Wild Heart’s Hand Cannon is one of the most complex weapons because you must manage your heating gauge, Thread Ammo, and Ki Bases to ensure success. It’s not the easiest to use, but it more than makes up for it when it comes to packing a punch. The game has only two ranged weapons: the Bow and Hand Cannon. The Bow is unlocked immediately, while the Hand Cannon will only become available once you start the second chapter.
Ranged weapons are generally great for dealing damage from afar, but it’s not for everyone because it has complicated mechanics. As such, wielding one can be overwhelming. Luckily, I’ll guide you on how to use the Hand Cannon effectively and the combos you can do.
Calling the Shots
The Hand Cannon can fire two types of shots: regular shots and Ki Bases. The regular shots are what you’d expect—they fire projectiles that can damage Kemonos. On the other hand, Ki Bases are special zones you can generate to refill your ammo whenever you stand in them. If you want to keep fire, you must deploy a Ki Base, but don’t just stand in one spot. Otherwise, you’ll be vulnerable when facing giant Kemonos. You can deploy up to five Ki Bases at a time and de-conjure them when you no longer need them.
The Ki Bases can also lower your Heat Gauge and refill your Charge Gauge, enabling you to supercharge your Hand Cannon and gain access to powerful beam attacks.
Using the Hand Cannon’s Most Powerful Attack
Wild Hearts doesn’t explain what Fortified Ki Bases does, so let me run it down for you in a simplified manner. Many consider the Fortified Shot to be the Hand Cannon’s strongest attack, and to use it, you’ll need to use a Fortified Ki Base. Here’s what you have to do to trigger Fortified Shots:
- Fire your Hand Cannon until the Heat Gauge starts flickering, but not to the point where it’s overheating.
- Fire a distant Ki Base at an enemy. You must hit a Kemono; otherwise, it wouldn’t work.
- This will turn your regular Ki Base into a Fortified Ki Base, instantly cool down your weapon, and bounce off the enemy. You’ll notice that there will be a particular gold thread effect on the ground.
- Go to the Fortified Ki Base you made when it’s safe, and fire your Hand Cannon while aiming at the base to drain energy. This will charge your weapon.
- Once you’ve got your Hand Cannon all charged up, use it on a Kemono at the right time by pressing the input where you fire your Hand Cannon and aim at a Ki Base to do a Fortified Shot.
Charge Gauge vs. Heat Gauge: What’s the Difference?
I briefly glossed over the Charge and Heat Gauge, but let’s discuss them more in-depth. The gauge above your ammo marks the Hand Cannon’s heat or the Heat Gauge. The marks rise as you keep firing and cool down when you stop. Overheating is fine for the most part, but be careful not to max it out, as your character will be briefly staggered. Once the weapon is overheated, it’ll fire weaker shots than usual until it cools down completely.
Meanwhile, you can fill out the Charge Gauge by continuously firing your Hand Cannon. You want your Charge Gauge to be full since they’re crucial to delivering Special Attacks. These Special Attacks are more accessible than Fortified Shots, so it’ll most likely be your main way of getting those huge damage numbers. You can also use the Ki Bases you’ve constructed to refill your Charge Gauge.
Pointers for Using the Hand Cannon
There’s a lot to learn about the Hand Cannon, so here are some points that might help you:
- You can fire a colossal blast by jumping off Karakuri Crates. If you jump off a Spring, you’ll do five shots in a horizontal spread.
- Always have a Fortified Ki Base in the area where you’re fighting a giant Kemono. That way, you can instantly cool off your weapon. This requires a bit of practice since aiming Ki Bases can be tricky.
- Don’t overheat your Hand Cannon.
- Since you move slowly when you unsheathe your Hand Cannon, it’s best to unequip it regularly while moving around when a Kemono attacks.
