Is Destiny 2 Worth Playing in 2026? Yes, Absolutely.

For both new players and returning veterans, Destiny 2 remains highly worth playing in 2022. With satisfying core gameplay, regular content updates, and an active community, Destiny 2 continues to be one of the top online multiplayer FPS experiences over 5 years after launch.

A Brief History of Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is an online multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Bungie. Originally releasing in 2017 as the sequel to 2014‘s Destiny, the game has since seen numerous expansions and seasons of content.

Some key release dates:

• Destiny 2 – Sept 2017
• Forsaken expansion – Sept 2018
• Shadowkeep expansion – Oct 2019
• Beyond Light expansion – Nov 2020
• The Witch Queen expansion – Feb 2022

Destiny 2 went free-to-play with the New Light base experience in 2019 alongside the Shadowkeep expansion. This opened the core gameplay to all players and expanded the potential player base.

Bungie split from publisher Activision in 2019 and took over full control of Destiny‘s direction. The studio now self-publishes new expansions and seasons.

Destiny 2 Player Statistics and Revenue

As of February 2022, Destiny 2 continues to have an active player base of over 1 million daily players, with over 6 million monthly players (source). While down from its peak of over 13 million monthly players in 2020, these numbers are very healthy for a 5 year old live service game.

Total registered users for Destiny 2 exceeded over 19 million in 2021, showing the appeal of the free-to-play base experience (source).

Destiny 2 generated an estimated $300 – 400 million in revenue in 2021, making it one of the top earning live-service games on the market (source). The Witch Queen expansion in Feb 2022 also drove major sales.

The Pros: Why Destiny 2 Succeeds

Satisfying Gameplay

With excellent ‘gunfeel‘, slick abilities, and satisfying movement, Destiny 2 nails the fundamentals of FPS gameplay. Cool exotic weapons and abilities provide fun options to suit different playstyles. The game feels smooth as both a solo and team experience.

According to PC Gamer, "Bungie remains at the top of its game when it comes to constructing weapons that kick, pop, and sing."

Regular New Content

From major annual expansions to seasonal updates every 3 months, Destiny 2 receives frequent content refreshes. The Witch Queen expansion in February 2022 added a new Throne World destination, campaign, raid, weapon crafting system and more. Season of the Risen in March 2022 continues the story alongside seasonal activities.

This content cadence gives players new goals to chase and prevents the game from going stale.

Accessibility

The free-to-play New Light experience lets anyone download and dive into Destny 2‘s core activities like strikes, Crucible, and Gambit immediately with no financial commitment. This gives new players a decent taste of the gameplay loop.

Strong Community

With millions of passionate players invested in the world and lore of Destiny 2, the community remains extremely active years later. The shared world and emphasis on endgame group content fosters a connected playerbase.

Reddit‘s DestinyTheGame subreddit has over 2.3 million members. The game always trends high on Twitch. Many helpful resources exist for new players.

Polished Mechanics

Bungie‘s experience creating Halo shines through in Destiny‘s exceptional core gameplay feel. Shooting, abilities, and moving around the world all feel responsive. These polished mechanics keep gameplay rewarding and fun.

According to Forbes, "I don’t need to tell you that Bungie knows how to make an FPS feel good, considering how long ago they pioneered the genre into existence."

The Cons: Where Destiny 2 Falls Short

Aggressive Monetization

The free New Light experience lets players sample Destiny 2, but is purposefully limited. Those wanting to progress further must purchase the latest expansions. With a new paid expansion annually alongside seasonal battle pass offerings, the game has been criticized for overly aggressive monetization.

Keeping up with all new content can cost over $100 year. Some previously purchased expansions have also been removed from the game, preventing access to content players paid for.

Grindy Progression

Destiny 2 can feel like an endless treadmill requiring repetitive grinding to incrementally increase power levels and acquire desired gear. The satisfying core loop can become draining over time when repetition isn‘t adequately rewarded.

According to Polygon, "Destiny 2 has been criticized for… the tedium of its loot and reward systems."

Steep Learning Curve

With interconnecting systems spanning weapons, subclasses, mods, currencies, rewards, and progression paths, Destiny 2 does a poor job explaining itself to new players. Much of the game‘s arcane knowledge is left for players to discover and decipher themselves.

Content Vaulting

To manage game file size, Bungie has ‘vaulted‘ and removed access to some older expansions and content. While understandable from a development standpoint, this has upset some players who paid money for now inaccessible content and story missions.

Time Commitment

Progressing effectively in Destiny 2 requires a hefty time commitment, especially during new releases. Limited time to play means slow progression. The game often subtly pushes engagement via FOMO tactics.

