The State of Destiny 2 Free-to-Play in 2024

Name: The State of Destiny 2 Free-to-Play in 2024
Uploaded: 2023-04-30T16:13:56.000Z
Duration: 54 min 13 s

Investigating the State of Destiny 2 Free to Play

In this section, the speaker introduces the topic of investigating the state of Destiny 2 free to play and reviews the new player experience. The speaker mentions that there have been updates to improve the new player experience and expresses curiosity about how much it has improved.

New Player Experience and In-Game Settings

The speaker starts a new free-to-play account to investigate changes in the new player experience.

Default in-game settings are not optimal, and some settings make players worse at the game.

The speaker recommends watching their video on optimizing in-game settings.

Basics of Gameplay

The initial quest does a good job of teaching basic movement, shooting, and using abilities.

The first step of the quest is straightforward and easy to understand.

The ghost provides guidance on using radar for tracking enemies.

Checklist for New Players

The speaker creates a checklist for a full "new light" experience as a beginner.

Goals include completing the Guardian Rises tutorial, reaching Guardian rank 6 (highest rank for free players), obtaining an exotic weapon, exploring pricing models, unlocking all three light subclasses, playing campaign intros, and reflecting on the overall experience.

Unlocking Subclasses and Quality Issues

This section focuses on unlocking subclasses and highlights quality issues encountered during gameplay.

Unlocking Subclass Quest

The subclass unlock quest lacks overall quality and attention to detail.

Players have to repeatedly kneel while looking at unfinished assets that don't make sense.

Mission involves kneeling while getting attacked by enemies, which doesn't feel enjoyable compared to previous versions.

Negative First Impressions

Encountering high-level enemies that one-shot the player can leave a negative impression on new players.

The speaker emphasizes that the criticism provided is not meant to be disrespectful but rather to understand how a new player might feel.

Changes in New Light Quest and Rarity Explanation

This section discusses changes in the New Light quest and the lack of explanation regarding weapon rarity.

Changes in New Light Quest

The New Light quest has been modified, removing the introduction to lost sectors.

The speaker expresses disappointment as lost sectors are no longer introduced to new players.

Rarity Explanation

Upon receiving a legendary weapon, there is an opportunity to explain weapon rarity.

However, the game only implies that legendaries are more powerful without mentioning exotics.

This lack of clarity may mislead new players.

Bug Fixes and Conclusion

This section highlights bug fixes encountered during gameplay and concludes with a reminder of the speaker's perspective as a Destiny 2 enthusiast.

Bug Fixes

A previously existing bug in the "Cold Boot" mission has been patched, allowing for smoother progress.

The bug would cause players to get permanently stuck while walking through the mission at a regular speed.

Conclusion and Perspective

The speaker reiterates their love for Destiny 2 but acknowledges its imperfections.

They aim to provide objective feedback from a new player's perspective.

The video will cover some of the game's issues while maintaining an appreciation for its overall quality.

Wasn't Priority Number One for Bungie

The speaker discusses their experience with a recent patch in the game and expresses their opinion on certain notifications and introductions in the game.

Notifications and Introductions

The speaker mentions receiving a notification about unlocking an artifact, but as a new player, they find it confusing since they don't have any artifacts or mods unlocked yet. They suggest hiding such notifications until players understand what an artifact is.

The speaker unlocks their first sparrow and enjoys using it to travel instead of running everywhere on foot. They appreciate this introduction to sparrows.

The speaker finds it helpful that most destinations are grayed out in the director, as it prevents new players from feeling overwhelmed by irrelevant content. They personally support this design decision, despite some veteran players finding it annoying when creating new characters.

Zavala is introduced well through dialogue, giving players an understanding of his importance before meeting him at the tower. However, other character descriptions lack insight, such as the brief mention that the Drifter is "unique." This may leave new players wondering about the significance of various characters in the tower.

Tower Experience

The speaker encounters a problem where their quest instructs them to talk to Amanda, but she appears dead during this quest. This inconsistency could be disorienting for new players.

Upon arriving at the tower, the traveler is present (although not in the current version of the game), followed by a cinematic explaining its departure to orbit and leading to an endless loading screen for the speaker. This prolonged loading experience could be frustrating for new players.

