Destiny end-game guide - Top three things to do post level 32!

So you’ve completed Destiny.

You’ve truly become a guardian of the galaxy, pushed back the minions of the darkness on multiple planets, and proved your worth in the iron banner. So what’s left to do? Destiny has some crazy end-game content that may not seem apparent directly after smashing the Black Garden and topping level 20. Lots of players have been turned away by the lack of apparent goals or structure, after all there’s only so many times you can run tiger or roc strikes hoping for a Gjallahorn. Or you’ve already got one, and it feels like there’s nothing left to strike for. This is exactly what happened to me after completing Borderlands 2, a huge thrilling boss fight leading to a very lack-lustre end game, slightly soiling the experience. However Destiny has some brilliant alternatives than just melee-smacking Claptrap over and over, here’s my guide to things to do in end-game Destiny.

Raids

Raids are a big deal in Destiny, they’re a perfect platform to meet new Guardians and level yourself up to the next big step. Even old raids like the Vault of Glass still supply you with an overflow of glimmer and materials, plus are you sure you have all the exclusive raid weapons and armour? Better run Atheon again on hard just to make sure you have The Aspect of Glass custom ship. Helping newer Guardians through the raid can seem infuriating to some seasoned players, but there’s a first time for everyone and it can be genuinely uplifting to see a noobie level 28 get his first Fatebringer. Crota is arguably more of a challenge to first-time players, as everything must be performed so a set time and in a set order. Challenge yourself to own a full set of gear for each raid, after all with the upcoming House of Wolves DLC we can finally upgrade our old Vault of Glass gear to 336 attack damage, offering more high-end guardian customisation and new playstyles. I for one cannot wait to break out my Atheon’s epilogue again, for all its flaws it totally dominates Nightfall strikes that have Void Burn on. I still use it on its current damage cap sometimes! You can also meet new players through the raid system, it’s great to build up a raid clan and meet up weekly to smash Crota or succumb to the Oracles for the millionth time.

Collection

Along the same lines as the raid, having a full set of specific items is hugely satisfying. For example collect all the exotics, I’ve currently got all of them aside the Necrochasm (I’ve got the husk but still upgrading it) and the Vex Mythoclast. I’m currently spam-running the Vault every week with my team hoping for a drop, or mowing down Thrall on the moon to level up the husk of the pit. Utilise the new enlarged vault space that Bungie has blessed up with at long last and stack up your collection! You may even discover new playstyles through this, for example the Thunderlord dropped for me the other day and I’m so impressed by how fast it destroys in Crucible! Pair it with the Ruin Wings for your titan and you’ll find a whole new way to play, likewise the pairing of the Obsidian Mind with the          Bad Juju. No better combination was discovered since Oreos with milk. And you don’t have to just collect exotics, I’m trying to find/earn a whole set of New Monarchy weapons and armour. I’m only missing the boots from the armour set, but I’ve only found the Scout rifle, Fusion rifle and Shotgun from them so far. It’s a harsh grind, but run the nightfall and pour that buffed EXP into your preferred faction of choice and you’ll get a good 2-3 packages per week. These weapons and gear really stand out and have some really cool unique stats, I’m in love with my scout rifle that came with exploding rounds and grenadier! As I said, the grind can be tough but the rewards are worth it by miles. Look great and play great!

The Cryptarch and other assorted grinding.

