Taking down the giant Earthbreaker kemono with a giant hand cannon may have been a bit boring for some due to how barebones the weapon felt, but the actual hand cannon weapon you unlock soon after is far from the one-button machine it was during the story quest. Whether you’re interested in firing cannons at kemono or are looking to give other weapon types a try, this Wild Hearts hand cannon weapon guide will walk you through the weapon’s mechanics and quirks.

• Related Reading: Wild Hearts – Bow Weapon Guide

Unlike previous Wild Hearts weapon guides we’ve made for the starting weapon types, this one will cover two additional karakuri, namely the Torch and Glider karakuri, as you will already have unlocked them by the time the karakuri staff is available to use.

Wild Hearts Hand Cannon Weapon Guide

Overview

The hand cannon is one of two ranged weapons in Wild Hearts and is unlocked during Chapter 2 of the game’s story. It pumps out good damage numbers but is fairly immobile, requiring proper planning to make the most out of it. Your gameplay revolves around building your heat gauge to deploy fortified ki bases that you can absorb to charge your cannon for a massive burst of attacks.

The hand cannon is very different from the bow, the game’s other ranged weapon, so it offers a great alternative to those who aren’t a fan of the bow’s playstyle but still prefer to attack from a distance. 

Weapon Gauge

The hand cannon has two different weapon gauges, and you need to keep track of both at all times. The first gauge is your charge meter, which essentially serves as your ammo gauge. It depletes as you shoot from your cannon, and when it runs out, your rate of fire decreases significantly. You can replenish your charge meter by standing on ki bases, which you can deploy in different ways.

The second gauge is your heat gauge, which shows how heated your hand cannon is. If the heat gauge is filled completely, the hand cannon will overheat, stunning you briefly and preventing you from firing any shots until the cannon cools down.

You always want to avoid overheating, but you will want to heat the cannon up to a certain amount for a particular move.

R2 – Shoot

Pressing R2 shoots out an orb-like projectile from your hand cannon. This does good damage, and you can hold R2 to repeatedly fire the orbs at a target kemono. You can also move while shooting, though you’re a lot slower than normal when doing so. Shooting depletes your charge meter and builds up your heat gauge.

Square Button – Deploy Ki Base (At Location)

Pressing the Square button deploys a ki base at your location. Ki bases replenish your charge meter, even while shooting, essentially allowing you to shoot without worrying about the charge meter depleting.

You can have up to five ki bases deployed at a time (as indicated near your charge meter). As you can’t deploy any more after five have been placed down, you can press R2 + Square to retrieve all deployed ki bases, allowing you to set them up again.

Triangle Button – Deploy Ki Base (Aimed)

Pressing the Triangle button aims your hand cannon in the air and allows you to shoot a ki base at a target location. This actually does damage to a kemono when deployed on top of one, but on its own doesn’t deal a whole lot of damage. You can aim with your right analog stick and shoot the ki base at the highlighted area with R2.

While you’ll mostly be using Square to deploy regular ki bases, you’ll need Triangle to deploy fortified ki bases. Fortified ki bases are empowered versions of the ki bases with a red aura around them. To be able to deploy a fortified ki base, you’ll want your hand cannon to build up significant heat in the heat gauge. Once the cannon glows red or the gauge is nearly full, then you’re good to go.

The only way to deploy a fortified ki base is by landing a ki base shot on a kemono with Triangle and R2. You cannot place one down with Square. This shot actually does pretty good damage, and when the hit is successful, the fortified ki base will bounce off the kemono and onto the ground. Shooting the ki base with a significantly filled heat gauge will also deplete it fully, even if you don’t land the ki base on a kemono, so aim carefully.

Celestial Thread Charge

Whenever you manage to deploy a fortified ki base, you’re able to charge your hand cannon to execute a powerful attack. Known as “Celestial Thread Charge,” by standing on a fortified ki base and pressing R2 + Triangle, you can essentially absorb the red aura from the fortified ki base and imbue it in your weapon. The fortified ki base will turn into a regular one and your hand cannon will now glow a bright green.

Pressing R2 + Triangle with your glowing hand cannon will make your character take a fortified stance, which will allow you to fire a series of fortified shots that deal massive damage by holding down R2. This also drains your charge meter while doing so, and while shooting in this stance, your meter will not replenish inside a ki base until you’ve finished firing. After depleting the charge meter completely, you will return to your normal stance and your weapon will stop glowing.

The Celestial Thread Charge and its follow-up attack are what you want to aim for in every kemono fight as the fortified shots deal tons of damage.

Karakuri Moves

The hand cannon makes quite good use of certain karakuri. Here’s what they all do:

• The crate-based attack shoots out a single shot.
• The spring-based attack unleashes a barrage of shots that build up the heat gauge quickly.
• The glider-based attack lets you fire while in the air.
• The torch-based attack empowers your hand cannon and increases the rate at which you build your heat gauge through your shots.

Of the four karakuri moves, the spring and torch-based attacks are perfect for ramping up your heat gauge more quickly, so you’ll want to use them when you can.

In Action

When using a hand cannon, you won’t be able to move a whole lot. Sure, you have five ki bases to work with, but placing them takes time, so you’re usually forced to stand in one of your ki bases until the kemono attacks you. Don’t be afraid to move out on occasion, however, as you will always be able to replenish your charge meter by walking back into a ki base.

Once you’ve built up enough heat gauge, fire the fortified ki base at the kemono, charge your hand cannon, and unload the fortified shots.

 The hand cannon is one of Wild Hearts’ more unique weapon types, and while its kit is fairly straightforward, there is definitely room for skill expression and improvement. Once you get the hang of the hand cannon, you’ll be a one-man artillery that can take down any kemono in your way.

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