Destiny 2 devs disable Hawkmoon in PvP after game-breaking exploit

Hawkmoon has been one of the most used guns in Destiny 2 PvP modes for a long time, but Bungie has now confirmed that the gun has been temporarily disabled due to an unintended exploit.

Hawkmoon is an Exotic 140 RPM Hand Cannon that has proved immensely popular in any mode that features PvP. As well as having a very impressive time to kill, its unique perk Paracausal Shot singlehandedly makes it one of the best weapons in the Crucible.

It was an exploit related to the Exotic perk Paracausal Shot has led to this sudden ban. The perk is supposed to work as follows: “Final blows and precision hits with Hawkmoon grant stacks of Paracausal Charge. The final round in the magazine deals bonus damage based on the number of stacks. Stowing Hawkmoon on the final round removes this bonus.”

However, PvP players were using the Kinetic Holster leg mod to reload the weapon, which was possible by using their Ghost rather than stowing the Hand Cannon as intended. After 1 second, the final round of the magazine is reloaded, without the Paracausal Shot buff being removed, allowing for endless damage-boosted shots.

The potential for this overtaking PvP is obvious, and some players had already reported getting one-tapped repeatedly by Hawkmoon users, likely using this unintended interaction. This exploit would have been particularly problematic come June 28, when the next Trials of Osiris weekend is set to begin.

This news comes only a day after Bungie also confirmed that Private Crucible match rewards had been disabled after players were using short solo lobbies to farm gear like Enhancement Prisms and even Red Border weapons.

There is no word yet from Bungie on when Hawkmoon will be reinstated, with the gun remaining disabled for use in PvP at the time of writing. However, this exploit can still be used in PvE, though it won’t be as impactful.