WHAT DO I DO NOW? - A NEWBIE GUIDE – TAKEN SPRING EDITION

[This guide is an update of one I posted a few months ago. Since the April update I've been asked a few times to update the thing, so... here it is! Feedback welcome.]

Joining a social game “late” can be intimidating under the best of circumstances, and Destiny is far from simple. But especially since the April update, known to its fans as “The Taken Spring,” Destiny has really reached a new peak of accessibility and fun. This is the best time there has ever been to get into Destiny, and the community remains vibrant despite the game's age.

But you don't need to be convinced; odds are if you're reading this, you've either just bought the game, or have put a few hours in, said “jeez this is confusing,” and went to Reddit. Maybe you're a fresh level 30, bombarded with possibilities and wondering “what do I do now?”

I'm here to help. This guide provides a step-by-step progression for a new Destiny player, going from the very beginning to Light Level (LL) 335 (the maximum). Of course, towards the end you should probably move on to guides about optimizing your character's stats, becoming a PvP baller, or the particulars of the raids.

#GOAL 1: COMPLETE THE STORY

This is more complicated than it sounds, and not just because the game's story is legendarily poorly told, to the point that the community manager (/u/DeeJ_BNG) is still getting roasted about it 18 months and 3 expansions later. Those expansions have actually made things a little harder for the new player, as each added new story missions and quests which overlap in terms of level requirements and when they unlock.

The game will help guide you along via the purple quest markers (some will also take you through a “Strike,” a 3-player mission), but I recommend doing them in order:

• The basic storyline missions just have a name (like "Restoration") and a recommended level, and should be done first (they end with "The Black Garden," which is level 18).

• Next comes "The Dark Below," which has a set of quests that begin with "The Fist of Crota," a level 10 mission.

• Then “House of Wolves,” which begins with a visit to “The Reef,” a social area with some interesting NPCs. The first mission is “Scourge of Winter,” recommended level 12.

• Finally, “The Taken King” missions begin with “The Coming War,” recommended level 25.

Finishing all of these will unlock new quests and new missions you should explore; many are not part of the story progression, but are still interesting. Destiny has a convenient way to know you've completed a mission, because the circle on the map will fill in. Be sure to keep checking the "Quests" tab and following the purple markers to see what's next.

###SUBGOAL: Join a Faction

There are three “factions” at the Tower you can join and build reputation with, beginning as soon as you arrive (and have earned 2500 glimmer, which shouldn't be long). Rep comes automatically from doing things in the game like finishing missions and bounties, and will eventually reward you with access to gear and consumables. Each time you rank up your faction will give you a "package," which contains a piece of faction-specific gear (up to 330, depending on your LL) and some small goodies.

All you have to do is talk to the representative in the tower, and they'll offer you a place in the faction. Choosing based on color scheme is probably best, but you could also roleplay it, or pick out a gun you want (see "Sweet Vendor Lootz" below). Switching faction can be done once a week and isn't a big deal, so don't freak out about the choice. However, you want to start building reputation with one immediately.

• New Monarchy's representative, Executor Hideo, stands on the far left side of the Tower, near the Speaker. Probably the most “traditional” faction, they're dedicated to protecting the city and believe humanity can rebuild to their Golden Age height. If only they didn't want to elect a king to do it. Their colors are red and white.

• Dead Orbit's representative, Arach Jalal, stands on the far right side of the Tower, in the hangar. They're convinced that the Solar System is doomed, and that humanity ought to bail and find somewhere with fewer homicidal aliens. So they're kinda space goths, but they also might have the best handle on reality, and their grayscale color scheme looks pretty nice.

• Future War Cult's representative, Lakshmi-2, is in a nifty lounge above the hangar. As the name implies, they are preparing for a “future war” that they have caught glimpses of using mysterious Golden Age technology. They have the tightest connection to Destiny's story, but joining the faction doesn't make you privy to any of their mysterious knowledge. They have a rather bold blue-red-yellow striped color scheme that doesn't go with literally anything else in the game.

