Destiny 2 is already one of the heavyweights of 2017. Here’s everything you need to know.
Destiny 2: your guide
Gameplay, changes and new content
Special Editions: Limited and Collector’s
Destiny 2 on PC: Blizzard and Battle.net
Destiny 2 is no surprise to any of us. Not only was it written into the Destiny contract between Activision and Bungie, it was inevitable once the first game arrived in 2014 and become an overnight sensation, hugely influencing triple-A titles over the following years.
It’s also something we’ve been looking forward to for almost as long as we’ve expected it – and are jonesing for even harder now that we’ve actually played Destiny 2.
Don’t get us wrong, we loved Destiny the First – but since Bungie was making up a whole ne genre as it went along, its first effort wasn’t perfect. There were problems: dull, poorly-conveyed story. Enormous content droughts. Multiplayer lag. A frustrating lack of community features for a game so reliant on co-op.
Destiny 2 had originally been expected at least one year earlier, but Bungie pushed it back, releasing the Rise of Iron expansion instead. We’d like to think it spent that extra time nailing the platform technology that will underpin what may well be 2017’s biggest release.
We just don’t know if that’s true yet – but what we do know is, Destiny 2 is going to be big, no matter what. We also know all the things on this page – and now you do too.
Use the navigation box to get to the Destiny 2 info you want quickly and easily. If there’s anything Destiny 2 related we’ve missed, or any questions of yours we’ve left unanswered, let us know.
Destiny 2 gameplay reveal and trailer
Let’s start off with Destiny 2’s gameplay reveal, which took place in Los Angeles on May 18. Bungie and Activison were proud to show off their new baby for the first time, revealing story, gameplay and more. You can watch the full Destiny 2 gameplay reveal above.
If you don’t have over an hour to spare, don’t worry – Bungie released a number of short videos presenting individual segments of the gameplay reveal for easier digestion, so you can cherry pick what you ant to watch.
To start us off, here’s a Destiny 2 gameplay trailer with a montage of footage from the first mission of the story campaign, which is called Homecoming.
Although the montage edit doesn’t give you the full context for the mission, what it does do is show off Destiny 2 gameplay – shooting stuff. Yep. Guns a plenty to ogle in their brief appearances. You’ll also get a look at the new supers, and more.
Next up is a quick recap of what’s changed in Destiny 2 – the story and setting, new activities, the new subclasses, how weapons have changed, and more.
The next segment to be released covered how Guided Games and in-game clans mean Destiny 2 players can always find a game.
During the Destiny 2 gameplay reveal event, Bungie also released a new Destiny 2 cinematic trailer, which we’ll look at a little further down the page, too.
Destiny 2 story and setting
Destiny and its sequel are both set far in the future, in the wake of an event known as the Collapse. This event was the end of Humanity’s Golden Age, an era of scientific marvels and industry, brought on by the arrival of the mysterious Traveller. Unfortunately, the four races of the Darkness wanted the Traveller’s Light for their own, and their invasion of Earth and surrounds proved apocalyptic to Humanity. The last remnants survive in the Last City, sheltered by the Vanguard, leaders of the undead Guardians who channel the Traveller’s Light to protect the city. (That’s us!)
Destiny 2 kicks off when the Red Legion, an elite force of Cabal led by Lord Ghaul, invades Earth – or more specifically, the Tower. The attack is successful and the Vanguard are driven from the Last City.
Ghaul locks the Traveller in a strange sort of cage, severing many Guardians’ connections to the Light, and explaining why we start without most of our powers (and guns) in Destiny 2.
There are four main Destinations players will visit in Destiny 2:
- Earth
On Earth, the centre of human occupation shifts, and players will be exploring the European Dead Zone rather than the Cosmodrome in Old Russia. It’s the “largest destination yet” at twice the size of any area in Destiny the First. It features a lush forest, abandoned town and a cave system, as well as a Red Legion base. - Titan
A moon of Saturn, Titan is a marine planet with no surface landmasses. Players will explore a series of crumbling Golden Age relice, platforms which were once the site of a utopia. Commander Zavala, the Titan Vanguard, is set up here. - Nessus
In our time, Nessus is an icy, minor centaur planet, but in Destiny 2 it has been almost completely terraformed and taken over by the Vex. It’s a land of majestic canyons and bursts of colourful vegetation lashed together with inexplicable Vex caverns. Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard, is questing here. - Io
Io is the last place the Traveller touched before the Collapse, and is sacred to Warlocks – which is why Warlock Vanguard Ikora Rey is hanging out on this moon of Jupiter. Now tainted by the presence of troops of the Darkness, it’s a land of strange technological wonders.
