Popular Destiny 2 Weapon Removed Due to Exploit

Bungie disables Destiny 2's Hawkmoon hand cannon in PvP due to an exploit. The popular exotic weapon, known for its unique perks, was causing significant balance issues in Crucible matches. This isn't the first time Destiny 2, a long-running live service game, has faced exploits; past examples include the overpowered Prometheus Lens.

While The Final Shape expansion has been generally well-received, it also introduced bugs, such as one affecting the No Hesitation auto rifle's ability to counter barrier champions. This latest Hawkmoon issue, however, proved more pressing.

The exploit involved using the Kinetic Holster leg mod to reload Hawkmoon without losing its Paracausal Shot perk, resulting in effectively unlimited damage-boosted shots. Players reported being one-shotted in Crucible due to this. Bungie swiftly disabled Hawkmoon in PvP to address this game-breaking problem, just a day after addressing another, less impactful exploit related to AFK farming in private matches. The removal of rewards from private matches, while less severe, also disappointed some players.