Handling is one of the six stats that you can find on any standard weapon in Destiny 2: Impact, Range, Stability, Reload Speed, Magazine Size, and Handling. But unlike most stats in Destiny 2, Handling isn’t self-explanatory and it’s difficult to understand what it does.
In short, Handling increases the ready-to-fire speed of the weapon. That consists of multiple things, but all in all, it will make your gun feel lighter.
What Does Handling Do?
The average Handling stat is about 50-60 which is okay for general use. There is also an option of getting a Handling Masterwork that will increase the Masterwork stat.
Depending on the Handling stat, your gunplay may slightly change. Handling in Destiny 2 increases the following properties of the weapon:
- Aim-Down Sights (ADS) speed
- Reload Speed
- Weapon ready speed to aim/fire after falling, jumping, sprinting, sliding, melee, etc.
- Speed of swapping to that weapon*
- Speed of putting away that weapon*
*Note that the weapon swap animation is made of two parts. First is putting away the weapon, and second is drawing a new one. Handling affects only animations of its weapon.
Should You Prioritize Handling?
In PvE content such as Nightfalls and Raids, Handling is not as important since you will mostly be using a single weapon anyway with occasional swaps to something like a Rocket Launcher.
In PvP, however, Handling becomes very important. If you are aiming to do Trials of Osiris or Glory based game modes, you might want to get weapons with higher than average Handling. And maybe even a Handling Masterwork. Especially on Sniper Rifles if you are a fan of those.
Handling Masterworks are completely optional though. When getting a God Roll, first focus on the perks and then the Masterwork will complement the overall build. But Handling Masterwork is one of the better Masterworks in Destiny 2.
Best Weapons With High Handling Stat
If you want to get your hands on a few all-around good weapons with high Handling, here are some of the best. These weapons all have reasonably high handling starting at 70. Those are base stats that are not affected by perks or Masterworks so there’s room for improvement.
| Gun | Handling | Source |
| Hawkmoon | 81 | Xur |
| Sunshot | 91 | Exotic Vault / Exotic Engrams |
| Praedyth’s Revenge | 85 | Vault of Glass Raid |
| Gnawing Hunger | 78 | Legendary Engrams |
| Funnelweb | 85 | Legendary Engrams |
Destiny 2 has an ever expanding arsenal of all sorts of guns. Here are a few more that are totally worth your time and Vault space:
Come to Pass Destiny 2 God Roll | How to Get the Osteo Striga in Destiny 2 | How to Get the Parasite in Destiny 2
