I still remember the sentiment surrounding my joining the world of Destiny 2 and the impressions I had framed in my mind. I remember the storyline of the game and the characters that came with it. I remember the planned group activities with friends where I would come for the game and laughter, and enjoy the melting pot of cultures that I would experience. Dystopia would contribute to the cultural side of the game. I would remember the game for the positive memories of the friends I would meet.

I would experience the game for the people's memories, for the friends I would meet. Madness in the romance, I would only be in for the people. There is madness in the romance; I would only be in for the people. There is madness in the game; I would only be in for the people. suger

A Game of Two Halves: Wonder and Frustration

Spectacle is Destiny 2’s calling card, and there is no better place to see that than in the stark and beautiful war-torn zones of the game. The blend of the celestial and the terrestrial is well balanced. The game’s environments ooze atmosphere, whether you are in the crumbling and scarred landscapes of the EDZ or in the illusory woods of Nessus. The game does well to instill in you the perspective of the vast and indifferent universe that surrounds you, the little spark-wielding guardian, the universe that surrounds and watches you.

It’s frustrating to see the wide gaps in the lore after seasonals and plot drips. It’s like trying to complete only one half of a jigsaw puzzle, and the rest is in a completely different house. My background in the genre as a traditional JRPG player made the gaps hard to appreciate. Destiny 2 does not have storylines that are traditional, and that’s one of the things that has to be appreciated most: the ambition. Unfortunately, the game does not seem to provide the lore or the rich storytelling to back that ambition up to the extent that a player deserves.

Weapons and Loot: The Double-Edged Sword

Ah, the loot. It’s the carrot on the stick that keeps Guardians grinding through strikes, raids, and gambit matches. But here’s the thing: not all loot is created equal. The doubtless lucrative rewards complain. When Early Destiny 2 started, it lacked truly enticing pieces. Yes, there were a few outstanding weapons and some sets of pieces of armor, but more often than not, after a long, exhausting activity, I’d receive a piece of gear that was.

Bungie, to some extent, has resolved this issue. These weapons, more than tools of killing, are statements. Yet there’s room for more. Destiny 2, for all its outstanding gear, still lacks top-tier enough high-end gear to truly reward its most loyal followers who buy cheap PS4 games. There are far more hours than I’d like to admit spent chasing God Rolls than there are high-end pieces of loot to reward that effort. Available loot should match the depth and complexity of the gameplay.

Social Glue Destiny 2

Destiny 2 without its social aspects? No thanks. It wouldn't even be enjoyable. This game is, no doubt, about its community. Be it a raid, nightfall, or just crucible, gameplay is enjoyed even more with a friend or group. Numbers do change the fun, but it is still the moments in gameplay, or the Leviathan in my case, that stick with you. Six hours, dying and laughing, with a group, only to win in the end, the value is in the collective enjoyment, even in defeat. Little moments create and force repetitive gameplay. They make you do it. They bring you back.

Adversely, social aspects can be a burden. Group content boundaries mean the best parts of the game for solo players are lost. Solo gameplay has its own content and parts to engage with, if you buy PS5 shooter games that are action role-playing first. It wouldn't be unreasonable to give more ends and means to the lone Guardians in the endgame. They should be able to engage and appreciate the boss or grind. It isn't just the friends that count.

The Road Ahead

Destiny 2, like any live-service game, is still a work in progress. Its first year was rough, marked by questionable design choices and a community that felt increasingly alienated. But there is one thing that Bungie has proven. They will listen. The Year 2 expansion, Forsaken, reworked systems and breathed new life into the game. Even with the stumbles, there is a commitment from the developers to evolve the game.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light

At this time, the primary story campaigns have been made free, but the high-level, permanent activities like Raids and Dungeons are bundled in "Packs," so you will still have to get one of those. Destiny 2: Beyond Light, released in 2020, the fifth extension, introduces the Stasis subclass, the first ability set tied to the Darkness. The endgame content is packaged in the Beyond Light Pack (a paid purchase), which includes the Deep Stone Crypt Raid, certain Nightfall Strikes (The Glassway and Proving Grounds), and access to over 15 Exotic weapons and armor pieces associated with the expansion.

Destint 2: Shadowkeep

In 2019, we had Destiny 2: Shadowkeep extension, the fourth major expansion for Destiny 2, marking the game's Year 3 content. The endgame content is packaged in the Shadowkeep Pack (a paid purchase), which includes the Garden of Salvation Raid, the Pit of Heresy Dungeon, the Scarlet Keep Nightfall strike, and access to over 15 Exotic weapons and armor pieces associated with the expansion. The endgame content is packaged in the Shadowkeep Pack (a paid purchase), which includes the Garden of Salvation Raid, the Pit of Heresy Dungeon, the Scarlet Keep Nightfall strike, and access to over 15 Exotic weapons and armor pieces associated with the expansion.

Destiny 2: Years 5 to 8

The Witch Queen (2022, Year 5) proposes the confrontation with Savathûn, the Hive God of Cunning, and the introduction of the Light-wielding Hive and the new weapon crafting system.

Lightfall (2023, Year 6) is a chase after The Witness to Neptune, uncovering the hidden city of Neomuna, and the introduction of the new Strand Darkness Subclass.

The Final Shape (2024, Year 7) is the epic conclusion to the "Light and Darkness Saga," as Guardians enter the Traveler to face The Witness. It introduced the Prismatic Subclass.

