Should You Start Playing Destiny 2 in 2026?

If you‘ve heard the buzz around Destiny 2 and are wondering if now is a good time to jump in, this guide will cover everything you need to know about starting Bungie‘s sci-fi shared world shooter in 2024. With major expansions, seasons, events, and updates released every few months, Destiny 2 has evolved into a premier looter shooter MMO. I‘ve been playing since launch, so I‘ll provide perspective on what new lights can expect from the massive amount of content available.

Destiny 2 Retains a Core Playerbase of Over 1 Million

According to sites tracking Destiny 2 population statistics, the game averages around 1.6 million monthly players and over 700,000 daily logins as of February 2023. To give some context, that‘s more than popular live service games like Fall Guys or Apex Legends.

Destiny 2 initially launched in 2017 and six years later, the playerbase remains surprisingly stable and engaged. The PC platform accounts for 40% of players, followed by PlayStation and Xbox.

Overall, Destiny 2 has accumulated 42 million registered players – a testament to the game‘s reach. While not all of those players remain active, it shows the franchise‘s immense popularity.

Data Source: OSGAMERS

These population figures indicate Destiny 2 retains a sizable core audience. For an online multiplayer game where engagement is key, seeing over a million monthly players 6 years post-launch is impressive.

New Lightfall Expansion Offers Plenty of Content

In February 2023, Bungie released the Lightfall expansion, marking the start of Year 6 for Destiny 2. Lightfall adds a new destination (Neptune), campaign, raid, dungeon, craftable weapons, and reworked progression systems. I‘ve already sunk dozens of hours into the Duality dungeon and enjoyed the challenge.

Season 20: Season of Defiance also launched, letting players take on Vanguard Ops, focus craftable weapons, and progress the seasonal story. With new activities, loot to collect, and power levels to chase each season, there is always something to accomplish.

While Lightfall‘s campaign only lasts around 5-8 hours, the post-game content is where Destiny expansions really shine. The raid race world first completion took over 16 hours, showcasing the scale and complexity of Bungie‘s PvE endgame.

So far, Defiance has delivered a steady stream of new quests, challenges, and narrative developments each week. With at least 2-3 more months left, there is much more to explore this season.

Valid Criticisms Exist, But Destiny 2 Has Improved

As someone who has played Destiny 2 for years, I understand common critiques like the slog of the leveling system and content vaulting. Many players don‘t have 50+ hours a month to grind power levels or complete every seasonal challenge.

However, Bungie has made efforts to respect players‘ time more. Leveling to the soft cap takes a fraction as long as early seasons. Catch-up mechanics let players reach the hard cap quicker if they take a break.

While content vaulting does remove destinations and activities from the game, it is necessary maintenance to keep file sizes reasonable. Vaulted content also rotates back into the game periodically.

The core ritual gameplay of strikes, Crucible, and Gambit continues to be best-in-class. Running raids like Vow of the Disciple with my regular group has created memorable highs. Ultimate the addictive action combat and satisfying abilities keep me coming back.

What Does the Future Hold for Destiny 2?

Bungie outlined their plans for the Destiny franchise through 2024, confirming at least 2 more years of content.

• 2023: Lightfall expansion, 4 seasonal drops

• 2024: Final Shape expansion, concluding the current narrative saga

With Destiny 2‘s playerbase remaining engaged this long into the game‘s lifecycle, I expect support will continue further assuming fans remain interested.

Seeing how Final Fantasy XIV and World of Warcraft continue to release expansions 8+ years after launch, Destiny 2 could thrive for many more years if Bungie keeps delivering quality content.

Is Destiny 2 Still Worth Playing as a New Player?

Starting any live service game with years of existing content can feel daunting as a new player. However, Bungie has taken steps to ease new lights into Destiny 2.

The Red War, Curse of Osiris, and Warmind campaigns are now free-to-play, providing hours of missions and lore to experience. Exotic quests for staples like Riskrunner give early game goals to chase.

Power leveling to the soft cap is exponentially faster than in 2017, letting you experience endgame content like raids and dungeons quicker. Finding an active clan to guide you through activities makes the journey even smoother.

Destiny 2‘s moment-to-moment gameplay truly shines once you have access to more subclasses, weapons, and perk combinations. This gives veterans an advantage, but persistence pays off.

Some content like older seasons or special events are unavailable. But thanks to the Destiny Content Vault, select experiences do rotate back into the game periodically.

The Verdict? Destiny 2 Is the Premiere Looter Shooter

While no game is perfect, Destiny 2 remains in a league of its own when it comes to satisfying first person shooting meshed with MMO progression. The brilliant gunplay keeps combat feeling visceral and tactical, especially against formidable raid bosses.

Exploring the beautiful worlds Bungie crafts and unraveling the game‘s dense lore provides countless moments of awe. bonding with my regular fireteam over victory and defeat has led to real camaraderie.

Is Destiny 2 flawless or for every player? Of course not. But does it offer an unparalleled social looter shooter experience that no rival has replicated? Absolutely.

If you enjoy FPS games, are interested in cooperative PvE challenges, and want to make new friends – I couldn‘t recommend Destiny 2 enough in 2024. Hope to see you star side, guardian!