Luna’s Howl once terrorizedDestiny 2’sPvP scene with its ludicrous lethality. Into The Light has brought this notorious weapon back, but it now comes with a full perk table, and its iconic Magnificent Howl perk has gone through a drastic rework.
While this gun isn’t as powerful as some others in PvE, it is still one of thebest Hand Cannons inDestiny 2. However, Luna’s Howl does come with a few caveats, and players will need to know which perk combos work best with this weapon if they want to get the most out of it.
The base stats of Luna’s Howl are actually pretty average. It is outclassed in Range, Stability, and Handling by the majority of otherpopular Hand Cannons like Sunshot, Austringer, Hawkmoon, and Eyasluna. However, its middling stat package is compensated for by its uniqueMagnificent Howlperk.
Prior to Into The Light, Magnificent Howl buffed your third shot with extra damage so long as your first two shots were Precision Hits. Now, it gains stacks with every Precision Kill you score. Reloading converts these Precision Kills into Magnificent Howl stacks (up to 10 stacks), which deal50% more damage. Precision Kills with buffed shots do not consume stacks.
Magnificent Howl is great for both PvE and PvP. Think of it like a toned-down version of Memento Mori from Ace of Spades — rack up those Precision Kills, reload, then enjoy 50% more damage for your next few shots. Since Magnificent Howl kills don’t consume ammo, pairing this perk withSubsistencemeans you may fire buffed shots indefinitely, provided you can kill targets with one bullet.
For PvP, two shots of Magnificent Howl is enough to kill an enemy Guardian. The only other 140RPM Hand Cannon that can do this is Not Forgotten, which is basically the same gun but with better base stats. You can’t really go wrong with any third column perk.
Every other third-column option besides Subsistence is beneficial in PvP, thoughEye of the StormandSlideshotstand out since they can help you win more duels outright.Encoreis also great if you want to go on longer killstreaks.
It’s hard to justify getting a Luna’s Howl with a fourth column perk that isn’t Magnificent Howl, especially if you’re comparing it to otherpopularDestiny 2Crucible weapons. Other perks like Opening Shot, Kill Clip, and Incandescent definitely help, but there are other Hand Cannons that can roll with these, and those have better base stats than Luna’s Howl.