The Edge of Fate (2025, Year 8) is the most recent "medium-sized" expansion, which began a new saga for the game. It is part of Bungie's new content release model of two expansions per year.

There is so much potential with so many ideas that feel just shy of fully realized. As someone who has fallen in love with this game, Bungie is a developer that I hope will balance ambition and execution. Until then, I’ll be there chasing the next raid clear, the next legendary drop, and the next moment that makes it all worthwhile.

The Destiny 2 Portal was one of Bungie's biggest recent gambles, and so far it's largely been a pretty disappointing one. Introduced as an overhaul to the iconic 'Director,' it aimed to wrestle the FPS game's increasingly cluttered and unwieldy map of destinations into a more streamlined progression system. The pitch was to offer "quick and clean access to a wider offering of activities with updated rewards," and while it does do that to some extent, it feels like it's lost a lot of its soul. Now, players are pointing back to an old Bungie GDC presentation that suggests the team had already considered something similar back during the early days of development, only to write it off.

Read the full story on PCGamesN: The Destiny 2 Portal is a disaster, and a 2016 GDC talk shows that Bungie already wrote off a similar idea a decade ago

It is not exactly a secret that, in recent years, Destiny 2 hasn't been doing so hot. Frequenters of the pseudo-MMO have found certain expansions and updates to be disappointing, and for a live service game a few too many disappointments can be devastating. Now, in a new interview, the game's director Tyson Green has acknowledged how the game is struggling to bring in a new audience, and discussed the difficulties that come with that.

Read more

Justin and Bree discuss WoW Midnight, Gloria Victis' revival, the Cryptic mess, Neverwinter, and Albion Online, with a run-down of all the cool stuff coming in early December (WoW's housing, LOTRO Kingdoms of Harad, EverQuest Shattering of Ro, Destiny 2 Renegades, Guild Wars Reforged, along with adventures in LOTRO, Guild Wars 2, and WoW, plus a mailbag topic on predatory MMO monetization.

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Well, today is the day when Destiny 2 marries Star Wars for reasons: Destiny 2 Renegades is officially live for fans who can make it make sense in their head or just, you know, love the heck out of lightsabers and John Williams-esque music. Which is most of us. “Today, Bungie launches Destiny 2: Renegades, […]

The new era of Destiny 2, spearheaded by June's Edge of Fate expansion, hasn't exactly gone to plan for Bungie. I was extremely excited for a fresh Destiny experience post-Light and Dark saga, but so far it's failed to hit the mark. Looking across the last four or five years as a whole, I'd still proclaim that Destiny 2 is my 'favorite' shooter, but since Edge of Fate arrived, players have massively leaked from the game - myself included, in recent times. However, a Star Wars-themed expansion sounds like just the ticket to renew interest, and to an extent, Destiny 2 Renegades has done just that, with a healthy Steam spike on launch day and plenty of praise for certain aspects of the new campaign. However, that spike is still a long way off where Destiny 2 should be.

Read the full story on PCGamesN: Destiny 2 Renegades results in a generous surge on Steam, but even Star Wars mania can't bring back the highs of my favorite FPS

Destiny 2 Renegades arrives with the long-running MMO-lite in something of a nadir. The game’s last expansion, Edge of Fate, was intended to kick off a new story arc, but flopped. Player numbers are down, and while Renegades’ Star Wars roots would have been put down years ago, a cynical eye could see it as a desperate attempt to grab back attention.

With Bungie’s back against the wall, I’m pleased to say that this shorter, medium-sized expansion is much, much better than Edge of Fate, and while it doesn’t necessarily shake up the Destiny formula too much, it might just show there’s plenty of life in this old Jedi, sorry, Praxic Warlock, yet.

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The Escapist recaps

• Renegades is the second Destiny 2 expansion of 2025, following on from the divisive Edge of Fate.
• The Star Wars links are goofy, but Bungie leans into a way that feels earnest, providing the set dressing for a solid campaign. 

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They got Star Wars in my Destiny

Let’s get the obvious out of the way – Renegades is a homage to Star Wars from the first frame of a huge ship lumbering into view while it chases a smaller craft, and it doesn’t really let up from there.

It’s all a bit silly, yes, but it actually leans into the more pulpy feel of Renegades’ action. There are moments of weight, but there’s also a hefty dose of chaos throughout its campaign.

Part of the reason Star Wars works so well here is that Destiny has long held ideas that have felt analogous to the Lucasfilm property. Guardians and Dredgen have long felt like two sides of the same coin, like Jedi and Sith, and if that coin is The Force, then you can easily swap that out with Light and Darkness.

There’s plenty more, of course, but the big change this time around is how the story feels much closer to A New Hope or Return of the Jedi.

That’s because a new bad guy, Dredgen Bael, pops up alongside a new sect of the Cabal called the Barant Imperium. They’re kitted out in white armor, fancy new shield tech, and even have AT-ST-looking walkers, and they’re also building a superweapon.

The usual Destiny 2 story caveats apply: Expect to deal with a lot of exposition, and an awful lot of important dialogue during combat, but after the timey-wimey of Edge of Fate, something a little more straightforward is very, very welcome.

Aleks Le, whose deep, dulcet tones bring Dredgen Bael to life, gives a phenomenal performance, flitting between calculating and genuine naivety within a heartbeat. He’s clearly inspired by Kylo Ren, sure, but his writing and the nature of the questions he poses give a vastly different look at what we’ve held true since our first steps onto the Cosmodrome in 2014.

