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GETTING STARTED
GUARDIAN CREATION
Eyes up, Guardian. It's a bleak solar system out there, but as long as any of the Traveler's Light persists, so too will hope.
Whether you're a Guardian returning from a long stasis away from the fight or a freshly awakened newcomer to the conflict, these crucial starter tips serve as a beginner’s guide to help you push back against the Darkness.
Each class of Guardians has a different personality and set of advantages, but they're all immensely powerful, so you can't go wrong. If you don't love your initial choice, use a different save slot to try another class. Destiny's most dedicated players end up using the three save slots to make one of each!
TITAN
| Solar | Sunbreaker |
| Arc | Striker |
| Void | Sentinel |
Titans are the blunt force trauma units of Guardian forces, bringing to bear the most bombastic abilities. On offense, they have a wide selection of direct-impact powers that smash swaths through targets. They can also erect barriers to shield themselves and their fireteams. Titans can boost and glide off the ground like Warlocks can, but Titans are more focused on speed rather than hangtime.
HUNTER
| Solar | Gunslinger |
| Arc | Arcstrider |
| Void | Nightstalker |
WARLOCK
| Solar | Dawnblade |
| Arc | Stormcaller |
| Void | Voidwalker |
APPEARANCE CUSTOMIZATION
After choosing your Guardian's class, you'll also control their appearance.
Available races are classic Humans, the Awoken, who branched off from Humans by retreating to the fringe of the solar system, and the sentient mechanical Exos. Male and female versions are available for each race. After selecting the broad parameters of race and gender, you can choose from many different faces, hairstyles, markings, and colorings to differentiate your Guardian.
DESTINY 2 CONTROLS AND SETTINGS
Destiny 2 is the same game for each platform, though the specifics of which button or key you’ll press for different actions vary depending on which console or PC you’re using. Review and adjust control options in the Settings tab of the Start Menu (indicated by a cog symbol).
DESTINY 2 QUICK-START TIPS
Humanity's defenders in the far future are Guardians, long-deceased warriors selected by a Ghost to return to life, imbued with the Light of the Traveler. Don't worry, the Ghost will explain along the way.
After your unexpected awakening from a centuries-long slumber here in the Cosmodrome, the first task is to cross the wasted landscape of the Divide. Along the way, the fresh Guardian (that’s you) will receive a quick primer-by-fire on Destiny 2 combat.
READING THE HEADS-UP DISPLAY
- 1. It won’t be hard to discern threats to humanity, because they’ll be firing at you and your allies. Enemy names and totals for shield and health are displayed.
- 2. The tracker in the corner highlights in red threats approaching from different vectors. It’s extremely useful for confirming at-a-glance the direction in which danger lurks.
- 3. Ability cooldowns and ammo totals are grouped together to make their availability easy to confirm. Current weapons and available ammo are also displayed.
- 4. When you get hit, damage will initially deplete the white shield gauge. Once the shield is shattered, hazards will begin chipping away at your red health gauge. If this is fully depleted, your Guardian will perish. When in danger, rest briefly behind cover, hidden from enemy attacks, to give the shield time to regenerate.
Rewards earned will be shown onscreen on the right side. Most often this will be Glimmer and other types of currency gained by defeating foes. Weapons and armor pulled from loot caches and engrams picked up from vanquished targets will also be displayed.
After picking up a piece of gear, wait for a break in the action, then check out the Character screen to see if you’ve received an upgrade worth equipping right away. Check out Weapons, Armor, and Rewards for more about upgrades.
BASIC GAMEPLAY
During the introductory mission, you’ll be introduced to a few of the game’s different weapon types and enemies, as well as various Guardian powers.
Kinetic weapons will tend to be your primary tool. They deal high direct damage to unshielded targets, but are less effective against shielded adversaries.
Energy weapons deal elemental damage, allowing them to melt through enemy shields much more effectively than Kinetic weapons. Bonus damage is dealt if you break an enemy’s color-coded elemental shield with the corresponding element: Solar for orange shields, Arc for blue shields, and Void for purple shields. Against unshielded enemies, Energy weapons are slightly weaker than Kinetic weapons.
