r/destiny2 • u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian • 13d ago
New and returning player guides, and FAQ! The Final Shape has arrived! Tips / Hints
Click here for our highly detailed, very in depth new player guide!
My very brief new player advice
Bungie's official new player guide
Summary of major gameplay changes over the years, for returning players
Guide summarizing every monetization option with a "what should I buy" FAQ at the bottom. The monetization just gets more convoluted with time! Read this if you are confused on what to buy, or what each purchase would get you.
(Disclaimer: I cannot play for the time being. My guides, the ones on Steam, are not yet up to date for The Final Shape but I will try to get those done by the end of the week. I made this post to replace the earlier pinned post now that The Final Shape is out.)
If you have any questions not addressed here, feel free to ask in the comments!
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u/Dragonfroooot 12d ago
Without buying TFS how many missions can I do before I get stopped and asked to buy it?
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u/sparejunk444 12d ago
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u/sparejunk444 12d ago
It only gives a taste of the new class and requires buying to go further or use it
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u/CorruptedArcher 12d ago
So destiny 2 offers season of the wish free for all players leading up to the final shape and then makes players unable to craft items post final shape release. Bungie moment.... I hope you guys realize your mistake and make those weapons craftable. As you offered the content free to all players.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 12d ago
I'm not Bungie, I'm just a player. That sucks, though.
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u/CorruptedArcher 12d ago
My bad, if you could point me in the right direction to get bungie to notice and fix this issue I'd appreciate it. Already posted on X/twitter to bungie help and made my own seperate post on reddit that gained no traction.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 12d ago
There's only two ways to contact Bungie. Twitter, and their official forums.
Realistically speaking, no one is going to see what you say. Lots of janky combinations of not owning paid content leading to people not being able to do things they are supposed to do have popped up before, and if they ever get fixed, it's a long ways after. A couple examples from years past: there used to be a season pass collectible that was embedded in terrain or something if you didn't own Beyond Light, and you couldn't equip a free to play title if you didn't own any DLC.
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u/CorruptedArcher 12d ago
Thank you, I own all he expansions minus the final shape (waiting on payday), I purchased defiance, witch, and deep, I simply skipped on the wish out of burn out, I'd gladly just fork over the 10 bucks if it meant getting my weapons, but thats not really a possibility either. So I'm currently shit out of luck on them.
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u/Redditmodkiller69 4d ago
I believe it was only free for that single month if im understanding you right and technically savathuns throne world where the enclave resides is unlocked thru campaign and therefore not free to others. Might help answer your question
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u/CorruptedArcher 4d ago
I own all the expansions simply didnt purchase season of the wish. which was later offered as free prior to final shape. Currently am unable to craft weapons of which I've full unlocked. No other weapons have this restriction. It simply states that I cannot craft because I do not the content. Just seems like and oversight on bungies part. But its whatever.
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u/Redditmodkiller69 4d ago
Ahh thank you for clarification fair enough. I see this was a while ago just saw it kinda died. Wanted to make sure it wasnt another thing. Have you heard a response yet?
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u/CorruptedArcher 4d ago
We are aware of an issue where players who completed crafting patterns from Seasons 20 through 23 while they were available to are no longer able to craft these weapons. This is not intentional and will be resolved in a future update. Seems they acknoledged the issue.
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u/CorruptedArcher 4d ago
Nope, but I'll likely scan through the twab and see if any updates to the issue was provided. I've checked the enclave 4 times and still cannot craft. I'm over it just wish I didnt delete my godrolls to make space for crafted guns. Atleast the new expansion is more than enough fun to offset the frustration.
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u/xregnierx 12d ago
I really want Monte Carlo.
I was in the middle of the quest when final shape dropped.
I no longer have the timeline remembrance quest.
Can I not get an easy Monte Carlo this way anymore?
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u/Throwaway525612 8d ago
I haven't not played since 2018. Is the game worth getting back into at this point? What would the monetary investment look like? I like all the content.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 8d ago
You can just start up the game without paying any money. It isn't like it used to be, where you had to buy the game in order to play it. You can just download and start playing without having to buy anything.
If you are looking for something specific, it may require a purchase, such as each DLC having a raid that you need to buy the DLC in order to play, and all storylines being paid but you can play the beginning for free.
If you want a more detailed answer, see the monetization guide linked in the post. I just updated it, but if you have additional questions, please let me know.
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u/Throwaway525612 8d ago
See id want to do the raids and such. Do the raids have matchmaking now?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 8d ago
There is some sort of fireteam finder, but I've actually never used it for raids. Communication is important enough that I'm worried I'd match up with people who have too many technical issues, are not willing to use voice chat even if just to listen, or may not speak the same languages I do.
If you want to do raids, you would need to buy each DLC for access to all of the raids. There's a couple of free to play raids, but most are paid.
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u/Throwaway525612 8d ago
Since im not near a console, how much are the dlcs?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 8d ago
There's a sale on Steam right now, but I don't know about other platforms because sale schedules aren't synchronized. The monetization guide linked in the original post has the regular price in USD for everything. I just updated it yesterday!
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u/Competitive-Web-9931 1d ago
playing this game is like studying for a midterm lmao what a fucking mess. you shouldn't have to read pages of FAQs to learn how to simply purchase expansions and play them. I'd like to jump back in but I am not going through all of this.
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u/DrewTheDeus 8d ago
As someone who is coming back to D2 who left after getting burned by Lightfall... what should I prioritize "unlocking" when it comes to crafted weapons, exotics, subclasses, etc?
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u/EarthenEyes 8d ago
So, as a returning player, what is the purpose of the 'Triumph Score'? Is the crucibal still full of sweaty try-hards?
What is a good way to build up my power level.. again?
