Is Destiny 2 pay to play in 2024?

As a hardcore Destiny fan whose played over 1,000 hours since the original 2014 release, I often get asked by new lights (new players) – can you really enjoy Destiny 2 in 2024 without paying? Is it truly pay to play?

The answer is yes…and no. While the core Destiny 2 experience is now free-to-play, enjoying everything new and fun that Bungie pumps out every few months does require opening your wallet. Let‘s break it down in detail so you know exactly what you‘ll get access to as a free guardian.

What Content is Free in Destiny 2?

When Destiny 2 went free-to-play in 2019 alongside the Shadowkeep expansion, Bungie made the original Red War campaign, Curse of Osiris, Warmind, and Seasons 1-3 completely free. This includes:

• 20+ story missions
• Hundreds of open world destinations, lost sectors, public events
• Core activities like strikes, Crucible, and Gambit playlists
• The first two raids – Vault of Glass and Leviathan
• Prophecy dungeon with awesome new adversary, The Kell Echo
• All Year 1 exotic weapons and Year 1-3 exotic armor

So new free players, or New Lights, can easily sink 50-100 hours into that content alone chasing rolls on favorites like Ace of Spades or truth-tracking Gjallarhorn rocket launchers from back in prime Destiny.

However, every fall Bungie releases a new $40 expansion that requires purchase to access the campaign, new destination, raid, dungeon, and certain exotics locked to that DLC. For example, 2021‘s The Witch Queen expansion had an awesome storyline unveiling Savathun‘s Lucent Brood and the weapon crafting system.

Free vs. Paid Content Matrix

So as you can see in the table, free players get a taste but entire chunks of the world, awesome weapons, and pinnacle PvE raids require opening your wallet. Is it still fun? Absolutely. But you‘ll crave what lies behind the DLC paywall after you‘ve played everything F2P offers 2-3 times over.

How Does Destiny 2 Make Money in 2024?

From a revenue perspective, Destiny 2 made over $300 million in 2021 across all platforms according to estimates by SuperData Research. Of that total:

• 41% came from annual expansion sales like 2021‘s The Witch Queen
• 36% came from seasonal passes tied to the 4 seasons per year
• 23% came from Eververse microtransactions and consumable Silver

So while the core experience may now be free, Destiny 2‘s finances depend on that consistent paid content model to fund ongoing development and content releases. Expansions like next month‘s Lightfall cost just as much to build as full retail games but continually evolve the universe rather than make a Destiny 3.

And before you balk at "paying for content that used to be free", look at World of Warcraft. Blizzard‘s juggernaut MMORPG charges $15 per month for access whereas Destiny locks seasonal activities behind a one-time $10 purchase. The new dungeon key bundle does sting for $20 every 3 months but considering raids take 6+ months to build, I think it‘s an understandable ask.

Does Spending Money Make You More Competitive?

This is a complex question within the Destiny community. My personal take – while spending money certainly provides gameplay advantages, skill and experience outweigh incremental gear benefits. Case in point:

• Free players have access to great exotics like Vigilance Wing pulse rifle, Wardcliff Coil rocket launcher, or Stompees which boost aerial combat.
• Meta weapons like Fatebringer or Felwinter‘s Lie dominate PvP as much as any paid exotic Hand Cannon or Shotgun
• Activities like Trials or Grandmaster Nightfalls require finely tuned builds, map knowledge, and tight teamwork compared to gear alone

However, it‘s naive to claim that access to powerful seasonal artifact mods, enhanced perks on raid gear, or the latest broken exotic like Lorentz Driver don‘t offer an edge. But a skilled team of New Lights can still go Flawless in Trials or take down vaulted Glass if they put in the practice.

My advice – jump into playlist activities as a free guardian and see how you stack up. Getting steamrolled in Iron Banner or by stacked squads in Control may encourage you to upgrade to stay competitive. But you can hold your own early and have a blast with what‘s available for $0 while you learn the ropes.

Should You Start Playing Destiny 2 in 2024?

I‘ll be straight with you – no live service game offers as satisfying of gameplay as Destiny 2 when it clicks. The fantastic gunplay built on Bungie‘s 30+ year FPS pedigree combined with RPG progression systems and choreographed raid encounters are first class.

Free players can easily enjoy 50-100 hours exploring worlds, finding cool looking loot, and teaming up with friends for endgame PvE challenges like Grasp of Avarice dungeon or Vault of Glass raid (VOTD). PvP modes offer quick action when you just want to log in and compete for 30 mins.

But eventually, you‘ll crave the newest exotic like Dead Messenger grenade launcher or Hakke-foundry SMG Funnelweb locked behind expansion ownership. And earnable cosmetics to make your guardian look amazing require buying seasonal passes.

My advice – jump in, have fun with fellow kinderguardians and if you hit the content wall after the honeymoon phase, snag The Witch Queen. Everything I‘ve seen previews of February 2023‘s Lightfall expansion looks incredibly promising to evolve the game even further.

Whether you play for hours every night or only a few weekends per month, Destiny 2 keeps rewarding loyal guardians with meaningful upgrades, not just boredom batting. I‘ll see you starside whether on paid or free patrol!

Eyes Up Guardian! Let me know any lingering questions in the comments and what platform you play on!