Whether you're a seasoned Guardian or a newcomer joining the good fight against the Red Legion, Destiny 2 presents a few challenges early on that you'll need to overcome before you head out in the galaxy to rebuild your power and influence.
There have been many changes to the core mechanics and systems of Destiny that will feel a bit strange to returning players, and not all of it is explained in depth for newcomers. To help you out, here are some essential Destiny 2 tips to get you fighting fit.
For more about Destiny 2 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, read our in-depth feature containing Xur's location, all our reviews and guides, plus all the PC details you need.
Know Your Role
From the opening hour, players are stripped of their powers and have to relearn what it means to be a Guardian of the Light. Although you start off with the familiar Striker, Voidwalker, and Gunslinger subclasses, you're quickly introduced to the new subclasses of Destiny 2: the Warlock's Dawnguard, the Hunter's Arc Strider, and the Titan's Sentinel. Thankfully, these are easy to pick up, complementing the other subclasses quite well, while bringing in new character abilities and skills that make for interesting changes to combat and exploration. However, the core systems of classes have changed up a bit from the last game, so choosing your skills and abilities is more important than ever.
In Destiny, each subclass gave you a set of perks and skills to choose from, focusing on recharge rates for certain skills, buffs for main attributes, and bonus traits for the class. The subclasses of Destiny 2 now take advantage of unique ability trees that alter your character and fit a certain playstyle in battle. In addition to selecting grenade types and jump techniques, four sets of unique perks are divided into two distinct trees. These change up the type of role your subclass takes on. For instance, the Sentinel's Code of the Protector class tree allows Titans to take on a number of defensive abilities, including the return of the Ward of Dawn skill from Destiny--as opposed to the Code of the Aggressor class tree focusing on offensive abilities. If you're going into a certain class that resonates with you, it's worth thinking about what you'll role have in a fireteam, and how you can work alongside others.
The Economics Of The New Golden Age
With the destruction of the Tower, the in-game economy has gone through many changes. Various forms of currency and components from the original Destiny have been phased out, ultimately making for a more streamlined and focused system in the sequel. Strange Coins, Motes of Light, Armor Materials, and Exotic Shards are no longer in play, making Glimmer, Silver (microtransaction currency), Gunsmith Materials, and Legendary Shards among the most important items to have in your inventory. There's much less busywork in handling materials, which many returning players will find appealing considering the amount of items that were introduced over the years.
Legendary Shards are now some of the most valuable resources you'll have in Destiny 2. With the returning infusion feature--allowing you to sacrifice weapons to make others stronger--you can make use of these shards to boost weapons, while also activating unique weapon and armor mods. Moreover, the enigmatic and elusive merchant Xur will make a return, now accepting Legendary Shards instead of Strange Coins as his currency of choice. Xur now travels beyond the safety of the social spaces, so you'll be able to find him hiding out in the open areas of the various planets.
Activities In The Open World
Destiny 2 features much larger worlds to explore, and the game takes advantage of the space to give the Guardians more options when looking to improve their gear and inventory. To go along with these new areas, new activities such as Adventure missions have been introduced. These take players on small story quests where they interact with the various NPCs of the area.The Lost Sectors, meanwhile, are a series of dungeons scattered around the different zones, and each one contains both powerful enemies and valuable loot.
In addition to the new locations, the tried-and-true Patrol and Public Events have also seens some changes. One major change happening with Public Quests are new heroic modifiers. By performing a specific action during a public event, such as destroying Glimmer extraction machines or disabling enemy vehicles, you'll trigger a modified instance within the Public Event--spawning stronger enemies and delivering greater rewards. To make this easier to embark on compared to the last game, Public Events and other activities are now shown on the map (along with event timers), so finding these events will involve much less hassle.
Leave The Gun, Take The Materials
With the improved loot and engram system, gear in Destiny 2 flows freely and is more readily available. You'll constantly be finding new gear and equipment during the first half of the game, making equipment swaps and loadout changes a regular thing. With this in mind, it's important to save your Glimmer and other resources when starting out in new areas of the game. As new story quests, adventure missions, and faction rewards are constantly popping up, you'll seldom find yourself in spots where you have to spend cash and resources to get over a leveling hump.
Of course, when you're finding all this improved gear, you'll amass an inventory of weapons and armor that is of no use to you. When this happens, don't be afraid to dismantle your old gear for Glimmer and Weapon Parts, as this can be turned into the Gunsmith at the social space in exchange for new rewards. This loop will help you stay ahead of the game and keep you in the action.
With Destiny 2 now out for players worldwide, there's still much to uncover in the new worlds you'll explore in your pursuit for more power and better gear. Check back with us at GameSpot for more tips on leveling up fast, finding the Lost Sectors, and figuring out which class is right for you.
