Destiny 2 is on the horizon. What better time to dive right in and experience the original?
Page contents
Beginnings and basics
General info for all games, vanilla intel and beginner tips.
The Taken King
The most important points of interest from the re-release.
Rise of Iron
Major quests, Exotics and collectibles from the latest expansion.
Age of Triumph
New Exotics and updated raid guides from the new event.
Destiny 2
A small selection of key intel on the upcoming sequel.
Destiny is closing in on three years old now, and a lot has changed.
The 2014 shared-worlds shooter released with no expectations of just how fervently its players would embrace it, to the point where Bungie was blindsided by how quickly Destiny players chewed through content and demanded more.
Over the past few years Destiny has had to evolve from a traditional release-and-DLC format to something more suitable for the modern connected era, driven by free events and player rituals, with rewarding play for those who come to it casually and those who treat it as a lifestyle.
Many Destiny players checked out after that first initial rush of content, and those who haven’t checked back in are missing out. Although Bungie began to lay the foundations with the House of Wolves DLC, it was The Taken King expansion in 2015 that really changed things by refining and polishing systems, clearing up mysteries, and doubling down on what worked. 2016’s Rise of Iron didn’t fix what wasn’t broke, but brought back some old favourites lost in the evolving meta, and added a stack more to The Taken King’s solid foundation.
As the Destiny Live Team began to warm up to its role, regular free events evolved from lightweight to absolutely essential; the most recent one, Age of Triumph, brings old raids and gear up to endgame standard for one last hurrah. These days it’s the record books – checklists of experiences and challenges with meaningful rewards for those dedicated enough to pursue them – that keep us coming back. That and the PvP. And the dance videos.
With Destiny 2 looming, Destiny The Collection neatly bundling up all content to date, and a spike in player numbers as veterans flock to relive their early glories and tick off record book achievements, there has never been a better time to check out Destiny.
Whether you’re diving in for the first time to find out what all the fuss has been about, returning after an absence to see what’s changed while you’ve been gone, or a knowledgeable Guardian looking for a specific bit of information, we want to help you out with this all-in-one Destiny guide.
Curated and collated from our many existing Destiny guides, this page is intended to provide an easier to use, up to date, quick browsing resource. Those original pages are still around, but you probably don’t want to read about what was added in a years old update just to find out how to get the new Vex Mythoclast, right?
Let us know if you have questions about Destiny that aren’t answered on this page, and we’ll do our very best to provide answers.
Destiny: beginnings and basics
This is where we’ll collect resources related to the original, vanilla release of Destiny and its two DLC packs, as well as those aimed at explaining the sometimes obtuse mechanisms of Bungie’s shared-worlds shooter. For more on these lines, see our vanilla Destiny guide hub.
Destiny Weekly Reset time
Destiny resets daily and weekly. When? What does that even mean? What happens with daylight savings? All this and more answered in a regularly updated hub.
Where is Xur?
We post the details of Xur’s location and inventory as he arrives in the tower for his regular weekend visit. Grab the most recent article through the link above for up to date Xur info.
Destiny story recap
grimoire card noodling and speculation aside, here’s what’s actually happened in Destiny so far. It all makes a lot more sense now Bungie’s linked it up with quests, mind.
Vault of Glass raid guide
This dates back to vanilla, so be sure to scroll down for the Age of Triumph version if you’re playing the Rise of Iron build of Destiny.
Crota’s End raid guide
Again, this is the vanilla guide – scroll down to the Age of Triumph version if you’re playing the Rise of Iron build of Destiny.
Choosing your race and gender
Just getting started with Destiny? Not sure what your initial character creation choices mean? The answer may shock you.
Class guide
This page is out of date, but still provides a great starting place if you’re weighing up the all important choice between Hunter, Titan and Warlock. This one matters. Read in conjunction with our The Taken King subclass guide for best results.
Stats and attributes explained
Destiny’s menus are beautiful but they don’t go out of their way to explain things, tooltips be damned. A quick and dirty rundown of basic concepts should help.
Light and levelling
Destiny’s levelling system used to be an unholy mess, but as of The Taken King it’s a little more straightforward. Still, it’s important to know the difference between level and Light, and what you can do to get more of each. Combine with the more recent Rise of Iron levelling guide to dominate.
Elements and shields
Those colourful auras that stop you getting sick headshot damage, completely explained.
All trophies and achievements guide
Three years on we still don’t have Flawless Raider – and probably never will. Moving right along.
Grimoire cards guide
They say Destiny’s story is mostly in the Grimoire cards – and they’re right. Make sure you know what they are and how to get them. For bragging rights, bump your Grimoire score up; this vanilla Grimoire guide is a good starting place, although it doesn’t include material fro The Taken King and Rise of Iron.
Patrol symbol guide
Three years on and many Guardians still don’t know the difference between an Assassination Patrol mission and their own arses. Come on, cats. Here’s the intel.
Skeleton Keys and Strike-specific loot sorted out
“I cannot open this chest. Why? And what is inside? And where did yonder pally get that cloak I have never seen before?” It is so good to be able to dispel the mystery.
The Taken King
These pages pertain to content and systems introduced with The Taken King, Destiny’s 2015 re-release and expansion. This era was commonly known as Destiny Year 2, although wags tended to label it Destiny 1.0 – the joke being it had finally come out of beta. You can find further resources and deep dives from Year 2 in our Destiny: The Taken King guide hub.
Calcified Fragments location guide
What are they? What are they for? Well, you’ll need them for a specific Exotic … but also they give you Grimoire cards. Go get ’em.
King’s Fall raid guide
King’s Fall was the first raid to present Challenge Modes. It’s an epic battle with Oryx in his throne world, but you don’t have to know what that means in order to enjoy an act of regicide.