#GOAL 2: GAIN XP - REACH LEVEL 40

There's no way to play Destiny that won't, eventually, get your character to level 40, and thus eligible for all the content and gear in the game. Until you're level 40, there's no real point to worrying about gear and grinding. Just equip whatever has the highest numbers as you go along, it'll all become obsolete quite quickly. Experiment! Find out what type of weapons and abilities you like, it'll serve you well in the future.

• Story missions will get you most of the way, as will doing some Patrols on any planet.

• Pick up Bounties, small tasks in PvP or PvE, from the bounty boards (located dead ahead in the tower) and finish them for even more XP and rep.

• Be sure to repeatedly check your "Quests" tab for more to do; you can "track" quests and bounties by selecting them, which gives a green icon on the navigation map.

• Playing Crucible (PvP) is a good source of XP as well, and Destiny is balanced so your level/gear don't matter (much) to your damage or HP. You will still be at a bit of a disadvantage, though, at least until you...

###SUBGOAL: Max Subclasses

A longer-term part of the leveling process is maximizing your subclasses. It takes much more XP to finish unlocking all the subclass nodes than it does to reach 40, so this is a long-term project. At first you have access to only two subclasses, but at level 25 a third will unlock through a special quest.

With certain editions of the game, upon earning the third subclass you will also receive a class item corresponding to it (e.g., the Nightstalker cloak), which gives bonus XP to your character and your subclass. if you get one I'd suggest keeping it on for a while, even after you find a better one, just to speed your progress along.

Eventually you'll finish all three, of course, but I recommend the following trio as top priority, as they are the best for the endgame content:

• Sunsinger Warlock: Getting to Fireborn (self-resurrection) takes time but is the signature ability.

• Defender Titan: Weapons of Light is on the final row and is very useful during the raids.

• Nightstalker Hunter: Black Hole and Disappear in Smoke are the most important abilities for killing bosses and saving your life, but Shadestep is also very valuable as the last thing unlocked.

#GOAL 3: GEAR UP TO LL 300

Your light level is basically an average of the attack and defense ratings of your various gear slots. You'll notice it rising as you level and pick up new pieces, but it can continue to grow up to 335. Your initial goal is to hit about 300, which makes you viable for end-game content.

The key concept here is Smart Loot. Destiny's items primarily come from engrams, which must be brought to cryptarch Master Rahool at the tower (or the corresponding jerk at the Reef). Engrams are designed to decrypt around your light level at the time of decryption, which means you should always be the highest light you can when you decrypt your engrams. That way they'll decrypt as high as possible, slowly raising your light level as you equip the best. It will even be worth it, at first, to decrypt items individually and equip them before decrypting more. Blue engrams can decrypt up to 300, and you'll get tons of those.

• The best source of engrams is to keep plugging away at Strikes. These are just three-player missions, usually taking no more than 15 minutes or so. You'll already have finished a few strikes (like "Devil's Lair") as a part of the story, and you can select them individually if you want.

• Eventually the Vanguard (Zavala, Ikora, or Cayde-6, depending on your class) will give you a quest ("Neverending Battle") to play the Vanguard Strike Playlist. Basically, you join a playlist and can just keep rolling through randomly-selected strikes with internet randos for as long as you like. You'll get loot and have some fun learning them.

• You can eventually upgrade to Heroic Vanguard Strikes, which are harder but drop better loot. Some strikes also have special loot that only drops from that specific boss, most notably the Grasp of Malok and the Imago Loop, though I'm partial to the Darkblade Helm.

• Another great source of engrams is the Court of Oryx, a location on the Dreadnaught (in the "Hall of Souls"). Here's a guide, but the basic idea is that you place a rune into a statue and then fight the corresponding boss(es) who emerge from the portal. Higher runes summon harder bosses, and will probably require a group, which can include random passers-by.

• You should also try to do the Daily and Weekly Challenges (PvP and PvE) in the bottom-left corner of the navigation map. They'll reward you with Legendary Marks, which can be spent at vendors in the Tower.

Note - At the conclusion of the quest line that sends you through the Vanguard Strikes and concludes with a Nightfall ("Neverending Battle"), you will be offered a 300LL shotgun called Conspiracy Theory-D with Rangefinder and Rifled Barrel, which improve its range. It is the highest damage shotgun in the game, and while it is insanely slow and impractical for PvE, it is devastating as a PvP weapon.