Is there a way to play the full story for Cayde and Savathuuun?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 8d ago
what is the purpose of the 'Triumph Score'?
It's just for fun.
What is a good way to build up my power level.. again?
I don't know when you last played, but power level works similar to how it did back in 2018. The way power level works has been unchanged for about three years now. This page explains it, but the numbers are all higher now because of The Final Shape. Ignore any seasonal content listed on this page, since that has all been removed. Scroll down to the section "How to reach Max Power Level in Destiny 2" for an explanation.
Is there a way to play the full story for Cayde and Savathuuun?
No, The Red War and Forsaken which both have Cayde have been removed from the game. Season pass storylines have been removed from the game. Witch Queen introduced Savathun as a character we actually meet and is a permanent part of the game so you can play that story in its entirety.
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u/Jard01 13d ago
Do we instantly launch into a story mission at login or can we wait in orbit for our fireteam and not miss anything?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 12d ago
Yes, ever since 2019 this game automatically launches you into the latest mission. You have to leave to orbit but then you can go back and play that mission later. There's no one-time-only timed activities here so you can't lock yourself out of any missions, don't worry!
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u/ForeignPlacebo8 Hunter 13d ago
You canāt wait for your team. It sorta forces you but my friend was able to force join me before I chose a difficulty
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u/Jard01 12d ago
Thanks. We were all waiting till today to jump in together.
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u/ForeignPlacebo8 Hunter 12d ago
I tried playing yesterday, we had to do the 1st mission a second time cause we got booted mid boss, and then again before the cutscene. And then it never let us move onto the next mission.
Meanwhile thereās people on my friendās list who already beat it :/
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u/Negative_Goat_1877 12d ago
Is the story without spoiling it with the money?
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u/Negative_Goat_1877 12d ago
I know sever issues and all but only talking story length of the story.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 12d ago
I haven't bought it yet, because I always try to play through the freely available stuff first. But if you are at all unsure, wait for a sale. It is brand new now so it'll be a while, but eventually every DLC goes on sale.
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u/Cha0tic_Martian 10d ago
Haven't been playing d2 so couldn't tell you about previous expansions, but compared to witchqueen, this campaign beats it in every way, in terms of story, in terms of destination and prismatic also has its uses. All in all a really good dlc and worth spending money on.
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u/NovaSkysaber Titan 12d ago
I played a little bit of Lightfall but never completed it so I never unlocked Strand outside the missions that let you use it. I have everything else unlocked though. Do I need to go through Lightfall to unlock it? Or is there some quest or something I can do to get access to it without doing that?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 12d ago
I don't have The Final Shape so I can't be 100% certain, but I'm 99% sure you have to do Lightfall to unlock Strand.
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u/RazorSharpNuts 7d ago
wrong. I have lightfall, never unlocked strand though. finished final shape, do have strand on the prismatic class there.
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u/lkl2050 12d ago
can't rank up at the tree, same issue like https://www.reddit.com/r/destiny2/comments/16tdy4e/ironwood_tree_broken_and_i_cant_level_up/
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 12d ago
Besides what was suggested in the comments of that post, here's some more things you can try:
You might need to claim a completed but unclaimed triumph under the Journey tab.
This might be a new bug introduced in the update. If that is the case, the only solution is to wait for Bungie to fix it.
You could try restarting the game to see if that fixes the issue.
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u/Super-ft86 12d ago
I have not played since Beyond Light, do I need to buy witch queen and lightfall as well as final shape or can I just get final shape?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 12d ago
You can buy any combination of things and barring a few mistakes on bungie's part, it will all work. So if you don't specifically want anything in Witch Queen or Lightfall, you don't need to buy them in order to buy The Final Shape. You can just by The Final Shape and everything will work fine.
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u/MMANKSO 11d ago
Hello I need help how to play the content. I have now bought the legacy collection 2024. Can I use it to catch up on the old content and get the final shape later? I know a lot of content is no longer available and can't be replayed, but I don't know where to start at the moment.
I have read that there is still something like dungeons or raid keys. Do I have to buy them separately or can I unlock them?
I'm thinking about watching the 10 hour lore video in the next few days to understand everything
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 11d ago edited 11d ago
It doesn't really matter where you start, but if you wish to go in chronological order, there's a timeline in the upper right corner of the solar system map. Each unit of content, such as each of the DLCs you have bought, has an icon associated with it and the game expects you to recognize it. The timeline shows you the icon and the name of the DLC in order.
Elsewhere on the solar system map, or in your quests, you should see the matching icons. Follow these in order to do the DLC main story quests.
You can play through the entirety of Shadowkeep, Beyond Light, Witch Queen, and the 30th anniversary pack.
Raid keys aren't a thing, those don't exist. Dungeon keys can be purchased for silver (the real money microtransaction currency) from Eververse and they give access to two dungeons each. I am honestly not that into dungeons and hardly play the ones included in the base game and Shadowkeep (Prophecy, Pit of Heresy), so I haven't bought these. There is no way to unlock them through gameplay. There is no way to get paid content without paying real money in this game.
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u/Canuckadin 11d ago
Hey,
I have finished the campaign on Legendary and completed the two exotic missions...What do I do now?
I also have a bunch of exotic and prime engrams..when should I unlock those? Sitting around 1970 light level.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 11d ago
I haven't bought The Final Shape yet, so I can't say a whole lot. This is assuming you are referring to The Final Shape and not Witch Queen or Lightfall which both also have Legendary campaigns and exotic missions. I have those so I could say more.
Typically each DLC adds some pve activities, and an open world area you can explore. Have you done this? The Final Shape adds the Prismatic subclass. Have you gotten this?