Power weapons hit like trucks, inflicting far more damage per shot than Kinetic or Energy weapons. They’re strong against any target, but are particularly valuable against challenging foes (indicated by yellow health bars). Power weapons are typically a bit unwieldy, and you can’t carry very much reserve ammo for them.
More about weapon types can be found under Weapons, Armor, and Rewards.
PRECISION SHOTS AND WEAK POINTS
Most enemies have a weak point you should target to inflict extra damage. You can tell if you’ve struck the weak point because damage numbers will be displayed in yellow. For most enemy types, the weak point is naturally the head, but this is not always the case. For example, against biomechanical Vex adversaries and orb-shaped Servitors, the weak point is right in the center. When in doubt, shoot different spots till you see yellow numbers.
Against some enemies, the weak point will be basically the only vulnerable part. Particularly during boss encounters, you might have to aim at shifting weak points, while dealing with phrases of boss immunity.
DEFEAT, REVIVAL, AND RESPAWNING
When a Guardian’s shield is busted and their health is fully depleted, they are downed, leaving behind a glowing sphere of their essence.
But death is not the end. Other Guardians can bring back a downed Guardian by standing nearby and following the Revive prompt. A defeated Guardian can also follow their own prompt to Respawn, which brings them back on the fringe of the current battlefield.
RESTRICTION ZONES
Revival rules change in Restriction Zones. You’ll know when you’ve entered a Restriction Zone because you’ll get a clear notice onscreen, and your vision will shimmer ominously.
Manual respawning isn’t possible in Restriction Zones. The only way for a Guardian to rise up is through an ally’s revival. A coordinated fireteam can brave a Restriction Zone with multiple individual defeats as long as they keep reviving each other and progressing as a unit.
If all Guardians are defeated at once, the whole fireteam will be booted back to the entrance of the Restriction Zone, which works like a checkpoint. Anything accomplished prior to being wiped out will have to be redone.
In most locations and during most activities, fireteams move in and out of Restriction Zones, alternating between sections of normal or heightened stakes. But during Nightfall strikes, the entire activity is a Restriction Zone, raising the challenge substantially!
GUARDIAN POWERS
Apart from having different movement options when airborne, it’s these abilities that differentiate the three Guardian classes. Each Guardian subclass has its own selection of specialized Super, grenade, melee, and class ability actions.
GRENADE
Grenades are powerful explosives with a wide variety of effects. They vary from straightforward explosive ordinance, to sticky bombs that attach to victims, to area-denial tools that briefly wash the detonation zone with pulsing damage. Take care not to hurt yourself with a grenade tossed too close!
Tapping the grenade button (the left bumper or L1 or equivalent shoulder button by default) will toss a grenade if grenade energy is full. For some subclasses, holding down the grenade button activates an alternate effect, like “cooking” the grenade for extra power or consuming grenade energy to replenish health.
MELEE
Guardians can bash opponents up-close with a standard melee strike (by tapping R1 or the right bumper or equivalent by default). When melee energy is full, a better melee ability is available. Full-energy melee strikes have better reach and damage than standard melee, along with additional effects like shield, health, or ability energy regeneration.
CLASS ABILITY
Class abilities do a variety of things depending on the subclass. They tend to offer effects that can benefit an entire fireteam, if used cooperatively. Using class abilities to complement teammates goes a long way toward making tough firefights winnable. For Hunter, class abilities are dodge maneuvers activated by double-tapping the crouch button. For Titan and Warlock, class abilities help fireteams stand their current ground, bolstered by temporary buffs or cover. These are activated by holding the crouch button.
SUPER
Supers are the most powerful tools in Guardians’ arsenals. A Super’s expression depends on a Guardian’s chosen subclass, but the end result is a devastating attack (or temporary alternate state) that’s capable of laying waste to many minor opponents at once, or heavily damaging a boss. Defeating enemies with a Super generates Orbs of Light, which teammates can collect to quickly build up more Super energy. Coordinated teams use Supers judiciously to help everyone get Supers more often, greatly increasing fireteam lethality.