###SUBGOAL: Sweet Vendor Lootz

You've probably noticed that nearly everybody in the tower seems to sell some kind of gun or armor, and you probably haven't the faintest idea which are good. This is going to be a running theme for several months; in general, if you pick up a purple piece, GOOGLE IT! Find out if people like that weapon, or if it's hard to get, so you don't accidentally dismantle anything insanely more useful than you realize.

However, there are a few weapons that I recommend you use those early Legendary Marks on:

1. Crucible Quartermaster Arcite 99-40, the robot across from Lord Shaxx, is your main man here. First off, he sells a scout rifle called Last Extremity. Destiny PvE is all about repeated shots on critical spots, and Last Extremity's perks (Triple Tap and Zen Moment) help considerably with that.

2. Arcite 99-40 also sells Ruin Wake, a superb high-damage heavy machine gun with perks to improve its range and stability, making it incredibly easy to use. It's close to perfect for PvP, and certainly worthwhile in PvE as well.

3. Finally, Arcite 99-40 sells Hawksaw, a fast-firing pulse rifle. The range is not good enough to recommend for PvE purposes, but it's a terrifying PvP weapon that might spoil you for other pulse rifles.

• If you're Future War Cult, Lakshmi-2 sells The Villainy, a midrange pulse rifle. It's not ideal for PvP, but it has two damage-increasing perks (Headseeker and Glass Half Full) and Pefect Balance, which make it a very serviceable PvE primary. Fusion rifles aren't the most popular weapon type, but The Vortex is one of the fastest-charging fusion rifles if you want a shotgun replacement, while The Vacancy, on the opposite end of the spectrum, comes with extended range from Rangefinder and Hot Swap.

• If you're New Monarchy, Executor Hideo sells Burden of Proof XI, a fast-firing shotgun. While you're typically going for one-hit kills in PvP, it's the fastest double-up you'll find in a legendary, and has range-enhancing perks that make it a solid choice if you prefer a shotgun in PvE. He also has Righteous VII, an extremely stable auto rifle. Midrange autos like this aren't at the top of the heap right now, but as a beginner's weapon, it'll serve. Same goes for Appellant III, a fast-firing hand cannon with a great PvP roll.

• If you're Dead Orbit, Hung Jury SR4 is a midrange scout rifle. It's an extraordinarily easy weapon to use, and has a very nice PvP roll designed for moving while aiming down the sights. Hitchhiker FR4 has the longest charge time of any fusion rifle, but also has the highest damage, making it one of few fusions in the game capable of a kill with only 4 of its 7 bolts. It also comes with Braced Frame for a huge stability boost, and Hidden Hand for aim assistance.

#GOAL 4: ENDGAME STUFF

Once you've hit 300, rare (blue) engrams will cease to be useful. You should still pick them up and decrypt them, because sometimes they'll spontaneously produce Legendary (purple) gear, and they'll be an important source of the parts you need to upgrade weapons. But to keep improving, you'll have to do some Endgame content. This is the best thing to happen in the so-called “Taken Spring”; as of the April update, players have multiple options to get from 300 to 335.

• King's Fall is the primary raid; for normal you only need to be ~290, for hard you should aim for 310. It's 6-man content with a lot going on, so unless you have friends in the game, I suggest you get started with a Sherpa run (/r/Destinysherpa) before going through the normal matchmaking channels. Regardless, you'll need to have stuff explained to you, and you'll probably mess up a few times. Don't be afraid to ask questions! While not everybody will be understanding, it is a hundred times better to explain something than to fail repeatedly because someone wouldn't admit to being new. King's Fall will net you multiple high LL pieces, all the way to 335 once you're on hard mode. Some of the weapons and armor are really useful, others will just be infusion fuel (see below), but either way it's worthwhile loot.

• The weekly Nightfall is a special, extra-hard (you should be at least 310) strike with modifiers to complicate the game, like extra Arc or Solar damage. You can see them in the director when you highlight it in the bottom right, or view them with your ghost when you get into the level. Finishing the Nightfall the first time each week will provide a nice reward, usually a piece of high-level legendary or exotic gear. There's no matchmaking on Nightfalls, so you'll have to find a group. I recommend r/fireteams of course.

