Simultaneously with the Shadowkeep expansion, on October 1, Destiny 2: New Light, the free version of Bungie’s MMO shooter, will also launch. We have summarized the most important information about the Free-to-Play experience for you.
What is Destiny 2: New Light? Destiny 2 will be Free-to-Play starting October 1 – in the form of Destiny 2: New Light (or New Light).
It is a free package consisting of:
- the base game Destiny 2
- the first 2 DLCs, Curse of Osiris and Warmind
- and numerous other selected contents. We will present exactly what they are in the article.
With New Light, Bungie aims to “break down walls” and bring as many players together in the Destiny universe as possible, so they can experience adventures together.
What you need to know about Destiny 2: New Light
When exactly will Destiny 2: New Light be released? New Light will be available on October 1 around 7 PM German time. Currently, large-scale maintenance is underway to prepare Destiny 2 for the Shadowkeep expansion and New Light.
Once this is completed, New Light and Shadowkeep should go live and be available through the digital stores of the respective platforms.
For more information, check here: Destiny 2 goes offline for a long time today: Server down, maintenance time
On which platforms will Destiny 2: New Light be released? Destiny 2: New Light will launch on October 1 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC (on Steam).
New Light makes Year 1 of Destiny 2 free – the rest remains Buy2Play
Is Destiny 2: New Light really free? This is something many interested parties are wondering. But don’t worry, Destiny 2: New Light is indeed completely free in its scope. There are no hidden costs.
While there are cosmetic microtransactions in the game, these do not affect gameplay and are present in exactly the same form in the “regular” version of Destiny 2.
However, on Xbox One and PS4, there may be additional costs for a PS Plus subscription or a membership for Xbox Live.
Free Destiny 2 offers over 100 hours of content
What content does Destiny 2: New Light offer? In short: quite a lot!
New Light offers a comprehensive package that allows newcomers to have over 100 hours of fun. Essentially, you now receive content for free that some players spent over 100€ on in 2017 and 2018.
Included are among others
- the base game Destiny 2
- the 1st DLC “Curse of Osiris”
- the 2nd DLC “Warmind”
including their campaigns.
Additionally, you will have unrestricted access to all PvP content as well as various other contents – including from Year 2 and even from Year 3. For example, the Menagerie – a new group activity that only appeared in summer 2019 – is also included. The new Strikes from Shadowkeep are also supposed to be free for everyone to play.
No matter if you want to complete missions alone, tackle a strike (a kind of mini-dungeon) with a squad, or dive into PvP – there is a lot for every player who has previously skipped or neglected Destiny 2 with New Light. Raids, the most challenging group activities in Destiny 2, are also included.
A comprehensive overview of all the free contents as part of New Light can be found here: Destiny 2: New Light – These contents are offered by the Free-2-Play version at launch
Will I fall behind as a New Light player if I join now? No, you will not. Although you may lack the experience and equipment from the last two years of Destiny 2, Bungie is doing everything to make your entry as attractive and accessible as possible.
Because all players – whether veterans or newcomers – will start at Power Level 750 at the launch of Shadowkeep and New Light. Everyone starts at the same level. This is meant to ensure that new guardians, potential returners, and seasoned players can immediately dive into adventures side by side without having to level up extensively before they can play together.
Additionally, veterans will be encouraged to gather new equipment due to changes like the new armor system Armor 2.0, allowing even fresh protectors of humanity not to lag hopelessly behind.
Also cool: You will be able to unlock all locations in Destiny 2 fairly quickly through short quests. You won’t have to grind through all the DLCs and their campaigns if you prefer not to engage with certain contents and still want to get to the endgame.
However, you can select campaigns from an NPC in the Tower, the social space of Destiny 2, and tackle them one by one and in any order you wish.
Can I as a New Light player progress as far as regular guardians? Again, you don’t have to worry. Upon inquiry, the developers informed us that New Light players can level up just like “regular” guardians.
You can reach the level cap of 960 even in the Free-2-Play version and level up infinitely beyond that with the seasonal artifact. New Light does not impose any artificial restrictions, unlike in the past when you could not surpass a certain power level without the Forsaken expansion.
What does the endgame in Destiny 2: New Light look like? We also inquired with the developers. There are really no major differences compared to the “full game”.
With New Light, you will ultimately also tackle the most demanding activities like raids or Nightfall strikes and participate in weekly challenges like the Flashpoint – albeit in a more limited scope.
The newest contents like raids or dungeons from Forsaken or Shadowkeep are not included in New Light. Accordingly, fewer sources are available from which you can obtain the most powerful equipment.
New Light is meant to be the entry point for new players
What options do I have if I like New Light? New Light offers interested parties the opportunity to take an extensive look at Destiny 2. Essentially, you come into contact with all the essential systems and core mechanics that define the game.
After that, you will likely be able to judge whether you enjoy the game and whether you want to continue your journey as a guardian.
If Destiny 2 sparks your interest through New Light, you can separately purchase various contents such as
- The Forsaken expansion
- the new Shadowkeep expansion
- or the seasons
according to your preferences to expand your Destiny experience. More about your options can be found here:
- Destiny 2 introduces new season pass: Season ranks, rewards, monetary investment
- 6 things you need to know before buying Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
Is Destiny 2: New Light worth it for me? If you have even a slight interest in first-person shooters, enjoy experiencing adventures with others, and like playing together with friends, then you can’t go wrong with the free version of Destiny 2 – especially not for free and at this extent.
If you also value co-op and group challenges, you should definitely take a look at New Light – especially if you’ve previously left Destiny 2 alone.
Even some PvP enthusiasts will get their fill.
Returners also have the opportunity to catch up and try out numerous new contents for free. For them, checking out New Light could definitely be worthwhile. Especially if you are generally considering revisiting Destiny 2 to see what has changed.
In short: Anyone who enjoys shooters and has missed Destiny 2 so far should definitely check out New Light. You can’t go wrong with it.
Will you check out Destiny 2 with New Light or return? What do you think of the free-to-play model and its scope?
