfalls, those explosions stun Unstoppable Champions and clear adds at the same time. Hunters with Lucky Pants push this even further. I never enter a difficult Nightfall without considering Malfeasance.

2. Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades is probably the most iconic hand cannon in the game. It has three perks: precision kills increase reload speed and cause targets to explode, reloading after a kill grants bonus damage, and radar stays active while aiming down sights. That third perk alone makes it a Crucible favorite. It is Cayde-6's gun, and every time I fire it I feel a little bit of that legend. It's my default PvP pick when I'm not experimenting.

1. Sunshot

Sunshot is the best add-clear hand cannon in Destiny 2, period. Its solar explosive rounds highlight targets and cause enemies to blow up, spreading Scorch and chaining explosions. In dense activities, one bullet can wipe an entire wave. I run it constantly for Solar builds, and even in 2026 it hasn't been dethroned. If you only own one Exotic hand cannon, make it Sunshot.

At the end, my ranking is shaped by what I actually play, not just stat sheets. Every Exotic hand cannon has a niche, but the ones at the top make me feel powerful every time I pull the trigger.