Destiny 2continues the player’s adventures in defending the Earth and the Solar System from the forces of Darkness. Building upon the premise ofDestiny,Destiny 2once again tasks Guardians to become vessels of the Traveler in the quintessential war of light versus darkness. However, as the lore implies, there’s more toDestiny 2and its outward space sci-fi appearance than what the game lets on.
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At first glance, Bungie fans might look atDestiny 2as aHaloclone. Moreover, sci-fi fans might not immediately appreciate the rather “monotone” look of the game’s post-apocalyptic setting. However, clearing up certain misconceptions aboutDestiny 2can reveal a compelling game with both challenging combat and an impressive narrative.
10Typical Sci-Fi Multiplayer Halo Copy
WithDestiny 2coming from the creators of theacclaimed Halo franchise, it’s no surprise that newcomers might think ofDestiny 2as a reskinned copy ofHalo. After all,Destiny 2takes place on Earth, has aliens and guns, with the expectations of a lot of shooting. However, it’s important to establish that whileDestiny 2is a sci-fi game, it’s nowhere nearHaloin terms of theme and setting.
At its core,Halois more of a military sci-fi game. It’s set at a time where spacefaring humans go toe to toe against the Covenant, an alliance of alien civilizations. In contrast, theDestinyuniverse is set 700 years in the future, where an event called the Collapse ended humanity’s Golden Age. Faced with the threat of the Darkness, the alien Traveler awakens Guardians to protect the Last City.
9Simple Gun-Toting Mayhem
Players who saw enoughDestiny 2snippets would immediately note that being a sci-fi game, it makes sense for all players to wield all sorts of firearms. This mechanic might partly serve as a reason why others compareDestiny 2toHaloas well. However, while FPS mechanics do serve a large role in team dynamics and gameplay modes, it’s improper to fully dismissDestiny 2as a typical shooter.
In fact, the fantasy aspect of theDestinyuniverse lies in its Light mechanic. Courtesy of the extraterrestrial Traveler, deceased humans become Guardians through the power of the Light. This transcendental concept imbues Guardians with various abilities, attaching them to Elements (Solar, Arc, Void, Stasis) and Classes (Hunter, Titan, Warlock). Each Element and Class combinationcorresponds to a specialized Subclass, each with unique abilities.
8More Shooter, Less MMO
Building upon the “abilities” aspect, then it’s perhaps better to classifyDestiny 2’s mechanics as a shooter but with unique power sets. This places bothD1andDestiny 2closer to the likes of Hero Shooters likeOverwatch, except this time there’s a story and free-roaming component. However, it’s beyond these elements thatDestiny 2gets a pass to become labeled an MMO.
Rather, it’s in the Element + Class aspect where the largest MMO elements ofDestiny 2lie. Similar toD1, each Class and Subclass can specialize in a particular role in the game’s heated combat modes. For instance,Titans naturally tank damage, whereas Hunters specialize in dealing damage. Likewise, Warlocks tend to take support roles with their buffs and healing. Aside from firearms, combat inDestiny 2heavily relies on the synergy of these roles, making it more akin to an MMO than a typical shooter.
7More PVP, Less Plot
Given the hype surroundingDestiny 2’s Crucible PVP mode, it makes sense for many newcomers to think of it as the primary hook surrounding the MMO. It also doesn’t help that a large amount of content in the “New Light” free-to-play iteration consists of these replayable activities.
These include popular Playlist formats such asthe teamplay-heavy Crucible, quick-play Strikes, and competitive point-collecting Gambit. Likewise, Weekly and Seasonal Events or quests remain free. Everything else, such as Expansions and Seasons, remains locked in purchasable formats. Wouldn’t this make Destiny 2 very multiplayer-oriented?
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As it turns out, not necessarily. Courtesy of Bungie,Destiny 2expands the already extensive lore of the Destiny universe. Aside from hours' worth of cutscenes across Expansions, the game fits small snippets of lore within NPC dialogue, background details, item flavor texts, and even Bungie announcements. Destiny has such extensive lore that theIshtar Collective fansiteis dedicated to collecting these lore snippets into stylized “books” for players to explore.
6New Light Is Enough For A Complete Experience
As mentioned, “New Light” serves as the free-to-playDestiny 2iteration for newcomers. Thanks to this version, players can get intoDestiny 2and some of its acclaimed play modes free of charge. Of course, as with any F2P experience, Destiny 2 still offers a more premium experience to those who pay for Season Passes as well as purchase Expansion DLCs.
To those who want a taste of the core Destiny 2 experience, “New Light” is certainly a good place to start. This is especially the case for folks who don’t want to exploreDestiny 2and its in-depth story and instead want to get straight into the action.