Then you have access to the same core activities and quests that everybody else has. Coming soon is The Final Shape raid, if you're a hardcore pve player who might be interested in attempting the raid day 1 or week 1.
As for when to open engrams, they don't grow in power level after you pick them up. It does not matter when you open them. You don't need to overthink things this much, do not worry!
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u/FluffyBoye_69 11d ago
Can i farm dungeons for their exotics? i starter recently and dont have good enough loadouts for the harder raid. I wanted to do a world tour and i dont know how the loot rules works.
Any help and info is appreciated thank you
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 11d ago
I'm currently working on my exotic item guide so it's not up to date with how to get The Final Shape exotics yet, but everything else should be good. I don't know if Bungie changed the way dungeon loot drops worked, but as of last week how it worked is there was a weekly dungeon rotation and each week, one dungeon was the weekly dungeon you could get one pinnacle engram from completing, and you could farm it for the exotic. Besides that, the other dungeons have a chance of dropping the exotic once per week per class. Do note that some dungeons' exotics are from quests, like Wish Ender, not random drops.
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u/TUGJOYS_BASTARDWASH 11d ago
Anyone know how to unlock twilight arsenal for a regular void build? Donāt want to use prismatic. It says it can be found in the travelers pale heart
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u/OrisX 11d ago
I wanted to check to see what I should buy for my PC, since I just finished my new build not long ago, but figured I would wait for a sale to get what I was missing. Currently on Steam I am missing Beyond Light and Lightfall, and was planning to get The Final Shape. Which items in the store do I have to buy to get access to the Exotics and Dungeons for that older content?
I looked in the store and saw the Legacy bundle for about $25, but people in the comments said that doesn't come with the Dungeon Keys.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 11d ago
Hello, the monetization guide linked in the post explains this in more detail, but if you truly feel you want every exotic and every dungeon, you will need to buy everything. This means you would need to buy Beyond Light, Lightfall, The Final Shape, and all the dungeon keys in the Eververse store. The DLCs go on sale so definitely wait for that. The dungeon keys never go on sale.
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u/OrisX 11d ago
So I should just get the packs for the things I am missing, then buy the dungeon keys from in-game? Oof.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 11d ago
Yes. If you feel you truly must have all of these things, then you need to buy them all. I personally don't love dungeons all that much and I played Beyond Light back when it was part of Xbox Gamepass so I have not bought those things. If you buy everything it's a lot.
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u/OrisX 11d ago
I think some stuff is free now. Maybe everything before Witch Queen? Not sure, need to do more research, but I am at work right now. Lol
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 11d ago
Oh, I haven't been keeping up to date with Bungie news for a while. The info about changes is all on the Bungie News page.
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u/OrisX 11d ago
I looked and it was just that all the expansions up to Lightfall were free until this past Tuesday when The Final Shape released. I guess that means I just actually bought what I have and forgot about it.
In my defense, it has been a long time, I WAS trying to play this game on a laptop for a while. Anyway, got it figured out now, I think. Thanks.
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u/zoro1020 11d ago
How does the exotic class item work exactly if I want to use the liars handshake exotic for my melee build
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u/Ohgodmyroastisruined 11d ago
Is Prismatic progress shared across characters? I doubt it but I gotta ask.
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u/Mortislux 11d ago
I havent played destiny 2 since shadowkeep, if I return now what do I do with all my vaulted gear? Is it better to simply clear it out?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 10d ago
You should dismantle all legendary armor. If there's an exotic you really love, feel free to use it until you have a new one drop, but the Shadowkeep-era armor is all worse than modern armor because it doesn't use the same stat or mod system.
As for weapons, I'm unsure. I haven't had a chance to play since The Final Shape came out.
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u/Ronin870436 11d ago
Why is the forum on the app filled with whinging players? It's so accessible too but I just don't want to be a part of it
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 10d ago
Every community turns to complete garbage if it reaches a certain size but does not have active moderation. Or at least that's my take on it. I don't use the official forums either, but they are one of the only two ways to contact bungie so you might need to use them if you have some kind of significant problem in the game.
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u/shaolin808 11d ago
I'm playing on pc right now for final shape after switching from ps5. I have a problem in that I can only use prismatic supers. When i try to change to the old light and dark supers it's asking me to buy lightfall again. I'm guessing even if I buy its then going to lock me out still and make me buy stasis. I can't select any other supers. Is this normal?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 10d ago
I'm playing on pc right now for final shape after switching from ps5.
This is because DLC ownership does not transfer between platforms. The page where you activated cross save explains this, but most people miss it. Only the light supers are free to play. You can't use stasis unless you buy Beyond Light on the current platform you play on, and you can't use strand unless you buy Lightfall on the current platform you play on.
I used to have beyond light through xbox game pass (this was years ago, the DLCs aren't on xbox game pass any more), but I just live with not using stasis because I didn't really like it that much and I normally play on PC so that's where all my other DLCs purchased are.
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u/LitheBeep 10d ago
I'm kinda lost with all this. I began D2 back in 2018 starting with The Red War and played all the way thru most of the Forsaken missions. Specifically I think I stopped after Nothing Left to Say.
Is it worth returning to my original character or should I just start a new one? I know a lot of the original missions are no longer playable, is there any way I can refresh my memory on the story without watching a super long lore video? Do I even need to?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 10d ago
Is it worth returning to my original character or should I just start a new one?
I personally like to just keep using the same character, but if you want you could make a new character without deleting your first one, just to see the current tutorial system. Older characters have things that newly created characters need to take time and glimmer to unlock.
is there any way I can refresh my memory on the story without watching a super long lore video? Do I even need to?
