Destiny 2 is a big game with a lot going on. New players may find themselves overwhelmed with the amount of freedom they are given once they load in.
Today, we will help you get a feel for what Destiny 2 is and what you should focus on doing as a beginner.
Recommended Read: What Are Adept Weapons in Destiny 2?
Beginner players in Destiny 2 should focus on completing the game’s campaigns in order to unlock armor and weapons that increase their Power Level.
Table of Contents
- Introduction to Destiny 2
- How Does Combat Work in Destiny 2?
- What to Do as a Beginner
- What Should Be Your Aim/Goal?
Introduction to Destiny 2
Destiny 2 is a free-to-play first-person looter-shooter with MMO mechanics that lets you enjoy the game with friends and strangers alike.
It is a live service game, meaning the world is constantly evolving and changing, with new activities, game modes, events, and loot being added to the game with every new Season.
You are a Guardian, brought back to life by The Traveler and given the power of Light. It is your job to protect the Last City from the many different enemies of humanity.
You will choose between one of three Classes, the magic-focused Warlock, the unstoppable Titan, and the agile Hunter, to begin your journey. You can eventually create one of each of these Classes.
Destiny 2 has a massive story it is telling. The base game will introduce you to this story’s beginning.
You will have to purchase DLC in order to experience the rest of the story in full. Each Expansion comes with a new campaign that continues the story while unlocking new end-game activities. Be sure to check out our guide on What Expansions/DLC to Buy.
Aside from campaign missions, Destiny 2 does most of its storytelling through Seasons. Seasons are three-month spans that mark a distinct story beat in the Destiny 2 universe.
Every Season will have new Seasonal missions and activities for players to complete, rewarding them with new and interesting loot while progressing their story.
While some of these activities are locked behind the Season Pass, there are still plenty of things for free-to-play players to do.
Destiny 2 is meant to be played with friends. While you can complete most of the game solo, it gets much, much better when playing with a group of friends.
Story missions allow for teams of up to three players, while many end-game activities will require a full Fireteam of six players to complete.
Along with a large selection of PvE activities, Destiny 2 has a very fast-paced PvP side of the game known as The Crucible.
Players can compete in 6v6 casual game modes like Control or test their skills in the game’s competitive 3v3 game modes to see how high they can climb the ranks.
How Does Combat Work in Destiny 2?
As Destiny 2 is a first-person shooter, combat will feel very similar to games like Halo or Apex Legends, with very clean, very good-feeling gunplay and a shield and health bar that both regenerate once you are out of combat.
Guardians will have access to a large selection of weapons to fill out their Primary, Special, and Heavy weapon slots.
Weapons can deal either Kinetic damage or Energy damage. Kinetic weapons do more base damage than Energy weapons, making them great for dealing high amounts of damage to unshielded targets.
Energy weapons come in five different damage types, Solar, Arc, Void, Stasis, and Strand. Energy weapons do more damage to shielded enemies.
Matching an enemy’s shield element with your damage type will further increase your damage to them.
There are seven different types of Primary weapons in Destiny 2, including Auto Rifles, Pulse Rifles, Scout Rifles, Submachine Guns, Hand Cannons, Sidearms, and Bows.
These weapons will be your primary means of taking out enemies. Primary weapons have an infinite amount of ammo reserves, so you never have to worry about running out.
There are six different types of Special weapons in the game, including Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, Fusion Rifles, Trace Rifles, Grenade Launchers, and Glaives.
These weapons consume Special ammo to deal a good amount of damage per shot. Special weapons are great for taking out powerful Major or miniboss enemies.
You do not have unlimited Special ammo, so use your shots wisely until you find a Special Ammo Brick on the ground to restock your munitions.
There are five different types of Heavy weapons, including Rocket Launchers, Grenade Launchers, Machine Guns, Linear Fusion Rifles, and Swords.
These weapons pack a massive punch and are your best bet for taking out Champions or Bosses. You will have a very limited ammo reserve on Heavy weapons.
Aside from weapons, you will have three abilities readily available depending on the Class you pick.
The first is your Class ability, with Warlocks using a Rift to heal or increase their damage, Titans using a Barricade to block damage, and Hunters using their Dodge to reload their weapons and regenerate their abilities.
Each Class will also have a set of unique Melee abilities and Grenade abilities. These abilities change depending on what subclass you choose.
All three Classes have access to the Solar, Arc, Void, Stasis, and Strand subclasses. Each subclass gives you a completely different set of abilities and a whole new way to enjoy the game.
Abilities are on short cooldowns. You can’t spam them, though they will usually be ready when you need them. Combat flows between using your three weapons and abilities to take out waves of enemies while progressing through the story mission or activity.
Finally, you have your Super ability. This ability is not available to you immediately. You need to charge it up by killing enemies and picking up Orbs of Power.
Once fully charged, you can activate it to unleash your subclass’s special move, often making you very resistant to damage and allowing you to dish out a ton of it.
Some signature Super abilities are the Warlock’s Nova Bomb, the Titan’s Thundercrash, and the Hunter’s Golden Gun.
