So, you’ve decided to jump into Destiny 2 with the launch of the Forsaken expansion. Your patience has paid off: Developer Bungie introduced a ton of quality-of-life improvements that make the moment-to-moment experience of playing Destiny 2 even better.
But with the massive amount of stuff available in Destiny 2 — story missions, strikes, the Crucible, the new PvEvP hybrid Gambit, just to name a few — how do you know where to begin? Follow this guide to find out.
1. Find the Class That’s Right For You
Destiny 2 has three classes, each with their own playstyle and special abilities. The differences aren’t as vast as the ones between, say, a knight and a mage in an RPG, but you’ll still want to weigh your choices to find what’s right for you.
The Titan is for players who like to be up close in the action. They favor armor over dexterity, and their special abilities and supers shift between high DPS attacks and defensive abilities that can help protect you and your Fireteam.
The Hunter is all about evasion, with the ability to dodge or even cloak for sneak attacks. They can also triple jump, leading them to places no one else can reach.
The Warlock is the closest Destiny 2 comes to a magic class. They can apply heals and buffs to themselves or Guardians surrounding them, along with some Supers that can quickly burn through multiple targets.
And don’t worry if you have decision paralysis: You can easily create alt characters on your account, and they’ll share the same vault inventory and currencies.
2. Complete a Few Story Missions…
This one’s pretty obvious, since you’re locked into the story at the very beginning of the game. But even once you gain some agency over your destiny, you’ll still want to play through the story because major gameplay features like Crucible and Gambit are locked until you complete a certain story mission.
On top of that, the story is where you’ll unlock the different subclasses, which will provide you with even more flexibility with how you play your character so that you’re fully prepared for any situation.
3. …Then Figure Out Which Modes Are Right For You
Once you do unlock those new modes, spend some time exploring them to find out which grants you the most enjoyment. The Crucible is where you can get your PvP fix; Patrols, Story Missions, and Strikes are for those who prefer battling enemy AI; and Gambit falls somewhere between the two.
Each mode provides ample opportunities to earn gear that will increase your power post-haste, so find what you like and stick with it.
4. Equip New Gear As Soon As You Get It
In the early hours of Destiny 2, you’ll find enemies dropping gear left and right. That new gear is almost always going to be more powerful than what you have currently equipped, so there’s no reason not to equip it.
This is a great time to experiment with different weapons and find out which you gravitate toward, so that when the relevant drops are more scarce in the end-game and your focus shifts to incrementally boosting weapons and gear you already own, you’ll know exactly what to boost up.
5. Join a Clan
Once the option to join a clan unlocks, hop to it right away. There are tons of friendly public clans out there if you don’t already have friends in Destiny 2, and they’re a fantastic way to meet new people.
Pretty much everything in Destiny 2 is more fun when you’re alongside a Fireteam, and on top of that, clans provide shared buffs and weekly Powerful Engrams that you earn if someone else in your clan completes a particular objective.
In short, you reap what others sow, so there’s really no reason to put joining a clan off. You can easily browse clans via the game, Bungie’s website, or the Destiny 2 companion app.
Destiny 2: Forsaken is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.