ADVANCED TIPS
FINISHER
Finishers provide a stylish melee twist on taking down low-health opponents up close. When a foe has less than half health, they’ll glow subtly, and a small circular tick mark will appear above their head. Approach this enemy and press in the right analog stick to initiate the finishing move. If within range, you’ll take them out with a flashy third-person cinematic. As an added bonus for taking enemies out this way, you’ll have increased damage resistance while this brief sequence plays out.
Different Guardians have different starting finishers, and more styles can be acquired from Tess Everis’s Eververse store in the Tower. Some special finishing moves expend a little Super energy to generate extra effects, like spawning Heavy ammo or replenishing health.
UNIQUE CLASS ACTIONS
Depending on your Guardian’s subclass, you may have access to more actions.
Some classes have a special dodge maneuver on the ground or even in the air (executed on consoles by double-tapping the crouch button or on PC by using the “air move” key, which defaults to X).
Some subclasses also have alternate abilities activated by holding down the grenade button.
Powered-up melee strikes have preconditions for certain subclasses, like sprinting or jumping first.
And several Supers are not simply fire-and-forget mega-moves, but instead are powered-up states that enable temporary actions.
Carefully read your favored subclass’s ability breakdowns on the Character screen so you’ll be aware of any non-standard capabilities worth weaving into your battle plan!
MAKING THE MOST OF SPECIAL ABILITIES
Special abilities recharge over time, in addition to building up more quickly under certain conditions (picking up Orbs of Light regenerates Super energy, some melee attacks help regenerate grenades, and so on). Unless you know an especially sturdy adversary is coming up soon, don't save available special abilities for a rainy day; Use them as often as possible, especially on clustered enemies, challenging foes, and particularly nasty commander-types.
SPRINTING INTO COVER
To sprint, push in the left analog stick while moving on the ground. Sprinting gets you from point A to point B faster than a normal running pace and makes it much more likely you’ll dodge enemy attacks and gunfire along the way. A life-saving habit to develop: Whenever your shield is broken, drop what you’re doing and sprint into cover to let the shield regenerate. Don’t get greedy during shoot-outs!
The only catch regarding sprinting is that it’s a commitment. You can’t do anything else while sprinting, so no firing or reloading a weapon. If you need to move quickly while reloading at the same time, try aerial movement.
SPRINTING ON OPEN GROUND
When facing off on open ground, without convenient cover to hide behind, sprinting perpendicular to current threats makes it much more likely they’ll miss. (By perpendicular, we mean sprinting laterally around attackers, maintaining the same distance, not sprinting toward or away from them.)
If a vital tip for dodging bullets is “stay moving,” then it stands to reason that “stay moving, but faster” is an even better tip.
SLIDING FOR FUN AND PROFIT
When sprinting, press the crouch button to perform a high-speed slide. When hurrying to cover, this gives you a brief speed boost while lowering your profile quite a bit. After the slide’s momentum ends, you’ll be crouching. Keep that in mind while continuing to move around. To stand up, either tap the crouch button or sprint again by pushing in the left stick while moving.
AIR MOVEMENT
Extreme air mobility is one of the defining traits of Guardians. Pressing the jump button while airborne (whether after jumping or stepping off a ledge) engages some type of specialized aerial move, depending on the current Guardian class and subclass movement choice.
Each subclass has three aerial movement options to choose from. Hunters have an array of double- and triple-jump options available, while Titans and Warlocks use boost jets to glide for extra hangtime (and Warlock’s Voidwalker subclass has a unique teleporting aerial ability called Blink).
Air movement helps cross chasms and reach higher ground. The initial momentum increases of Hunter’s Strafe double-jump, Titan’s Catapult glide, and Warlock’s Burst glide are also great for a little extra forward oomph when crossing dangerous airspace. And when you need to reload while seeking a better attack angle or the safety of cover, jetting through the air while reloading is faster and safer than plodding on the ground at normal speed.
LEDGE MANTLING
Boost, glide, or warp through the air into the side of a viable platform or ledge (essentially slapping into the lip of it with your Guardian’s hip rather than their feet) to deftly climb up, rather than missing your footing altogether and falling down. This isn’t necessarily something to aim for, but it can help you just barely make jumps across long gaps or recover from desperate falls.