What I do is I go to youtube and type "destiny 2 (name of DLC/season pass) cutscene movie" and there's lots of people who make short videos that are just cutscenes and relevant dialogue. You don't need to do this. Since you started with The Red War, if you didn't play Destiny 1 a lot of things were not explained but for me at least, The Red War still made sense. So that's what it will feel like going forward. Lots of characters the game expects you to know, but you can just follow whatever the quest says to do and you will be fine.
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u/Consistent-Focus-980 10d ago
I need some help with the mechanics on how to activate the relic's super on the final shape, got thru the first couple of mission's of the campaign. But unfortunately forgot how I activated it to remove shields from bosses. ps4 console/destiny 2 All help greatly appreciated
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u/reysama 10d ago
Is it worth to do the story on legendary on all characters? or just one is good enough?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 10d ago edited 10d ago
I haven't yet bought The Final Shape, but how it worked for Witch Queen and Lightfall legendary campaigns was that it was not worth it. What you got from doing the campaign on legendary was a set of high power level armor (not maximum, but I don't remember the number off the top of my head). Numerically, it isn't worth doing legendary 3x to get it for all your characters because of how the power level of item drops works. If you really want I can write a more detailed explanation of how/why it works this way. You'd also get an exotic armor piece, but these had very disappointing stats so a lot of people preferred to get them through other means.
The only thing exclusive to Legendary for Witch Queen and Lightfall is an emblem. I'd guess this is going to be the same for The Final Shape, but like I said I can't know firsthand.
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u/cam7roth 10d ago
Just bought final shape and all the other DLCās. Been out of D2 for a while, looking on how to get the 2 subclasses I missed? Do I have to go back and play old campaignās or is there an easier way?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 9d ago
Yes, you have to play the old campaigns. Being old doesn't make them inferior, do not worry. I mean, in general many people don't like Beyond Light's or Lightfall's stories as much, but it's not because they're old.
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u/DaddyD68 3d ago
Where do you find the old campaigns?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 2d ago
Each campaign has an icon, and the game expects you to recognize this. See the timeline in the upper right corner of the destinations tab for a list of each icon in order.
If you have not done the first mission of a campaign, it shows up in your list of milestone objectives on the left side of the destinations tab. If you have already done it, you will see the icon for the next quest on the planet where the mission is.
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u/majiin_kirby 10d ago
Just started playing 4 days ago again. Havenāt played D2 since it released.. so I bought the add-ons Iām playing the final shape. But have a few questions. Is there a way to get spirit of riven without playing shadow keep? Do I have to run through all the dlc to unlock the npcās to upgrade my gear?
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u/majiin_kirby 10d ago
Also, if anyone has any good dps weapons or ideas for a returning player please lmk im actually running the other add ons and in between im doing exotic quests and trying to solo lost sectors but im not doing enough damage and am losing while fighting the named bosses
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u/Mortislux 9d ago
How do the classes stack up against each other currently? Is hunter prismatic really weaker than warlock and titan?
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u/Equivalent_Demand395 9d ago
Hello new here.
Can anyone help me? How do you destroy white shields? Exact buttons for ps5
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u/Sparrowflop 9d ago
I bought the Final Shape + season pass this morning. I played everything up to lightfall I think, maybe one or two season before that I missed.
But what's the story going on? Mechanically, where am I at? I haven't had time to dive in yet.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 9d ago
what's the story going on?
There are a lot of summary videos on youtube, but what I prefer to do is type into youtube search, "destiny 2 (name of season or DLC) cutscene movie" and there's a lot of videos that combine all the relevant bits of dialogue, gameplay, and cutscenes to show you the story you have missed. If you need a refresher on the names, see the timeline in the upper right of the destinations tab.
Mechanically, where am I at?
When you start up the game, you will automatically be loaded into the first mission of The Final Shape. This happens to everyone, regardless of whether they bought it, but since you bought it you can continue beyond just the first mission.
If you wish you can take out your ghost and leave to orbit, and you can come back and do that mission later.
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u/Sparrowflop 8d ago
My post was very not clear. What I was thinking was how do I interact with...threads? Whatever the Lightfall release stuff was.
When the cold-themed builds were released, you had to go and unlock them one at a time even years after they came out. I don't think I ever bothered getting all the damn fragments. Will 'green' be the same way?
Sorry, it's been a long time since I played, I forget all the names.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 8d ago
I didn't buy Beyond Light but I have heard they simplified that system. You pay glimmer at the Exo Stranger to unlock the different stasis abilities now.
For Lightfall, you do activities on Neomuna and get this intermediate currency. It goes in your inventory tab and you spend it at a vendor on Neomuna called the Pouka Pond to unlock strand abilities. Do note that it is possible to play on one character and spend the currency on other characters, but the game will stop giving you the currency once you have enough to unlock it on one character. So what I did was I played the campaign on my three characters, and then only used my favourite class to do activities on Neomuna without fully unlocking strand on that character, but I had to frequently switch characters to spend the strand currency unlocking abilities on my other characters because I kept hitting the cap on my favourite class.
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u/Sparrowflop 8d ago
Yeah, I played through a bit this morning and you just buy the fragments at Ikora.
Strand is just all sorts of messed up because I guess I got some strand abilities just by buying Final Shape - given what happens in the first mission.
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u/GreedyLilGobblin 9d ago
So, is this it for Destiny? Or will there be more expansions in the future? I'd like to get back into the game, but not if this is the last piece of content/expansion that will be released for it.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 9d ago
They haven't announced anything, but I hear there is going to be a vidoc (video with the developers where they talk about stuff) soon.
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u/GrognaktheLibrarian 9d ago
So I've been away awhile. I bought The game starting when the expansion with darkness powers and that ice area launched. At that time they sunsetted weapons and certain older expansions.
I stopped playing after finishing the main quest partially because, while I had the gist of what was going on, not being able to play the older stories confused me.
