‘Destiny 2’ Beta: Everything You Need To Know

Bungie launched the Destiny 2 beta for the PlayStation 4 on Tuesday with the Xbox One launch not far behind. What is in the beta can now be confirmed, so take a peek at what to expect before you jump in.

It’s important to note this is a beta for Destiny 2 and not the full game or a demo. There are much fewer activities and spaces to explore compared to the Destiny 1 beta from three years ago as Bungie is holding back much of the story content and PVE spaces so they will be brand new when the game launches on September 6.

That said, players should expect issues. The main intent of this beta is to stress and test the game servers well ahead of launch. A couple of errors have already been discovered and affected gameplay. Expect more to pop up as the player population grows through the week.

When Does It Run?

The Destiny 2 beta officially kicked off Tuesday, August 18, for those who pre-ordered the game for the PlayStation 4 or were lucky enough to snag a code given out by Bungie or someone else. Xbox One pre-orders will get in on Tuesday with the beta opening to everyone on Friday.

Here is the complete schedule:

• PS4 Beta Early Access – July 18, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
• Xbox One Beta Early Access – July 19, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
• Console Open Beta – July 21, 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
• Access to the Farm Social area – July 23, 1 p.m. ET to 2 p.m. ET
• Beta ends at 12 a.m. ET on July 24 (9 p.m. PT, July 23)

PC gamers will have to wait until sometime in August to try the beta.

How Do I Get In?

If you can’t wait for the open beta to start on Thursday, the simplest way to get in is to pre-order the game. You’ll be a given a code to redeem on Bungie’s website where you will be able to pick your preferred platform (PS4, Xbox One, or PC). You’ll then be given a code for the selected platform.

You will need to link your PSN, Xbox LIVE, or Blizzard account to your Bungie.net account. Try to avoid linking and unlinking account though as that can cause you to lose information. Refer to this Bungie help article for full details.

What’s In it?

As mentioned at the start, the Destiny 2 beta is not as expansive as the Destiny 1 beta. Bungie appears to be intentionally holding as much back as possible to make the content a surprise at release.

Destiny 2 beta participants will be able to participate in the following activities:

• The “Homecoming” single-player mission: This is the opening mission to the game and Bungie has made more of it playable than what was available at the Destiny 2 reveal event and E3. This will only be available after starting a new character. It is mostly single-player except for one fight, which is a shared instance.
• The “Inverted Spire” strike: This is probably the most well-played footage of Destiny 2 so far. Players can group up with two other friends or random matchmade partners to battle the Cabal and Vex on Nessus.
• Quickplay: This is solely the “Control” gametype on the new “Endless Vale” map.
• Competitive PVP: This is solely the new “Countdown” gametype on the “Midtown” map.
• The Farm social area: Destiny 2 beta participants will be able to visit the new social area for a brief one-hour period on Sunday. Vendors will not be active, but players can try a friendly game of soccer and explore the space while Bungie tries to stress its servers.

Additionally, these are the Guardian sub-classes that will be playable during the Destiny 2 beta. Each will gain a unique Exotic weapon during the first mission.

• Titans: Striker and Sentinel
• Warlock: Voidwalker and Dawnblade
• Hunter: Gunslinger and Arcstrider

There is no hint yet whether the third sub-class slot and the other sub-classes from Destiny 1 will return. Additionally, part of the perk trees for all classes are locked off. Players can still switch between the two different class abilities, three grenade types, and three jump styles.

Additional Information

Character Creation

Character creation was skipped for the beta. Players will be able to choose from a pre-defined Titan, Hunter, or Warlock. Note there are three character slots, one for each class.

Progression

Do not pay attention to the character progression or light levels during the Destiny 2 beta. There is no progression at all during the beta and the Bungie has said the levels shown are largely meaningless.

Weapon and Armor Dismantling

Weapons and armor will drop freely during the beta from all activities. So, don’t feel bad about dismantling any duplicates to gain space. The random stat and perk rolls are gone for Destiny 2 which makes the duplicate weapon or armor piece a waste of space. You also do not get any materials back during the beta.

No More Getting Dumped From Character Screen

Yes, the beta does confirm that players will stay in the character screen while in orbit and then go to an activity. Destiny 2 will pull players out only when an activity starts.

Explore and Have Fun

Check out the weapon and armor perk trees to see the direction Bungie is planning to go with Destiny 2. For example, it appears shaders can be applied to individual weapons and armor pieces. Meanwhile, the armor perks will allow you to build your Titan for speed, damage absorption, or health recovery versus the sub-class perk tree.

This also provides an opportunity to play with the different weapon combinations from the new “Freedom” weapon system.

There are also a few Easter Eggs hidden around the Tower during the “Homecoming” mission. I’m not going to spoil them here, but it’s worth taking your time through the mission at least once.

[Featured Image by Bungie]