Destiny 2 released the iconic Exotic hand cannon Hawkmoon as part of today's big update, which also rolled out the next-gen version of the game, and it's looking like a one-of-a-kind Exotic.
Ironically, the feature that makes the new version of Hawkmoon one-of-a-kind is that, unlike all other Exotic weapons, it seems to support random rolls for one of its perk slots. Destiny 2 database Light.gg shows that Hawkmoon has the new perk Transformative, which says that "future drops of this weapon will have random rolls." In other words, the initial drop is fixed, but subsequent Hawkmoons will be a bit different. However, it will always have Exotic perk Paracausal Shot, which causes the final round of the magazine to deal bonus damage based on how many kills and precision shots you landed with that magazine.
This is a continental shift for Exotic weapons, which have always come with static and usually top-tier perks separate from their Exotic abilities. Players have long wondered how Bungie would revive Hawkmoon in Destiny 2 without making it as obscenely imbalanced as it was in Destiny 1, and on top of Paracausal Shot, the studio's solution seems to have been random rolls. Nearest we can tell, Hawkmoon can roll with perks like rangefinder, opening shot, snapshot, killing wind, and moving target, along with a spread of barrels and grips that affect its base stats.
We've never seen an Exotic like this before, but it's possible Bungie will give more Exotics the Transformative treatment in the future. However, it's equally plausible that this is a one-off thing for Hawkmoon, which has a legacy of randomness. We should get a definitive answer next season.
Bungie outlined massive reward changes in a separate update released today, including unique Strike loot, transmog details, and more guns for future expansions.
