Surprise Destiny 2 Hand Cannon is dominating high end PvE content

Zaouli's Bane, a meta legendary Solar Hand Cannon in Destiny 2.

A Hand Cannon added in Season 18 has now taken over Destiny 2’s meta becoming the most used Legendary Primary weapon in high-end PvE content.

For several seasons, Hand Cannons found themselves being used strictly as PvP weapons. Their PvE damage output was lacking, especially against Major enemies.

That is until a massive buff in Season 22 saw them rise to the top with the likes of Sunshot and Malfeasance quickly becoming some of the best Exotic weapons.

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A season later and it’s now time for a Legendary Hand Cannon to take the stage and dominate both raids and dungeons alike.

Historic Hand Cannon is one of Destiny 2’s best PvE weapons

Zaouli’s Bane has risen to the top of the PvE meta becoming the most used Legendary Primary weapon in high-end PvE content like dungeons and raids.

According to DestinyTracker, Zaouli’s Bane ranks 2nd overall in raid usage at 4.48%, being narrowly edged out by the Exotic Sunshot at 4.49%. As for dungeons, Zaouli’s Bane ranks 4th overall at 3.59% behind Scatter Signal, Dragon’s Breath, and Sunshot.

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Most used Destiny 2 PvE weapons for Raids and Dungeons in January 2024.DestinyTracker
Zaouli’s Bane has emerged as the definitive non-Exotic Primary weapon in Destiny 2.

Available as a drop from the King’s Fall raid, Zaouli’s Bane has always been a solid weapon but never close to top-tier. Its recent rise in the meta is a direct result of Season of the Wish’s artifact favoring Solar so heavily.

With its God roll of Explosive Payload + Incandescent, Zaouli’s Bane is perfect for taking advantage of this season’s artifact mods: Unstoppable Hand Cannon, Kindling Trigger, Flint Striker, Torch, and Rays of Precision.

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The old Hand Cannon is mainly being used as an alternative to Sunshot which is one of the best Exotic weapons in Destiny 2. However, some players prefer the utility provided by Dragon’s Breath, in which case it makes sense to switch out Sunshot for the best Legendary equivalent.

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