Destiny 2 gameplay, changes and new content
Quite a lot has changed in Destiny 2 compared to Destiny the First. We won’t rehash every Destiny system here (you can visit our Destiny guide for that sort of thing), but instead offer information from the Destiny 2 gameplay reveal of most use to returning veterans:
- The primary, secondary and heavy weapon slot systems have been axed. Players can now equip a kinetic, energy and power weapon.
- There is no need to go to Orbit when moving between activities. A seamless Navigator gets you into the action faster.
- Players can now open the world map anywhere. The map will show public events and discovered activities.
- There’s a Strike called the Inverted Spire. Set on Nessus, it has players battling the Cabal and the Vex.
- Clans are now an in-game feature. You’ll have emblems and all sorts now.
- There will be matchmaking for raids and other activities. It’s called Guided Games and it extends to all kinds of activities.
- There are new activity types. The full list revealed so far is Story Campaign, Adventures, Patrols, Lost Sectors, Quests, Public Events and Crucible.
- Adventures are side missions granted by NPCs.
- Lost Sectors are dangerous dungeons, again unlocked through NPCs.
- Bungie isn’t talking about raids yet.
- Destiny PvP modes will be 4v4. There’s also a new Crucible mode called Countdown.
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Grimoire cards will not be returning. All lore will be in game.
Destiny 2 classes and subclasses
All three original classes return in Destiny 2 – Hunter, Warlock and Titan.
We’re waiting on confirmation that all original subclasses will also appear in Destiny 2, but we do know that the Hunter Gunslinger and Titan Striker return.
In addition to pre-existing subclasses, Destiny 2 adds three new subclasses – one each for Hunter, Warlock and Titan.
Each of these pages includes gameplay footage of the subclass in action, so you can see how your chosen Guardian will play in Destiny 2.
- The new Hunter subclass is called Arkstriker. The super summons a staff of Arc.
- The new Warlock subclass is Dawnblade. The super summons a sword of Solar.
- The new Titan subclass is Sentinel. The super summons a Void shield, which can be thrown.
Destiny 2 subclass guides
We’re putting together detailed guides on every subclass in Destiny 2 – things have changed since the first game. These guides will list every skill and passive ability as we discover them, giving you full details so you can plan your build and co-ordinate with your buddies for co-op.
We’ll have full details on each of the other Destiny 2 subclasses as they come in.
Exotics and weapons
Destiny 2 will put narrative front and centre, but c’mon – we all know why we’ll be lining up. Although it’s early days yet, we’ve already had a look at a slice of Destiny 2’s arsenal; here’s what we know so far.
- Destiny 2 ditches the old primary, secondary and heavy weapons system for kinetic, energy and power weapon slots
Although you can still equip three weapons at a time, this isn’t just the old system under a new name. Find out exactly how things have changed in Destiny 2. - An explanation of the kinetic and energy weapon slots in Destiny 2
See what weapons you can equip in each slot, see some of them in action, and dive deep on the differences between the two everyday weapon equip slots in Destiny 2. - These are the six weapon types in Destiny 2’s power weapon category so far
Some of the old secondary weapons have been promoted to power weapons in Destiny 2, making your choice in this category even more important than picking a Heavy in the first game - Confirmed Exotic weapons in Destiny 2: Riskrunner, Sunshot and Sweet business
Bungie has formally revealed and detailed three of Destiny 2’s Exotics so far. Perks, gameplay footage and more on these sweet new rarities. - All 14 Exotics spotted in Destiny 2 so far
Although officially we only know about three, we’ve spotted many more Exotics in Destiny 2. Take a peek at them all. - All the swords we’ve seen in Destiny 2 so far – broadswords, katana and more
Swords return in Destiny 2 and we love them more than ever. With this much variety in just one weapon type, how will you ever change over to rocket launcher or sniper rifle…?
Destiny 2 release date
Destiny 2 will release on September 8 2017 on PS4 and Xbox One. The release date for the PC version of Destiny 2 is yet to be confirmed.
Destiny 2 beta
There will be a Destiny 2 beta, allowing lucky Guardians to try out the sequel ahead of release date. Content available will be similar to that experienced by attendees at the Destiny 2 gameplay reveal event.
