Previously, Hand Cannons were accurate firearms that delivered large spikes of impact to a target. That's gone.
Scout Rifle impact was boosted in the patch, and their dramatically better fire rate very quickly out DPSs Hand Cannons. Not to mention range, stability, and reload- all of which a Scour Rifle dominates in comparison. And mag size... Hand Cannons have 1/3rd- 1/4th the mag size of Scout Rifles, yet each shot deals just marginally more damage. And Hand Cannons lose out in DPS- ESPECIALLY once that reload speed is taken into account.
This is why Hand Cannons are now obsolete in PvE- anything they do, a Scout Rifle does more reliably.
Cannons also have very low ammo now- this is mostly fine as it means you NEED to make your shots count- that said, if all your shots have to count, and Cannons are supposed to be precision weapons, they should be [b]accurate[/b]. They don't need a ton of range, but they need to hit the thing you're aiming at, especially if you can't afford to miss (and with Hand Cannons the way they are now, with such low ammo and rate of fire, you can't).
While that would help Hand Cannons a bit, it definitely wouldn't solve the problem.
Let's take a step back and look at one of the main ideas of a Hand Cannon-
it's going to hit hard enough to get you out of any situation. It's all about impact.
With Scout Rifles closing that impact gap in 2.0, Hand Cannons are looking for a new advantage. But they need to keep their hard-hitting identity.
Scouts have a 1.0x flinch multiplier- that determines how often a target staggers. The MIDA has 1.75x.
Cannons currently have a 1.75x flinch multiplier.
They should have this[b] flinch multiplier buffed[/b] to at least 2.0x, on par with LMGs. 2.25x would be more desirable due to the low fire rate, and 2.5x would be even better.
This offers a level of protection, almost defensive- when a big Knight is charging at you, pop a shot into his skull to stagger him Then get out of there. A Scout can't do that.
This also is in line with the Hand Cannon mentality about hitting hard, and would even indirectly boost reload performance by making your foe stagger for part of that reload, making you vulnerable for a shorter period of time as a staggering foe can't attack.
So I've suggested a couple of things.
1. Accuracy, possibly as a replacement for the popular idea of more ammo- as this would reward accuracy like a Cannon is meant to, whereas more ammo would just make the Cannon forgiving.
as well as
2. Increased Flinch multiplier in PvE, to reinforce the Cannon's essence, increase survivability, etc.
Would these be welcome fixes to those of you who have tried Hand Cannons in PvE? And what about the proposition for simply giving more reserve ammo?
-
-
-
-
They should have a slight range buff, but shouldn't be snipers like they used to
-
-
Bump! good Bungie. Anything else you can screw up?
-
-
-
-
Bump I definitely want this brought forward. I agree with range drop, it was even something I got myself used to. But, they then take the reload speed perks down to a laughable excuse for a perk. Then make recoil control so finicky that you only feel stress/lucky when you get a kill and/or survive... Just way too many nerfs to legendary hand cannons in one patch. Range drop off would have been enough...
-
-
-
-
Edited by m00ninite: 10/9/2015 2:27:52 PMThey do need some work. The nerf that was intended for the PvP exotics just hit the legendary options for PvE too hard. I have a WONDERFUL Eyasluna with Spray&Play, Hammer Forged, and Life Support. Kind of like a Hawkmoon Red Death hybrid, and I even wear Hand Cannon ammo armor, but still only get 66 in reserve.. Fatebringer with FS used to have 100 reserve!! On top of that it's exactly what you said, I feel like I have to shoot SO slow to ensure I hit precision and even then when my crosshair is directly on target it can miss. I support either of your proposed changes.
-
-
Well thought out, pure genius.
-
I just played with my red hand yesterday for the crucible quest and I was destroying people.
-
Edited by Havok: 10/9/2015 8:47:10 PMSo true. I don't even use my beloved y2 Hawkmoon anymore. There's just no point. Either the damage dropoff is too punishing and/or I'm ALWAYS trying to find ammo. I said f it and just started using scout and pulse rifles for my primary weapons now.
-
I used to use hand cannons for Pve and PvP, since ttk I haven't used them at all except for the chaperone quest. I agree 100% with the buffs you suggested. My idea for a buff would be to let flared magwell remain at its year 1 reload speed just for hand cannons, similar to how they adjusted final round just for snipers. Since they reduced magazine size so much I think having a really fast reload would at least bring some fluidity to hand cannon play.
-
I disagree with obsolete part but agree with your solution. I absolutely love my ace of spades. And since rng has never blessed me with a fatebringer (week one player btw) I'm told aos is pretty close in feel to it with the stability being just a little better. I do however notice an inconsistency with the ads. It much more accurate doing quick jerking shots for precision kills than trying to hold a bead on that acolytes cranium and then easing on the trigger. I find myself saying wtf a lot because of this. Try it out you will see what I mean. This could use a little fine tuning.
-
I just want more reserve ammo. Im always running out in boss rooms usually leading to me purposely dying because ammo crates won't drop
-
Legendary handcannons need fixing (never should've been changed to begin with) as the exotics still do well. Ace of Spades (if you have a Hunter) and Hawkmoon work well in PVE. Seriously
-
I agree! I wish they would have addressed this issue in the update they just announced.
-
Bump!
-
-
I still love and use my hand cannons in most PvE matches, but I would love these changes.