When returning to the tower after completing quests, Amanda has been replaced with a memorial, leaving the speaker confused about her sudden death. This sequence may be disorienting for new players.

The speaker appreciates the availability of the vault for free-to-play players and finds it useful during their exploration of the tower.

Seasonal Levels and Ranks

The speaker encounters a helpful tutorial on using seasonal levels, explaining how experience ranks up the season pass and resets at the end of the season. They appreciate this thorough introduction compared to other menu items that were not explained as well. They also highlight that the top track in the season pass is free and offers good loot, including a seasonal exotic at level 30.

The speaker celebrates ranking up their guardian rank for the first time, enjoying the community's culture of celebrating rank-ups. They also complete a challenge called "The Floor is Lava" and witness others celebrating another player's rank-up to Guardian Rank 10.

The lack of emphasis on guardian ranks stands out to the speaker, as they believe it should be more prominently featured since it guides new players but hasn't been adequately explained so far in their experience.

Introduction and Initial Impressions

The speaker discusses their initial impressions of the game, including the introduction of Guardian ranks and the aggressive pop-up about microtransactions. They also mention the gradual unlocking of destinations to prevent overwhelming new players.

Initial Impressions

The speaker finds the pop-up about microtransactions to be aggressive and premature, as most players wouldn't want to buy cosmetics after only playing for an hour.

The director is now more full with unlocked planets, but some destinations are still locked. The gradual unlocking of destinations is seen as a positive approach to prevent overwhelming new players.

Previously, new players would receive around 15 quests at once, which felt overwhelming. It's appreciated that the number of quests has been toned down.

No destination in the game is paywalled, unlike other MMOs where certain areas are locked behind a paywall.

Tips and Information for New Players

The speaker discusses their thoughts on tips provided in loading screens and suggests that tips should be based on Guardian rank to provide relevant information. They also express disappointment that new players miss out on experiencing certain characters like Cade.

Tips for New Players

Loading screen tips should be based on Guardian rank to provide relevant information. For example, basic tips for level 1 players and more advanced tips for level 10 players.

It would be better to receive tips about basic gameplay mechanics or completing bounties rather than receiving information about locations or characters before they are unlocked or encountered.

New players miss out on experiencing characters like Cade, who was an awesome character in the game.

Introduction to Exotics

The speaker describes their experience with acquiring an exotic weapon called Risk Runner and praises the game for providing a tooltip that explains the concept of exotics. They also appreciate the gameplay demonstration of why exotics are powerful.

Introduction to Exotics

Acquiring the Risk Runner exotic weapon was an amazing experience for new players.

The game provides a tooltip that explains a little bit about exotics, which is helpful for understanding their significance.

The next room after acquiring the exotic is designed as a Risk Runner demo, with many enemies using ARC damage to showcase the power of the exotic perk.

This approach of showing rather than telling why exotics are different and powerful is appreciated.

Tutorial on Ghost Mods and Campaign Introduction

The speaker discusses receiving a tutorial on ghost mods and suggests that similar tutorials would be helpful for introducing other aspects of the game. They also mention encountering misleading instructions during the campaign introduction.

Tutorial on Ghost Mods

The speaker receives a tutorial on how to use ghost mods and upgrade their ghost, which serves as a reminder that similar tutorials would be beneficial for introducing other elements in the game.

Campaign Introduction

Starting the Life Hall campaign, there is a notification to open the character screen and equip mods. However, this instruction is misleading because mods are not accessible until Guardian Rank 5. This can make new players feel like they've done something wrong or are missing something important.

Helpful Notifications and Confusing Pop-ups

The speaker mentions helpful notifications about shooting vents and explaining enemy shields but expresses concern about unnecessary and confusing pop-up notifications that add no value. They also mention fighting off their first Tormentor with low-level gear.

Helpful Notifications

There are helpful notifications about shooting vents, which can prevent new players from getting stuck without knowing what to do.

Explanation of enemy shields through the mention of "Tech packs" is appreciated as new players may not be familiar with their function.

Confusing Pop-ups

The speaker highlights the continued trend of unnecessary and confusing pop-up notifications that add no value to the gameplay experience.

Notifications about artifact unlocks are repeated multiple times, but new players still don't know what an artifact is because it hasn't been introduced yet.

These misleading instructions and notifications can confuse new players and make them feel like they're missing something important.

