Ten years later, the original Destiny is still around and kicking, and it won’t cost you much to dip your toes back into the old-school Bungie looter shooter. The price for all of Destiny 1‘s DLC and expansions in one simple package is currently just $20.
Destiny – The Collection, normally still $60 (???), has been marked down 66 percent (via The Game Post). That includes both year-one DLCs—The Dark Below and House of Wolves—as well as The Taken King and Rise of Iron expansions. There’s even a Level 40 Character Boost thrown in just in case you want to skip all of the early-game grinding. I’d argue against that though. The point of returning to vanilla Destiny in the year 2024 is to experience the lows and highs of the early vision guiding the live-service MMO free from the loot rat race.
For a veteran player, returning now is like visiting your old high school; a mix of fond remembrances and haunting ghosts that briefly transports us to a past version of the world and ourselves. For everyone else, it’s a chance to enjoy some truly brilliant mission design, combat encounters, and overall art direction from masters of the craft. While Destiny 2 has improved upon the past in so many ways, there’s still no replacement for the simplicity and purity of those year-one story missions and nightfall bosses.
Even the raids, many of which have been re-engineered in Destiny 2, take on a different flavor with the streamlined shooter kits and gear of the first game. Then there’s Wrath of the Machine, the Rise of Iron raid that still remains exclusive to Destiny 1. There’s still nothing quite like it in the current game, and if it eventually gets added, it still won’t feel the same.
Look no farther than Ice Breaker, the sniper rifle that regenerates ammo and hits like a locomotive. It was reprised in Destiny 2‘s current Episode Revenant, but it’s just not the same. And my personal favorite thing from Destiny 1 hasn’t returned at all: self-rezzing Warlocks. Apparently it would be “bad for the meta” or something. So while I’d love for Bungie to find the space and resources to do a proper Blizzard-style Destiny: Classic remaster at some point, it essentially still exists and it plays just fine on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. In fact, I still can’t believe just how dazzling the old skyboxes continue to look. Catch you in the Ishtar Sink on Venus.