However, those who want the “complete” experience may want to invest in purchasing Expansions and Season Passes in the game. For starters, Expansions not only offer story options but also full access to certain planets' activities and quests. Expansions also offer their associated Raids, Strikes, Dungeons, as well as Exotic and/orLegendary Weapons. Seasons offer some of these as well, albeit with shorter stories, and more exclusive Gear and Cosmetic options.
5Destiny Content Vault Didn’t Affect The Storyline
With the arrival of the “Beyond Light” (Year 3) Expansion came a whole host of changes toDestiny 2, in particular, the “New Light” F2P option. However, this F2P option comes withthe arrival of the Destiny Content Vault (DCV), which saw the indefinite “removal” of major content prior to the Year 3 Expansion. Bungie explained the decision to vault older content to lessen the overall space Destiny 2 needed to run. Thankfully, Bungie also stated the slow return of otherDestiny 1 (D1)content in future Expansions.
Sadly, older fans just can’t ignore the locked content in the DCV. Aside from removing the Mercury and Mars campaigns, theDestiny 2introductory story campaign (Red War) will also get removed. Now, newcomers will get into the Cosmodrome (also the introductory area inD1) to get acclimated to the game. Unfortunately, not being able to play a majority of Year 1 and Year 2 content means newcomers might feel confused with the state of affairs in the game.
4Get Into Destiny 2 Without Destiny 1
Newcomers to theDestinyfranchise may think that the release ofDestiny 2means a “conclusion” to the currentD1storyline. That way, both newcomers and old fans can get intoDestiny 2without much trouble regarding context, asDestiny 2will likely have a new threat looming over the horizon. Prior to “Beyond Light,” this came in the form of the now-vaulted Red War story, where the Red Legion of the Cabal had arrived to claim the Traveler for themselves.
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Of course, newcomers might delight in the prospect of an all-out war so early in their playthrough. Unfortunately, those looking for the backstory of the Cabal and the Traveler might find difficulty appreciating the Red War. It doesn’t help that, this time around, newcomers only havethe basic Cosmodrome questline in “New Light” to get intoDestiny 2. Granted, the Lore in Triumphs allows players to view lore unlocked via collectibles and tasks.
Unfortunately, the need to “find” things before unlocking relevant lore elements means players can play through much ofDestiny 2without a good grasp of the game’s lore. In turn, they may as well get intoD1to get the full context of the sequel.
3Crossplay Remains A Bummer
Anyone who’s tried getting intoDestiny2 a few years ago might get fully bummed out with the lack of crossplay options across platforms. In 2019, the game did introduce the idea of cross saves, which allowed players to bring their characters to any platform. Of course, this feature also meant that players could only play with people on whichever platform they’re currently using. Newcomers who only have one platform that their friends aren’t using might realize they can’t playDestiny 2together.
That is, until August 2021 when Bungie finallyreleased a functioning crossplay system. At its core, the system works via the Bungie Name functionality. Players who first log in at the beginning of the Season of the Lost will get a Bungie Name, which is an identifier for friends to add in different systems. In general, console players will get paired with fellow console players and the same with PC. However, console users in a team with a PC player will have them enter the PC matchmaking pool.
2Paid Loot Boxes Ruin The Game
GivenDestiny 2’s nature as an MMO, some newcomers might wonder if the game also offers paid loot boxes that have various items. After all, since Gear plays a huge deal into a player’s performance, there might be some loot box system that can give paid players an unfair advantage. However, this isn’t necessarily the case as Bungie removed the game’s existing paid loot box system back in 2020.
Thein-game Eververse Store received changesthat will now remove the randomized items generated by Bright Engrams. Rather, players can now get these desired items via direct purchase or through the new Season Pass. Players interested in randomized loot boxes can still get them, but this time for free through the Bright Dust in-game currency, which players don’t have to pay real money to procure.
1Endgame Is Boring
Being a game released way back in 2017, other newcomers may express concerns as to just how “playable”Destiny 2remains in terms of the endgame. Granted, the Crucible does encourage players to raise their Crucible Rank, whereas the Competitive playlist will have players improve a Glory Rank. However, since these reset every so often, is there anything else players could pursue throughout the game?
As it turns out, the endgame inDestiny 2offers a myriad of experiences. At its core, players can constantly improve their Power by findingthe best combinations of modsand gears in the game. Periodical releases such as Seasons and Expansions make this possible, giving players incentives to continue playing. More importantly, periodic expansions do expand the game’s rather intense storyline. For instance, the upcoming “The Witch Queen” Expansion in 2022 will finally mark the arrival of Savathun, the enigmatic Hive god that’s been influencing events since the beginning of the game.
Destiny 2’s The Witch Queenexpansion will come to the PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Series X/S, the PC, and Google Stadia on July 29, 2025.
