Destiny 2: Do You Need to Play the First Destiny?

Destiny 2

Destiny 2 just released today and you may be wondering if you need to play the first Destiny in 2014 before playing the game. Do you need an understanding of the game’s lore and gameplay to get the most out of Destiny 2?

In our opinion, you do not need to play the original Destiny to get the most out of Destiny 2.

That seems to be the general consensus among players. There is a fair amount of story content in Destiny 2 that references lore and events in the first game according to one of our reporters, Collin MacGregor, but it’s mostly to help new players get caught up by clarifying info like what the Taken are. You don’t need to know much about the story in order to enjoy the game.

If you do want to get caught up on the lore, you have plenty of resources to do so. According to many users on Reddit, most of the story from the first game can be gleamed from watching cutscenes on YouTube or by reading up on the lore on the official website, the Grimoire cards, or even fan sites like the Ishtar Collective. You don’t have to even touch the game in order to get the whole story.

According to answers submitted by users on Quora, Destiny 2’s nature as a sequel means that you can start off fresh as a new player. It’s not like an expansion to the original Destiny where it not only builds off of the story of the game but requires you to be at a certain level in order to play it. The users do recommend that you’re honest about your greenhorn status to other players while playing Destiny 2, however.

The only benefit you get from being a veteran of Destiny going into Destiny 2 is that you get some exclusive emblems in Destiny 2 after completing certain milestones in Destiny, according to Polygon. However, Developer Bungie locked Destiny character data associated with the feats on August 1, meaning that you won’t be able to earn the emblems anymore if you haven’t already.

Here are the requirements for each emblem:

Laurel Triumphant: You completed a Moment of Triumph during Destiny’s first year.

Laurea Prima II: You completed all 10 Moments of Triumph during Destiny’s first year.

Slayer of Oryx: You owned The Taken King and completed a Moment of Triumph during Destiny’s second year.

Heard the Call: You owned The Taken King and completed all 8 Moments of Triumph during Destiny’s second year.

Young Wolf: You owned Rise of Iron and reached Rank 2 in the Age of Triumph record book.

Saladin’s Pride: You owned Rise of Iron and reached Rank 7 in the Age of Triumph record book.

Lore Scholar: Your achieved a Grimoire score of over 5,000 in Destiny 1.

Speaking as someone who never played the first Destiny and jumped right into Destiny 2, I didn’t find it to be much of a problem. The very beginning of the game gives you an adequate amount of backstory about the game. Even though it did feel like I was missing some of the story, it didn’t matter since the stakes established in the first game clearly have been risen in the sequel. While it feels like a continuation, it’s still its own story and you can enjoy it as such.

Honestly I was having so much fun with the opening sequence and gameplay that I didn’t really mind. The stuff they did with the music and how they handled your character powers was very impressive and it has me excited for everything else the game had to offer.

So even if you never touched the first Destiny, there’s no reason you shouldn’t play Destiny 2. Skimming through the story of the first game may help, but it won’t impact your enjoyment of the game.