At present, the only guaranteed entry to the Destiny 2 beta is to pre-order. It is likely the beta will open to everyone for its last day or hours, as with the first Destiny beta and other similar tests on rival titles.
Bungie has not yet dated the Destiny 2 beta, although it will obviously happen before Destiny 2 releases.
Destiny 2 pre-orders
If you’re ready to preorder Destiny 2 (gotta get that Destiny 2 beta invite, right?) you have several options to choose form when it comes to editions, with some digital and physical goodies on offer.
You can find full details on the Destiny 2 Limited and Deluxe Editions here, but we’ve also summarised the information below. If you’d like to know more about the individual bonuses, we have a run down on what you get with Destiny 2 special editions which goes into detail on some of the physical extras like the fancy bag.
In addition to pre-orders through the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, most online and bricks-and-mortar retailers are carrying Destiny 2 pre-orders. Some retailers are offering extra bonus content like figurines, steelbooks and more.
Destiny 2 Limited Edition and Collector’s Edition packages are sold out at some retailers, but you can use Bungie’s tool to find retailers in your country that carry it, and check in with each of them to see if they have any allocation remaining.
Special Editions: Limited and Collector’s contents
- Destiny 2 Standard Edition
- A physical copy of Destiny 2
- Destiny 2 Digital Standard Edition
- A digital copy of Destiny 2
- Destiny 2 Digital Deluxe Edition
- A digital copy of Destiny 2
- Expansion Pass
- Legendary Sword
- Legendary Player Emote
- Cabal Empire Themed Emblem
- Destiny 2 Limited Edition
- A physical copy of Destiny 2
- Expansion Pass
- Legendary Sword
- Legendary Player Emote
- Cabal Empire Themed Emblem
- Limited Edition SteelBook Case
- Cabal-themed Collector’s Box
- Cabal booklet
- Cabal Schematic
- Cabal Postcards
- Cabal Military Pawns
- Destiny 2 Collector’s Edition
- A physical copy of Destiny 2
- Expansion Pass
- Legendary Sword
- Legendary Player Emote
- Cabal Empire Themed Emblem
- Limited Edition SteelBook Case
- Cabal-themed Collector’s Box
- Cabal booklet
- Cabal Schematic
- Cabal Postcards
- Cabal Military Pawns
- Frontier Messenger Bag
- Frontier Kit
- Solar USB charger with light
- Paracord
- Solar blanket
Destiny 2 on PC: Blizzard and Battle.net
Destiny 2 is coming to PC, but there are some things you need to know about it.
First, it won’t be sold or activated through Steam or other digital retailers; Destiny 2 will run on Blizzard’s Battle.net. If you want to play, you’ll need to sign up for that – but the good news there is that you can use your existing Battle.net credit to purchase Destiny 2. (Go ahead and start gold farming.)
Second, Destiny 2 has been delayed on PC, apparently. It won’t release day and date with the PS4 and Xbox One versions.
Bungie has said it’s committed to making Destiny 2 a very good PC game, going deep on mouse and keyboard support, offering a field of view slider, and uncapping the frame rate (which is locked to 30 fps in the console builds of Destiny 2). But Destiny 2 won’t have dedicated servers on PC, and it’s being developed by Vicarious Visions.
It does look very pretty on PC, though, thanks to 4K support. Bungie has refused to give any indication of minimum specs, but we do know the specs of the PCs being used to run Destiny 2 at the gameplay reveal event.
Destiny 2 on PC will also have custom key mapping, text chat, a “detailed” settings screen, and support for 21:9 monitors – among other features. Here’s everything we know about Destiny 2’s PC features so far.
Destiny 2 platforms – PC, PS4, or Xbox One?
We know Destiny players can import their characters to Destiny 2. But at present, Bungie has not announced whether players will be able to import Destiny the First characters to Destiny 2 while hopping between platforms – say PS4 to PC, or Xbox One to PS4, or whatever.
Nor has Bungie said whether Destiny 2 will have persistent accounts or cross-play, allowing you to play on and switch between multiple platforms after the game is live.
As such, your choice of platform could be pretty important – do you want to keep your existing character (even though you can’t bring your powers or guns)? Where are all your friends going to play? Which platform has the features you want?
Here’s another important thing to know if you are choosing a platform: Destiny 2 will have PS4 exclusive content. The PS4 version of the game will release with exclusive content that may or may not come to PC and Xbox One later on.