• The Prison of Elders is a special multi-part wave-defense game mode located near The Reef. It has difficulty levels ranging from level 28 up through 41, which suggests LL 260+. The most important part is the hardest (though quickest), Challenge of the Elders, an arcade-like mode with where you score points for killing enemies in various ways (with different modifiers and bonuses each week). The final round of that is LL330, so please don't try this if you are under 310. Simply visit Variks (the alien) in The Reef to buy a “sigil” for access. Scoring 30,000 in a single run (easy) will give a high-LL weapon, and 90,000 total (2-3 runs) will get a high-LL piece of gear.

• Lord Shaxx will give you a crucible quest line that is incredibly annoying, but eventually unlocks special weekly bounties with him. One of these is The True Meaning of War, which requires you to have finished 5 of his weekly PvP bounties (you can leave some over from week to week), and provides a piece of high-level gear in addition to the reputation gains.

• Iron Banner is a week-long PvP event each month, where you earn reputation points by playing a special 6v6 playlist. This is different from other PvP in that gear matters - you shouldn't really try to play until you're 300+. However, the rewards are substantial in comparison to regular PvP; pick up the bounties each day, earn your rep, buy some stuff from Lord Saladin, and hope you get drops. Even if you're terrible, Iron Banner will be rewarding.

• Trials of Osiris is a special “elimination” mode (3v3, last team with someone surviving wins the round, first team to 5 rounds wins) available on weekends. Similar deal to Iron Banner in that gear matters, so you shouldn't attempt this until you're at least 300. Pick up the bounties from Brother Vance, the candle-obsessed dude at the Reef, as well as a "Trials Passage," basically a ticket. If you have any "passage coins," you use them by selecting the Trials Passage in your inventory and buying "boons," which give some boosts. Do your best and hope something drops from the bounties. If your team is good, and wins 5 or 7 games before hitting 3 losses, you'll get extra gear. If your team is REALLY good, and gets to 9 wins without losing a match, it'll earn a trip to the Lighthouse, a social area, for... more gear.

###SUBGOAL: Old Content

There were two raids before King's Fall: Vault of Glass and Crota's End. These have not been updated to the highest difficulty, and thus are pretty easy for groups of geared players. They won't give you anything useful, really, but they're great fun and worth exploring eventually.

#GOAL 5: XUR AND GETTING EXOTICS

Exotic weapons and armor are very powerful; you are limited to one of each at a time, and they help define your playstyle. Some unlock a node for free, allowing you to “break” your build, or give an extra grenade or melee charge. Others have more unique abilities, like the Bones of Eao, which provide Hunters an extra jump.

There are a few obscure ways to get exotics, but 90% are gained from Xur. He's a dude with tentacles for a face who shows up Fridays and Saturdays in a random location and sells several exotics (here's a sales history). I recommend new players try to buy any exotics they don't already own, because you never know which one will be your elusive "white whale."

Xur's goods are bought with Strange Coins. The coins are impossible to farm, as they drop from just about everywhere, but randomly. If you're in desperate need of a few, buying a new rank of reputation in your faction (with motes of light, heavy ammo synths, or something else) will yield 4 coins guaranteed.

Xur also sells a more important source of exotics: the “Three of Coins.” They're tarot cards you buy in packs of 5, and use as a consumable. Once used, you'll have a buff (viewable on your character screen) with the roman numeral IX on it, called “Exotic particles.” Basically, it gives you a chance for an exotic to drop on your next crucible match or next Ultra (boss) defeated. You either have the buff or you don't, so there's no reason to use more than one at a time, and the buff doesn't run out, so I would just try to keep remembering to use them every time you see the buff disappear. Each one you use that doesn't produce an exotic increases the chances that next time, it will, so just keep at it and you'll see the exotics roll in.

The final item that you'll eventually want from Xur are Glass Needles. These are used to "re-roll" exotic armor, meaning you can change things like which stats it boosts or what type of weapon ammo it carries. Some exotics have permanent or limited perks, so be sure to check before you waste a lot of needles looking for a perk it can't get.

