Destiny 2 New Lights left “utterly lost” by lackluster newbie experience

Destiny 2 has proven unapproachable for one player who had considered revisiting the franchise and their experience has triggered renewed debate over the new player experience.

A major contributor to Destiny 2’s inaccessibility for newbies – or New Lights, as they’re officially named – has frequently been attributed to Bungie’s vaulting of content, obtuse user interface, and a general lack of guidance.

That being the case, it’s hardly surprising that potential New Lights often fail to stick around. “As a new player, I am utterly lost,” read the opening statement of one lapsed Destiny fan on Reddit.

Stating they had played the original game up to and including The Taken King and had decided to give its sequel a bash, they added “I was hoping to play through the DLCs in order to get caught up with the story, but the menus are so confusing and poorly explained that I cannot tell what order to do what.

“I tried to follow the quests as they were given to me, but then I immediately got thrust into The Pale Heart, talking to characters I never met or knew anything about,” they continued.

Responses to the OP were mixed. Some claimed that narrative flow would naturally make little sense to someone having to play seven years of catch-up.

“These posts are getting a little ridiculous. OP stopped playing around Taken King. It’s a whopping seven years and then they ask ‘Did I miss something?’ Yeah, like no sh*t Sherlock, you missed seven years of the story unfolding.”

Others used contemporary games to point out that New Lights should have the chance to experience everything instead of missing out on key story beats as a result of removed content.

“Here’s the thing, though. If I jump into Final Fantasy 14 today, ALL of it is still there. I can play it from start to finish. It’s a big time commitment, but if I don’t want to be lost, I can get to where everybody else is in a way that isn’t possible with D2.”

Bungie has improved the new player experience during Destiny 2’s lifespan but whether further changes are on the cards remains to be seen.

A returning player yourself? If you’ve reached The Final Shape’s campaign, check out our mission breakdown.