Published , by Bill Lavoy
Published , by Bill Lavoy
The Hunter class is doing well for itself in Destiny 2. Each subclass has its own usefulness, and the Exotic armor Hunters can equip complements their super abilities very well. This is especially true with the Exotic Hunter Helmet Celestial Nighthawk which, when combined with the Way of the Sharpshooter tree from the Gunslinger subclass, can one-shot some strike bosses and most lost sector bosses.
Last updated on September 21, 2021 at 4:47 p.m. EDT.
The Celestial Nighthawk is only good in PvE and should be taken off any time Guardians enter the Crucible. This is due to its intrinsic perk called Hawkeye Hack.
In the Crucible, it’s beneficial to have multiple shots with Golden Gun since those are usually sufficient to defeat a Guardian. In PvE, though, Celestial Nighthawk can deal massive damage to bosses and, in some cases, defeat them with a single shot. This is because of Hawkeye Hack.
Celestial Nighthawk should be used in PvE situations in coordination with your fireteam, or when you need something dead in a big hurry. A Celestial Nighthawk used with the Way of the Sharpshooter can one-shot Hashladûn, a Hive Wizard from The Scarlet Keep strike in Shadowkeep.
The Celestial Nighthawk is good for “burning” bosses, which is to say killing them quickly to avoid long fights where fireteams can be overwhelmed by mobs of low-level enemies. The thing is, your fireteam must be on board, and the boss must be vulnerable to being burned. If you don’t kill the boss, you can end up in a situation like when Brakion, Genesis Mind from The Pyramidion strike takes enough damage that it starts to run around the map destroying your hopes and dreams, all while being immune to damage. However, even against bosses like Nokris, Herald of Xol (Strange Terrain strike), the Celestial Nighthawk can have value. A single shot from a Golden Gun with this setup can move the fight to the next phase in an instant.
The Celestial Nighthawk is also exceptionally good against bosses in heroic public events, and against most bosses in lost sectors across Destiny 2. These bosses tend to have lower health pools, meaning Guardians can often finish a fight in a single shot, reducing the likelihood of dying when they become outnumbered.
As of right now there is no quest to get the Celestial Nighthawk. It’s part of the loot pool that includes all Exotic weapons and armor. This means it could drop from an Exotic engram, either in the world or through the season pass. It could also be purchased directly from Xur if he’s selling it, or through the Exotic engram he sells each week which provides you an Exotic you don’t have in your collection.
The following is the lore tab for the Celestial Nighthawk which, if for no other reason, I appreciate for its acknowledgement that Taken Psions split at an alarming and annoying rate:
I'm on the ground, half inside Mav's Ward. Lucky for me, it's my head that's half in. The stars over my head are going out one at a time, but that could just be Taken goo blocking my sight. This giant one-eyed nightmare we woke up is real unhappy to see us. This wasn't the plan—we just came here to rob him. Luna's dry. The 'horn's dull. Mav's either laughing, or screaming for her life spraying lead everywhere. She's floating past Psions that won't stop splitting. STOP SPLITTING. We're almost out of time. We have one shot. So I pull out the bird and give this sucker the finger. One red-hot glowing finger.
Now that you know all there is about the Celestial Nighthawk Exotic Hunter Helmet, be sure to visit our Destiny 2 strategy guide for everything you need to excel as a Guardian.