Note – Unlike rare and legendary engrams, exotic engrams can decrypt all the way up to 335, and will eventually be a key source of infusion fuel.

#GOAL 6: UNIQUE WEAPONS

Well, between the raids, strikes, and Three of Coins, nearly everything in the game is possible to acquire at this point. There are, however, some very powerful unique weapons that you can only acquire via quest. In rough order of usefulness:

1. The Black Spindle – During the mission "Lost to Light" on heroic difficulty, there' an alternate ending and alternate boss to finish; it's difficult but not insanely so. As a reward you receive the most powerful sniper rifle in the game, one equipped with a unique perk that makes it utterly devastating against any enemy you can consistently shoot in the head; you'll pick up on its usefulness quickly, especially in King's Fall.

2. Exotic Swords - Swords are completely sweet and/or rad, and you can get one once you're finished with the Taken King story. At that point you can get a quest from Eris Morn ("A Sword Reforged") that concludes with your choice of legendary sword (eventually you can get all three). After a few more steps and a lot of farming, the sword can be upgraded into an exotic version. The starting decision is a little like Pokemon, in that each has its loyalists. The solar version, Raze Lighter, does possibly the highest single-target damage in the game. It renders elite enemies trivial and, while risky to use, murders ultras too. The void version, Dark Drinker, has a Link-style spin move that does heavy damage in an area. The arc version, Bolt Caster, can shoot arc energy at enemies over long ranges, making it the clear PvP favorite if you're crazy like that. They're all awesome, but I'd start with Dark Drinker, it's more versatile than Raze Lighter and does pretty strong single-target damage too.

3. The Touch of Malice - A very much unique scout rifle that drains health to do more damage. It's the result of a long quest that starts with finding Calcified Fragments on the Dreadnaught. You'll eventually have to complete King's Fall and find 45 of the fragments to get it, but it's extremely useful at certain points in the raid, most notably the ending. It's also perhaps the most impressive weapon in the game from an art design perspective, and is super useful for killing yourself.

4. Sleeper Simulant – This is a special Fusion Rifle that counts as a Heavy weapon. It fires a really big red laser that bounces around and does a billion damage, so it can come in handy. Starting the mission is basically just luck, where you'll find a DVALIN Fusion Rifle relic and hand it to the gunsmith to get it started.

There are other special exotics to be acquired, like Boolean Gemini, No Time to Explain, and The Chaperone, each with their own prerequisites and quests. But these are luxury weapons, fun and effective but nowhere near necessary.

Note: The three "Fallen weapons" -- Lord of Wolves, Dreg's Promise, and Queenbreaker's Bow, can only be acquired as a reward for completing Challenge of Elders, not through exotic engrams.

#GOAL 7: ARMSDAY AND THE GUNSMITH

Banshee-44 is the Gunsmith, who chills behind his table in the main part of the Tower, on the right just past the Cryptarch. Each week on Armsday (Wednesday), he provides a number of test weapons. These are crappy white weapons that you must use in a particular fashion (kill Hive, for instance, or use in the Crucible). Instead of building XP like a normal weapon, you'll "finish" the weapon by reaching 100%, and can safely dismantle it. Simply finishing the weapon's quest will give you reputation with Banshee.

Increasing your level with Banshee will also unlock quests to get two exclusive weapons for each class, a legendary special weapon and an exotic primary weapon. Some of these, particularly the Warlock's Tlaloc and the Hunter's Stillpiercer, are popular choices.

That reputation also allows you to buy Armsday Orders between Wednesday and Saturday. These take up a slot in your inventory and cannot be transferred or put in the vault. On the following Armsday, you can bring these packages to Banshee for a choice among up to 3 versions of the corresponding gun. If you don't like the options, you can wait for next week, and they'll be different. Your rep with Banshee determines how many orders you can buy on a character (up to 3) and how many rolls you'll get (again, up to 3).

Most Armsday guns are unremarkable, but the possibility of getting a "perfect" roll for a given gun is appealing, and glimmer is generally plentiful, so I recommend it. Some of the guns are really great, though (like the Arminius-D, for example, or the JLB-47), so do some research.

