Destiny 2 console beta was extended, so don't be surprised if we get an extra day or two for the PC beta.
A small consolation though: Destiny 2's PC open beta starts today (likely at 10 a.m. Head here for more details on the beta, to download Battle.net, and start playing. You can pre-load the Destiny 2 PC beta tonight Update August 25, 2017: Bungie have revealed pre-load times for the Destiny 2 PC beta. All PC players can pre-load the open beta at 10:00 Pacific,. Aug 29, 2017 - If you're eager to start playing Destiny 2, you may want to download the Destiny 2 PC Beta to get your fix. Here's what you'll need to do to get.
Can I play the beta on Steam?
Destiny 2 Beta Date
Nope, Bungie and Activision are using Blizzard's Battle.net to host the game and the beta, so no Steam. This means Destiny 2 will sit next to such austere company as Overwatch, Hearthstone and Diablo III.
Go here to get started. You can already pre-download the beta.
What are the minimum and recommended PC specs?
For legacy hardware, Bungie recommends an Intel Core i3-3250 3.5 GHz CPU paired with at least an AMD FX-4350 4.2 GHz or NVidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB GPU and 6 GB RAM:
And for more modern PCs:
What content is available during the beta?
Pretty much the same content from the console beta is available on the PC beta with some exceptions. Here's what PC gamers will have access to:
PVE:
- The very cool opening 'Homecoming' mission which takes place as the Tower is under assault from the new Big Bad.
- The 'Inverted Spire' Strike, which is a fun three-player co-op mission that ends with a powerful boss fight.
PVP:
Bungie Destiny 2 Download
- Two PvP Crucible modes/maps for teams of 4 vs 4.
- In Control players attempt to take and hold three points across a map. A new, never-before-played map, Javelin-4 will replace the console beta's Endless Vale map.
- In Countdown teams alternate setting or defusing bombs in short matches with Elimination rules. First team to 6 wins takes the match. The map Midtown will return for this mode.
Unless something changes, the PC beta will also not send players to The Farm, the new social area in Destiny 2. Console players were briefly able to visit the area.
What about the keyboard controls?
Here you go:
Probably the toughest thing about playing Destiny 2 for me was adjusting from a gamepad to a keyboard simply in terms of what button did what. I love the precision of a mouse, but remembering where everything is mapped presents difficulties in the heat of battle. It's not a big deal or something that will affect anyone who sticks with PC as their platform of choice, but it takes some adjustment time in the beginning.
What if I encounter problems?
Betas are all about imperfection. If you do encounter a bug or another issue, post the following to the Help Forum:
- Blizzard Tag
- Time in which issue occurred
- Activity in which issue occurred
- Description of what happened
Screenshots:
That's all folks.
Destiny 2 For Pc Download
As always, thanks for stopping by and I hope this guide was helpful. If you have any other questions feel free to hit me up on Twitter @erikkain.
Here's the PC beta trailer:
Destiny 2 ($60 on Amazon) is out on consoles as of next week, but us poor PC folk have to wait until October 24 for the full release of Bungie’s shooter. A small consolation though: Destiny 2's PC open beta starts today (likely at 10 a.m. Pacific) and runs through Thursday, August 31 if you’re in a try-before-you-buy mood. Just remember you’ll need to download Blizzard's Battle.net to play it—the game isn't on Steam.
It’s a pretty meaty beta though, as these things go. The opening mission covers the same section of the campaign that we saw at E3 back in June, countering a Red Legion ambush.
There’s a bit more to the beta though, following on to a proper end point and showing off what seems to be Destiny 2’s main villain. You’re then kicked to a lobby, from which you can play a variety of player-versus-player modes or the beta’s single cooperative Strike mission. This will all be extra familiar to those who played the PS4 beta last month, as aside from a single PvP map the beta is identical.
What’s not identical is the whole “PC” side of things. You know—mouse and keyboard, 4K, uncapped frame rate, extremely pretty visuals, and the like. Destiny is one of the console’s best-looking games this generation, but it’s unreal looking on PC. At E3 I called it one of the best-looking shooters of all time, and the beta hasn’t dissuaded me from that opinion. It’s fantastic.
I also remain impressed with Bungie’s ability to make bullet-sponge enemies that nevertheless feel good to shoot. That was one of the main problems with The Division ($50 on Amazon)—guns often felt like pea shooters, thanks to the minimal feedback and the number of rounds enemies soaked up. Here, each enemy takes at least two or three shots to down but you still feel powerful. Hand cannons in particular have a roar to them, punctuated by the kick of the recoil. It feels good.
The only thing I’m a bit miffed by at the moment: Not all the keys are remappable. Most are, but for some reason the character screen/inventory is locked to F1. This is only particularly frustrating because Alt-F1 is the Shadowplay screenshot hotkey, and since you’re running through Battle.net it’s also the easiest way (if you have an Nvidia card) to capture your finest moments—at which time the character screen overlay pops up and obscures your vision. Silly and (seemingly) avoidable.
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But aside from that annoyance, this is looking like one of 2017’s best, or at least best-looking, shooters. All the options you’d want are there, from FOV to Borderless Windowed. Nvidia has worked with Bungie to add in support for 4K resolution, uncapped frame rates, and even high-dynamic range (HDR) visuals. Everything’s running smooth as could be. I continue to be impressed, given this is the first Bungie game to hit the PC in over a decade. Who knew they’d outperform developers who’ve been working with PCs for ages?
How To Download The Destiny 2 Beta On Pc
It’s going to be a long wait until October 24.
Destiny 2 Beta Launch Date
Head here for more details on the beta, to download Battle.net, and start playing. Maybe I’ll see you out there.