As a long-time Destiny 2 fan, it's a fantastic show to spot truthful galore returning players and newcomers articulation the fray acknowledgment to Season of the Lost and the upcoming Witch Queen expansion. While Destiny has ever had a story, it genuinely feels similar the Forsaken DLC kicked disconnected a caller question of inspiration from the team. The workplace implicit astatine Bungie continued that travel with Shadowkeep and the existent expansion, Beyond Light. From there, the seasonal contented deed a crescendo that is thing abbreviated of inspiring, especially truthful with Season of the Chosen and Splicer.
With Season of the Lost bringing backmost a beloved quality from the archetypal game, galore seasoned Destiny players are returning aft agelong hiatuses. That, and newcomers are yet checking retired what the abstraction shooter has successful store. That being said, the Destiny 2 disposable contiguous is astir thing similar it was astatine launch, and that tin beryllium precise intimidating erstwhile looking astatine each of the antithetic content. Where should you start? What should you skip? What should beryllium your focus? Well, Guardian, strap in, due to the fact that here's your Destiny 2 Beginner's Guide for caller and returning players earlier diving into what Season of the Lost has successful store.
Should I wage for the expansions oregon effort free-to-play first?
Free is ever bully but successful this case? Paid is way, way better. If you're looking for story, the expansions are the mode to go. Forsaken, Shadowkeep, and Beyond Light are the existent expansions you tin dive into, with the archetypal being a existent pivot for the Destiny 2 experience. When the crippled archetypal launched, it was rough, which we talked astir here, but Forsaken genuinely acted arsenic a catalyst for affirmative change. Then Shadowkeep came and took the communicative into an adjacent darker spot with the existent expansion, Beyond Light, shattering america successful ways (sometimes literally) that are some achy and beautiful. Purchasing the expansions is besides a large mode to get amended cogwheel due to the fact that it's assumed that you've played the crippled earlier present portion besides granting entree to higher-tier contented specified arsenic Raids.
The escaped mentation isn't a atrocious commencement if you are connected the obstruction astir whether oregon not the benignant of gameplay is close for you. You tin play PvP events similar Crucible, PvPvE events similar Gambit, and bask further contented specified arsenic Strikes. You tin besides bask the Vault of Glass raid, the lone raid that is escaped for everyone that has returned from its Destiny 1 glory. Expansion-specific Exotic quests are besides constricted to paid players. What you volition besides beryllium missing retired on is immoderate of the champion storytelling successful Destiny history, arsenic good arsenic the seasonal contented that adds gut-wrenching lore and tales of inspiring feats.
Classes and Subclasses
There are 3 classes to take from, I urge moving 1 of each to level faster and to acquisition the wildly antithetic ways each 1 approaches combat:
- Hunter - Perfect for rogue lovers
- Titan - Perfect for vessel lovers
- Warlock - Perfect for magic lovers
- Think of Warlocks arsenic a Support quality owed to healing rift abilities and its Well of Radiance Super
Each people has 4 subclasses to master, individually unlocked:
- Solar
- Arc
- Void
- Stasis
- This tin lone beryllium unlocked if you person Beyond Light
Each subclass has 3 accomplishment trees to unlock, which are antithetic from people to class. Play astir for antithetic trees depending connected the instance. For example, erstwhile I tally raids arsenic a Warlock, I'll typically either spell top-tree void oregon Solar for Well of Radiance to support my fireteam alive. Or, if I privation to bash monolithic harm with my Titan, I volition spell Thundercrash utilizing the Arc subclass. Paired with a unsocial Exotic thorax piece, that harm is accrued adjacent more, making this a powerhouse summation to immoderate occurrence team. Hunters besides person a unsocial Tether quality which is large for clearing ample groups of enemies astatine 1 time.
Where should I start?
It's casual to consciousness overwhelmed astatine first, whether you are wholly greenish oregon a returning player. When dropping into Destiny 2 for the archetypal time, New Light starts you with doing the instauration ngo connected the Cosmodrome. This is simply a tutorial conception of the crippled that shows you the basal ropes, specified arsenic Supers, basal combat, limb types, and varying NPC roles. When you are there, you volition beryllium directed to your archetypal NPC that volition dole retired what are called Bounties. These are circumstantial tasks that springiness instructions connected what players volition request to bash successful bid to implicit them. They are large for getting XP to level portion besides earning Pinnacles and Powerfuls, which is thing we'll spell into much item astir successful the Gear section.
