Destiny 2: How to Get the D.F.A. Hand Cannon

Destiny 2‘s Legendary D.F.A. Hand Cannon is back from Season 2. First featured as a Nightfall reward in the much-maligned Curse of Osiris DLC, it was one of the best Hand Cannons available at the time, though because there were no random rolls, there was no way to make it any better.

That will all change in Season 17.

How to Get the D.F.A. Hand Cannon in Destiny 2

The D.F.A. Legendary Hand Cannon returns in Season 17 of Destiny 2 as a Nightfall reward. Most available in its standard form for those who complete up to Master Difficulty activities, the D.F.A. will also be getting an Adept version for those brave enough to challenge Grandmaster Nightfalls.

Season 17 of Destiny 2 begins May 24 at the end of the Guardian Games 2022, so right now, there’s no way to get your hands on it if you didn’t already earn it way back in 2017.

However, when the new season opens, it’s likely the Legendary D.F.A. Hand Cannon will be the first Nightfall reward on the docket, given how popular the gun remains with veteran players.

Earning the Adept version of D.F.A. Hand Cannon will require a short wait, as GM Nightfalls will have a required power of 1585 to even launch. GMs also don’t usually unlock immediately when a new season arrives to allow players to level up their Artifacts, get some more Pinnacle rewards under their belt, and test new loadouts and build setups. 

No matter how you get the D.F.A. Hand Cannon, it will undoubtedly have a much-expanded set of expanded roll options. 

Best D.F.A. Rolls and Possible God Rolls

The D.F.A. Hand Cannon’s static roll from Curse of Osiris was as follows:

• Barrel: Your choice of Arrowhead Break, Polygonal Rifling, and Extended Barrel. Extended Barrel would be the choice here if the D.F.A. Hand cannon were to return unchanged, as maximizing Range on Hand Cannons is the name of the game.
• Magazine: The choice between Accurized Rounds and Drop Mag. Drop Mag no longer exists in the Destiny 2 sandbox, and Accurized is one of the meta choices for Hand Cannon magazines, so we hope it makes its return in the next season.
• Trait: Opening Shot or Rampage. Despite its slow reload and heavy recoil, this combo made the D.F.A. Hand Cannon a powerhouse in both PvP and PvE. Its only competition in PvE was the Midnight Coup, and that was a very unfair matchup, given how limited the sandbox was in vanilla Destiny 2.

There are dozens of additional perks in the Hand Cannon pool, and Bungie has been introducing new ones each season. Here are what we think the D.F.A. Hand Cannon god roll would look like:

• Barrel: Either Corkscrew Rifling or Smoothbore for maximum Range and Stability.
• Magazine: The return of Accurized Rounds or Tactical Mag as a backup for those who can settle for something other than a perfect 5/5.
• Trait 1: Perpetual Motion/Rangefinder for PvP or Rapid Hit/Outlaw for PvE. Uptime is paramount for a Hand Cannon when fighting the enemies of humanity. Maximizing range and overall weapon performance are essential when taking on other players. 
• Trait 2: Vorpal Weapon/Swashbuckler for PvE and Kill Clip/Opening shot for PvP. A D.F.A. that rolls the second trait column the same as its original version is preferred, as it functions no matter where you use it.

We won’t know for sure what the D.F.A. Hand Cannon will look like upon its return, as Bungie has a mixed history when they bring back classic weapons from massively different sandboxes. Vex Mythoclast launched to great fanfare, and even greater disappointment then became an absolute monster. On the other hand, Gjallarhorn was, is, and will always be S-Tier.

As it should be.

We cover plenty of other weapons in our Destiny 2 guides hub.