Over the years the term ‘beta’ has evolved in its meaning. Whereas it used to be solely for player feedback to make any changes to the title before launch, it has become more of just another form of promotion with little thought to issues or fan suggestions. Luckily, the tides seem to be turning as more and more developers are going back to the true meaning of a beta period and Destiny 2 will be no different. Those getting their hands on the Destiny 2 beta will be participating in a testing period for the developers as they want to make sure the backend part of their systems can appropriately handle the latest title. They also want to make sure that the PvP and weapon systems in the game are balanced and enjoyable.

Bungie figure Rob Engeln talks about the purpose behind the Destiny 2 beta and how it is more than a promotional tool,

It is a test. The game feels really polished, and so it feels like ‘Oh, this is just a demo,’ but there’s a lot of stuff you don’t see on the backend. And obviously, we’re testing the servers, we’re testing our matchmaking, the login queues, the sign-in, but even more than that, we’re testing our internal processes for releasing a game, and there are all kinds of things you don’t discover until you have to put something out in the world.”

Regarding the in-game aspects such as the PvP and weapons system, the beta will help the team at bungie gather real-time information on how everything works when put under a lot of player stress giving them the opportunity to see how truly balanced everything is. Internal testing with the developer team can only do so much, the real test is when the servers go live for a large player base and that’s what this beta serves as.

If you’re playing the Destiny 2 beta now, don’t expect big plot points or an in-depth look at the story. That isn’t because there is none, quite the opposite in fact. Engeln talks about why the beta is for the more universal aspects of the game and why they chose only certain parts to be shown, “A big goal for the beta, fundamentally, is to not to give too much away.” In a lot of ways, the latest beta will operate much in the same way as Destiny 1 so that is familiar while still showing off what the next title has in store and provides the team with intel on how to make it better.

The Destiny 2 beta includes:

• Homecoming story mission
• Inverted Spire Strike
• PvP Modes Countdown and Control
• Six available subclasses

The beta for consoles officially starts on July 18th for the PS4 with a July 19th date for Xbox One players. There is no set date yet other than in the month of August for when PC hopefuls will get to test out the game for themselves. Destiny 2 releases September 6th on consoles and October 24th for PC.

Are you excited to try out what this game has in store? With all of the promises and improvements to narrative, will this be a title to look forward to? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below, and don’t forget to check out DFTG on Twitter for gaming and entertainment news, reviews, and everything in between live 24/7!