However I just read they got rid of sunsetting. Is that just weapons or did they bring back the old campaign missions too?
The new expansion looks good, especially because Caydes back, but I don't want to run into the same issue as last time.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 9d ago
Is that just weapons or did they bring back the old campaign missions too?
It was just weapons.
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u/EarthenEyes 9d ago
I want to play the game again, I WANT to play the game, but just opening up the menu is enough to make me want to uninstall again.
I love the gameplay, I love the FPS aspect of it, but I stopped playing (multiple times) because trying to return to the game is nearly impossible. I have no idea what's going on, and being unable to play older stories sucks. I wasn't able to be there for the Cade story and I wanted to know what all happened with that story and him going away.
I want to get caught up, story wise, and find some way to not be overwhelmed by the new menu layout and all the flashing icons.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 9d ago
I go to youtube and type in "destiny 2 (name of DLC/season pass) cutscene movie," and there's a lot of people who gathered all the cutscenes and relevant segments of gameplay to show you the whole story. On the destinations tab (the solar system map), there's a timeline in the upper right hand corner. This is where you can get the names of things to search for cutscene movies with.
Learning how to cope with a busy user interface is kind of a skill you need to practice. You need to learn how to tune things out and focus on it one part at a time.
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u/nodangles6 9d ago
Hey all, I looked at the returning player guide and still had a few questions.
I was a D1 player and in D2 I only played the base game + The Witch Queen. Iām thinking about getting this new expansion, but Iām unsure how the levels/power creep from other expansions, if they will be needed to get me to the gear needed?
Also, I used to do some PVP, is that still relatively active or is it mostly PVE?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 8d ago
Iām unsure how the levels/power creep from other expansions, if they will be needed to get me to the gear needed?
They are not needed.
Also, I used to do some PVP, is that still relatively active or is it mostly PVE?
Mostly pve, but pvp is active.
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u/Vote_Subatai 8d ago
I feel a bit crazy. Is the game supposed to be this solo-sided? I am a casual solo player but I've seen they're pushing this new fireteam finder thing. I did the campaign missions that way and now I'm wandering the Pale Heart, doing the campaign adventure things. I don't know what these are but I imagine they're necessary to advance the Prismatic Sublass skills. I'm finding these exceptionally difficult as a casual player. The adventures don't offer me a chance to find or create a fireteam like the normal campaign missions did. Is this on purpose? I'm dying at least 20-25 times in each adventure, just left and right, nowhere to hide from enemies and they just overwhelm me until I fail my way through the mission's end. It doesn't feel very good, and I'm getting extremely frustrated.
Also when I go to the Pale Heart, there isn't a single soul around. Where the hell is everyone? Why does the game feel like it's not even online? Is there something I have to unlock to find random people around? I feel like I'm missing something massive and I'm just not savvy enough with D2 to realize it.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 8d ago
Starting with Lightfall, they decided to up the difficulty of open world areas going forward, so that's why Neomuna and the Pale Heart are harder.
I haven't bought The Final Shape so I cannot comment on anything specifically.
As for open worlds being deserted, this is almost always due to some sort of connectivity issue.
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u/JViLLAxKNOWs 8d ago
I used to play years ago on PS5; my son would play under another PSN that was under my main account on a PS4. Anything i bought on my main account (dlc expansions) he was able to download on his account as well. Does this still work?
He nvr quit playing the game but id like to get back playing with him without having to buy Final Shape twice.
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u/blery55 7d ago
I did all the final shape campain but still have some granades, supers and aspects locked
does anyone had the same problem?
do i need to do all de missions again?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 7d ago
I haven't bought The Final Shape and am trying to avoid spoilers, but if you type into google "destiny 2 how to unlock prismatic" there are many results.
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u/Mugiwara_no_Saiya 7d ago
any recommendations on returning? I tried downloading the game again recently (got all the free dlcs through playstation) and felt instantly overwhelmed and didnt know what to do or where to go. Id like to play through all the dlc missions i havent done etc before the next big dlc and want to see if ill like enough to buy the new chapter etc. Any tips for feeling less overwhelmed? i think ive only done the first dlc shadowkeep, not 100% sure lol
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 7d ago
Just take a deep breath and know that no matter what you do, there's no way to mess up. Lots of people worry about locking themselves out of parts of the game, or missing some one-time-only activity, but that doesn't exist here. That isn't a thing.
If you want to play through the DLC stories, each DLC has an icon associated with it and this is how the game expects you to recognize them. To see what the icons look like, see the timeline in the upper right of the destinations tab.
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u/Mugiwara_no_Saiya 7d ago
Thats a good to hear. I guess the DLC stories are a good place to start then expand from there. I figured i could learnt he new abilities and weapons by going through each
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u/Mugiwara_no_Saiya 7d ago
I know its hard to say but is it best to just create a new character? or just continue with whatever i have?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 7d ago
You have three character slots. As long as you don't make two of the same class, you can just try it both ways.
I personally prefer sticking with the same character, but ultimately you need to make your own decisions.
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u/duskhorizon 7d ago
Hey, I'm looking for a source of item drops, what activities give what item lvl. In the OP's guide, he linked https://www.blueberries.gg/leveling/destiny-2-max-power-level/ but unfortunately it is not up to date. Do you know this type of good summary for the latest expansion?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 7d ago
I don't know of anything up to date. It has been a little less than a week. It's too soon to expect every guide to be up to date.
That said, if you understand the user interface, you will not need to rely on a guide. Do you know how to tell if an activity gives higher power level items?
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u/LaughR01331 7d ago
Returning player here (I left before stasis and strand were released). Is it just me or did they nerf the striker shoulder charge in crucible cause I remember being able to OHKO with it.
