Sliflist

Hand Cannons

2021/08/29: Needs updating as the sandbox has changed with respect to Range on Hand Cannons

Effects of Range

PART 1 : Range MEANS NOTHING on Hand Cannons - CoolGuy, 2019-10-28

Adding Range to a Hand Cannon has minimal gain. “You shouldn’t dismantle a great Hand Cannon roll because it isn’t max range.” When you add on Range to a Hand Cannon you get minimal gains: (35 Range = 25m falloff, 86 Range = 28m)

PART 2 : Range MEANS NOTHING on Hand Cannons (Aim Assist and Accuracy edition) - CoolGuy, 2020-02-19

What about Range making things “more crispy” or increasing Aim Assist and thereforce accuracy? We can trace this back to comments four years ago, about how Destiny 1 worked: “Range is one big huge bar that’s one giant number of a stat. There’s a whole bunch of little things in there. Anything that effects accuracy or target acquisition can touch its little part of the Range bar independent of Range itself. We’ve made a couple of perks and scopes that give you a slight bonus to target acquisition (Aim Assist). Generally a +5 or +10 to where it would be on the Range stat value. This is Bungie’s secret sauce as to how they make shooters feel so good; one of the many things. If your Range is higher, your Aim Assist is going to be better." - Crucible Radio, Episode 16 (2015/10/05) YouTube Reddit

What was the main reason we wanted to know what he was talking about? Destiny 1’s “Ghost Bullets” (you’d be on target within range and completely miss). “What we needed Range for in Destiny 1 is not what we need from Range in Destiny 2. Whatever multiplier was placed on accuracy in Destiny 1 is significantly different now.”

  • Shoots four shots with an Austringer:
    • Austringer 1: 92 stability, 52 range (max damage, 26.5m). At 34m, crits for 50.
    • Austringer 2: 63 stability, 69 range (max damage, 29m). At 37m, crits for 50 - because of Rangefinder.
    • In both cases, all four shots hit in succession at max rate of fire and max range (i.e. no “Ghost Bullets”).
  • Next, he takes Austringer 1, shoots headshots at the max rate of fire at 44m which hits for the damage floor (24). If you add more Range, “the shots aren’t getting any crispier”.
  • If you can get 100% accuracy at the damage floor at max range, what could increasing your range possibly help you with, with respect to accuracy?

Adding Aim Assist widens the accuracy cone, which is still important. You can verify this by looking at the circle around your reticle (higher AA = wider accuracy cone).

  • Adding 30 more Range to a Hand Cannon can’t be felt, but adding more 30 Stability can be. Adding Stability also increases the rate at which the AA cone shrinks/resets.

What about Hand Cannon rolls in general?

  • “When I get a Hand Cannon, it’s perks first then barrels, mags and masterworks next.”
  • “The three things I would worry about are (1) the actual Aim Assist stat (2) accuracy-boosting perks, Targeting Adjuster, Enhanced HC Targeting, etc. and (3) your connection to host, but you can’t test it or control it.”
  • “When it comes to Hand Cannons, all rolls are kinda good. If you farmed a max range roll back when, if you farm a max Stability roll now, it’s stil good. You won’t be at a severe disadvantage for doing so and I think that was their point all along with these changes.”