Conclusion

The speaker concludes by mentioning their fight against a Tormentor with low-level gear and weapons, highlighting the need for better introduction to exotic weapons. They also express their hope for improvements in providing tutorials and relevant information to new players.

Conclusion

Fighting off a Tormentor with low-level gear and weapons was challenging but manageable.

There is a need for better introduction to exotic weapons, as well as improvements in providing tutorials and relevant information to new players.

Overall, there are positive aspects in the game's approach to introducing content gradually, but there are areas where clarity and relevance could be improved for a better new player experience.

Challenges for New Players

The speaker discusses the challenges faced by new players in Destiny 2, particularly in navigating the game and understanding its mechanics.

Difficulty Progression and Lack of Guidance

New players may feel lost when transitioning from the New Light campaign to more challenging content like Lightfall.

The game does not provide clear instructions on what to do next after completing the introductory campaign.

Guardian ranks, a potential guiding system for new players, are not explained or introduced.

Lack of Information on Important Features

New players receive artifacts without any explanation of their significance or how to use them.

The importance of artifacts and their connection to mods is not adequately communicated.

The game's store page offers numerous items for sale related to Destiny 2, but it is overwhelming for new players who have no guidance on what to purchase.

Confusing User Experience

Tips appear briefly and disappear quickly, making it difficult for new players to absorb information.

Loading screens display tips that vanish too quickly, leaving new players feeling like they missed important information.

Hidden chests sometimes yield no rewards, leading to disappointment and confusion.

Store Page and Expansion Pricing

The speaker discusses the confusion surrounding the store page and pricing structure of Destiny 2 expansions.

Overwhelming Store Page

The store page offers 13 individual items related to Destiny 2 for sale, making it challenging for new players to decide which ones to get.

The prices of these items are high, which may deter new players from making purchases.

Forsaken Expansion Availability

Despite the removal of the Forsaken campaign from the game, it is surprising that it is not offered as a free expansion at this point.

Emotes and Farm Visit

The speaker discusses the clarity of instructions regarding emotes and their usage, as well as a visit to the Farm.

Clear Explanation of Emotes

The game provides excellent guidance on how to use and equip emotes, which is appreciated by the speaker.

Loading Screen Tips and Farm Visit

Loading screen tips appear briefly, leaving little time for new players to read them.

Visiting the Farm as instructed by a seasonal quest results in an endless loading screen, but it eventually resolves itself.

The lack of clear instructions may cause confusion for new players.

Nightfall Loot and Destiny Timeline

The speaker discusses Nightfall loot, access limitations for new players, and the availability of the Destiny timeline.

Nightfall Loot and Access Limitations

New players are prompted to do a Nightfall activity without having access to it initially.

Lack of information about Nightfalls may confuse new players who are unfamiliar with this activity.

Availability of Destiny Timeline

A timeline summarizing the history of Destiny is available from the director, providing valuable information for new players.

However, the speaker suggests that a more cohesive storytelling experience would be preferable for learning about Destiny's history.

Infusion and Gameplay Experience

The speaker discusses infusion mechanics and their lack of explanation, as well as their overall gameplay experience.

Lack of Explanation on Infusion

Infusion mechanics are not explained in-game, leading new players to potentially delete low-power legendary weapons instead of increasing their power through infusion.

Repetitive Gameplay Experience

The initial hours of gameplay involve repetitive activities like public events and patrols.

Numerous objectives can feel overwhelming for new players.

Unlocking Subclasses and Guardian Ranks

The player unlocks their final two subclasses and explores the tutorial on how to equip, inspect, and customize them. They also rank up in Guardian Ranks and learn about various objectives.

Unlocking Subclasses

The game provides an excellent tutorial on how to equip, inspect, and customize subclasses.

Grenades and fragments can be purchased, but fragments are expensive.

Supers can now be obtained for free, whereas they were previously locked behind Forsaken.

Guardian Ranks

The player ranks up to Guardian Rank 3 at the Tower.

They receive numerous pop-ups with triumphs that they didn't know existed.

Objectives for the next Guardian rank involve engaging with the gunsmith, buying items from him, and learning about other systems like applying shaders and ghost mods.

Objectives within Guardian ranks provide descriptions on how to complete them.