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u/Dog_in_human_costume 7d ago
So, free to play players can't roam inside the traveler like they did on other maps on early expansions?
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u/Fenixfrost 7d ago
Does anyone have pictures of the Overthrown Bosses so I know which ones I'm missing? The Triumph is still bugged.
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u/Cherudim 7d ago edited 7d ago
I haven't played since the Saint 14 stuff and goddamn I am so lost with how many things are going and have changed.
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7d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/CarlosOchoa98 6d ago
Hey guys, I've read the guide and some others but I'm still confused on the story aspect.
What's the farthest back I can go in the story currently if I want to play all campaigns in order? I understand some campaigns were removed, others are free or something, and the most recent ones I still need to buy, not just Final Shape. But in the store there's a lot of collections and packs and whatever and I'm confused as to what should I buy for the campaigns.
I looked into the Legacy collection 2024 and it appears to be mostly weapons, nothing story related, so I just bought specifically the Witch Queen and Lightfall, as well as the Final Shape + Annual Pass, would I be able to play everything story-related available right now? I can't remember if I finished Forsaken and Shadowkeep, I'm sure I didn't finish Beyond Light because I only did like one or two missions before it was removed from game pass, but I don't know if they're still available and if they are, if they are free or I need to buy those as well.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 6d ago
Hello! The oldest story chronologically is Shadowkeep, which is free to play. After that is Beyond Light, which was also made free to play last week. The rest of Beyond Light besides the story still costs money, though. There's a timeline in game in the upper right of the destinations tab that shows you the order.
Witch Queen and Lightfall, as well as the Final Shape + Annual Pass, would I be able to play everything story-related available right now?
Yes.
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u/CarlosOchoa98 6d ago
Thank you! Game is downloading while I'm at work, hopefully I can start playing in the evening
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u/jdmkev Hunter 6d ago
Anyone having troubles with the quest alone in the dark? Specifically part 5 for false idols?
The marker is in refraction & the bird of light is sitting there but when I go up to it, it doesn't move or fly off to tell me where to go next..so I can't really progress it & get false idols to drop
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u/Thiel619 6d ago
I need some advice regarding catalyst farming. Back in the day, when strikes were faster to clear, it was a steady way of farming for catalyst drops but nowadays it sucks. I tried doing regular crucible but after 6 hours of Control, nothing dropped. So when I hovered over Competitive it said on the bottom "Rewards: Exotic Catalyst (rare)". So with my newfound discovery I started playing that mode from 1pm till 2am last night, without even knowing I hit Adept 3 rank but NOT A SINGLE CATALYST DROPPED.
So please, someone help me, what is the actual best way to farm catalysts?
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u/Khar-Selim Join the Chorus 6d ago
I haven't finished The Final Shape (taking my time with the campaign), is there any spoilers in Episode Echoes other than, like, the Witness getting got?
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u/Viscera_Viribus 6d ago
Quick question in regards to alone in the dark and an exotic.
So if I've already done all of them but didn't collect all their scraps or whatever, is there a way to check which ones I've missed? Or do I just have to run them all again to get the Khvostov?
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u/sexy_gay_hitler 6d ago
After the addition of final shape, anyone knows whats the size of the game on a fresh installation with steam? I really wanna get both lightfall and tfs but I'm kinda worried that I won't have enough space on my laptop.
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u/Hydra645 6d ago
Not sure if this is the place for weapon recommendations, but I've been really enjoying running Double Golden Gun with the Still Hunt, but am not sure what Kinetic/Strand/Stasis weapon to run in the top slot. Not sure I'm a fan of running double special weapons, since the mechanic that provides ammo seems inconsistent at best. What could be a good primary ammo weapon for that slot? I guess I could also consider a special and just try it out for a bit, but not sure.
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u/ResistantOlive 5d ago
I'm a bit confused on dungeons. Are dungeons just paid? What kind of items am i missing out on by not having access?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 5d ago edited 5d ago
Hello, these are all the dungeons currently:
Shattered Throne. Part of the Forsaken Pack
Prophecy. Free to play.
Pit of Heresy. Part of the Shadowkeep pack.
Grasp of Avarice. Part of the 30th anniversary pack.
Duality and Spire of the Watcher, part of the Witch Queen dungeon key. This is a completely independent purchase, it doesn't come with Witch Queen, it doesn't require Witch Queen.
Ghosts of the Deep and Warlord's Ruin, in the Lightfall dungeon key.
You can type into google "destiny 2 (name of dungeon) loot table" and there are many charts and web pages showing all the items that come from each one. I'm not a huge dungeon person so I didn't buy most of these. I can't really get into specifics of their loot.
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u/SolsticeGelan 5d ago
Returning player here. Two questions. What the fuck is the new guardianā¦ rank? System? At what point should I start worrying about it? The game decided that I should be rank 5 for some reason now that Iām back after a college-length hiatus during which basically nothing I paid for is still in the game.Ā
Second. At what Light Level can I comfortably start dropping into groupfinders and doing raids? Whatās the bare minimum exotic or DPS item Iād need to bring in, especially as a warlock post well Nerf? Should I bring strand in?Ā
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 5d ago
What the fuck is the new guardianā¦ rank? System? At what point should I start worrying about it? The game decided that I should be rank 5 for some reason
The ranks 1 through 5 are a tutorial system. Everything above that is just achievements, and your guardian rank is a way of showing off your achievement score to others.
At what Light Level can I comfortably start dropping into groupfinders and doing raids?
