Hey there guardians, grab a seat and let's talk about the D2 hand cannon "problem". This "problem" with hand cannons lies in the archetypes. Unless Bungie decides to make the ttk under 1 second across the board, there really isn't anything that can be done; other than changing the RPM of the archetypes. I'm adding a poll so you can let me know which archertype you use most often.
First and foremost, 180 RPM hand cannons are already near the top of the PvP foodchain; and yet people still don't use them. The go-fast update all the way back in March gave us the hand cannon ttk that everyone has been asking for; 1 second flat. Granted, you need to hit all precision shots to get this optimal ttk, but the same can be said for the Vigilance Wing and Graviton Lance. Furthermore, the guns have no recoil and can be spammed while retaining accuracy.
I don't want to spend too much time on 150 RPM hand cannons. I feel like I made my case for the 150 archetype during my Sunshot crusade. The archetype gives you a mobility boost and you only need criticals on half of your shots. The increased strafe speed and low precision requirement make up for the slower 1.2s optimal ttk. If these guns were 3-tap kills we would be looking at a .9s ttk, around the best sidearms; which isn't going to happen.
I've always found the 140 RPM to be in an odd place. This archetype has a 1.3s optimal ttk and requires the same 50/50 ratio for precision shots as the 140 archetype. The only guns in the game with a worse optimal ttk are the 180 RPM scout rifles at 1.33s. As long as the 150 RPM archetype exists, I can't find a reason to use any gun in this class. They have the worst ttk, they don't boost your movement speed, and yet Bungie has made more hand cannons in this archetype than any other type. If these guns were 3-tap kills we would have a .975s ttk, which is between the mid and worst sidearms; which again, won't happen.
110 RPM hand cannons are also, trapped in a weird situation by their archetype. The guns used to have the best optimal ttk for hand cannons at 1.07s, but they have (by far) the WORST body shot ttk in the entire game at 2.13s. Their best and worst case scenarios are both outclassed by the highest rate of fire hand cannons. What can be done to them though? Making them a 4-body-shot kill weapon would be 1.43s ttk, which puts them in line with some auto rifles body shot ttk. Then we get back into the strafing conversation, and I don't see Bungie making that change.
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As long as Bungie wants to keep Mid/Long weapons above 1s ttk, I really don't know what can be done to hand cannons. That is the appeal of exotic hand cannons. They can have really cool perks that overcome these shortcomings, like the Sturm/Drang combo. Until we get new exotic hand cannons in Forsaken, give the 180 RPM archetype a try (West of Sunfall and Cold Sweat were just fixed).
Oh, and one more thing...BUFF THE SUNSHOT MAGAZINE!
- a concerned hand cannon user
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I prefer sidearms over HCs as my secondary weapon.