New Frontier

While the campaign takes us all over the galaxy and back to new social space Tharsis Outpost, the real meat is in The Lawless Frontier.

I’ve been begging for this more sandbox-like approach to Destiny 2 content for a while, and I’m so pleased to report that the new activity type is a blast.

Drop in solo or with others to complete a series of objectives and escape, with objectives ranging from hunting a boss to blowing s**t up. I was worried that having a wider playspace might make Destiny’s combat lose some of its shine, but the inclusion of new Renegade abilities like bombing runs from your ship or health pickups are a fun twist.

My only real gripe with this system is that it’s mapped to the same button as not only finishers, but also triggering your Prismatic transcendence. I lost track of the number of times I intended to finish an opponent or trigger my Prismatic superpowers, only to accidentally threaten to drop a Cabal drop pod on my head.

Another way Bungie has kept the activity exciting is by dialing up the enemy density in just about every area in the Lawless Frontier. There are so many enemies that I was regularly finishing missions with four to five hundred eliminations, making it a great way to test your new builds. 

Once the dust settles, you’re encouraged to head back to Tharsis Outpost, and it’s here where you’ll take on jobs for the crime syndicates that preside over the frontier. On the one hand, a new social space is welcome since the Tower was feeling a little quiet, and its smaller interiors make it feel much more like a bustling hive of activity.

On the other hand, I really wish the spawn point could be closer to the actual cantina itself – it’s a small nitpick, but running across the frontage just feels like unnecessary busywork.

Fight Saber

I’ve deliberately avoided speaking about the Praxic Blade, because for me it felt a step too far – and in some ways, it still does.

This is a weapon so iconic that putting it anywhere other than Star Wars makes me feel a little uneasy. Plus, after over a decade of Destiny, we’ve not seen one, and now they’re all over the place.

Still, I will say that it’s an awful lot of fun to use, customizable colors and all, with the option to deflect projectiles and hurl it at foes, making it a joy to use. It doesn’t fit, but it’s fun, and while I won’t spoil how you can get one of your own, I will say it’s tied to one of the best exotic missions in Destiny 2 in a while.

Much more appropriate are blaster weapons, a new archetype that eschews ammo in favor of needing to be vented to prevent heat buildup. Again, I wasn’t sure how these would feel, but each one feels fantastic in its own way, from the initial Pulse Rifle to the Hand Cannon and a new Heavy Sniper option, too.

I’ll have more to say about the Portal and endgame systems in the coming days, but as of right now, Renegades feels like the expansion that gets Destiny 2 back on track.

Whether Bungie can continue that momentum remains to be seen, and much could hinge on what we’re doing in a few weeks, given that we now have less content month-to-month than we used to.

Still, with a fun story, great new weapons, and a chaotic new activity stitching it all together, we might just be back.

Ask The Escapist

The post Destiny 2 Renegades review-in-progress: A New Hope? appeared first on The Escapist.

Ever since Destiny 2's Star Wars "homage" DLC, Renegades, was announced, I was unsure what to think about it. But after a few hours, it became abundantly clear that it was all very wink-wink, nudge-nudge stuff.

Just about everything within the story of Renegades is Star Wars-flavored, as you would expect from the partnership between Bungie and Lucasfilm. There's a lawless frontier, good vs. evil, a weapon of mass destruction, and lightsabers. It's all been told before in different ways, but now through the lens of the Destiny franchise.

And you know what? For the most part, I really dig it.

Death Star? Check. Jedi and Sith? Yep. Lightsabers? Of course! A dingy marketplace and cantina that's Destiny's version of a wretched hive of scum and villainy? You got it. Walking tanks similar to the AT-AT? Bingo. And wouldn't you know it, someone even loses a hand.

It's even got a villain who's more Kylo Ren than Adam Driver, but to my pleasant surprise, it's all still very Destiny and fits well within the parameters of the franchise. New areas are inspired by the sci-fi stuff of legend. Mars looks like Tattooine with its own Taken-flavored "sarlacc pit," Venus is very Return of the Jedi Dagobah, and Europa stands in for the icy planet of Hoth.

The Cabal "Imperion" in their white armor are meant to evoke Stormtroopers, their "Death Star" (which seemingly came out of nowhere, but that's explained via the campaign), and the blaster weaponry are all examples of a DLC that's Star Wars, but at the same time, not.

In the end, it's a pretty cool product. Using the Destiny version of a lightsaber (Praxic Blade) by way of the franchise's version of the Jedi (Praxic Order) to deal with what can be described as Destiny's Sith (Dredgens) just kind of fits. And that's probably because, like a lot of sci-fi stories, Destiny was already taking several cues from Star Wars originally.

But it's not all good news, and I've got a bad feeling about this! Almost every mission of the campaign takes place in the format of the Lawless Frontier activity, where you deploy into an area, complete some objectives, and then exfil. Only a couple of the missions have Destiny 2's trademark setpieces and action sequences, with a handful of cutscenes along the way. The rest of the exposition is through radio dialogue and several annoying trips back to social spaces for your next objective.

There are Easter Eggs everywhere if you look for them, like this wreckage that's meant to evoke memories of pod racing in the image below. It's a fun egg hunt for Star Wars fans who enjoy Destiny, and vice versa. And it's all told within the confines of a Destiny 2 story that advances the plot forward after the events of The Edge of Fate's big revelations.

