In 2023, Destiny 2 attracts many new players with the Lightfall DLC featuring the modern city of Neomuna. However, many are intimidated by the vast amount of content available. If you’re feeling the same, don’t be discouraged. Here comes the MeinMMO guide for a smooth entry into the Destiny universe.
This is the problem newcomers face in Destiny 2: Destiny 2 has been on the market for 5 years and has since delivered a continuous stream of new content, stories, and an evolving meta. However, it is primarily the live service aspect of Destiny 2 that has allowed the creation of an incredibly rich and immersive world that continuously improves and changes.
For new players, this can often be pure horror. They quickly lose track and often feel overwhelmed by the multitude of quests, materials, and the freedom to choose where to start.
But don’t worry if you feel the same in the Destiny multiplayer FPS, with its seemingly endless loot.
With the Lightfall expansion, which releases on February 28, Bungie has made further steps to address this problem. Primarily, they want to help new players feel more secure and better manage their progress in the game.
Beginners should start with New Light
New Guardians enter the Tower every day in Destiny 2 to protect the Traveler and the Light. However, your journey as a Guardian should definitely begin with New Light.
New Light is free: The optimal starting point is still “New Light”. This is Bungie’s term for the free base game of Destiny 2. While you won’t experience some of the biggest moments, it gives you a good impression of what Destiny is and what the loot shooter is about.
- You can choose your first class: Hunter, Titan, or Warlock.
- Titans are disciplined with aggressive attacks and an unwavering defense.
- Hunters are incredibly quick on their feet and even faster on the trigger.
- Warlocks turn the mysteries of the universe into weapons to empower themselves and destroy their enemies, but they also have the highest (and hardest to learn) jump.
- You can play an introductory mission with your new character that explains functions and quest processes and familiarizes you with the controls.
- Three freely exchangeable subclasses, Solar, Void, and Arc, are immediately available to you with New Light.
- Afterward, you’ll receive a small bundle of quests that you can freely explore.
- Additional subclasses like Stasis or Strand can be unlocked by playing the campaigns of specific expansions.
When you reach the point where you want to experience all the abilities and stories of Destiny, it’s time to engage with the lore and editions of the game. Especially since Destiny 2 has several DLCs that give you access to different content.
First, recap the story: Every Guardian should fundamentally know what it’s about. This is important so that you understand everything Destiny 2 has to offer in its expansions.
The following introductory cinematic provides you with a brief overview of the world of Destiny and is perfectly suited for that.
If you want to learn more about the Destiny story up to the currently available content, our comprehensive story overview is just right for you. It even summarizes the content from Destiny 1.
However, please note that our story article includes everything, including the DLCs you may not have played yet.
Follow the Guardian Rank System
The Guardian Rank System is your next guideline. Follow this, and Destiny 2 will show you everything you need to know and be familiar with. Especially when you’re unsure what to do next. Additionally, you can progress from simple tasks to the endgame at your own pace.
In what order should DLCs be played? After exploring a bit, you can consider which Destiny expansions you want to play. You can play basically any DLC, but the order in which they come is significant.
For this, there is a practical overview in the game in the form of a timeline.
Here, new players can see the order in which the expansions were released and thus also in which order they should be played. Through the timeline, you can also revisit old story missions and better understand what happened.
Do I have to repurchase all DLCs? Not necessarily in terms of the story. Destiny 2 now offers an interactive video after each expansion. Important details are summarized again. However, it’s still better to experience everything in the game itself.
Even if you want all weapons and abilities, you should purchase the appropriate DLCs.
- Stasis, for example, is only unlockable if you own the “Beyond Light” DLC.
- Strand is only unlockable if you own the Lightfall DLC.
- Exotic weapons from missions are also only available if you own the DLCs.
It’s important to know that Destiny 2 is not the kind of game where the age of the content automatically determines its value. Newer expansions are not inherently better than older ones.
This saves real money in Destiny 2: Particularly convenient for new players is the so-called Legacy Edition of Destiny 2. This three-part package contains three DLCs at a low price. With it, you can secure 3 of the currently 5 available expansions cheaply.
The Legacy Edition includes all related weapons and access to additional activities such as raids, exotic missions, as well as previous gear. And through “Beyond Light,” you also gain access to Stasis, the ice ability in Destiny 2. It’s basically a all-in-one package.
Here is the current order of the DLCs:
- Destiny 2: Legacy Collection (2023): This edition includes The Witch Queen, Beyond Light, and Shadowkeep. Play through three epic campaigns, unlock 37 exotic weapons, 15 exotic armor pieces, and the power of Stasis that allows you to freeze and control the battlefield.
