Maybe its placebo effect. But Hawkmoon feels so much better and its not only the range stat.
It is the range stat. The thing is, "range" doesn't mean what you think it does in this game.
You would think it means how far away from a target you can be and still do full damage but no. Like yea but that's not even the most important part.
- Snipers: Range is a determinant in aim assistance.
- Fusion Rifles: Range determines the Coke radius for your bolts (more range = tighter cone = better chance of landing a full hit)
- Hand Cannons: range determines the likelihood of your shots to actually register. Low range hand cannons = "phantom bullets", the bane of Y2 HCs and the single worst decision Bungie has ever made.
Basically boosting a HCs range is the best and most aggressive buff you can give it. Not because it can change the distance at which you can engage, but rather because it makes hitting things more consistent and reliable.
Been using HM in PvE, super effectively. Is it better than Hung Jury? Not really, that thing never misses and has Firefly and a bigger mag and never runs out of ammo and is more stable and fires more quickly. And it doesn't use your Exotic slot.
But the point is Hawkmoon is *viable*. I don't need it to be optimal; I'm just happy with it being viable. That's enough for me.
Every HC should get a range buff tbh. I have a single useable legendary HC (Finnala's with all range perks), it's a tragedy. I had an amazing Vanity (LitC+Outlaw) but with no range...it's unusable.
Btw let me give Bungie credit: for once nerfs seem to not be excessive. Arminius/Doctrine and TLW are still viable after the nerf - maybe they're learning to be gradual.
