Best Legendary Hand Cannons

Legendary Reviews Leave a comment

The Lingering Song648a34965fdbbbdff24076333d50ce1a

  • Pros – Possibility of killing very low armor players with 2 crit shots. Very high range.
  • Cons – Low stability & reload speed.

Recommended PvP Perks:

  1. Iron Lordly Sights
  2. Braced Frame, Smallbore, Hammer Forged, Rifled Barrel
  3. Feather Mag, Explosive Rounds, High Caliber Rounds, Quickdraw, Single Point Sling
  4. Luck in the Chamber, Rangefinder, Hidden Hand, Third Eye, Firefly

Recommended PvE Perks:

  1. Iron Lordly Sights
  2. Hammer Forged
  3. Explosive Rounds, High Caliber Rounds, Quickdraw, Single Point Sling
  4. Firefly, Rangefinder, Hidden Hand, Third Eye

This is a niche hand cannon, but can do something only two other Y3 hand cannons can: 2 shot kill. That being said, it has one roll in particular that’s outstanding for PvP, and that’s the combination of Braced Frame, Feather Mag, and Luck in the Chamber. The first two perks drop the mag size down to 4, which means LitC has a very, very high chance of activating during engagements, which means you’ll be two-tapping people left and right.

For PvE, go with Hammer Forged since the range cap is less important, and Reinforced and Rifled hurt too much. Explosive Rounds would probably be the best choice in column three, followed by either Firefly or Rangefinder in the last slot. Remember that Firefly and Explosive Rounds can interfere which each other, as the explosive damage from ER will not count as a crit shot for FF.

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Judith-Dadca2dd3047f47d4543163f8b7491f58

  • Pros – Possibility of killing low armored players with 2 crit shots. High Range.
  • Neutral – Average recoil direction.
  • Cons – Low stability, reload speed, mag size, equip speed, and aim assist.

Recommended Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Crowd Control, Hot Swap
  3. Final Round/Reactive Reload, Rangefinder, Feeding Frenzy, Outlaw, Spray and Play
  4. Speed Reload

This Gunsmith hand cannon can also kill with 2 crit shots. Still, that’s not enough to really warrant its use, because you won’t be running into many people using minimum armor. What you need are perks that can increase the damage output, which is where Crowd Control, and Final Round/Reactive Reload come in.

Rangefinder is normally the best perk, but if you aren’t killing people in 2 shots, it’s not really worth using.

SureShot IS and TrueSight IS both add plenty AA, then add Speed Reload (or Reload Gauntlets), and with Weapons of Light you’ll be almost unstoppable.

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Ill Willcold_between_starts

  • Pros – High Impact & Range + possibility of killing low armored players with 2 crit shots.
  • Cons – Very low RoF, stability, reload speed, mag size, equip speed, and aim assist.

Recommended Perks:

  1. SureShot IS, TrueSight IS, QuickDraw IS
  2. Rangefinder, Outlaw
  3. Braced Frame, Feather Mag, Explosive Rounds, Hammer Forged, Reinforced Barrel, Rifled Barrel,
  4. Luck in the Chamber, Reactive Reload, Third Eye

This random Crucible drop is another a High-Impact gimmick weapon, despite its ability to perform well. The best way to use this gun is to play into its strength; maximize the chance of two-tapping someone.

Luck in the Chamber & Braced Frame or Feather Mag, which will decrease mag size, work in your favor. If you don’t get LitC, then Reactive Reload is a passable but not nearly as fun substitute.

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Uffern HC4ragabone

  • Pros – High stability, quick reload and equip speed.
  • Cons – Below average range.

Recommended PvP Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Luck in the Chamber, Third Eye, Zen Moment, Grenadier, Army of One, Mulligan,
  3. Rifled Barrel, Reinforced Barrel
  4. Icarus, Eye of the Storm, Life Support, Outlaw

Recommended PvE Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Grenadier, Army of One, Zen Moment, Luck in the Chamber, Third Eye, Mulligan,
  3. Extended Mag
  4. Firefly, Life Support, Outlaw, Icarus, Eye of the Storm

This Armsday purchase benefits most from using AA boosting sights like TrueSight and SureShot, and Luck in the Chamber in PvP; LitC activates more often due to the magazine size.

For PvE, don’t bother.

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Gaheris-Dadca2dd3047f47d4543163f8b7491f58

  • Pros – High stability and aim assist. Above average equip speed.
  • Neutral – Average reload speed.
  • Cons – Low range. Very low mag size.

Recommended Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Crowd Control, Hot Swap, Army of One
  3. Rangefinder
  4. Reinforced Barrel, Smallbore, Hand Loaded

As with almost all hand cannons, SureShot is the best optic. Rangefinder and Reinforced Barrel are the best ways to increase Range. But even with the best perks, The Palindrome is infinitely better.