As there are many different subclasses and abilities to choose from, Destiny 2 is known for its expansive build-crafting.
Finding a cohesive build that takes advantage of your ability, armor, and weapon choices is what keeps players coming back.
You can specialize heavily in grenade-centric builds that focus on throwing a lot of grenades, or you could pick every ability that makes you go invisible as a Hunter and never have to worry about enemies seeing you. The choice is yours.
What to Do as a Beginner
As a beginner, you will choose your starting Class and be thrown into the first mission in the Cosmodrome. This mission explains all of the basics, giving your first set of weapons and abilities.
After completing the tutorial, you will be put into Orbit with very little direction. Opening your Directory menu, you will see icons pop up all around the different planets.
If you don’t own any of the Expansions, then you won’t have access to any full campaigns, as Destiny 2 is a live-service game and does not have a free-to-play campaign.
You will be able to complete the first campaign mission for all of the Expansion campaigns, letting you try before you buy.
If you purchased any of the Expansions, you will immediately have access to that Expansion’s campaign. Currently, there are four different campaigns in Destiny 2, Shadowkeep, Beyond Light, The Witch Queen, and Lightfall.
These campaigns are a great place for new players to get invested in the Destiny 2 universe. It is a shame that they are hidden behind a paywall.
It is worth noting that the Beyond Light campaign and the Lightfall campaign both reward you with a new subclass upon completion. If you are to choose only one campaign to start, either of these would be recommended.
Free-to-play players will have access to the Vanguard Strikes Playlist, Gambit, and The Crucible, as well as a select number of Raids, Dungeons, and Seasonal Events.
Vanguard Strikes are a great place for beginner players to start. Strikes are like miniature campaign missions, with less storytelling and more action.
You will traverse through the level with a clear objective and waypoints showing you where to go if you get lost. You will also have two other Guardians on your team to help you out.
Strikes will reward you with Glimmer, the game’s main currency, and some loot in the form of new weapons and armor pieces.
This is a great way for you to build up your collection and get some much-needed upgrades to your starting gear.
If you are more interested in the PvP side of games, then The Crucible is where you should go. The rotating 6v6 game modes will put you on a team and let you jump right into the action.
Destiny 2 is a fast-paced game. The PvP very much reflects this. You may be overwhelmed by players with better guns than you. If this is the case, you may want to go and find some better loot before jumping into PvP.
Raids and Dungeons are Destiny 2’s six-player end-game activities. While you will definitely want to do these activities eventually for some of the game’s best loot, you will have to hold off until you are properly leveled for them.
Outside of these activities, you are free to roam the planets however you choose. Each planet will have Patrols, Public Events, and Lost Sectors for you to complete, each rewarding you with Glimmer and loot.
What Should Be Your Aim/Goal?
Destiny 2 is a game of progression, with players unlocking new abilities, weapons, and Exotic armor pieces while they run through the many stories and activities the game has to offer.
Your primary goal should always be to increase your Power Level.
Your Guardian’s Power Level is determined by the average Power Level of all of your armor pieces and weapons.
Whenever you get a new armor piece or weapon to drop from killing enemies or completing activities, it will drop at or above this average, slowly increasing your Power Level drop by drop.
Powerful Gear will drop many levels higher than your average and will give you a decent boost in Power Level.
You should definitely focus on completing as many activities as you can that reward you with Powerful Gear until you reach Power Level 1800.
Once you reach Power Level 1800, you will need to focus on obtaining Pinnacle Gear, the only type of gear that will drop above Power Level 1800.
Along the way to reaching 1800, you will unlock new subclasses, abilities, Exotic armor and weapons, and ornaments to make your Guardian look as stylish as you wish.
The aim of the game should always be to have fun while leveling your character.
Luckily, Destiny 2 gives players a wide range of activities that each reward them with gear, allowing players to play the parts of the game that they enjoy the most while still actively leveling up their Power Level.
If you are unsure of what to do next, you can always open up your Directory and look for anything with a yellow star beside it.
This indicates that the activity will reward you with Powerful or Pinnacle Gear. These rewards reset weekly, meaning you can come back and complete them again for more Powerful Rewards after the Weekly Reset.
You will also want to try and work towards increasing your Guardian Rank. Your current Guardian Rank can be found in the Journey section of your Player Menu.
Here, you will find a list of challenges that you can complete in order to increase your Guardian Rank. Doing so will unlock additional features of the game, including Ghost Mods, Triumphs, Titles, and additional Loadout slots.
After you reach the max Power Level of 1810, your goal will be to get the god-roll of your favorite weapons. Destiny 2 is a looter-shooter, after all.
Every weapon will drop with a random set of Perks and Traits. Players will spend hours farming a specific activity for a specific weapon with just the right Perks and Traits, giving them an advantage in the end-game activities such as Raids and Trials of Osiris.
Now, you are ready to dive into Destiny 2 as a new player!
How did you end up playing Destiny 2? Are there any tips you would like to give newer players? Be sure to let me know in the comments!