Note - Banshee ends up receiving 90% of my excess glimmer. I buy Heavy and Special Ammo synths, useful in many contexts, and Weapon Parts, which you'll need for upgrading your guns.

#GOAL 8: ALTERNATE CHARACTERS

There's no reason why you can't create an alternate character right after your first one, though odds are you won't bother until you're most of the way through the leveling process. Destiny allows you to have three characters, which conveniently aligns with the three classes. Most activities can be done with each character, though some can't (like the daily heroic mission or weekly PvP).

If you're a true power gamer, you could choose to have two (or even three...) of a single class, which would allow you to do weekly activities twice to build up gear faster. It's far more fun to have all three, though, especially since you won't know your favorite until you play them all. So I recommend starting alternates immediately, and finding out what way to play Destiny is most fun for you.

Note - The first alternate character is the best recipient of the Spark of Light, which jumps a character straight to level 25. This makes the early missions a sprint, and gets your exotic class item on immediately. Once it's leveled, your alt can do most weekly activities just like your main, sharing weapons and ghosts, but not armor or artifacts.

#GOAL 9: METAGAME?

Despite the game's best efforts to dispel you of this notion, Destiny's underlying storyline is a superb work of sci-fi/fantasy (or more succinctly, “Space Magic”). It just happens to be hidden in the game's “Grimoire Cards,” accessible only on bungie.net, that offer a fascinating array of “primary sources,” descriptions, legends, and even jokes to build the game's world. I think the most gripping story is that of Thorn and The Last Word, but the Books of Sorrow offer a more substantial “history” of an enemy (the Hive) that appears cliché on its face.

Building your own “Grimoire Score” to unlock these cards is done through almost everything in the game, but certain aspects (like killing Vex Hydra, for instance) might require you to go out of your way to earn them. It's certainly a level well beyond “Platinum” to get even close to the maximum possible score.

For the natural “collectors” among you, the game also has a vast array of cosmetic items, including emblems, shaders, class items, emotes, ships, and sparrows.

If you're done with all of that, consider becoming a Sherpa! If you've got the patience, it can be extremely rewarding to help someone learn in Destiny. Whether you're a crucible wizard, raid expert, or just a dude with time on his hands, there are a lot of people who need help. Destiny is fun solo, but it's transcendent in a coordinated group. Help someone else have that experience.

Here's a guide for those interested.

#ADDENDUM: INFUSION

On your quest toward LL 335, you will find pieces of gear with higher attack/defense numbers than your gear, but that you do not otherwise like. Destiny allows you to fix that by "infusing" the higher LL piece into the lower LL one. Infusion only works on legendary and exotic gear of the same gear slot, but class is irrelevant; a legendary warlock helmet can be infused with a rare titan helmet, for example.

You access infusion by selecting an item you want to boost and then clicking the "infuse" node in the bottom left. You will then be confronted with anything you have in your inventory with a higher number, and thus can be infused into the piece. In addition to the gear sacrificed, this costs glimmer, legendary marks, and if an exotic, exotic shards (gained by disassembling exotics), so it shouldn't be done lightly.

As of the April update, the item will simply jump to the light level of the infusing item, so you have only the materials to lose by doing it. You'll want to do this with most of the items you find and like.

#REFERENCES

• u/UncleYosh produced this infographic offering a breakdown of the rewards for different activities.

• This one is similar, but applies to specific gear slots.

• u/Mercules904, Reddit hero, has produced a series of "Massive breakdowns" with all the information you could possibly need about the game's gear. In particular I highly recommend his weapon spreadsheet, which helps immensely in evaluating weapons.

• This post by u/sgtfrankieboy offers a list of the quests in the game, which might be of use. It's old, but the only new quests I'm aware of were from seasonal events (Festival of the Lost, SRL, and Crimson Days) that can no longer be acquired or completed.

###TL;DR

Play the game a lot, and only do what's fun for you. There is literally only one true "mistake" you can make in Destiny, and that's to disassemble or infuse a legendary item with a really nice roll. Everything else is replaceable, usually quite easily. So just google your stuff before you destroy it, and you'll be fine.