Will Renegades save Destiny 2? I don't know, but probably not. It's still got many of the same issues as far as keeping players coming back, but for now, this DLC is something that I can look to and say I had some good fun with.

It remains to be seen if I or others will be back for next weekly reset, but I'm taking this campaign as a minor victory for now.

The post Destiny 2: Renegades is a mixed bag that’s unmistakably Star Wars, but it’s all pretty tongue-in-cheek appeared first on Destructoid.

Destiny 2's next expansion looms, and some guardians are already engaging in their usual rituals before the new content drops. If you didn't get everything you wanted, you can still farm some weapons before Renegades kicks off on Dec. 2.

Our usual pre-expansion rituals include getting our builds ready, keeping a clean inventory, and figuring out the seasonal fashion—arguably the most important part. Farming gear is a part of the preparations: it's a good way to guarantee certain items before their drop sources see potential alterations, and it also offers powerful gear that should be in any guardian's arsenal.

For instance, you shouldn't drop into Renegades without a Mint Retrograde in your vault, after all, even if you're probably swapping it out for some of the Star Wars-inspired guns in the expansion. Here are the top weapons we recommend farming before Renegades lands on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

Mint Retrograde

• Source: Pinnacle Ops

The gun that's at the top of the food chain in the current Destiny 2 sandbox is, unsurprisingly, at the top of our list of the best weapons to farm before the next expansion. Mint Retrograde will maintain its high damage but take a nerf to its ammo economy in Renegades, so you can still keep it glued to your Kinetic slot—just like the other 45 percent of guardians using this weapon, as per Bungie's own stats.

Unfall

• Source: Portal

Rocket sidearms may not be as much of a big-ticket item as they were when the archetype was born in late 2023, but they're still in quite a comfortable place in the sandbox. Bungie added Unfall in the Ash & Iron update, bringing with it a new perk pool, synergy with Sturm, and a New Gear tag. This weapon performs just fine without its Exotic counterpart, though. It doesn't roll Voltshot like Indebted Kindness, but it does bring Jolting Feedback and Master of Arms to the mix.

Returned Memory from the Crucible is another great option—good enough to make the cut into the list, thanks to a little help from Zavala.

MIDA Mini-Tool

• Source: Portal

After the reissued CALUS Mini-Tool made a splash in Season of the Haunted, it's time for the post-Edge of Fate MIDA Mini-Tool to shine. This SMG is a powerful workhorse weapon with some best-in-slot perks and Solar synergy. Heal Clip and Incandescent, the usual suspects, now have a new sibling in Burning Ambition, and the Mini-Tool can roll with all of those—plus old favorites such as Attrition Orbs, Frenzy, and Master of Arms.

The MIDA Mini-Tool is a good weapon to get before Renegades, especially if you're using a Solar build. Odds are you won't ditch a god-rolled Yeartide Apex for it, but this SMG is the best option if you missed Solstice's most coveted gun.

Outrageous Fortune

• Source: Pinnacle Ops

Grenade launchers have stayed steady in the meta for a couple of years now, so Outrageous Fortune is a great option to bring into your first run of the Renegades campaign. This powerful heavy weapon can roll Envious Arsenal paired with Bait and Switch, which is top-tier for damage, and it comes with a New Gear tag to match.

Submersion or Synanceia

The Call to Arms weapons aren't farmable, but they're still obtainable. Opening the daily event chest in the Tower awards all sorts of gear, with a chance of dropping your attuned weapon. Change your attunement by speaking to Devrim.

Out of the event weapons, Submersion is arguably the most important, though we're getting a Void heavy crossbow with Renegades based on videos from content creators. Synanceia is also a good option for a New Gear sword with Eager Edge (y'know, in case you need to endlessly run Salt Mines again for the next Call to Arms).

Returned Memory

Rocket sidearms are never out of style, and Returned Memory is another entry to this weapon family. This Crucible gun comes with great perks such as Heal Clip and Impulse Amplifier paired with Redirection, Incandescent, Burning Ambition, and One For All.

If you'd rather not set foot in PvP, however, Zavala is selling this as the featured weapon this week. While none of his rolls have all those perks at the same time, the offerings are still quite spicy.

Theodolite

• Source: Pinnacle Ops

The Mountaintop has a younger sibling, and this time, it goes on your Energy slot. Theodolite is the new Arc-aligned micro-missile frame with strong damage potential for Majors. Aim for Reconstruction or Blast Distributor with Voltshot, Reaper's Tithe, Frenzy, or Elemental Honing for big damage numbers.

Lionfish-4FR

• Source: Portal

Even now, over three years after its debut, Riptide is basically synonymous with Stasis fusion rifles, so Lionfish-4FR has some big shoes to fill. And it seems up to the task.

Lionfish has Reconstruction paired with Chill Clip, an improvement on Riptide's Auto-Loading Holster/Chill Clip. It also rolls with Controlled Burst, Elemental Honing, or Reservoir Burst in the fourth column, which you can use for a more damage-based role.

Honorable mention: Smoke Jumper armor

The Smoke Jumper armor is, by most definitions of the word, not a weapon. That said, it's one of the most popular and powerful new sets in Edge of Fate. Community figure TheAegisRelic put this "disgustingly OP" set in the S-Tier in their endgame list, which is high praise. Since this list is about grabbing good gear before Renegades, Smoke Jumper couldn't be off the menu, even if just as an honorable mention.

