Felt like making a tips post for the run up to the beta. Some of these will probably be useful for people who didn't get to try out the Alpha or who have recently started following Destiny. [u]General[/u] [b]Try Out All The Classes[/b] Destiny has 3 different classes to choose from, each with varying Super abilities and play styles. Are you all about precision? The Hunter and its Golden Gun may be what you’re looking for, or if you just want to cause massive damage over a large area, you may favour the Warlock or Titan. The beta will give you the opportunity to get a proper feel for each class, allowing you to better prepare for the full game. [b]Find the Weapon That’s Right for You[/b] Destiny has an array of weapon types and they all work very differently. If you happen to find a particular weapon type you are comfortable with that’s great, but don’t be scared to try out the other types, you may find something you like even more. [b] Be Online During The 26th[/b] Bungie have revealed that if you are online during the 26th, you’ll receive a special emblem for your character in the full game as a token to show that you were a part of the beta and helped in the development of Destiny. [b]Make Use of the Fresh New Bungie.net[/b] When the beta launches, Bungie.net is going to get a shiny new update, with lots of new features and ways in which you can interact with your friends and community. During the Alpha, we were given a taste of what was to come, such as a clan building feature, which allows you to create your own clan and invite others to join. Another feature was being able to view all of your characters in great depth along with detailed stats and more. [b]Upgrade Your Gear[/b] This sounds like a pretty obvious point, but I during the Alpha I found myself often forgetting to upgrade my gear. As a general rule: any ‘Uncommon’ (green) or higher tiered gear can be upgraded. Whenever you view your equipment, look for a ‘plus’ (+) icon in the corner of each gear slot, as this indicates that there’s an upgrade available. [b]asixpointedheart on Orbs of Light - from reddit[/b] [quote]This is most relevant in PvE, but understanding how Orbs of Light work is important: When an enemy is killed with the Golden Gun, Nova Bomb, or Fist of Havoc, an orb is generated. These are for your teammates. By picking them up, their Supers recharge that much more quickly. This means, especially in PvE, that it's often more effective to use your Super on the smaller mobs -- not enemies like Elite Captains. You want to generate as many orbs as possible, so you and the rest of your fireteam can chain Supers together.[/quote] [u]Competitive Multiplayer[/u] [b]Use Your Sparrow (If You Can)[/b] Just ‘cause you are in a PvP match that doesn’t mean you can’t use your Sparrow! Well, it does on most maps, but on the Moon map ‘First Light’ you are able to use your Sparrow to get around. It’s a really useful way of getting straight back in to the fight after you’ve died, or if you need to get out of a hairy situation quickly. [b]Always Pick Up The Special/Heavy Ammo[/b] Heavy and Special ammo are VERY useful. Currently, they spawn after the first 30 seconds, then after that they spawn every 60 seconds until the game finishes. If you pick up an ammo drop, any team mates within 20 metres will also receive the ammo that was picked up, so always make sure to pick it up if you are nearby. [b]Switch Weapons On The Fly[/b] Playing on a close quarters map and you wish you had your Shotgun but you have a Sniper rifle in your Special slot instead? Don’t worry; you are able to switch out your weapons at any time. HOWEVER, any time you switch out your Special/Heavy weapon to another weapon you will lose all of the ammo you had for that type of weapon, so be cautious! [u]Co-operative Strikes[/u] [b]Bring Consumables[/b] Consumables are items that are used to replenish ammo and can also provide temporary buffs to player characteristics. These are very useful during Strikes, especially on the ‘Legend’ difficulty. Consumables can be bought from a vendor in the Tower. [b]Use a Headset If You Have One[/b] When it comes to co-operative play, communication is key. This also applies to competitive multiplayer but I feel it’s more important during Strikes. Making use of a headset will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your Fireteam when taking down tough Strike bosses. [b]Keep A Tight Formation[/b] Don’t wander too far from your teammates; if you die during a Strike, it is up to your fellow Guardians to revive you. If you die and you’re half way across the map, it can make things particularly difficult for the rest of the group and could potentially end up causing your Fireteam to ‘wipe’ forcing you to restart the Strike all over again. Sticking close to each other makes it easier to revive and minimizes the risk of wiping. [b]More points from Local_Seattle_Man on reddit[/b] [quote]When you choose your strike there are percentages next to your gear letting you know how effective you're going to be during the strike. This is not a wise thing to ignore you will make it harder for you and more importantly you will make it extremely difficult on your team if you're under geared. While sticking together for the trash is a good idea be mindful of boss mechanics. (e.g. the giant spider robot in alpha was easier to handle if you split to each side of the map and mid operated more as a medic.[/quote]