CUTTING RELOADS SHORT
To make every moment count, be aware that you don’t have to watch the full reload animation play out. As soon as the number displayed for ammo reserves indicates a full magazine, you’re free to fire.
In the case of weapons that reload shell-by-shell, like many Shotguns, you don’t have to wait for the weapon to be fully reloaded before you return to firing. As long as at least one round is chambered, the weapon can be discharged.
NAVIGATING THE UNIVERSE
With so many locations immediately accessible and so many allies to meet, it can be intimidating figuring out what to prioritize.
This section will bring you up to speed on using Nav Mode for local info, the Director to keep track of game-wide progress, and the Tower as a social space and launchpad for new missions.
| Platform | Deploy Ghost for Nav Mode (tap); access the Director (hold) |
| PC | Tab key |
| PlayStation 4 | Touch pad button |
| Xbox One | View button |
NAV MODE
Deploy your Ghost to access more information about your surroundings. Any current objectives will be outlined on the left, and any tracked pursuits (selected in the Director) will be displayed on the right. Marks on the heads-up display will point the way to any nearby points of interest, like mission goals or allies with whom you can interact.
When in doubt about immediate priorities, deploy your Ghost to access Nav Mode. Nav Mode is also used to hop aboard a Sparrow and to return from a deployment back to orbit.
THE DIRECTOR
The same key or button that deploys the Ghost when tapped will
access the Director when held. This is a comprehensive display of locations,
tasks, and goals.
| Director tab | Function |
| Store | Access storefronts for Eververse, Seasonal Offerings, Archives, Bright Dust, and Campaigns |
| Quest | Display accepted quests and bounties and choose which to track with Nav Mode |
| Map | View the local map (not available from orbit) and fast travel to accessible local areas |
| Destinations | View the solar system map and jump to accessible worlds |
| Roster | Check status of fireteam members, friends, and clanmates |
| Seasons | Monitor Season Pass progress and rewards |
The Director's Map and Destinations tabs are vital for setting your course and moving around in the solar system.
It’s possible to fast travel between convenient local points of interest by interacting on the Map tab with the icon pictured here.
Traveling between planetary bodies is accomplished with the Destinations tab. Different locations are accessible depending on your Power level, XP gained, and content purchased.
THE TOWER
This tall structure is located in the Last City, where most of what remains of humanity huddles under the breathtaking shell of the Traveler. Familiarize yourself with allies here while learning the meaning of various icons and marks on the map and the heads-up display.
Noteworthy Allies and Points of Interest (Map Section):
- Ada-1 (1), Curator of the Black Armory
- Amanda Holliday (3), Chief Shipwright
- Banshee-44 (2), Gunsmith
- Benedict 99-40 (1), Emperor’s Advocate
- Commander Zavala (2), Titan Vanguard
- The Drifter (1), Rogue Lightbearer
- Ikora Rey (1), Warlock Vanguard
- Kadi 55-30 (2), Postmaster
- Lord Shaxx (2), Crucible Handler
- Master Rahool (2), Cryptarch
- Suraya Hawthorne (1), Clan Steward
- Tess Everis (2), Eververse
- The Vault (2), Equipment Repository
Take note of blue quest markers. Right away, you can join other Guardians for Vanguard strikes and raids, travel to available locations for self-directed patrols, deal out and dodge ownage in Crucible and Gambit matches, and so on. But you'll have to seek out the blue icons adorned with the Destiny tricorn symbol to progress as a new player. Here’s a brief outline of the first few stops:
Banshee-44 gives fledgling Guardians a new Kinetic weapon to replace their first. Equipping it begins the incremental process of increasing Power level with new gear.
Commander Zavala issues Guardians a quest to take on a Vanguard strike, which is initiated in the Destinations tab of the Director. He also grants several immediate rewards, like a new Ghost Shell and shader.
Ikora Rey, found in the Bazaar, is the Warlock Vanguard. She directs you to travel to the European Dead Zone to rendezvous with Devrim Kay. Doing so will introduce you to free-roaming activities.