When moving astir to get your archetypal ship, it tin beryllium a small disorienting due to the fact that a caller subordinate isn't going to beryllium ace acquainted with however Destiny works rather yet, which tin beryllium a tad overwhelming. Pay attraction to what the NPCs that person a marker implicit them archer you, drawback bounties, and past wage attraction to your Quest log to way which enactment items you privation to bash first. This volition get much analyzable arsenic you spell on, but the commencement of your travel volition absorption connected catching you up connected everything to bash in-game. Once the New Light run is complete, you'll past caput to the Tower wherever determination volition beryllium quest markers for cardinal characters:
- Shaxx - Crucible, PvP
- Banshee - Weapon bounties, consumables, purchasable items with Glimmer (in-game worldly utilized arsenic currency), Legendary Shards, etc
- Drifter - Gambit bounties
- Zavala - Titan vanguard for Strike bounties, Strikes successful a playlist tin beryllium recovered successful the Destinations tab connected your paper alongside Gambit and Crucible
- Ikora Rey - Warlock vanguard
- ADA-1 - Armor Synthesis cause for transmogrification, offers unsocial bounties for materials needed to marque cosmetic changes
Eventually, determination volition beryllium an hold to the Tower called the H.E.L.M, but you don't request to interest astir that until you scope Beyond Light contented and proceed connected with Season of the Chosen and everything aft that point.
Unlocking worlds volition beryllium cardinal erstwhile archetypal starting out, and this tin beryllium a symptom successful the butt due to the fact that it depends connected your Power Level. New areas volition besides unlock arsenic you spell into each expansion, opening up caller contented similar Strikes and Season-specific activities. Which brings america to our adjacent point: what is simply a Power Level?
What is simply a Power Level?
Power Levels is the existent level of your character, an mean of the cogwheel levels you person equipped some with armor and weapons. Power Levels are cardinal successful knowing which contented you should tackle and what you should clasp disconnected on. If you dive into an enactment that recommends a 1300 Power Level astatine 1240, you're going to get crushed and that could ruin your Destiny experience.
You'll besides woody with what's called an Artifact, which was introduced successful Year 2. Artifacts volition beryllium cardinal erstwhile leveling up, offering up a boost successful your Power level from your Base level (pre-Artifact) portion besides unlocking almighty mods for your gear. The quickest mode to level up your PL is to tally 3 characters of each people and bash each of your Pinnacle and Powerful bounties (marked by a golden awesome successful your Destination and Map tabs. Hover implicit wherever the awesome is marked to spot what you request to do, depending connected the activity). Pinnacles and Powerfuls volition summation your Power Level if you aren't astatine that season's headdress yet done completion, dropping weapons and cogwheel astatine a higher PL.
Gear and however to attack earning it
Good sources for Legendary gear:
- Blue and Purple drops from enemies
- Decrypting engrams, which are satellite drops and rewards for bounties
- Clan bounties
- Join a clan! There is an XP boost, and you'll guarantee you ever person a occurrence squad for those matchmaking activities versus going with randoms you don't know.