In the case of the first Destiny game, this content ranged from minor (non-essential armour) to pretty hefty (Strikes). Some of it came to Xbox, and some of it did not.
Just a little heads-up if you’re on the fence about which platform to buy Destiny 2 on.
Destiny 2 trailers
Want to watch some Destiny 2 trailers? We got you covered.
The video above is a Destiny 2 teaser released by Bungie just after it first announced Destiny 2.
This next one is the very first full cinematic trailer for Destiny 2.
Up next is the second Destiny 2 cinematic trailer, from the gameplay reveal event
That’s all the trailers for now, although the Destiny 2 gameplay reveal montage video is worth a look, too.
Destiny 2 news
A rolling log of Destiny 2 news, updated when fresh intel arrives. The story of Destiny 2 begins long, long ago – five whole years, in fact. New headlines will be added to the bottom of the page, so you can watch the sage unfold chronologically.
- November 2014
- Activision first publicly mentions Destiny 2 just two months after Destiny the First’s release
- February 2016
- Activision confirms Destiny 2 is slated for 2017
- November 2016
- Activision says Destiny 2 won’t have content droughts
- February 2017
- First story details of Destiny 2 revealed by MegaBloks, of all things
- Activision assures investors Destiny 2 is still on track for 2017 release
- Activision says Destiny 2 will focus on telling a great story and following through with new content
- Bungie first talks about when it will talk about Destiny 2
- March 2017
- Bungie confirms rumours nothing but your character’s appearance will carry over to Destiny 2
- Destiny 2’s release date and beta leak via retailers
- Bungie finally announces Destiny 2 with a teaser image
- The Destiny 2 teaser image gives us a glimpse of new subclasses and more
- Another Destiny 2 retail leak suggests there will be a Cayde-6 figurine
- A Destiny 2 teaser video presages the first full trailer
- Retail leaks detail the Limited and Collector’s Editions of Destiny 2
- Bungie unveils Destiny 2 with first full trailer, confirms leaks
- A breakdown of the new enemies and story elements in the first Destiny 2 trailer
- The figurines leak is confirmed – the Lord Saladin one is very cute
- Destiny 2 Limited and Collector’s Editions officially detailed
- April 2017
- Destiny Expansion Pass looks to include Warmind Rasputin, Osiris content
- Bungie announces Destiny 2 gameplay reveal event
- Destiny 2 gameplay reveal invitations hint at “a world without Light”
- May 2017
- Activision says Destiny 2 will have “meaningful features” on PC
- Destiny 2 introduces SMG weapons
- Watch the Destiny 2 gameplay reveal here
- Watch the Destiny 2 cinematic trailer from the gameplay reveal here
- Destiny 2 PvP modes will be 4v4, new Crucible maps and Countdown mode announced
- Destiny 2 will have new subclasses
- Destiny 2 will use Blizzard’s Battle.net on PC
- Destiny 2 story details, “Guided Games” feature and new activity types revealed
- Check out some of Destiny 2’s new gear for Hunters, Warlocks and Titans
- Clans will be fully integrated in-game in Destiny 2
- Destiny 2 PC not releasing day-and-date with consoles – PC features detailed
- Destiny 2 won’t make you got to orbit between activities
- Destiny 2 players will explore Earth, Io, Nessus and Titan
- Destiny 2 Inverted Spire Strike detailed
- Destiny 2 ditches primary, secondary and heavy weapons for kinetic, energy and power
- First 4K Destiny 2 PC screens are lovely, but no dedicated servers and PC version outsourced
- Destiny 2 frame rate can go as high as 144 fps, consoles locked to 30 fps
- Everything we know about Destiny 2 PC so far
- Destiny 2 scraps Grimoire cards, “we want to put the lore in the game,” says Bungie
- Destiny 2 is 30fps on consoles because even PS4 Pro is not powerful enough for 60fps
- Don’t expect Destiny 2 to come to Nintendo Switch
- Destiny 2 reveal build maintains 30fps lock, resolution on PS4 Pro still unclear
- Destiny 2: the difference between Kinetic and Energy slots explained
Destiny 2 hands-on, previews and reviews
There’s not much out there yet on how Destiny 2 plays, but we’ll bring you what we can as it turns up.
Is there anything else you want to know about Destiny 2? Have you seen something we’ve missed? Let us know. Keep it locked here, Guardians; we’ll be updating with everything Destiny 2, as it happens.
from VG247 http://ift.tt/2qYXb7u
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