Amanda Holliday is the Tower’s chief shipwright, so she’s naturally found in the Hangar on the east side. Amanda allows you to replay earlier batches of Destiny 2 content for a trip down memory lane (not to mention lots of chances to earn Glimmer, XP, gear, and items). Campaigns can be experienced once per character. After accepting campaign starter missions from Amanda, legacy campaign progress can be tracked using the Quest tab of the Director.
This just begins to scratch the surface of all there is to see and do in Destiny 2. If you want to focus on player-versus-player combat, you’ll spend a lot of time talking to the Drifter and Lord Shaxx. Any items you overlook during missions will end up as deliveries sent to Kadi 55-30. And Master Rahool can help you out with any of those rewards that are too complex and rare to decrypt and equip on the fly. The Vault will help keep things organized when you’ve acquired enough gear to fill up your Guardian’s on-hand inventory.
Keep seeking out blue Destiny icons to travel to more locations and meet new allies!
ACTIVITIES
VANGUARD STRIKES, NIGHTFALLS, AND HEROIC STORY MISSIONS
Check out the Vanguard icon under the Director’s Destinations tab to access missions intended for fireteams. You don’t have to tackle these with a team of three, but it’s strongly encouraged.
The daily Heroic story mission is what it sounds like: a story mission with the difficulty amped up. The mission changes every day and can be attempted with up to three total Guardians. If you don’t have allies alongside you in a premade fireteam, you’ll enter the mission alone.
Vanguard strikes are adventures intended for a three-Guardian fireteam, which tell a self-contained story that ties into the wider world and ends with a boss encounter. You can tackle these with a premade fireteam of friends or let the matchmaking system find an online team for you to join.
It’ll be a random Vanguard strike each time you enter this event. When no other activities take priority, “spamming” Vanguard strikes is one of the main ways players hone combat proficiency while gaining XP, Glimmer, and rewards.
Nightfall strikes are Vanguard strikes, but extra. Extremely extra. This is because Nightfall strikes are much harder than normal Vanguard strikes. There are two types of Nightfall Strikes: The Ordeal with weekly challenges and the regular Nightfall.
Matchmaking is available for The Ordeal for the Adept and Hero modes where players can view and select based on your recommended power. The higher the difficulty the higher return of rewards. The default is at 750 power with matchmaking, and it is your best way to start your Nightfall experience.
For the regular Nightfall, it must be with a premade fireteam and the starting recommended power is 820. It’s possible to tackle a Nightfall strike alone, but it’s not recommended.
Every week, the Nightfall strike centers on a particular Vanguard strike. You can run the Nightfall strike as often as you want (you beautiful masochist, you), but you’ll be able to garner the special reward for completion only once per week per character.
BOUNTIES AND PURSUITS
Complete the Vanguard strike as directed by Commander Zavala to start receiving bounties and pursuits from Zavala and others in the Tower.
Bounties and pursuits are bite-sized quests that offer rewards of Glimmer, XP, and items for completing straightforward tasks. Examples include defeating enemies with melee strikes, Supers, certain weapon types, and so on.
Some bounties refresh weekly, while others refresh every day. Check in with Tower residents regularly to take advantage of their rotating selection of bounties and to see what rare materials and items they might be willing to swap for various consumables and currencies.
Use the Quests tab of the Director to see which bounties and pursuits you’ve accepted, and click on any you’d like to actively track in Nav Mode.
Bounties and pursuits are unique in that, unless they specify otherwise, you can work on completing them during any type of content. For example, for a bounty requiring you to calibrate Fusion Rifles by using them to take down enemies, you might start it out during free-roaming patrols, rack up more Fusion Rifle takedowns inside a Vanguard strike, then finish off the bounty during a daily Heroic story mission.
In general, if you think there’s a chance you’ll perform the actions described by a bounty or pursuit, there’s no reason not to accept them.
FREE-ROAMING ACTIVITIES
Travel to the EDZ at Ikora Rey’s direction and climb the ruined church near the landing zone to find Devrim Kay, who assigns a quest planetside and offers more bounties. Devrim will task you with exploring a bit of the ruined church he’s holed up in, as well as the tunnels underneath and surrounding environs. You’ll learn about adventures, Lost Sectors, and world quests, discrete missions that take place on each destination.
