Looking for the Destiny 2 Hawkmoon exotic? Returning from the first game, this hand cannon can pack a serious punch, especially if you land precise hits or kill enemies with it. Then there’s the final shot in the chamber which gets a cumulative bonus that can deal well over 20,000 points of damage with one shot if you’re skilled enough.
To help you get this powerful gun in the free PC game, we will be going over the step you need to take to get the Hawkmoon hand cannon, as well as details about what this Exotic weapon is, the perks associated with it, and the best places to farm for challenge requirements.
How to get the Hawkmoon hand cannon
It used to be the case that to get Hawkmoon, you’d have to go galavanting around the Tangled Short looking for golden feathers. Since the introduction of the Witch Queen expansion, however, the Tangled Shore is no longer accessible, so how do you go about getting the powerful hand cannon?
Xur, as always, is your man for the job here. Since you cannot complete the quests in the Tangled Shore, the only place you’re able to get Hawkmoon is through the mysterious vendor. When Xur is around, Hawkmoon costs:
- 125,000 Glimmer
- 200 Legendary Shards
- 1 Exotic Cipher
- 1 Ascendant Shard
It’s important to note that the exotic gun comes with a random roll each week, so if the current Hawkmoon doesn’t look too appealing, wait a while and hope for something better.
What is the Hawkmoon?
Hawkmoon is one of the Destiny 2 Exotic weapons. It is a hand cannon you can obtain from a quest that comes with the intrinsic trait ‘Paracausal Shot’. What this does is generate stacks of Paracausal Charge whenever you hit a final blow or precise hit with any of the first seven rounds in the chamber.
When you fire off the eighth shot in the magazine, it will deal bonus damage based on the number of stacks. Note that stowing the Hawkmoon on the final round will remove the bonus, so make sure you don’t do this.
Outside of that, it has somewhat good impact, handling and stability, but a lower reload speed and range to compensate for this. It will fire around 140 rounds per minute and has eight shots in the magazine.
A Cry from Beyond
Although the mission isn’t available anymore, we’ve kept the how-to for posterity, so you know what you would have had to have gone through in the past in order to get Hawkmoon.
The first step you need to complete to acquire the Hawkmoon in Destiny 2 is to go and see Spider in the Tangled Shore. After that, you’ll need to find the five golden feathers to complete this step of the quest.
- Tangled Shore – Spider’s Lair: Just outside the Spider’s Lair. It’s on top of a transformer just outside the entrance.
- The Sludge – European Dead Zone: Head towards where the Hallowed Grove lost sector would be. There you’ll see a tin building at a bit of a wonk on the opposite hill. Jump up and climb through the hole on the side to find the feather on the floor.
- The Steppes – Cosmodrome: When you spawn into the area, immediately head up the ruined building. At the top of the blown out pillar, there is a feather nestled between steel reinforced bars.
- Divalian Mists – The Dreaming City: Head for the massive door close to the Blind Well. To the left arch of the giant door is the feather. This is the door where you’d find the start of the Last Wish raid.
- Sanctuary – The Moon: Head for the Shrine of Oryx via the Archer’s Line dropzone. From the start, drive to the left and follow the road until you see an open steel gate on your right. Turn right and head through it and you’ll arrive at the entrance to a cave. From the entrance, drop down until you reach the Hall of Wisdom. Circle around and to the left, dodging the enemy blasts. Head into the tunnel ahead and follow it as it snakes around to the entrance of the Shrine of Oryx. Continue onward, until you reach the big structure in the middle. Near the door where you would hide during the Nightmare Hunts, you’ll find a feather.
Let Loose Thy Talons
Head back to the Crow in the Tangled Shore to deliver the feathers. He’ll then ask you to complete a mission in the European Deadzone. There’s nothing particularly of note except that you’ll interact with the Effigy of Hawkmoon at the end, which is a golden crow.
The next step is to generate 50 Orbs of Power. Head for the Blind Well and start grinding out kills for the enemies in this area. One run should net you enough orbs to complete this step. Return to the Crow and he’ll ask you to investigate some coordinates in the European Deadzone. Throughout this part of the mission there are golden feathers to collect once more, but these ones are highlighted.
Collect all of them and return to the Crow. He’ll then ask you to get up to 100 guardian kills or around 34 champions (each one contributes 1% or 3% respectively to the tally). Empire Hunts are a great place to farm champion kills – the Dark Priestess on Hero difficulty is particularly good for this.
The Crow and the Hawk
Head to the European Deadzone again to follow the waypoint to the Shard area. This will take some extensive and tight platforming, so watch your step. Keep following the golden crow, being careful of the vents, and eventually you’ll find a chamber with a big black orb. Fight off against the foes, taking out the acolytes to strip the barrier.
Eventually, after taking out some of the bosses here, they’ll drop the Hawkmoon Exotic hand cannon. If you’re looking for other Exotic weapons, we have the steps to find all of the Destiny 2 Lament Exotic blade pieces and their locations, or the Destiny 2 Cloudstrike Exotic weapon for those who prefer using sniper rifles.