The best part of the Smoke Jumper set by far is Ride Together, Die Together, its two-piece bonus. It gives a short-lived damage reduction when picking up orbs of power, which are easy to generate in the current sandbox. The four-piece isn't bad (Aegis gave it a B), but grab at least two well-rolled pieces of armor before Renegades.

The post Best weapons to get before Renegades in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Renegades is coming to Destiny 2 as the next major expansion, and less than a week is left for it to go live on PCs and consoles.

The upcoming expansion will drop as part of update 9.5.0 and includes plenty of new content. But first, you'll have to pre-load and install the update, and then wait for it to go live. This guide will help you keep track of all the upcoming maintenance and when they can jump in to access the servers.

Destiny 2 Renegades release countdown

Destiny 2 Renegades goes live on Dec. 2 across all platforms. While most updates usually go live at 12am CST, Renegades will follow a slightly different set of timings. The following countdown will expire once the update goes live, and you can access the servers.

[hurrytimer id="1147882"]

The countdown is based on the following timings.

• 9am PST
• 11am CST
• 12pm EST
• 5pm GMT
• 6pm CET

The timings are based on the latest This Week in Destiny blog. The countdown expires when players will be able to access update 9.5.0 and all the Renegades content that will be available at launch. To do so, they will have to pre-load the update that goes live one hour before the servers are online (at 10am CST).

The complete maintenance is scheduled to end at 1pm CST, so expect some issues in the first couple of hours after Renegades goes live. Bungie has also informed the total space you'll require to install the update.

• PlayStation 5: 173.5 GB
• PlayStation 4: 204.87 GB
• Xbox Series X|S: 171.11 GB
• Xbox One: 161.02 GB
• Steam: 326.10 GB
• Epic Games Store: 325.65 GB
• Microsoft Store: 159.33 GB

The total required storage space mentioned here includes all the previously released expansions and the additional capacity you'll need for downloading Renegades. There's plenty of exciting content coming our way as part of the expansion, and we will have dedicated guides to help you clear all the content.

The post Destiny 2 Renegades release countdown: Exact date and time appeared first on Destructoid.

Destiny 2: Renegades launches next week, and I'm still relatively unsure how to feel about the "Star Wars-inspired" expansion.

Renegades still feels to me like Bungie just said "hey, Star Wars is cool, let's do this partnership" just because it could, regardless of how it may fit into the Destiny 2 story. Having blaster weapons and light sabers in Destiny is possible, sure, but it still feels kind of off. But now, I'm not so sure I care anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_07pVzO5no

After today's live stream and ViDoc, I feel more excited about the game than I have in a very long time. I'm still not fully sold on it, but the John Williams-esque soundtrack, good vs. evil sword battles, and being an outlaw in wild space entice me after all.

Renegades has its "Jedi" in Aunor, and its "Sith" in Dredgen Bael (who sounds like he's trying to emulate Adam Driver as Kylo Ren a bit too much for my liking), and it looks like they will come to blows with their "lightsabers" (Praxic Blade, a new Exotic sword). And for the first time, I felt moved.

I have some Star Wars burnout like seemingly everyone else, but lightsabers are always going to be cool. Destiny has had swords for many years now (about 10, actually), but the ability to swing and sway the blade to deflect incoming fire is just so naturally Star Wars and out of place in Destiny, but it's so cool that I don't mind how out of place it may be.

The Lawless Frontier activity is one of the big new additions in Renegades, where you as a Guardian are taking on "shady jobs" in the lawlessness that has become Mars. This includes being a Bounty Hunter like Boba Fett, hunting down high-value targets, and getting loot. This feels more Destiny-ish to me, so sign me up.

I have no idea if, or for how long, Renegades will hook me back into Destiny. This summer's expansion, The Edge of Fate, was fine, I guess. But according to Steam, I haven't opened the game since August. And judging by SteamCharts, I am not alone.

I'm still relatively sure my days of Destiny 2 being a habitual game that I play multiple days a week are over. I'm just hoping for a good story to move things forward after The Edge of Fate's revelations, and I don't know if this Star Wars-themed stuff is going to do it.

For now, I'm cautiously optimistic that Renegades will be cool enough and Star Wars enough (but not too much) to bring me back in the fold, so I'll be there on launch day Dec. 2 to try it all out.

The post Destiny 2’s Star Wars-flavored Renegades DLC still doesn’t make sense to me, but I can’t deny how badass it looks appeared first on Destructoid.

Destiny 2: Renegades is out now, and as part of that launch, Bungie has debuted a new cinematic trailer for players to check out, but what players are also likely checking out is the game's concurrent player count on Steam. Now, it needs to be said that concurrent player counts on Steam are not everything; they are not the full picture for any multiplatform game, they are not an indication of sales, and they are not the best measuring stick for the health of multiplatform multiplayer games. All that said, Steam is, almost undoubtedly, the largest digital storefront and platform […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/destiny-2-renegades-out-now-steam-concurrent-player-count-rises/

Destiny 2's Renegades was a good change of pace compared to The Edge of Fate. The Star Wars-inspired expansion is shorter and more dynamic than its predecessor, with fewer main missions and a faster run time.