- “Forsaken” grants access to the raid “Last Wish” and the dungeon “The Shattered Throne.”
- “Shadowkeep” grants access to the “Garden of Salvation” raid and the dungeon “Pit of Heresy.”
- The “Witch Queen” expansion of Destiny 2 leads you into the location “Savathun’s Throne World” and grants access to a tailored campaign, a raid, exclusive activities, and loads of powerful gear, such as the exotic submachine gun “Osteo Striga” or the heavy grenade launcher “Parasite.”
Currently, these two DLCs are not available in a pack. However, Bungie updates its packs after every new expansion, so Lightfall will surely find its way into the Legacy Collection soon.
- With the “Lightfall” expansion, you get a new campaign, the brand new Strand ability, and a new location in the form of Neptune’s untouched high-tech capital “Neomuna.” Additionally, a tailored story, a raid, exclusive activities, and plenty of exotics, such as the auto rifle “Tempest” along with powerful gear.
- “The Final Shape” is the last DLC of the Light and Darkness saga and will be released in June 2024.
You can find all editions for the latest DLC in our HUB:
To avoid losing track, the aforementioned timeline in the game also shows you what you have already purchased. You are therefore not forced to buy everything at once.
We also recommend purchasing the deluxe editions directly. This involves the least effort since it includes everything important, including the dungeons. Buying all of this separately is significantly more expensive. Moreover, it’s always worth comparing prices with the offers from your respective platform provider.
Brief explanation of the Destiny 2 season pass: There is also the season pass in Destiny 2 associated with the DLCs. They typically last 3 months and bring additional content and gear for hunting. However, season passes are a good choice only for those who really plan to play a lot of Destiny 2. Starting in 2024, Destiny 2 will switch to an episodic system and thus say goodbye to seasons.
The deluxe edition of a DLC already includes all 4 season passes along with the 2 paid dungeons.
- At the end of each season, accrued reputation ranks, such as Glory and Infamy, will reset to 0.
- When the next DLC is released, the deluxe edition of the previous expansion ceases to exist.
Here you will find an overview of all dungeons from Destiny 2 and you can also see which DLC you need to play them.
How understandable is the rest of the Destiny universe in 2023? Since Witch Queen, Destiny 2 has made significant progress in making it easier for new players.
- Old DLCs are no longer being removed, so all can be played. This change starts with the DLC “Shadowkeep.”
- In 2022, the many different target materials were discontinued. There are now only three materials and a few very special items: Glimmer, Legendary Shards, and Enhancement Prisms, as well as exclusive currencies such as Ascendant Shards. In 2024, the Legendary Shards will also disappear from the currencies.
- FOMO (“Fear of missing out”) has been significantly reduced, so you don’t feel as frustrated if you miss certain loot, exotics, or opportunities. You can focus on old armors and weapons with vendors to get them later.
- Many weapons are now craftable. You collect blueprints for this purpose and can then create a weapon that has recently become meta with the desired perks at any time. This saves space in your vault and makes you flexible.
The Shortest Advice for New Destiny 2 Players
If you’re wondering now: “And what do I do besides the campaign that guides me through the game in Destiny 2?” Then you can certainly use these short tips from the Destiny editorial team at MeinMMO. They help you discover everything else.
- Complete all seasonal introductory quests.
- These need to be played through for each character and can contain a surprising amount of stories. They will be displayed on your map in the top left as a small icon.
- Find and complete every Lost Sector at least once and also talk to every NPC in the game that you can discover.
- If you do not own the current season pass, still try to reach at least rank 35 to secure the exotic weapon. If you don’t earn it within the season, it will be behind a paywall.
- Learn which material drops from activities and objectives. This helps you know where to get something specific and where not.
- Always complete the quest bounties you receive from Ada-1 in the Tower. This will allow you to create armor ornaments via transmog later.
- Find at least one weapon of each type and element and try to finish as many blueprint weapons as possible to unlock them in your collection. (Triumphs > Blueprints & Catalysts)
What advice would you give to new players? Feel free to leave your tips in the comments. And what do the Destiny veterans say? Do you think Bungie has made the re-entry easier than before? And if you as a newcomer have questions, you can of course also use our comment function.
Speaking of veterans, they currently still have other problems in Destiny 2 because cheaters are making their lives difficult in PvP. But there is hope:
Destiny 2 wins 4 million euro lawsuit against cheat provider – Directly sue the next one