- Older raids
- Nightfall playlists
- Dungeons
- Highly urge Pit of Heresy and The Shattered Throne
- Activities
- Lost Sectors, Strikes, Public Events, Crucible
For Powerful gear:
- Exotic quest rewards, which are limited
- Trials of Osiris, which is hardcore PvP and I urge avoiding this arsenic a caller player
- Completing 8 bounties from vendors that connection Powerfuls, you'll spot this erstwhile you hover implicit the vendors marked with the golden awesome mentioned previously
- Europa's Weekly Exo Challenge
- Season Pass
- Prime Engrams (Visit Cryptarch successful the Tower to decrypt them)
- Exotic Engrams
- Crucible, Gambit, and Nightfalls
For Pinnacle cogwheel (once you've reached the Powerful cap):
- Weekly playlists
- Crucible, Strikes, Gambit
- Clan XP
- Exotic quest completion similar Presage from Season of the Chosen
- Trials of Osiris (7 wins)
- Nightfall: The Ordeal (100,000 points oregon more)
- Iron Banner
- A Crucible playlist that rotates successful and retired of the game
- Seasonal Activity reward
- Newest raid runs, Vault of Glass
- Newest Dungeon, Prophecy (Found connected the Tower)
Gear types:
For some weapons and armor, you'll spot the pursuing options:
- Blue (don't interest astir stats if it's blue, conscionable take the highest Power Level to level up)
- Purple (Legendary)
- Gold (Exotic)
Weapon types:
There are 3 weapons you'll spot connected the near broadside of your quality screen. From apical to bottommost indicates impact. The archetypal limb slot is your Kinetic weapon, which means it does not person an vigor benignant attached to it. The 2nd slot is your Energy, which provides bonus vigor benignant harm specified arsenic Solar, Arc, and Void. The 3rd slot is your Power weapon, which specifically uses purple ammo bricks. Like armor, determination are 3 colour options with Blue, Purple, and Gold. Exotic (Gold) is the best, but you tin lone equip 1 Exotic astatine a time. Legendaries are besides almighty and tin beryllium made much truthful with the assistance of mods. There are mods you tin slot successful your armor that marque it easier to find definite types of ammo. Weapons similar Snipers, Fusion Rifles, and Shotguns usage greenish ammo bricks, which enactment likewise to purple erstwhile looking to enactment loaded. Purple ammo bricks volition ever beryllium needed for your Power weapon.
Gear stats:
For armor, determination are assorted stats to support successful mind, which volition alteration successful value depending connected the people of your choosing:
- Mobility - Ideal for Hunters
- Resilience - Ideal for Titans
- Recovery - Ideal for Warlocks
- Discipline - Grenade Cooldown reduction
- Intellect - Super Cooldown reduction
- Strength - Melee Cooldown reduction
Armor and weapons tin besides beryllium enhanced with the usage of mods:
- General mods, boosts basal stats
- Slot-specific mods, increases ammo finds, improved ADS times connected weapons, and however combat affects you specified arsenic decreased incoming ranged damage
- Combat-style mods, almighty mods that see Charged with Light, Elemental Wells, and Warmind Cells (which are amusive to detonate for clearing retired enemies)
- Raid mods, lone progressive for circumstantial raids
Obtain mods by buying them from vendors and seasonal-specific characters.
You tin besides level your gear, arsenic well, with Legendary Shards, Glimmer, and different materials. Level them each the mode up to 10 to Masterwork them, making each portion the astir almighty it tin beryllium without mods. You tin get Masterwork worldly from a fewer antithetic locations, but Spider connected the Tangled Shore is my favorite. There are besides consumables that you tin acquisition with Bright Dust successful the store tab seen successful the representation supra that volition driblet Enhancement Cores and Upgrade Modules from defeating almighty enemies.
My recommendation:
There is A LOT successful Destiny 2. Focus connected the communicative first, communicative by story. Each enlargement volition beryllium marked with a definite symbol: Forsaken, Shadowkeep, and Beyond Light. I urge finishing each enlargement individually to support the communicative linear and making sense. This volition besides people level you up portion besides making you much acquainted with the crippled mechanics and the communicative frankincense far. You'll besides unlock Lore tabs successful your quality screen, work those to spot behind-the-scenes instances wrong the satellite for adjacent much communicative and worldbuilding.
There are definite instances you volition request to matchmake for with different players, with the objection of higher-difficulty Strikes, Grandmasters, Raids, and Trials. For the second three, effort to radical up with friends, if you can. You can't solo a Raid, sorry. With crossplay present live, getting with friends is adjacent easier. For different instances similar Gambit and Crucible, Bungie provides matchmaking and you don't person to perceive to chat if you don't privation to (I ne'er bash during the uncommon times I play with radical different than my clan).
The communicative is fantastic but it's acceptable up successful a mode that is simply a small unsocial to Destiny, which means immoderate elements are easy missed. To debar this, honestly, bash everything - strikes, seasonal content, communicative missions, etc - especially erstwhile limited-time events similar Guardian Games and the Halloween lawsuit rotation around, due to the fact that they person neat drops and enjoyable breaks from the doom and gloom narrative.
I anticipation that helped! Please consciousness escaped to scope retired to maine @DirtyEffinHippy if you person immoderate questions. And remember, gaming is determination to enjoy. If you're not having fun, it's not worthy it. So get retired there, Guardian, and amusement the Darkness what Light tin do!
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