Is Destiny 2 New Player Friendly?

Destiny 2‘s free-to-play New Light experience makes it easy to try out the core gameplay with no upfront payment required. All Guardians start equal when it comes to abilities, movement and weapon options.

Matches against other players in Crucible PvP playlists are accessible for newbies since skill-based matchmaking separates veterans from newcomers. Lower tier PvE content like basic Strikes are also newbie friendly.

However, the progression systems and array of legacy content can be extremely overwhelming for new players starting in 2022. Most gameplay nuance is poorly explained and left for players to discover through trial and error or online wikis. Those wanting to experience more advanced PvE activities will need to purchase recent expansions.

Endgame Content and Progression

Reaching the Endgame

In Destiny 2, endgame contentunlocks once reaching the soft level cap around 1500 Power level. This requires acquiring powerful and pinnacle gear through weekly challenges. New expansions raise the soft cap – the current max Power level is 1560.

For free players, the grind to the soft cap provides a decent goal. But beyond that, progression slows to focus on acquiring specific weapons and gear rolls rather than power gains.

Endgame Activities

At endgame, Destiny 2 offers some extremely challenging and rewarding PvE co-op experiences like Grandmaster Nightfalls, six player raid dungeons, and the new Vow of the Disciple raid. These test players‘ coordination and mastery of builds and mechanics.

The competitive Crucible and Gambit playlists offer PvP challenges, and the Trials of Osiris remains the pinnacle PvP experience that unlocks sought after loot.

Overall the endgame offers aspirational activities for organized groups of players. But for solo casual players, progressing further in endgame isn‘t highly rewarding. Destiny 2 is best enjoyed with friends.

Monetization Model: Free vs Paid Content

Destiny 2 now follows a free-to-play model with paid expansions. Here‘s an overview:

Content	Free Players	Paid Players
Campaigns	1st New Light mission	All campaigns
Destinations	Limited	All destinations
Strikes	Playlists	All strikes
Raids/Dungeons	None	All endgame PvE
PvP Crucible	All playlists	All playlists
Gambit	Limited version	Full version
Seasonal Content	Very limited	Full seasonal track
Events	Limited time activities	Full event access

Free players can sample core activities but are essentially locked out of most progression. Buying the current expansion unlocks the full breadth of content.

Season passes offer 100 reward levels for $10 each, including armor, weapons, materials and cosmetics.

Reviews: What Players Are Saying

Here‘s a sample of steam reviews and opinions on Destiny 2‘s current state:

"An amazing fps experience with extremely polished abilities and weapons. Huge variety of content."

"Gunplay feels great but the game doesn‘t respect players‘ time with all the grinds and FOMO."

"The Witch Queen expansion is phenomenal – great campaign, fun new raid. But PvP still feels neglected."

"Returning after a long break feels punishing. Lost access to content I paid for before."

In summary, most players praise the smooth FPS gameplay and new PvE content, but feel Destiny 2 continues to struggle with grind, repetitive content, and monetization.

Verdict: Worth Playing Now?

For New Players

Thanks to an improved new player experience, now is a great time to jump into Destiny 2 as a fresh Guardian. The free-to-play content offers a decent taste of the satisfying core gameplay and progression. Interested players should experience this solid FPS gameplay before deciding on purchasing expansions.

However, free players will soon hit progression walls. Buying the latest expansion unlocks the breadth of content and full Destiny 2 experience including endgame activities. So while definitely worth trying out, new players should research the buy-in cost of experiencing all content.

For Veterans

For Destiny veterans, the Witch Queen expansion provides a meaty new destination, campaign, and raid worth coming back for. The weapon crafting system also freshens up the loot grind. Seasonal updates continue advancing the story and seasonal activity offerings provide refreshed gameplay loops worth diving into every few months.

However, vaulted content has removed some beloved old expansions that veterans paid for. And sticking with Destiny 2 long term continues to demand buying new expansions and season passes, an expensive prospect.

So for veterans seeking fresh challenges, the new content is likely worth the price of entry. But those dissatisfied previously may not find enough improvements.

Final Verdict

Thanks to stellar FPS gameplay and continued content updates, Destiny 2 absolutely remains a rewarding online multiplayer experience worth playing in 2022. Newcomers will find plenty to enjoy in the free content before deciding whether to invest further. And the latest expansions offer exciting new challenges for veterans.

So if you‘re looking for a smooth FPS to sink hours into, share exciting challenges with friends, and engage with an enthusiastic community, Destiny 2 should absolutely still be high on your list in 2022. The core strengths continue to shine, making this a live service game worth sticking with over the long haul.