Destiny 2: All The Reviews, Tips, And Guides You Need To Know At Release

Bungie’s highly anticipated shooter Destiny 2 is finally here, and we’ll have lots of coverage in the days and weeks ahead. For now, we’re collecting all the big details to know about, including our review in progress, recent news stories, and other key particulars. You can keep checking back with this story as we learn more about the shooter.

Editor Kallie Plagge spent 20 hours playing Destiny 2 and came away feeling generally impressed and eager to keep playing. She is starting again now that the game is in a live environment and will document her progress in a Destiny 2 review diary (now updated for day three) over the next few days as she plays more. You can look for Kallie’s full review in the days ahead.

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Destiny 2 Review

“I haven’t finished the main story yet, but so far it’s a clear improvement over Destiny’s much-maligned storytelling,” Kallie said. “Like the beta, Destiny 2 begins with an attack on The Tower by a Cabal faction called the Red Legion. But rather than being thrust into situations with little to no context, as was so often the case in Destiny, each mission of the Red War arc has objectives that make sense within both the mission itself and the grand scheme. Locating a missing Cayde-6, for example, is important to the fight against the Red Legion, since he’s a powerful Hunter. But fighting waves of Vex to get to him also makes sense, as he’s trapped in a Vex teleporter, and that small bit of context makes that moment feel distinct from others where you’re killing the same enemies.”

  • Destiny 2 review in progress
  • Destiny 2 review diary [day 3 update]

For more on the initial critical reaction, check out our roundup of Destiny 2 reviews in progress.

Guides And Tips

For Destiny veterans, a lot has changed in Destiny 2, while the game will also see many newcomers to the series. Whichever boat you fall in, we’ll have plenty of guides to help you succeed in the days and weeks ahead.

Starting Out

  • Destiny: The Story So Far
  • What’s The Best Class For You?
  • The Beginner’s Guide For Veterans
  • Four Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting Destiny 2
  • Glossary: A Guide To Terms From Exotic To Crucible
  • How Leveling Up And Power Numbers Work

In-Depth Guides And Tips

  • Quick Leveling Tips
  • How To Unlock Subclasses
  • How To Get A Sparrow
  • All The Subclasses
  • How Currency Works
  • How To Unlock Heroic Public Events
  • Don’t Spend All Your Upgrade Points Right Away (Unless You Love That Subclass)
  • How To Get Exotics – Coldheart, Sturm, MIDA Multi-Tool
  • How Destiny 2’s Clans Work

What Systems Is It Available On?

Unlike the first Destiny, Destiny 2 is available only for new-generation consoles, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It’s also coming to PC, but not until October 24. Returning players will get rewards and a nice little memorial.

  • Destiny 2 Memorializes The Accomplishments Of Returning Players

What Versions Are Available?

Destiny is available in Standard, Digital Deluxe, and a Game + Expansion Pass Bundle. The Digital Deluxe edition comes with a Legendary emote and the Cabal Empire-themed emblem. It also includes the Expansion Pass, which comes with two expansions to be released later. The Game + Expansion Pass Bundle is pretty self-explanatory.

Here are the prices:

  • Standard — $60/£55/$100 AU
  • Game + Expansion Pass Bundle –$90/£80/$140 AU
  • Digital Deluxe — $100/£90/$150 AU

People who pre-ordered Destiny 2 will receive the Coldheart Exotic rifle, the Kill-Tracker Ghost, and the Salute emote.

  • How To Get Coldheart And Other Limited Edition And Pre-order Bonus Items
  • Free Destiny 2 Items Are Up For Grabs, But You’ll Have To Drink A Lot Of Rockstar Energy Drinks
  • Destiny 2’s Free Pop-Tart Bonuses Are A Bit Of A Hassle
  • Destiny 2 DLC Curse Of Osiris Leaks; Bungie Confirms It’s Real

File Size

According to Destiny 2’s store pages, the game weighs in at 30.9 GB on PS4 and 34.98 GB on Xbox One. The PC version’s file size may end up being larger, but we don’t know yet.

What Is And Isn’t Available In Destiny 2 Now?

While Destiny 2’s first Raid, Trials, Guided Games, and in-game Clan features are not available, you can play the full campaign and the Crucible multiplayer mode. Additionally, Destiny 2’s first Nightfall Strike is available now.

The raid kicks off at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST on September 13 (3 AM AET on September 14 in Australia). Trials will become available at the same time on September 15 (16 in Australia). The in-game Clan features will go live in the next several days, Bungie said, but for now you can access Clan-management systems through Bungie’s website.

Full details:

  • Destiny 2 Clan Features Are Now Live, Here’s How To Get Started
  • Destiny 2: Xur Return, Raid Start Time, And More Confirmed
  • 9 Destiny 2 Easter Eggs And Secrets
  • Destiny 2 Release Date, Unlock Time, And Raid Debut Confirmed
  • Destiny 2’s Clan Features Unavailable In-Game For “Several Days” [Update]
  • Destiny 2 Nightfall Strike Details Revealed
  • Destiny 2: All The Microtransaction Prices And What You Can Buy
  • Destiny 2: GameStop Is Selling Silver And Cayde-6 Slowglobe

The Farm Holds A Really Cool Secret

If you’re willing to take a break from leveling up, the Farm social space holds an intriguing secret that you might have overlooked. [More details and mild spoilers here]

How To Kill Those Annoying Phalanx Enemies

In the original Destiny, defeating Phalanxes usually involved either chucking a grenade behind them, or shooting the tiny bit of arm visible sticking outside their shields. In Destiny 2, they’ve been granted a brand new weak spot, smack in the middle of those shields. Ping that glowing spot with a few shots and the shields retract, stunning the jerks in the process. [Lots more details here]

Known Issues, Technical Problems, And Server Queues

Destiny 2’s release is poised to be massive, likely straining the game’s servers. To allow for a better experience, Bungie is using a system MMO players are familiar with: server queues. Bungie has warned that players may not be able to immediately access the game. In order to “regulate player population to provide stable conditions for Destiny gameplay,” server queues can pop up in Destiny 2 just as they could in the previous game. In other words, you may have to wait in line before you can play. Additionally, there are a number of issues to be aware of.

Full details:

  • Destiny 2’s Launch May Bring Server Queue Waits, Bungie Warns
  • Destiny 2 Launch’s Known Issues On PS4 And Xbox One Outlined By Bungie
  • Destiny 2 PS4 Crash Error Emerges, Separate From PS4 Pro’s Existing Issue
  • Bungie Responds To Destiny 2 Fans’ Anger Over Shader Changes
  • Destiny 2 PS4 Errors Reported, Bungie Investigating Problems [Update: Fixed]
  • Destiny 2 Xbox One Matchmaking Issues Causing Mongoose Error
  • Mida Mini-Tool Exotic Quest Bug Discovered, Here’s What You Need To Know

See The First Live Campaign Gameplay

Five Biggest Changes In Destiny 2

Launch Is Just The Start

One of the shortcomings of Destiny 1 was that content was not released fast enough to meet players’ expectations. For the sequel, Bungie is working with outside studios like High Moon and Vicarious Visions to create and release content faster. We know there are two paid expansions coming, and recently, a leak suggested the first expansion is called The Curse of Osiris and will be out in December. It’ll supposedly add a patrol zone on Mercury, a social space, and a storyline centered around Osiris.

Keep checking back with GameSpot in the days and weeks ahead for lots more on Destiny 2.

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