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FEVER AND REMEDY~66fd98f79b50cee4de973291dfb723e5

  • Pros – Very high mag size. Above average range, stability, and reload speed.
  • Cons – Below average aim assist and equip speed. Low recoil direction.

Recommended Perks:

  1. Accurized Ballistics
  2. Reactive Reload
  3. Hammer Forged or Reinforced Barrel
  4. Quick Reaction

This is an enigma. Reactive Reload is generally considered more useful in PvP, and the fact that it comes with a barrel perk that boosts range and the choice of either Hammer Forged or Reinforced Barrel seems to cement the idea that this gun was designed with the Crucible in mind.

Reactive Reload is fantastic for stringing kills together, and the signature perk increases your agility when it’s active, making it easier than ever to find your next target.

Hammer Forged is in competition with Reinforced Barrel in the third slot, and you’ll have to decide if cutting down on ghost bullets is worth the stability penalty.

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The Palindromedes_dawning_main

  • Pros – High range. Above average mag size and recoil direction.
  • Neutral – Average stability, reload speed, and aim assist.
  • Cons – Below average equip speed.

Best Vendor Perks:

  1. TrueSight IS
  2. Spray and Play or Mulligan
  3. Rifled Barrel
  4. Rangefinder

Recommended Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Icarus, Outlaw, Hot Swap
  3. Rifled Barrel, Reinforced Barrel, Hammer Forged, Smallbore
  4. Rangefinder, Hidden Hand, Luck in the Chamber, Third Eye

One of the most popular vendor weapons! Comparing Eyeasluna with it, the only places The Palindrome falters are stability and equip speed, but it more than makes up for it with significantly higher aim assist and recoil direction.

If you get one to drop for you, the only way it could be better than the vendor version is with a different perk in the second slot. Icarus or Outlaw would be perfect.

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The Wail800205_71b40049814dc2647d05b8bd76feb562

  • Pros – Above average range and aim assist.
  • Neutral – Average reload speed.
  • Cons – Below average stability. Very low mag size and recoil direction. Low equip speed.

Best Vendor Perks:

  1. SteadyHand IS
  2. Hip Fire
  3. Hammer Forged
  4. Firefly

Recommended PvP Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Explosive Rounds, High Caliber Rounds, Quickdraw
  3. Hammer Forged, Smallbore, Outlaw, Third Eye, Perfect Balance, Hot Swap
  4. Rangefinder, Hidden Hand, Luck in the Chamber, Reactive Reload

Recommended PvE Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Explosive Rounds, High Caliber Rounds, Quickdraw, Lightweight
  3. Outlaw, Hammer Forged
  4. Firefly, Rangefinder, Reactive Reload, Luck in the Chamber

This FWC weapon also offers surprisingly healthy stats and perks. SteadyHand works for stability, Hip Fire helps with the close range panic situations, Hammer Forged boosts range, and Firefly is probably the best hand cannon perk for dealing with adds.

If you insist on taking it into the Crucible, then try to increase Range as much as possible. Unfortunately Rifled and Reinforced Barrel are not possible options.

In PvE, there’s the option for mini-Fatebringer. Firefly and Outlaw are the two main options, but Explosive Rounds is very powerful in the raid.

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Imago Loopstrike_dust_palace

  • Pros – High range, mag size, and recoil direction.
  • Cons – Below average aim assist. Low stability and reload speed. Very low equip speed.

Recommended Perks for PvP:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Rangefinder, Outlaw, Hot Swap, Spray and Play, Underdog
  3. Rifled Barrel, Smallbore, Reinforced Barrel, Hammer Forged, Braced Frame, Explosive Rounds, Hand Loaded
  4. Hidden Hand/Icarus, Luck in the Chamber, Life Support, Third Eye, Reactive Reload, Grenadier, Army of One

Fatebringer Setup:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Outlaw, Spray and Play, Rangefinder, Underdog
  3. Explosive Rounds, Rifled Barrel, Reinforced Barrel, Hammer Forged, Hand Loaded
  4. Firefly, Life Support, Reactive Reload, Icarus, Grenadier, Army of One

If you are trying to get a Luck in the Chamber build, Smallbore and Braced Frame will be your two best choices. Explosive Rounds and Hand Loaded bring up the rear of the preferred perks in this slot, with ER greatly increasing your opponents flinch, and HL giving a small boost to the range stat.

Life Support actually activates often, multiple times per game, and saved me on enough occasions that it’s actually worth using.

For PvE: Make it Fatebringer.

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Her Revenge

  • Pros – High mag size. Above average aim assist.
  • Neutral – Average range and stability.
  • Cons – Very low reload speed. Below average equip speed. Low recoil direction.

