Destiny 2 Beginner Guide 2026: Free Content, Classes, Power

Destiny 2 is still worth starting in late 2026 if you want a large, finished looter shooter, but it is no longer a live game in the usual sense. Bungie released its final planned content update, Monument of Triumph (update 9.7.0), on June 9, 2026, and has only shipped hotfixes since, the most recent listed on its news feed being 9.7.0.6 on October 20, 2026. The base game is free, the story expansions are paid, and the endgame now runs on fixed rotations instead of new seasons. This guide covers what you get for free, how to start, which class to pick, how Power and gear tiers work, and what to play first.

Checked against Bungie's news feed, the Steam store page and Monument of Triumph coverage on November 12, 2026.

Bungie's own update pages could not be read directly for this guide, so some details below come from reputable Destiny news sites that summarized the official notes. Those are named in the sources list.

Is Destiny 2 still worth playing in 2026?

Yes, if you know what you are signing up for. The game stays online and playable, and everything released up to update 9.5.6.3 plus the Monument of Triumph additions remains available, but no new story, seasons or events are planned.

When it announced the final update in May 2026, Bungie said its communications would go quiet until it had more to share about the franchise, and that Destiny 2 would remain playable much like the original Destiny. The API and the Companion App are still supported. Seasonal events have ended, but Sparrow Racing League was made permanent. For a new player, the upside is stability: the gear you chase will not be replaced by a new season next month, and the rewards pass has no end date.

What can you play in Destiny 2 for free?

Destiny 2 is listed as free to play on Steam, and the base game includes the New Light introduction plus the core activities, destinations and Crucible. The story expansions are sold separately.

Content	Free or paid	Notes
New Light intro and core playlists	Free	Start here on any platform
Vault of Glass, King's Fall, Crota's End	Free	Raids available to all players
Stasis subclass	Free	Earned through the Beyond Light campaign on Europa
Strand subclass	Paid	Requires Lightfall
Prismatic subclass	Paid	Requires The Final Shape
Expansions	Paid	Forsaken, Shadowkeep, Beyond Light, 30th Anniversary, The Witch Queen, Lightfall, The Final Shape, The Edge of Fate, Renegades

Steam also sells Destiny 2: The Collection, a bundle of those nine items plus the Dungeon Key Pack. Prices vary by region and were discounted on the store at the time of checking, so compare the bundle with the one or two expansions you actually want. Destiny 2 runs on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam, the Epic Games Store and the Microsoft Store.

How do you start Destiny 2 as a new player?

Do the New Light quest first, then the Monument of Triumph onramp. That order teaches the controls and then points you at the current reward systems.

1. Go to the Cosmodrome and talk to Shaw Han to begin the New Light quest.
2. Return to the Tower, the social hub, and visit the Monument of Triumph at its center to start the onramp quest.
3. Open the Director. Monument of Triumph removed the old Portal screen and moved Ops activities back into the Director, with a new Raids and Dungeons node.
4. Use Fireteam Finder from the roster screen to find groups for harder content.

Many bounties were removed over the years, and Legendary Shards and planetary materials are no longer needed for infusion. If you have old currencies from a past account, Rahool in the Tower can exchange some of them.

Which class should you pick in Destiny 2?

Pick the class whose movement and role you like, since all three can run every activity. You can also make more characters later.

Class	Plays like	Recent additions
Hunter	Agile, precision and evasion focused	Crackshot Solar aspect, Phantom Surge Void melee
Titan	Durable front-liner with barricades	Shieldburst Solar aspect, reworked Ward of Dawn
Warlock	Ability and support focused	Soul Siphon Void aspect

Each class has Arc, Solar and Void subclasses from the start. Buy Aspects and Fragments for those from Ikora in the Tower with Glimmer. Stasis pieces come from the Exo Stranger on Europa, Strand pieces from Pouka Pond in the Hall of Heroes on Neomuna, and Prismatic pieces from missions and objectives in the Pale Heart. Monument of Triumph also added the Stasis Shatter Grenade and Strand Slicewire Grenade.

How do Power and gear tiers work now?

Power still exists, but it matters less than it used to. Kyber's Corner reports a Power cap of 550, no Power increase in Monument of Triumph, and new loot dropping at 300+ Power to help returning players catch up quickly.

Gear quality now matters more than the Power number. Since 9.7.0, Power no longer affects activity scores, and difficulty maps directly to reward quality. Loot comes in Tiers 1 to 5: patrol zones drop Tier 3 to 5 gear, any weapon can be upgraded to Tier 5 with resources, and every Exotic armor piece now drops with Tier 5 stats. Armor sets give bonuses at 2 and 4 pieces from the same set. Primary ammo is unlimited, while Special and Heavy ammo arrive as their meters fill, and the Weapons stat on armor speeds that up.

What should you play first after the intro?

Play the free content that teaches the systems, then add one expansion campaign if you enjoy it. A good path for a new player:

• Destination patrols and Distortions. Every hour one destination becomes Distorted, with tougher enemies and better loot. It is an easy way to fill gear slots.
• Vanguard and Pinnacle Ops. Most Exotic missions now live in Pinnacle Ops, and Exotic rewards drop directly from completions.
• Crucible and Gambit. Small-team Crucible playlists matchmake faster, and Gambit now uses tiered rewards.
• Sparrow Racing League and Heavy Metal. Low-pressure modes that still give rewards.
• A free raid. Vault of Glass is the usual first raid. Each week also features two raids and two dungeons with farmable top-tier gear.

Earn Legendary Marks from Triumphs and spend them at the Monument on ornaments, accessories and weapon engrams. The Triumphant Rewards Pass, the final one, has free and premium tracks and no end date, and owners of Renegades or the Year of Prophecy editions get the premium track automatically.

Which expansion should you buy first?

Buy for the subclass or story you want, not for the newest box. Strand requires Lightfall and Prismatic requires The Final Shape, so those two expansions change how your character plays the most.

If you only want to try the endgame, the free raids and the core Ops playlists already give you plenty to do before spending anything. If you plan to play for months, the Collection bundle on Steam covers every expansion from Forsaken to Renegades plus the Dungeon Key Pack, and owning Renegades also unlocks the premium track of the Triumphant Rewards Pass. Check your platform store for the current price before buying, since regional pricing and discounts vary.

What endgame activities are there after the final update?

More than most new players expect. Pantheon 2.0 adds raid boss gauntlets with reworked encounters, and the Feat system grades raid and dungeon clears, with the highest grades able to award several Tier 5 drops at once.

Older raids and dungeons now drop tiered armor with set bonuses and tiered weapons. Trials of Osiris draws its weekly maps from randomized pools and rotates its featured Lighthouse weapon, Competitive no longer resets ranks, and Iron Banner returns on a regular cycle with tiered gear focusing. You will not see all of this in your first week, but it means the game has a long tail once you are geared.

What tips help new Guardians most?

Keep things simple for the first week. Use one subclass, learn its grenade, melee and class ability, and let your weapons do the rest. Since 9.7.0, Legendary primary weapons deal 30% more damage to regular enemies, so a good primary carries most early content.

Join a clan for raid groups and clan bounties, use the vault, which now holds 1,300 items, and save loadouts as soon as Guardian Ranks unlock them. When you are ready to plan a real build, read the Destiny 2 best exotics and builds guide, which covers the weapons and armor that got the biggest buffs in the final update.

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