With the release of Shadowkeep, the base game Destiny 2 including some additional content will be free-to-play. We show what you get with New Light for free and what you can look forward to in Season 8 without any additional costs.
Wait, Destiny 2 is going free-to-play? Yes, in the form of Destiny 2: New Light. This allows you to play the base game along with its Year 1 DLCs and some additional selected content without spending a single cent.
What’s in Destiny 2: New Light
When exactly will Destiny 2 go free-to-play? The transition to free-to-play will coincide with the release of the major autumn expansion Shadowkeep, on October 1, 2019 – and this applies to all players on every supported platform (PS4, Xbox One, PC (Steam), and later also Google Stadia)
What Destiny 2: New Light Generally Offers
Recently, Bungie clarified the free content further. Therefore, we updated the article on September 30.
What content does New Light offer? Included in New Light are
- the base game Destiny 2
- DLC 1 “Curse of Osiris”
- DLC 2 “Warmind”
along with their campaigns.
Additionally, you can
- explore all worlds (can be patrolled)
- play all Year 1 Strikes (also as Nightfall)
- access all PvP maps and activities
- participate in all Year 1 Raids including weapons and armor (weapons with fixed rolls, armor with “Armor 2.0” standard)
- the Black Armory forges
- the Menagerie
- the PvEvP mode Gambit (also Gambit Prime and Reckoning)
- the dungeon-like missions for the Whisper of the Worm and the perfected outbreak (the Zero Hour)
- as well as in-game events such as Iron Banner, Festival of the Lost, the Dawning, Crimson Days, Solstice of Heroes, or Revelry
be freely played. Also included in New Light are all Year 1 Exotics, i.e. weapons and armor. The following Year 2 Exotics can also be found in the free-to-play version:
By the way, the subclasses from the Forsaken expansion are missing in Destiny 2: New Light. However, if you purchase the new Shadowkeep expansion and skip Forsaken, you will still receive these subclasses.
However, you still have to pay for: Additional content, such as the Forsaken expansion, Shadowkeep, or the Season Passes remain paid and can be optionally purchased.
By the way, the Forsaken Annual Pass is free for all owners of Forsaken.
What Destiny 2: New Light Offers in Season 8
In a developer blog, Bungie has now revealed which free content will be available to all Guardians in Season 8, the Season of the Undying. The following content will also be completely playable with New Light, i.e., without a Season Pass:
The Moon location: The Moon will be introduced in the paid Shadowkeep expansion, but you can explore the new location on patrol without any additional cost and complete Bounties there.
The first opening mission of Shadowkeep: To get a taste of what the Guardians can expect in Shadowkeep, every player will be able to play the intro mission at no additional cost.
Two new strikes: With Shadowkeep, two new strikes will be added to the game. Both can be played for free.
Crucible updates (PvP): The Crucible is being further developed by Bungie. The changes will come in the form of free updates to the game that all players will benefit from.
Two new PvP maps: Two maps from the Destiny 1 era are returning in Season 8: Widow’s Court and Twilight Gap. All players have free access to these new maps.
Elimination: This popular PvP mode from Destiny 1 will return in Season 8 and will initially be playable in the Crucible Labs (a kind of test environment).
The new armor system Armor 2.0: With Armor 2.0, Destiny 2 is revolutionizing its armor system. Finally, you no longer have to compromise between looking good and functionality. You can read more about it here: The new Armor 2.0 revolutionizes Destiny 2
Seasonal artifact “Eye of the Gate Lords”: Seasonal artifacts are meant to keep the seasons fresh. These are items through which you unlock various perks or bonuses that you can then apply to your Armor 2.0 gear. This way, your character can be further adapted to your personal playstyle. More on this here: How powerful the 1st artifact in Destiny 2 makes you – We know all the bonuses
The new finishing moves: Destiny 2 will introduce what are called finishers with the release of Shadowkeep. For some Super energy, you can stylishly eliminate low-health enemies and even trigger useful effects like additional power ammo drops with mods. Here are more details: What the new finishing moves from Shadowkeep entail
New Pinnacle Weapons? Initially, two new Pinnacle Weapons were announced for Season 8. These are special legendary weapons with unique perks, which are essentially some of the best that Destiny 2’s arsenal has to offer. Both were supposed to be freely obtainable for all Guardians.
However, there has been a change. Pinnacle Weapons in their original form will likely no longer exist. Instead, they are set to be replaced in Season 8 by ritual weapons. There will be a total of three of these – from the Vanguard, from PvP, and from Gambit. Whether these weapons can also be earned by all Guardians remains to be seen.
Free rewards within the season pass ranks: With Season 8, Destiny 2 will receive a kind of battle pass system, with which both season pass owners and users of the free-to-play version can earn various seasonal rewards. You can find out more about it here: Destiny 2 introduces new season pass: season ranks, rewards, monetary investment
The free rewards include:
- New exotic weapon “Eriana’s Vow”
- 3 legendary armor sets (one for each class)
- Two legendary weapons
- “The best of Year 2” glimmer engrams
- Glimmer and upgrade modules
These legendary weapons and armors are just a preview of the season pass. If you want the best rolls, you need to play seasonal activities to obtain them.
By the way, upgrade modules are a type of voucher for infusion.
What do you think about the content that can be played for free? Is it an appropriate scope?
