Many didn’t like that Hawkmoon wasn’t the same weapon it was in Destiny 1. But with an extremely lethal Exotic perk and off-the-charts stats, Hawkmoon is perhaps the best hand cannon we have ever seen.
Hawkmoon has a pretty obvious limitation, though: it’s only consistent if you are consistent. But in the right hands, Hawkmoon is one of the top weapons in D2. This guide will show you how to get the weapon, what are the best rolls, and, equally importantly, how to find its catalyst.
| Art | Weapon | Archetype | Rarity | Ammo | Element | Requirements | In loot pool? | Ammo? | Element? | Tier | Excels | Source | Craftable? | Requires | Released | Slot | Can be Crafted? | Best of? | Top Perk? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hawkmoon | Exotic | Exotic | Primary | Kinetic | Beyond Light | Yes |  Primary |  Kinetic | Strong ❘ A | PvP | Xûr |  |  Beyond Light | Season 12 | Kinetic | No | Top-tier |
How to get Hawkmoon in Destiny 2 in 2023
Nowadays, you can purchase a random roll of the Hawkmoon from Xûr, who is only available in-game on weekends. He offers completely random rolls, which means that some weeks they will be winners; others, they will be useless.
It is unfortunate that Hawkmoon’s original Exotic quest, Harbinger, is no longer around. It used to be top-tier and would offer a “free” random roll each week.
Hawkmoon God Rolls from Xûr, Destiny 2
Hawkmoon costs:
- 1 Exotic Cipher
- 1 Ascendant Shard
- 200 Legendary Shards
- 125,000 Glimmer
Xûr is available from Friday to Tuesday and can be found either on Nessus, the Tower, or the EDZ. This post covers Xûr’s current location and selection of weapons and rolls.
Is Hawkmoon good today?
As mentioned before, Hawkmoon is one of the strongest Hand Cannons in the game. The premise of this gun is simple: it fires normally, until the last shot. That last shot does extra damage depending on how many precision hits you landed throughout the rest of the magazine. This perk can get strong pretty quickly, and can even allow you to 1-shot a Guardian with the right amount of stacks.
This means that Hawkmoon is only consistent if you are consistent. To make this weapon shine, you need to be on your A-game all the time. And while this is a fun and strong choice at times, other options just don’t require as much consistency from you to be just as good.
Where it shines: Hawkmoon can truly excel in PvP, provided you can hit your shots and pace your game.
Where it doesn’t: You’ll rarely see Hawkmoon in PvE. It can work with some crazy builds involving something like the Lucky Pants. Other than that, other Exotics will provide more lethality without requiring a complicated setup.
Hamwkmoon God Rolls for PvE and PvP
Unlike the Osteo Striga exotic SMG, which can be shaped into the god roll you desire, the Hawkmoon can only offer one random roll per week. In other words, it could take a while to acquire the god roll you’re chasing. Fret not, however, as the weapon offers more than a few excellent perks for PvE and PvP.
Hawkmoon, Destiny 2
Hawkmoon PvP god roll
For PvP, you’re looking for perks that will provide consistency (and range, when possible):
- Barrel: Hammer-Forged Rifling, Polygonal Rifling, or Smallbore: These will help with Range and/or Stability.
- Mag: Alloy Mag: This is the only choice available for this weapon.
- Trait: Rangefinder, Opening Shot, or Eye of the Storm: Rangefinder is an excellent perk for hand cannons all-around. Eye of the Storm might not look that good on paper, but it remains one of the best perks for dueling.
- Grip: Smooth Grip or Heavy Grip: These will help with Handling and/or Stability.
These recommendations come from Fallout‘s excellent breakdown video.
Hawkmoon PvE god roll
Albeit Hawkmoon wasn’t made to shine in PvE, these are the rolls you might want to try for PvE:
- Barrel: Hammer-Forged Rifling, Polygonal Rifling, or Smallbore: These will help with Range and/or Stability.
- Mag: Alloy Mag: This is the only choice available for this weapon.
- Trait: Surplus or Killing Wind.
- Grip: Smooth Grip or Heavy Grip: These will help with Handling and/or Stability.
Thanks to Ehroar for this recommendation!
Hawkmoon Catalyst: Where to find it?
The catalyst for the Hawkmoon can randomly drop from completing playlist activities (Strikes, Crucible, Gambit). It originally dropped from the Harbringer Exotic quest, but since it was removed from the game, the catalyst’s source was changed accordingly:
The Hawkmoon, DMT, and Ager’s Scepter catalysts will be moved to the playlist activity (Strikes, Crucible, Gambit) completions.
| Name | Type | Slot | Catalyst Rank | Catalyst Source | Available? | Requirements | Catalyst | Tier | Source ❘ DLC | How to unlock | Catalyst effect | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawkmoon | Hand Cannon | Kinetic | A › Strong | Playlist Activity completions | Yes | Beyond Light |  Hawkmoon | Hand Cannon | Strong ❘ A | Playlist Activity completions Beyond Light | ► Get 700 kills | ► Adds the Hunter's Trance perk: Increases magazine size to 9. Also increases handling, reload speed, and range based on the number of Paracausal Charge stacks. | Season 16 |
Hawkmoon God Rolls & Catalyst, Destiny 2
Hawkmoon’s catalyst unlocks the following perk:
- Hunter’s Trance: Increases magazine size to 9. Also increases handling, reload speed, and range based on the number of Paracausal Charge stacks.
How to unlock the catalyst?
To unlock Hawkmoon’s catalyst, you’ll need 700 kills with the weapon.
Before you go…
If you’re desperately looking for a Hawkmoon with a good roll, make sure you visit Xur every single weekend.
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