There's quite a bit of both franchises in the campaign, lending a unique tone to the story. The stakes feel real, too, which may be hard to get right when your character is an immortal weapon who has killed pantheons of gods for loot.

And if the story is a highlight, the drops from the campaign are nothing to scoff at either. In addition to an arsenal of Star Wars-esque weapons, you unlock your Praxic Blade (your own lightsaber) on the tail end of the campaign, just in time for you to bring it in your final push against Dredgen Bael. Here's what you need to know about Destiny 2's Renegades story.

How many missions are in Destiny 2: Renegades?

Destiny 2's Renegades campaign has five main missions, though the story will also throw you into a few runs of the Lawless Frontier activity. The major story quest, Renegades, has 45 steps, which you can use to gauge how far along you are. Here are the missions in the campaign:

All missions in Destiny 2: Renegades

The five main missions are:

• Imperium
• Fearsome Retainer
• Out in the Cold
• The Long Con
• Glory Beyond

There are a couple of Lawless Frontier activities between Imperium and Fearsome Retainer, another between then and Out in the Cold. A run of Fire and Ice, the Exotic mission that drops your own lightsaber, takes place on step 33 of the main Renegades journey, at which point you're bound to dive into more Lawless Frontier missions before rounding out the final two activities.

How long is Destiny 2's Renegades campaign?

Unlike The Edge of Fate's drawn-out campaign, Renegades' main story is closer to the usual length for Destiny 2. Expect it to last roughly five to six hours, with some variance on either side depending on your pace.

Without hurrying, we finished the Legend campaign in around six hours with a full fireteam, including the usual breaks and more than a few delays due to bugs and server issues. Each Lawless Frontier mission took around 20 minutes, in our experience, and Fire and Ice's labyrinthian structure was the longest single part of the campaign.

The post Here’s the Destiny 2 Renegades mission list appeared first on Destructoid.

Nothing Manacles got a huge glow-up in Destiny 2, going off an individual balance pass in tandem with some general buffs to Void. You may have missed this Exotic when it released, but there's still a way to get it.

Nothing Manacles released in Season of the Lost, when the main way of getting new Exotics was by running higher-difficulty Lost Sectors. The process has since changed drastically and is now much easier. Here's how you can snag this Exotic for your Warlock.

How to unlock Nothing Manacles in Destiny 2

You can get Nothing Manacles by focusing it with Master Rahool in the Tower. If you're looking for your first copy, go to the Novel Decryption tab in the Focused Decoding section of his inventory. This is where you can unlock the Exotic at the cost of one Exotic Engram and one Exotic Cipher.

That latter resource is slightly time-gated, but can be obtained from season passes, by exchanging Chronologs, and, of course, the classic way: by completing the Xenology quest from Xûr, who shows up at the Friday reset and flies off on Tuesday.

After you've unlocked Nothing Manacles, you can grab it from any suitable source of Exotic Engrams, including Master Rahool. He's the most reliable way to farm this, letting you choose to decode an Exotic Engram into Nothing Manacles as long as you're willing to pay 60,000 Glimmer and two Ascendant Shards. You can continue to use Novel Decryption if you'd rather save your golfballs, though.

What Nothing Manacles does (and why it's good)

• Scatter Charge: Gives you an extra Scatter Grenade charge, enables tracking for its submunitions, and final blows create more projectiles.

Nothing Manacles on its own can be quite strong, but it really shines with Chaos Accelerant and Feed the Void equipped. Feed the Void grants an enhanced version of Devour, which should be glued to any Void subclass—especially one based on grenades.

Chaos Accelerant, on the other hand, improves the tracking of your Scatter Grenades and grants you an extra grenade charge. With that combination, you're heading into an activity carrying three high-powered, tracking Scatter Grenades.

This is one of the best add-clear builds for Warlocks. Think of it as a turbocharged Graviton Lance in your pocket. Damage isn't this build's strongest suit, however, so this mostly excels at taking down smaller enemies.

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Ever since Destiny 2's Star Wars "homage" DLC, Renegades, was announced, I was unsure what to think about it. But after a few hours, it became abundantly clear that it was all very wink-wink, nudge-nudge stuff.

Just about everything within the story of Renegades is Star Wars-flavored, as you would expect from the partnership between Bungie and Lucasfilm. There's a lawless frontier, good vs. evil, a weapon of mass destruction, and lightsabers. It's all been told before in different ways, but now through the lens of the Destiny franchise.

And you know what? For the most part, I really dig it.

Death Star? Check. Jedi and Sith? Yep. Lightsabers? Of course! A dingy marketplace and cantina that's Destiny's version of a wretched hive of scum and villainy? You got it. Walking tanks similar to the AT-AT? Bingo. And wouldn't you know it, someone even loses a hand.

It's even got a villain who's more Kylo Ren than Adam Driver, but to my pleasant surprise, it's all still very Destiny and fits well within the parameters of the franchise. New areas are inspired by the sci-fi stuff of legend. Mars looks like Tattooine with its own Taken-flavored "sarlacc pit," Venus is very Return of the Jedi Dagobah, and Europa stands in for the icy planet of Hoth.

The Cabal "Imperion" in their white armor are meant to evoke Stormtroopers, their "Death Star" (which seemingly came out of nowhere, but that's explained via the campaign), and the blaster weaponry are all examples of a DLC that's Star Wars, but at the same time, not.