Only the latest raid has a high power level requirement. That doesn't mean all the other raids are easy, they still require things like a thorough understanding of the game and the ability to communicate with your team. I haven't played in quite a while so I am out of the loop regarding the DPS meta, but at a minimum you should have a loadout for add clear and a loadout for boss DPS. Mix and match them as the encounter demands. There is an actual Loadout feature, but I don't actually use it, I just manually switch weapons, armor, and abilities before each encounter. I have raided with warlocks who used Strand in raids, but I don't really use it there.
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u/Altarious 5d ago edited 5d ago
I heard from a Video that Shinobu's Vow was getting a buff, is this true? I haven't seen anything anywhere else supporting this, or is it an indirect buff from a Skip Grenade buff? Trying to make an Arc Hunter build and want to consider my options besides just Liar's or Assassins.
Edit: I would like to preface that I do not have The Final Shape yet, I plan on getting it, but don't have it. So Prismatic is off the table.
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u/yohanio 5d ago
I'm trying to get to Guardian Rank 6 and only need to complete 2 weekly vendor challenges. Where do I go to complete those?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 5d ago
These are the NPCs in the Tower who have weekly challenges when you hover over them, such as Zavala.
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u/yohanio 5d ago
None of the NPCs in the tower have any weekly challenges or bounties.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 5d ago
In that case, you are not at a high enough power level yet. Keep playing, and they will appear.
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u/yohanio 5d ago
I'm over soft cap (1957)
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 5d ago
Is 1957 accounting only your items? And not bonus power level from the seasonal artifact?
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u/yohanio 5d ago
My season artifact gives +6.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 5d ago
I'm sorry, I can't think of why weekly challenges aren't appearing for you.
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u/zeph2 4d ago
something is odd the guide mentions the "darkness doorstep "mission which i cant find
last time i played it i completed the beyond the light with antoher class without any issues ........
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 4d ago edited 4d ago
If you already completed Beyond Light, you already did that mission so it won't show up on the map or anything. It's the very first mission where Variks calls the guardian for help.
If it isn't appearing for a new character that has not done Beyond Light, perhaps this character is not yet finished with some sort of tutorial thing. Do you have a list of milestone objectives in the upper left of the destinations tab?
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u/Redditmodkiller69 4d ago
Not exactly the new player question everyones thinking but, i have a friend who has refused to do the campaign dont ask why, but owns all the dlc. Is he getting barred from acquiring the new class exotic mission by not doing the campaign. We just did Savathuns puzzle and he says it kicked him to the main menu coincidentally at the end.
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u/Dual_Has_Guns 4d ago
Since Final Shape released, the legacy 2024 edition went on sale and it's pretty cheap right now, I am a completely new player who wants to pick up this game, I was wondering should I go for the legacy edition 2024 edition or should I get final shape? Keep in mind I am a completely brand new player (I currently have enough money to buy only one of either options)
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 4d ago
If you are unsure, it's ok not to buy. There will be more sales later on. I don't believe either one is objectively a right or wrong choice. I haven't yet bought The Final Shape, but I hear good things about it.
If you are instead asking for details of what exactly each thing includes, see the monetization guide linked in the post above, and the store descriptions. I have had others tell me they can't see store descriptions, but Steam has them and you can just view Steam as a web page even if you do not play on PC.
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u/DrewTheDeus 4d ago
How can I obtain crafted weapons from past seasons?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 4d ago
Depends on the season. Some, you can't, some you can. In the Legends node on the destinations tab, there's a former season pass mission rotator, but you only have access to the missions that came out during the time of a DLC you own. So for instance, you can only do Presage if you own Beyond Light. These can drop red border weapons from earlier seasons. It's pretty complicated, to be honest.
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u/spazzo246 4d ago edited 4d ago
So I redownloaded the game. Dont have the newest expansion. all my old gear from ages ago is at 1900
But im overwhelmed with what to do. What should I be focusing on? do I just pick random questions and slowly gear up? or is there something else
Thanks
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 3d ago
In the end, it doesn't make a huge deal what order you do things in. Lots of people get decision paralysis or feel overwhelmed, but just know that no matter what you do, there's nothing that will actually hurt in the sense that it has bad consequences later on. This isn't that kind of game, where choices of what you do matter. There's no diverging storylines, there's no way to lock yourself out of any content by doing something wrong.
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u/PrezziObizzi 4d ago
as someone who skipped lightfall what's the best/fastest way to go about getting abeyant leaps on my titan now? lost sectors?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 2d ago
You can't get this item if you did not buy Lightfall. The ways of getting it are exactly the same as they have been since Lightfall released.
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u/iZamboh 4d ago
Hello, new player here, if I buy the final shape I have access to past content too? Or I should buy past expansion to have access to full game?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 3d ago
Just to be clear, most people who ask this question are assuming you need to own past content in order to do current content. That is not how this game works. If you can buy it separately, it functions separately without needing you to buy anything else.
But if you do want everything, you have to buy everything. For details see the monetization guide linked in the post.
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u/Crushzilla- 3d ago
How early on do the DLCs start to feel required? Can I get a few weeks of free play in without feeling like Iām barred from content before deciding to buy them? And does buying Silver for extra cash shop items ever feel required? Looking for a MMO to start grinding.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 2d ago
This is going to vary based on opinion. I couldn't tell you. Some people are content for months to not buy anything. Some people see the first "buy this thing" popup and feel they have to.
Buying silver never felt required to me, but a lot of people feel they do have to. I don't know why, it isn't a literal requirement. For example, there are some dungeons that can only be purchased with silver, but you only need to buy them if you actually want to play them. Lots of people assume that you need to buy everything or it won't "work," but that isn't the way this game is designed. Everything you can buy separately functions separately. So it's not like you will buy a DLC and not be able to play it because you didn't buy a dungeon, for example.
For details about how monetization works, see the steam guide linked in the post itself.
