I remember when the original Destiny was announced back in 2013. At the time it sounded like a PC version would arrive just a few months after the console versions.
Unfortunately, that time would never come.
What Destiny did do is improve greatly over time. At launch, it was held back by a low volume of content and a discombobulated story. By the release of its second expansion it was much closer to the product many originally anticipated, with an interesting endgame and compelling narrative pieces. Yet, still, it was unplayable by PC gamers. Some PC gamers have taken this to heart, promising to never give Destiny a fair shot. As disappointed as I was by the situation, I’ve been willing to give it a chance as long as Bungie didn’t muck up its first PC port.
To some degree, Destiny 2 is a clean slate for the franchise, a second launch that will allow it to achieve its ambition. That ambition includes a proper PC release.
This morning I spent roughly an hour playing Destiny 2 on PC. The news is good. So good, in-fact, that I would advise anyone with a capable PC to wait the extra month and skip the console version. Below is why.
It’s a solid port. Although my PC is reasonably powerful, the general consensus is that Destiny 2 runs well on PC. Playing at 1440p on a GTX 1080, I was able to crank up the settings and enjoy a rather spectacular presentation. As with the first title, this is a high production value title with some of the best sci-fi shooter art the world has ever seen. The game regularly flexes its muscles with awe-inspiring backdrops that include dozens of spaceships, planets, effects, and more. Its a sight to behold, especially on PC where you can take advantage of High and Ultra graphics options.
A wealth of settings. There’s a lot to play around with in the graphics settings. You can fine tune everything from shadow quality to draw distance. There are also toggles for chromatic aberration, motion blur, and film grain. With this, you can cater the graphics to your PC’s capabilities and get every last bit of power out of your rig possible.
A masterpiece on Ultra. This is one very good-looking game. Sadly, on console it will be bound to 30 FPS with the equivalent of Medium settings. On PC, you can crank everything up. This results in a massive difference in how believable the world is. Enemies are better defined on Ultra, and the environment around you pops with higher resolution textures. This is one of the best looking shooters the world has ever seen, and on PC you get the full experience.
Right at home. In a way similar to Overwatch, Destiny 2 is a twitch-based shooter. As much as some console gaming enthusiasts will argue that they prefer using a controller, this style of shooter is born for keyboard and mouse. Snapping to headshots and rotating quickly through targets is so much better on the PC version. The hitboxes are well-defined, inviting headshots, which are much more engaging to hit with a mouse. This is particularly important in competitive multiplayer where the skill cap is much higher, leading to more impressive battles.
FPS unlocked. You can choose to limit the FPS to 30 or 60 in the PC version. Even better, you can unlock it altogether if you’re someone with a 144hz~ monitor. Along with the graphics settings, there’s a great deal of flexibility in how you define the graphical presentation.
A real social environment. If you’ve played multiplayer games on PC before, you’re certainly aware that PC gamers tend to be far more social. That has translated to a much more interactive experience on the PC version of Destiny 2, where gamers are more likely to use their microphones and engage with you. I’ve played the beta for the PS4 and PC versions, and can attest to quite a significant difference. The only problem is the PC community will be much smaller due to lower sales, so you could have issues with popularity in the long-run.
If you’re someone who has no interest in PC games, then don’t worry. Destiny 2 plays great on console, and will be the preferred way to play for those who like playing on a couch.
That said, the PC version is objectively better. If you’re torn between the two versions, you’ll want to consider where your friends will play. In cases where that doesn’t matter, wait the extra month and get the PC version. You won’t regret it.