Recommended Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Rangefinder, Hot Swap
  3. Rifled Barrel, Reinforced Barrel, Hammer Forged, Hand Loaded
  4. Hidden Hand/Icarus, Luck in the Chamber, Grenadier, Army of One

Everything there is to know about this Challenge of Elders reward is located in the video above.

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Kumakatok HC4start610

  • Pros – Very high stability, quick handling.
  • Cons – Very low range and recoil direction.

Recommended Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Luck in the Chamber, Third Eye, Zen Moment, Grenadier, Army of One, Mulligan,
  3. Braced Frame, Rifled Barrel, Reinforced Barrel
  4. Icarus, Eye of the Storm, Life Support, Outlaw

This low-Impact hand cannon has a few basic flaws. First, instead of only needing one crit shot and two body shots to kill, it requires two crit and one body, which is a more difficult. Second, the base range is abysmal.

For perks, LitC makes it possible to one crit & two body people, but that can be a literal long shot. Use Braced Frame to make the LitC activation more likely, and to boost the already high stability.

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Exile’s Student5b63cb18efd79d8a31ce81cac6a454a7

  • Pros – Quick reload speed, equip speed, and recoil direction. Above average mag size.
  • Neutral – Average stability.
  • Cons – Very low range.

Perks for Range:

  1. Accurized Ballistics
  2. Hammer Forged
  3. Explosive Rounds
  4. Hidden Hand

Perks for Stability:

  1. Smart Drift Control
  2. Braced Frame
  3. Extended Mag
  4. Firefly or Hidden Hand

Unfortunately, this Trials reward isn’t a Crucible gem. Accurized Ballistics and Hammer Forged are desperately needed to defend against damage and accuracy falloff.

The Stability combination won’t allow you to go toe-to-toe with most weapons at mid-range, but it will make it possible to put to use the faster RoF up close. Extended Mag will make up for the Braced Frame mag size penalty, and Firefly will make more of a difference than Hidden Hand since AA is already very high.

Ultimately, this is a better PvE hand cannon.

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Stolen Pride29c5c9d370b2534a12d1d4d1e6ecfd5d

  • Pros – High stability, AA, and equip speed. Quick reload.
  • Neutral – Average Range.

Recommended Perks:

  1. TrueSight IS
  2. Rifled Barrel, Smallbore, Hammer Forged, Reinforced Barrel
  3. Explosive Rounds, High Caliber Rounds, Quickdraw, Lightweight, Snapshot
  4. Rangefinder, Hidden Hand, Third Eye, Grenadier, Army of One

Thus House of Judgment reward has a faster TtK than most in the mid-Impact archetype, but that comes at a cost. Because the RoF is faster, stability starts to matter more, which means ghosting bullets may haunt you.

The real kicker is that it takes two crit shots and one body to down a Guardian.

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Free Will III4ea012daa3df321a5e30e2acef62e6fc

  • Pros – Great mag size and stability, quick reload.
  • Cons – Low range.

Best Vendor Perks:

  1. SteadyHand IS
  2. Explosive Rounds
  3. Hammer Forged
  4. Rangefinder

Recommended Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Explosive Rounds, High Caliber Rounds
  3. Hammer Forged, Smallbore, Outlaw, Hot Swap, Third Eye
  4. Rangefinder, Hidden Hand, Reactive Reload, Luck in the Chamber

New Monarchy’s fantastic vendor roll has all the right perks. If you can utilize the Explosive Rounds perk to shake off your opponents aim, you can force a retreat or outright take them down before they know what’s happening.

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How Dare You6ee9c8e4ba30d2a9dc62209c6adee5df

  • Pros – Quick reload & equip speed. Large mag size.
  • Cons – Low range and stability.

Best Vendor Perks:

  1. SteadyHand IS
  2. Icarus
  3. Explosive Rounds, Hammer Forged
  4. Luck in the Chamber

Recommended Perks:

  1. SureShot IS/TrueSight IS
  2. Icarus, Outlaw, Hot Swap
  3. Explosive Rounds, Smallbore, Rifled Barrel, Hammer Forged
  4. Third Eye, Hidden Hand, Rangefinder, Reactive Reload, Luck in the Chamber

Out of all the low-Impact models, this is the worst. Compared to others in the archetype, this Vanguard gun just doesn’t have enough to make up for its cons.  In almost every circumstance, it will be outclassed by weapons like The Palindrome, Lord High Fixer, and Eyasluna.

What I like to look for on weapons like this are perks that allow more utility in shorter distances, making it like TLW. LitC and Reactive Reload will allow you to kill much more easily, bringing down the required number of headshots from 2 to 1 if it procs.