Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Tractor Cannon has been in Destiny 2 since the very beginning and yet it remains a must-have item. Regardless of player skill, this unique Exotic Shotgun can help solo players and teams bridge any gaps in damage in endgame activities. If you’re looking for a Heavy option while you farm for Anarchy, or if you’re trying to increase the damage of your whole team, Tractor Cannon should be your first port of call.
Tractor Cannon was first available when Destiny 2 launched back in 2017. Since then, it’s undergone some slight changes to how its damage buff works. Previously, it would increase all Void damage by 50% and other damage at a lower rate. Now, the Void component is gone and instead everything receives the same flat boost.
In a slot mainly dominated by Grenade Launchers, Sniper Rifles, Rocket Launchers, and Swords, Tractor Cannon is one of only two Shotguns. While the other weapons might focus on damage output, Tractor Cannon is perfect for the support player.
Tractor Cannon can only be acquired through random Exotic Engrams. This means Exotic Engrams in the Season Pass tracks, ones that drop from enemies, as well as other reward sources like raids and Nightfalls. Unfortunately, Tractor Cannon cannot be purchased from the Monument to Lost Light as its primary source was not removed from the game (like Anarchy’s was when Beyond Light launched).
Tractor Cannon features a few standard perks that increases its range, stability, and manages the handling speed.
However, the main reason you’ll be using Tractor Cannon is for its two Exotic perks:
One of the main benefits of Tractor Cannon is that it is an enemy debuff as opposed to a player buff. This means that it does not need to compete with Well of Radiance or Weapons of Light and in fact pairs rather nicely with them.
Because Tractor Cannon debuffs targets, it can be quite useful for underlevelled players or those struggling with tough enemies in raids and other endgame content. By using Tractor Cannon, it essentially gives the player a short-term buff allowing them to take down otherwise extremely challenging foes. An example of this might be the Champions in raids, like the Garden of Salvation or Deep Stone Crypt.
The obvious drawback to using Tractor Cannon is that it means a one player is unable to offer the huge damage of The Lament, Anarchy, or something else. However, more often than not, the debuff more than makes up for this loss in damage output from one person by improving the damage of five others.
Chioma Esi met Maya in their undergraduate gym. They got into an argument about deadlifting: was it necessary, was it practical, why was Chioma making so much noise? Maya Sundaresh just couldn't stand the notion that some things were done for their own sake, not because they had any use.
Decades later they joined the Ishtar Collective on Venus to study the enigmatic ruins unearthed by the Traveler's terraforming. The first time it happened—Vex code leaping across an airgap, surfing the quantum vacuum from simulation to reality, infecting a utility frame—Chioma pulled an alarm while Maya tried to grab the precious frame with a cargo-grade gravity grapple. She couldn't lift the grapple. Chioma grabbed it, pinned the frame to the wall, and won the argument.
Tractor Cannon is a valuable weapon in many players’ hands. For those that are struggling to kill an enemy one-on-one, this can be a boon, for teams that want more damage, it will help melt bosses. Be sure to check out the Shacknews Destiny 2 guide for even more helpful Exotic weapon overviews.