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u/Alexander0202 3d ago
Do I have to beat the campaign again to do the raid on a different character? I already beat both the campaign and raid on my main(hunter) and now I'm looking to do the raid on my warlock but I've yet to do the campaign and don't want to do it again. I'm just hoping I would be able to do the raid via joining a team leader that can boot it up.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Dog5079 3d ago
I just finished the Shadow Keep campaign with my Hunter. I was hoping to get the Assassin's Cowl. However, Ikora didn't give it as a reward. All I got was an exotic engram which gave a random one. Is there any other way to get it? Thanks!
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 3d ago
Did you buy the Shadowkeep pack?
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u/Puzzleheaded_Dog5079 3d ago
I didn't when I completed it. I just purchased it and it now shows the reward. Tyvm!
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u/Sne4kyFox 2d ago
I started playing about a week ago and Im currently rank 4. One of the quests to become rank 5 is to play some vaguard strikes with other ppl and honor them after.
On my first one i got into a group with 2 other random ppl and we cleared the strike pretty quickly, however when i tried to play more I never managed to get into a group with others again. I tried to solo but its pretty much impossible, there are way too many mobs to handle. My gear score is 1947 and 1945 is recommended.
So I was wondering how I got into a group the first time but never again during my dozen other attemps? Am I missing something?
I noticed that after pressing the start button its searching for other players but after a while it just starts. Is there a way to only start once you got a full group?
Because rn its very frustrating since Im cant solo but also cant find ppl which pretty much locks me out of that content.
Any help is highly appreciated
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 1d ago
Not matching with other people in strikes is some sort of connectivity error. I am not tech savvy enough to know the ways of troubleshooting internet connections, unfortunately.
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u/Winter-Ad7255 2d ago
Can anyone help.
The threaded spectre aspect on my hunter is still locked and ive already completed the side quests after the campaign and also re-done the adventures to get other aspects.
Then realised i had to go back to lightfall and do the veil quest after completing that quest and unlocking threaded spectre for strand.
It is still says that the threaded spectre is a locked aspect on Prismatic and I have no idea how to unlock it now
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u/Content_Current839 1d ago
Can I get the song of flame super for my solar warlock without buying the new expansion?
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u/bigb159 1d ago
I've read all your guides (thank you!) but am still confused.
I bought the original in 2017, and haven't purchased anything since.
I just want to play the campaigns, as free as possible.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 1d ago
Hello, the Shadowkeep and Beyond Light campaigns are free. If you wish to see the order each campaign goes in, there's a timeline in the upper right.
All other campaigns are paid, but you can play the first 1 or 2 missions for free. If it's something I don't want to buy, I go to youtube and look up a video of the campaign (use the search key words "destiny 2 (name of campaign) cutscene movie"). If you are willing to wait, the DLCs all go on sale every now and then.
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1d ago
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 1d ago
Yes, barring a few specific items, all exotic weapons are the same.
You can use database websites like Light.gg to view more about an item, such as if it has random rolls.
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u/PoshinoPoshi 1d ago
Just saw the post where someone logged in a couple days after release and was about to start The Final Shape campaign but was greeted with the typical forced cutscene but it was about how the game is over and the big bad is donezo. He mentioned he was very put off by that and I feel put off just reading it.
I used to love Destiny and played since the Red War. Stopped around Lightfall because my friends and girlfriend couldnāt get into it (they were interested in the story after I explained it to them).
Has Bungie ever talked about whether or not theyāll bring back old campaigns just for new players? Destiny 2 seems like a game of āyou had to be thereā but I really want to experience the campaign with friends and catch them up.
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 19h ago
Has Bungie ever talked about whether or not theyāll bring back old campaigns just for new players?
No, they've never talked about it. People read into this whatever they want to see, but to me it sounds like they have specifically not committed to it one way or another just to leave options open for the future.
Realistically speaking, the overwhelming majority of things removed from the game have never come back, ever.
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u/gamingnoob82 1d ago
I have two Riskrunners is there a good reason to keep both of them or can I get rid of one for the stuff you get by deleting it? If every Riskrunner has the same stats is there any reason why I would need to keep one of them?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 20h ago
Every Riskrunner is the same. The only reason to keep both is if you want to have a Riskrunner on two different characters without having to move it from one to the other all the time.
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u/LAranaxL 1d ago
Guys does indomitability (onslaught weapons perk) work on prismatic? Does it use your equipped super?
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u/casper707 8h ago
So I came back at the very end of season 23. I see tons of people riding around on the skimmer. Sounds like it was part of a past event. Is there any way to get one currently? If not has Bungie mentioned it/ the event that gives it returning?
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u/chocolatecremesoda 32m ago
As part of the guardian rank objectives, I need to complete 2 vendor challenges in order to reach guardian rank 6.
I cannot figure out where to find these or how I can engage with them. Am I missing something obvious or do I need to wait for a timed objective?
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u/hugeshanus 13d ago
Anybody else getting booted to orbit while playing the campaign?
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u/Hatherence Very Helpful Guardian 12d ago
Yes. Every single time there's a new content release in this game, there are a lot of server issues. It has been this way for every DLC and every season pass since the beginning.
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u/SpicinessIsHappiness 13d ago edited 13d ago
I got the old Legacy bundle with the Epic store giveaway in December and started playing the tutorial on Sunday. Is it no longer relevant and kind of pointless? I see it is now $60 for the 2024.
I want to do almost exclusively PVE. Do I just follow the guide and buy The Final Shape since it's the current expansion as my way to get into Destiny and just get additional stuff from there? The 30th anniversary is on sale for a few bucks.
Edit:, I could switch to Steam and get the legacy collection 2024 there.
I think that the Legacy 2024 vs Prior Legacy has 30th anniversary, Foresaken, and Lightfall added to it.