In the end, it's a pretty cool product. Using the Destiny version of a lightsaber (Praxic Blade) by way of the franchise's version of the Jedi (Praxic Order) to deal with what can be described as Destiny's Sith (Dredgens) just kind of fits. And that's probably because, like a lot of sci-fi stories, Destiny was already taking several cues from Star Wars originally.

But it's not all good news, and I've got a bad feeling about this! Almost every mission of the campaign takes place in the format of the Lawless Frontier activity, where you deploy into an area, complete some objectives, and then exfil. Only a couple of the missions have Destiny 2's trademark setpieces and action sequences, with a handful of cutscenes along the way. The rest of the exposition is through radio dialogue and several annoying trips back to social spaces for your next objective.

There are Easter Eggs everywhere if you look for them, like this wreckage that's meant to evoke memories of pod racing in the image below. It's a fun egg hunt for Star Wars fans who enjoy Destiny, and vice versa. And it's all told within the confines of a Destiny 2 story that advances the plot forward after the events of The Edge of Fate's big revelations.

Will Renegades save Destiny 2? I don't know, but probably not. It's still got many of the same issues as far as keeping players coming back, but for now, this DLC is something that I can look to and say I had some good fun with.

It remains to be seen if I or others will be back for next weekly reset, but I'm taking this campaign as a minor victory for now.

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Destiny 2 got a bona fide lightsaber in Renegades. The Praxic Blade is one of the most exciting Exotics in the game, and you get it in the latter half of the expansion's main quest. Getting it, however, is just the beginning of your journey.

The Praxic Blade, like any good lightsaber, boasts a slew of customization options, both for gameplay and for cosmetics. While yes, some of them are indeed in the Eververse, the lion's share as of launch is unlocked through regular gameplay.

Here's how you get the Praxic Blade in Destiny 2 Renegades and how you can use it.

When do you get the Praxic Blade (Lightsaber) in Destiny 2 Renegades?

The Praxic Blade drops from the Fire and Ice mission, which is step 33 of the Renegades campaign. The game asks you to "Visit the Praxic Temple with Aunor," giving you your own version of the Jedi training. Completing Fire and Ice grants you the Praxic Blade with one colored crystal (blue or green), as well as the starting versions of each trait.

After getting your lightsaber and completing the campaign, Aunor will lead you into the Praxic's Path quest, essentially a tutorial on how to improve your Praxic Blade. This teaches you how to unlock more upgrades for your lightsaber and grants you an extra colored crystal (blue or green, depending on which one you didn't get at first).

What does the Praxic Blade do in Destiny 2 Renegades?

The Praxic Blade has a slew of unique traits. The more Exotic of them are:

• Cormorant Reversal: The Praxic Blade reflects incoming projectiles when blocking.
• Cormorant Combo: Using three light attacks and hitting the heavy attack does a high-damage hit that consumes no ammo.
• Ranged Throw: Pressing heavy attack throws your Praxic Blade. Attacking recalls it toward you. Holding the button sends a more powerful throw in a straight path and recalls the blade when releasing.

Like Wolfsbane, however, you can also unlock a litany of upgrades that touch on the weapon's stats, tie it into subclass verbs, and even apply catalysts to your lightsaber.

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Destiny 2: Renegades brilliantly mixes the Bungie franchise with Star Wars inspirations galore, including a new currency.

Credits are a new currency in Renegades that you will accrue throughout the game's campaign and beyond. It's necessary for certain upgrades and also is the main way to purchase items in the DLC's new location.

Here's everything we know so far about Credits in Destiny 2: Renegades, how to get them, and what you can spend them on.

What are Credits in Destiny 2?

Credits are a new currency added in Destiny 2: Renegades that are the main currency of Tharsis Junction, the new location that's inspired by Mos Eisley in Star Wars. Since this is basically the wild west in space, your Glimmer is no good here. You need Credits, similar to the Galactic Standard Credit from the Lucasfilm movies.

How to get Credits in Destiny 2: Renegades

Credits are rewarded via the Lawless Frontier activity. At the end of each mission, you are rewarded Credits depending on what kind of caches you were able to procure throughout the mission by successfully completing it.

You can get 1,000 Credits or more per completion of Lawless Frontier missions, several of which are a part of the main campaign in Renegades. Alternatively, you can also find small bundles of Credits when you shoot the shiny loot caches (seen in the image above) found within the Lawless Frontier activity.

What to buy with Credits in Destiny 2: Renegades

Credits can be used to purchase everything from Renegade Ability upgrades to armor sets to weapons, all found within Tharsis Junction. The Tharsis Bazaar area, for example, has these armor stands that open up and allow you to purchase individual armor pieces.

In previous Destiny 2 seasons and expansions, buying equipment was relegated to one vendor or main area. In Renegades, they can be found all around Tharsis Junction, such as weapons which can be purchased within each of the Syndicate areas found inside of the cantina area.

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Destiny 2 has added yet another new currency to keep track of, and who can blame you if you find it confusing?

The Chronolog redeemable currency is found within the Season 28: Lawless rewards pass track, and you can use it to get some pretty cool stuff that you may have missed out on in the past. This may be useless to the most dedicated Destiny 2 gamers, but there's likely something for most players to pick up using Chronologs.

Here's everything there is to know about Chronologs and how to use them in Destiny 2.

What is a Chronolog in Destiny 2?