Exotic Cipher and Transmog

The player acquires an exotic cipher from a Triumph.

They are directed to go to their collections tab but find it confusing since they haven't acquired an actual exotic weapon yet.

The quest to unlock transmog provides a tutorial on how to use it effectively.

PvP Training

While playing Crucible, the loading screen provides a PvP-related tip but no further guidance or tutorials are given.

The lack of tutorials for Gambit and Crucible gameplay is highlighted. Suggestions are made for in-depth tutorials that explain different modes and allow practice against AI Guardians.

Zur's Offerings

Visiting Zur reveals some items requiring expansions but also a surprising amount of free stuff including Exotics.

One of the guardian rank objectives is to acquire 10 pieces of unique legendary armor which proves challenging due to duplicate drops.

Introduction Mission & Armor Upgrades

The player tries out the free introduction mission of the Witch Queen campaign and encounters confusion regarding energy weapons. They also face difficulties upgrading armor due to a lack of guidance.

Introduction Mission

The player tries the free introduction mission of the Witch Queen campaign.

They find it odd that they are only now being introduced to the definition of an energy weapon after playing for several hours.

The importance of learning about energy weapons earlier is emphasized.

Armor Upgrades

One of the guardian rank objectives is to upgrade armor, but the game doesn't allow it until mods are equipped.

This requirement is confusing for new players, and more guidance is needed in Guardian ranked steps.

Improved Mod Acquisition

Acquiring mods has been significantly improved over the past year.

Previously, new players had limited access to mods and had to rely on vendors selling specific ones.

Now, mods are automatically unlocked by leveling up in Guardian ranks, which is a significant improvement.

Trials of Osiris & Conclusion

The player encounters objectives related to Trials of Osiris despite being a free-to-play account without access. They also face challenges with low power levels and receive no explanation from Saint 14. The need for more guidance in Guardian ranked steps is reiterated.

Trials of Osiris

One objective requires speaking to Saint 14 about Trials of Osiris, which is not accessible for free-to-play accounts.

Additionally, using mostly blue gear and being significantly underpowered makes participating in Trials impractical.

Speaking with Saint 14 provides no explanation or useful information.

Conclusion

The game prevents the player from upgrading their armor until they equip mods, which seems illogical and confusing.

More guidance is needed in Guardian ranked steps regarding complex systems like armor upgrades and mod usage.

Despite these issues, there have been significant improvements in mod acquisition over the past year.

New Section

The speaker discusses their experience as a new player in Destiny 2 and highlights the areas where they feel the game's introduction and tutorials could be improved.

New Player Experience

The speaker mentions that while the new light introduction provides a good foundation, it lacks information on important aspects such as PvP and Guardian ranks. [****]

They believe that Guardian ranks should reflect mastery of the entire game, including all core playlists. [****]

The new light introduction skips over complicated yet essential systems like mods, artifact mods, loadout system, and infusion. [****]

The speaker suggests that Destiny 2 would benefit from a series of tutorials accessible from the settings menu to explain various game mechanics in-depth. [****]

They propose tutorials for armor systems, navigating menus, and basic gameplay mechanics to make the game more approachable for new players. [****]

New Section

The speaker reflects on their overall assessment of the new player experience in Destiny 2.

Assessment of New Player Experience

Despite some critiques, the speaker acknowledges that the new player experience has been significantly improved over time with features like Guardian ranks and improved mod acquisition process. [****]

Free-to-play players have access to a considerable amount of content such as campaigns, dungeons, and raids without paying anything. Comparatively, other games may limit free players' experiences severely. [****]

The speaker appreciates that Destiny 2 does not lock gameplay systems behind paywalls like other games do with features such as Vault loadouts and clans. [****]

They grade the new light experience as a B and the free-to-play experience as an A-, acknowledging room for improvement in clarity and content. [****]

New Section

The speaker emphasizes the importance of improving the introduction and tutorials to attract and retain new players in Destiny 2.

Importance of Improving New Player Experience

The speaker highlights that attracting and retaining new players is crucial for the long-term health of the game. [****]

They believe that the new player experience needs significant improvements to make it more approachable and welcoming for newcomers. [****]

The video took a long time to make, but they encourage viewers to check out their ultimate beginner's guide for Destiny 2, which covers everything new players need to know. [****]