You can also engage in patrols, a variety of activities that will see you scouring the area, thinning it of threats in various ways, or seeking out a particular point of interest to scan.
There are also public events, periodic bursts of enemy activity that can be quelled by several Guardians working together. Upcoming public events are noted on the Map tab of the Director, and there will also be an announcement (as well as clear visual and audio cues) when one begins near your current location.
The EDZ on Earth is available by default at the beginning, along with Mercury, Mars, and the Tangled Shore. Other worlds become available for free-roaming activities through XP accrual.
RAIDS
Raids are the most involved, intricate, and demanding events in Destiny 2.
The first raid, Leviathan, is included with the free-to-play experience of Destiny 2. Further raids are included with bundles of content available for purchase, including Forsaken and Shadowkeep.
Raids are intended for six-Guardian fireteams and contain the hardest encounters, asking the utmost coordination and focus from the Guardians who dare attempt them. But the rewards for making it out successfully are unsurpassed!
As with Nightfall strikes, you can enter raids as often as you want, but you will receive exclusive rewards only once per raid, per week, per character.
WEAPONS, ARMOR, AND REWARDS
Your introduction to the spoils of battle begins after arriving in the Tower. Banshee-44 will give you a new Kinetic weapon, which kick-starts the process of upgrading gear and increasing your Power level. Open the Character screen, equip the new weapon, then take a look around this menu. You’ll be spending a lot of time here.
START MENU
| Platform | Open Start Menu |
| PC | I key |
| PlayStation 4 | OPTIONS button |
| Xbox One | Menu button |
The Start Menu opens to the Character screen at first, allowing rapid access to Guardian abilities and equipment. You’ll frequently open up this tab to equip new weapons and armor, to toggle between available subclasses and abilities, and to customize appearance by swapping vehicles, emblems, shaders, and emotes.
The Settings tab, indicated by a small cog symbol, lets you tailor your audiovisual and control experience as desired.
Other tabs in the Start Menu provide more niche functions, helping you keep track of information about the expansive worlds and arsenals of Destiny 2.
| Clan | Information pertaining to your current clan |
| Collectibles | Compendium of equipment and items |
| Triumphs | Codex of accomplishments and lore |
| Character | Overview of Guardian equipment, abilities, and stats |
| Inventory | List of available consumables, modifications, and shaders |
| Settings | Customizable options for controls, video, audio, and gameplay |
EARNING NEW GEAR
There are several ways to acquire new weapons and armor pieces. Most directly, you will often receive new equipment when opening up loot caches. Loot caches can be found when on patrol in various locations, tucked away in ruined buildings or enemy encampments. And extremely powerful foes may leave behind loot caches when they’re defeated. Look for challenging foes with yellow health bars, and take part in public events against enemy leaders.
| Reward Color | Reward Rarity |
| White | Common |
| Green | Uncommon |
| Blue | Rare |
| Purple | Legendary |
| Yellow | Exotic |
Allies found in the Tower and other locations will frequently either give you gear as a reward for accomplishing some task or sell gear to you in exchange for Glimmer and other forms of currency. As the Gunsmith, Banshee-44 will offer different kinds of guns for purchase, and the Cryptarch, Master Rahool, can decode mysteriously high-value engrams to reveal the prize inside. You’ll also receive equipment rewards for completing different kinds of missions.
Equipment found in a loot cache or upon activity completion are usually deposited directly into your inventory. But sometimes, defeating enemies and completing missions will reward you with engrams, items encrypted into an archaic crystallized form. Depending on the complexity of the engram, gear may be decrypted immediately into a usable state upon receipt, or the services of a Cryptarch (such as Master Rahool) may be required to unlock the reward hidden within.
If you neglect to snag a dropped engram during hectic combat, whether embarking on a mission or participating in free-roaming content, don’t worry. Upon return to the Tower, the Postmaster, Kadi 55-30, will have the engram available for pickup.