Chronolog is a new redeemable currency in Destiny 2: Renegades (it was added during the Ash & Iron update earlier in 2025) that allow you to unlock previous season pass items that you may have missed out on in the past. They are found as rewards within the reward pass in Season 28: Lawless, and other new seasons moving forward.

The rewards are in both the free and premium track of the reward pass, and they are found in bundles of 100. This new currency basically functions as a catch-up mechanic for players to collect rewards they may have missed out on if they played and did not max out a previous rewards pass.

How to use Chronolog in Destiny 2: Renegades

To use Chronologs, visit the Seasonal Archive: Monument to Seasons Past in the Tower, shown in the image above. Interact with it and you can see the Reward Passes from previous seasons in Destiny 2. Inspecting an individual season will allow you to exchange Chronologs for the rewards.

The image below depicts what the Reclamation season reward pass looks like:

Each item has a different price of Chronologs. For example, this Last Discipline ornament set costs 40 Chronolog (because I had some of the items in it already), while some rewards cost 100, 200, or more.

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Destiny 2's space wizards were in a good state in the Edge of Fate sandbox, and some Warlock builds will remain on top now that Renegades landed. A series of gradual tuning passes gave this class powerful options for every element.

Not all Warlock builds are created equal, however, and some of them easily rise to the top of the meta (yes, I am talking about Getaway Artist on Prismatic, how did you guess?). Here are the builds we're running in Destiny 2's Renegades expansion.

Why are these our best builds in Renegades?

The builds in this list don't account for any artifact mods and rarely rely on specific weapons. A lot of it is up to personal preference as well, so the entries on our list can certainly be more optimized, but should be enough to get you through the campaign, either on Legend or Normal.

Contraverse Hold + Grenades (Void)

Warlocks got a much-needed, high-powered buff to their Void grenades with Contraverse Hold. This Exotic was already good, but a new built-in Weaken effect and an extra grenade charge made it even deadlier, and that's why it's easily among the top builds in Destiny 2 going into Renegades.

Contraverse works with a slew of different grenade options, depending on your playstyle, but Axion Bolt is our favorite. This grenade unleashes a series of tracking projectiles with a somewhat long range, giving you a relatively safe way to take down foes.

You can also go for Scatter Grenades, Vortex Grenades, or Handheld Supernova to spice it up. Handheld Supernova in particular deals a devastating short-range blast when using a Magnetic Grenade (and others). That said, Axion Bolt is usually good enough as long as your projectiles don't go rogue and blow you up. It happens.

Getaway Artist + Storm Grenade (Prismatic)

Getaway Artist with Prismatic continues to be a force of nature, especially given the buffs to Arc Soul (and buddies in general). The Final Shape's most effortless Warlock build now works with Facet of Dominance to jolt enemies and interacts better with grenades, with Hellion's damage increasing with that stat.

As far as your Aspects go, Feed the Void is almost a must-have to keep your grenade energy topped up. The second fragment slot is usually Bleak Watcher, though Hellion makes for a good substitute to spice up the formula. Plunderthabooty runs a version of a buddy build with Hellion, Weaver's Call, and Facet of Mending, which grants you surprisingly great sustain without resorting to Feed the Void.

Consume your grenade, get ability kills to get Devour, then continue mowing down enemies until your grenade is full. Rinse, repeat, and try not to trip on all the orbs of power you make with Firepower.

Mataiodoxía + Needlestorm (Strand or Prismatic)

Mataiodoxía is also in the running for the most juiced-up Warlock Exotic in Renegades, and its odds are looking pretty good. In addition to its base effect of giving you Suspend with Arcane Needle, as of the new expansion, it also improves the power of your Needlestorm—like Cuirass of the Falling Star does for Thundercrash.

You can run this build with Strand or Prismatic. Strand gets more firepower on Needlestorm through Thread of Evolution (increased damage from Threadlings), but Prismatic has a more versatile kit with better survivability, grenade spam due to Devour, and Transcendence.

Lightning Surge + Winter's Guile or Solipsism (Prismatic)

Winter's Guile may make for a devastating new take on the old Lightning Surge Prismatic builds. This Exotic got some new life, working close to a Warlock version of Wormgod's Caress with a Transcendence-like effect built in. With the Exotic's new effect, melee and finisher kills grant a stacking damage bonus to that ability. When at max stacks, you can enter a "berserk" mode with even more melee damage and regen.

Your second aspect is up to your preference, but the sustain from Feed the Void makes this a given for us. To fall back on a classic, though, this build also works marvelously with Solipsism, especially if you have an Inmost Light/Synthoceps roll. You can even run Mataiodoxía if you're looking for a little oomph in your Needlestorm.

Starfire Protocol + Fusion Grenades (Solar)

Gone are the days when Starfire was an unending missile barrage, but the stat rework made this already-strong build even better, and the fact that it finally works with Radiant is just icing on the cake. Hellion is a natural pairing for this since you get your Rift back on grenade kills, and you can use it to trigger your Solar synergies through Scorch. Bring Ember of Torches and Ember of Empyrean for Radiant uptime, giving you extra grenade regen from Starfire. Ember of Resolve works if you need more sustain.

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Destiny 2’s mood hasn’t been great lately. There’s been frustration, questions, that low hum of players waiting for something that feels genuinely new. Renegades doesn’t fix everything, but one of Bungie’s recent reveals is the kind of small, clever change that actually matters to a lot of people: Universal Exotic Ornaments. Simple Change, Big Impact…

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