Runes and the Court of Oryx
Plenty of people have no idea how Court of Oryx works or what to do with their runes. This guide breaks it down so you can finally get those last boss Grimoire cards and finish whatever quest or bounty has you in a flap.
“??????” Patrol quests
Since The Taken King released, Guardians who venture out in Patrol mode are sometimes automatically roped into a mysterious quest in which objectives are replaced with question marks. What does it mean? How do you finish them? At least one of these two questions has been answered.
Find and kill Taken Champions
Many quests and bounties in The taken King will challenge you to assassinate specific Taken Champions. Here’s how to track them down and what to do when you do (spoilers: don’t die).
How to get Touch of Malice
Touch of Malice is a terrific Exotic weapon which comes in handy especially in the King’s Fall raid. The quest to obtain it isn’t especially easy or straightforward; let’s break it down.
How to get Boolean Gemini
Need a new Exotic? The Taken King has a pretty easy questline leading to this tasty scout rifle.
How to get Chaperone
An Exotic shotgun? Yes please. I am ready. Take me there. I want it. Yes.
How to get Black Spindle
It’s no longer the meta king, but plenty of Guardians still swear by Black Spindle and won’t let you into the party without one. They should call it Black Tie.
Hot to get Bolt-Caster
An Exotic sword used to be something we got really excited about, because there was only one. Those days are past but you should track ’em down anyway.
Rise of Iron
We all know Bungie needed an extra year to make Destiny 2, since it had to come up with a whole new content pipeline along the way and throw out most of the old game. Hence Rise of Iron, the 2016 holiday expansion, which doesn’t so much change things as just add more of them. Rise of Iron is only available on PS4 and Xbox One; support for PS3 and Xbox 360 builds of Destiny has ended. Visit our Destiny: Rise of Iron guide hub for more, including collectibles like Dead Ghosts and SIVA clusters.
Rise of Iron levelling guide
New expansion, new ways to get your Light as high as possible, as quickly as possible. Get to it.
SIVA Clusters locations guides
Calcified Fragments? So old hat! We do SIVA Clusters now. Here they all are – videos and text walkthroughs, so you can choose your poison.
Wrath of the Machine raid guides
You can be whatever you want to be, but ideally you’re a raider. Here’s the lowdown on Wrath of the machine.
A Life Exotic: all Exotic quests
One of Rise of Triumph’s key challenges is tracking down all the new Exotics. Here you go.
How to get Outbreak Prime
A lengthy quest stands between you and Destiny’s new raid Exotic. You’ll need time and friends; but seek help from veterans on LFG groups and you’ll knock this one over.
How to get Year 3 Gjallarhorn
It’s back, and while it’s not the insta-win it was in Year 1, it’s still a veritable beast. Get yours through this pleasant quest culminating in a tense PvE mission.
How to get the Khvostov 7G-0X
This means a lot more to Destiny veterans than newcomers, but this Exotic is your very first gun. Aww, bless.
How to get Year 3 Thorn
Once the absolute king of PvP, now thankfully nerfed, but still a favourite you will find luring in the depths of the Crucible and covet deeply.
How to get Young Wolf’s Howl
Voted “Exotic most likely to be stuck back in the vault forever”, but necessary for finishing those record books.
Attunement and Iron Lord artifacts completely explained
And lo, the release of Rise of Iron was accompanied by much gnashing of teeth and wailing, verily, specifically wailing “what the heck is attunement”. Behold! An explanation appear’th!
Sing the Iron Song with the Temple bells
You get an achievement, that’s why. Group with comms required.
Climb Felwinter Peak (the jumping puzzle)
Not as hard as you think. Especially for hunters; turn your agility right up and laugh merrily.
Age of Triumph
One record book to rule them all. These are the newest pages of our guide, pertaining to the Age of Triumph event that seems set to close out the Destiny era ahead of the release of Destiny 2 in September 2017. We’ll be adding more pages to this section soon. Age of Triumph is only available to those who own Rise of Iron, which is included in Destiny: The Collection.
What even is Age of Triumph
Here’s what’s new and different in the latest Destiny event.
Vault of Glass Age of Triumph raid guide and challenge modes
Everything that’s changed in Destiny’s first ever raid as of Age of Triumph, plus details on how to beat the all-new challenge modes.
Crota’s End Age of Triumph raid guide and challenge modes
The second Destiny raid also got a brush-up for the latest record book. This is what you need to know.
How to get Year 3 Vex Mythoclast
The most elusive voop is back. Get your hands on one.
How to get Year 3 Necrochasm
Ahh, Necrochasm. How many months we chased it. How powerfully we longed for it. How it dangled beyond our reach because we never got a stupid Crux of Crota. This version’s easier to get, thankfully.
Destiny 2: key news and info
Hell, while we’re here: here’s a quick rundown of everything we know about Destiny 2, the anticipated sequel. We’ve known it was coming for years – it was part of Activision and Bungie’s contract, and the companies have made no bones about it – but with an official announce and a release date, it’s suddenly looking real.
Destiny 2 release date and announce trailer
This was a very special day for some very faithful fans.
All the information you need on the three special editions
If you’re here you probably already decided to buy Destiny 2. But how hard will you buy it?
Everything we know about Destiny 2’s story so far
Does what it says on the tin, innit.
New locations and enemies spotted in Destiny 2 materials
New things in a new game? By gum, that’s a startling concept. Let’s check ’em out.
Destiny 2 expansions likely to focus on Rasputin, Osiris
Monocles popped down at the Guardians club. Some actual information on these two mysterious figures? Well.
Need more Destiny guidance? Drop us a line and let us know how we can help.
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