Other types of items can be collected and used for various things. Roaming in various locations, you’ll discover different types of resources that can be harvested and later exchanged for valuable goods. Items like shaders and mods can be acquired and used to customize the appearance and performance of equipment. And new Ghost Shells, jumpships, and emblems allow even further personalization of Guardian appearance.
| Rewards | Effects |
| Weapons | Increase Power level, customize stats, change appearance |
| Armor | Increase Power level, customize stats, change appearance |
| Class Items | Increase Power level, change appearance |
| Ghost Shells | Change appearance, bonus effects |
| Clan Banners | Change appearance |
| Sparrows | Increase free-roaming movement speed, change appearance |
| Jumpships | Change appearance |
| Emblems | Change appearance |
| Finishers | Change appearance, bonus effects |
| Emotes | Change appearance |
| Consumables | Types of currency (mod components, Enhancement Cores, Dusklight Shards, Etheric Spirals, etc.) |
| Modifications | Alter weapon and armor performance |
| Shaders | Change appearance |
WEAPONS AND AMMO TYPES
Firing weapons depletes ammo reserves. More ammo can be acquired by picking up ammo boxes, which are often dropped by defeated opponents. Ammo boxes come in three varieties: Primary ammo, Special ammo, and Heavy ammo.
The type of ammo a given weapon requires is indicated by its info thumbnail on the Character screen. This info is also visible at-a-glance during combat in the bottom-left of the heads-up display, with the color of the line next to each weapon. There are rare exceptions to the following, but for the most part, specific weapon types require specific kinds of ammo:
PRIMARY AMMO WEAPONS
(White one-bullet ammo icon)
- Auto Rifle
- Combat Bow
- Hand Cannon
- Pulse Rifle
- Scout Rifle
- Sidearm
- Submachine Gun
SPECIAL AMMO WEAPONS
(Green two-bullet ammo icon)
- Fusion Rifle
- Grenade Launcher (single canister)
- Shotgun
- Sniper Rifle
- Trace Rifle
HEAVY AMMO WEAPONS
(Purple three-bullet ammo icon)
- Grenade Launcher (drum loaded)
- Linear Fusion Rifle
- Rocket Launcher
- Sword
EQUIPMENT SLOTS, POWER LEVEL, AND STATS
Power level is the most important overall stat for a Guardian. It’s an aggregate of all equipped weapon attack ratings and all equipped armor defense ratings (including the class item). Other slots (like emblems, Sparrows, etc.) don’t factor in.
Upgrading weapons and armor will naturally also increase Power level. Increase Power level to grow stronger and to gain access to more locations and quests.
WEAPON SLOTS
- Kinetic weapons are tools for dealing direct damage, perfect for taking out unshielded targets.
- Energy weapons inflict elemental damage on victims. They’re slightly weaker than Kinetic weapons against unshielded enemies, but vastly better at chewing through shields.
- Power weapons deal extreme damage. You can’t go wrong with a Power weapon when the situation calls for heavy firepower.
WEAPON STATS
For any given weapon the main stat is attack, which broadly determines effectiveness while also feeding into the overall Power level of the Guardian who wields it. Generally speaking, a weapon with higher attack will outperform a weapon with lower attack, so upgrading when there’s an Attack difference is usually a no-brainer.
Of course, there’s no substitute for field testing, so be sure to take new weapons out for a spin. If you find a particular weapon’s feel and performance irresistible, it may be worth sticking to that one even as you acquire weapons with higher attack. Eventually, you’re bound to find a weapon with higher attack that handles similarly.
- IMPACT (or BLAST RADIUS): The weapon’s force per shot. Bullet hoses like Auto Rifles and Submachine Guns tend to have lower stats here, while powerhouses like Sniper Rifles and Hand Cannons will be stronger. With Rocket Launchers and Grenade Launchers, this stat will be replaced by blast radius, a measure of the area each explosion will cover.
- RANGE (or VELOCITY): An indication of how much a weapon’s damage drops off with increased distance. The bigger the bar, the better it’ll be from far away. You’ll naturally see good ratings for this among Sniper Rifles and Scout Rifles, and bad ratings for weapons like Shotguns. The equivalent stat for explosive weapons is velocity, an indication of how fast the explosive round travels.
- STABILITY: This stat gives a sense of the severity of a weapon’s recoil. Less stable weapons jump around much more than weapons with high stability.
- HANDLING: Handling basically indicates a weapon’s weight or wieldiness. The better the handling, the quicker you can swap to (and away from) a weapon, and the smoother it’ll be when aiming down sights and while airborne.
- RELOAD SPEED: Self-explanatory. Poor reloading isn’t bad in and of itself, but under pressure you’ll just have to compensate by ducking into cover or swapping to another weapon that still has ammo in its magazine.
- ROUNDS PER MINUTE: A general indication of how much sustained damage a weapon can output, considering its rate of fire and reload speed.
- MAGAZINE: The number of rounds a weapon can hold at once when fully loaded.
ARMOR SLOTS
Helmets, gauntlets, and pieces of chest armor and leg armor protect Guardians’ bodies. Each class of Guardian has a fifth slot for a class item, too: Hunter cloaks, Warlock bonds, and Titan marks.
ARMOR STATS
The primary stat for each armor piece is defense, which feeds into overall Power level. Armor pieces also have individual stats per piece that affect various traits. You can point an overall armor build toward certain objectives (like being faster in general, or having the shortest grenade recharge possible, and so on) by targeting favored traits across multiple pieces of armor.
Class items put an accent on appearance while adding defense and therefore influencing overall Power, but don’t have specific stats themselves.
- ENERGY: Energy amount and element determines what kind of mods can be equipped to a piece of armor.
- MOBILITY: Influences base movement speed (sprinting is not affected).
- RESILIENCE: Influences shield durability. More resiliency, more survivability.
- RECOVERY: Influences how quickly health regenerates after being damaged.
- DISCIPLINE: Influences how quickly grenade energy recharges.
- INTELLECT: Influences how quickly Super energy recharges.
- STRENGTH: Influences how quickly melee energy recharges.
COMMUNITY
The world of Destiny 2 isn’t confined to the game itself. There’s a huge community of players out there convening in various online spaces. No matter which corners of the internet you favor, there are places to trade tips and trash talk, form fireteams and friendships, and share memes, art, and cosplay.
If you only check out one thing, make it This Week at Bungie, which is regularly updated with news straight from the developers, and the choicest morsels to come from the game’s player community. Beyond that, the avenues for participating in Destiny’s fandom are virtually endless.
- This Week at Bungie: https://www.bungie.net/en/News
- Official Bungie forums: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/
- Destiny 2 on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Destiny%202
- Destiny 2 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/destinygame
- Destiny 2 on Mixer: https://mixer.com/browse/games/543113/destiny-2
- Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/DestinyTheGame
- Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DestinyTheGame/
- Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destinythegame/
The primary subreddit for Destiny at large is one of the biggest gaming forums in the world: https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/
RESOURCES
Whether you’re getting acclimated or a veteran player gearing up for the next adventure, you’ll want references and tools handy. Here are some to get you started:
- The official website, for news and updates. To track all kinds of information about your characters and recent matches, sign in with your login information for PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Battle.net, or Steam: https://www.bungie.net/
- Whether you’re on an Apple or Android mobile device, the Destiny 2 Companion App can help you track your characters, clans, fireteams, and gear: https://www.bungie.net/en-US/Companion
- Official Destiny 2 Companion on App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/destiny-2-companion/id441444902
- Official Destiny 2 Companion on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bungieinc.bungiemobile&hl=en_US
- Destiny Item Manager: https://destinyitemmanager.com/
- Ishtar Commander:
- Ishtar Commander on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unintuitive.IshtarCommander
- Braytech: https://braytech.org/
Finally, for drilling down into game details, several Destiny-centric wikis can help. (Poking around on Destiny subreddits can also turn up terrific gameplay advice, though being subreddits, they aren't that organized.) Here are links to the most prominent:
Happy hunting, Guardians!
VIDEO LINKS
The Destiny 2 playerbase is filled with passionate fans and creators. Here is a popular streamer video to get started.