After vanquishing the forces of evil, finishing both raids and maxing out to Level 32, it’s time to do battle with an even greater dark power; Master Rahool and his son-of-a-bitch RNG loot system. You can always push yourself to search for greater weapons or different stat rolls. Since pre-HOW we can’t re-forge gear yet, you’re just going to have to rely on lady luck’s charms to throw a scout rifle your way that’s packing Firefly rounds, or a shotgun with super long range. The amount of times I’ve said to myself “I’ll do one more Roc strike before I go to bed”, then ended up winning a legendary item is countless, I won a Plan C from grinding just before I said I’d come off. Part of Destiny’s lure is the completely random rewards, you never know what you’re going to get! Unless you solo the Nightfall just to be shown a few measly shards… But generally it’s always a nice surprise to suddenly have a purple pop up from a blue engram. This is a great way to get diverse loot too, I’m not even level 2 on Dead Orbit but I’ve still got the boots, scout rifle and rocket launcher all from random drops! There’s a cruel temptation to grind out a loot cave or farm the strikes till you’ve maxed out your marks. There’s a fun game to play called “don’t stop Roc till an exotic drops”, which’s name is self-explanatory. Keep running those strikes, maybe put some music or a podcast on in the background, the whole thing can be a very relaxing experience. Daily stories and bounties are another great way to spend the time, making you partake in all manner of activities. I especially like the daily story missions, they give me a reason to re-live the otherwise redundant campaign. They reward you with shards and I’ve even got a couple of purples out of them, they’re a perfect excuse to return to the game world and buff yourself up even just for a little bit every day. I normally set myself the goal to complete every bounty each day, that way if I’ve done the Nightfall I can pour max EXP into levelling my faction rank and guns. There’s a lot of self-gratification involved, but if you’re willing to put in the time and effort your Guardian can become a top range lethal space savior.

The Crucible and the Iron Banner.

I remember I used to hate PVP in destiny. I chose all my gear to boost me in strike running and boss fighting, until one specific time the Iron Banner came to the tower. Now I didn’t care much for the gear and guns, aside the Warlock chest armour; The Iron Regalia Vestments. I loved the look, it was amazing and individual, I’d seen maybe two other guardians with it. I spent a whole week slaving to Lord Saladin, doing all his bounties and desperately trying to level up while collecting glimmer. I eventually got the robe and it is gorgeous, I rarely take it off unless I’m doing a raid and I need specific buffs, It’s my prize signature piece of armour. Crucible is nowhere near as rewarding as running strikes or raids, buy it’s a fun challenging experience. Are things getting a little repetitive? Put away your Thorn and Suros, try using the No Land Beyond sniper to really make you work for those kills! I recently switched my hunter to Bladedancer and its made my Crucible experience crazy fun. The guns from the Crucible vendor in the tower are generally better quality than the Vanguard ones (in my opinion, just look at the Satterienne Rapier), and you’ll need Crucible marks to buy faction weapons and gear so it’s a good idea to farm a load of them for high-level personal rewards. 

New Monarchy review - all weapons.

Prudence II (Sniper rifle) 6/10
Low magazine, low impact, incredibly good stability-to-fire-rate ratio, The Prudence II sniper is a shockingly overlooked weapon. Sporting fire damage, making it great for nightfall strikes, this sniper also functions well in PVP thanks to its various scopes and high fire rate. My only nag is the mag, there's no way to increase it from 4 shots and I'm used to snipers like Icebreaker and the Spear holding 6. However my one came with the Outlaw perk, so reload speeds are not a problem.
This is an all round good weapon, use it over any other vendor sniper, but not an exotic or iron banner one.

Prestige IV (Heavy machine gun) 2/10
If you've ever used the Super Good Advice pre-patch then you'll understand the general distaste for low-stability heavy machine guns. This is perhaps the only New Monarchy weapon I dislike, terrible stability, range and impact mixed with a maxed out fire rate means you'll miss nearly all your shots and the ones that do hit won't do anything. There's no way on mine to upgrade the stability, only token gesture perks like Rangefinder. Do not use this weapon, even Super Good Advice is better!

Purifier VII (Fusion rifle) 8/10
Pretty bad charge rate for a Fusion rifle, but that's made up for with the nearly maxed out impact and stability. Use this for PVP, it's a one-hit-kill from close to medium range. The fire damage plus the impact makes it very easy to take out shielded Hive enemies, this is a fun little weapon to use while running a exotic primary, as when it's empty you can switch to your Purifier and still deal out massive blows. Mine came with Grenadier and Flared magwell with an ammo capacity of 5, it's always in my inventory and hasn't been put in the vault since I' got it.

Judgement VI (Shotgun) 8/10
One word: Crucible nightmare. I suppose the same can be said for any shotgun, but the high reload speed and impact make this a demon to go up against. I do have a problem with the fire rate, hitting your first shot can be crucial in getting that kill, but all you need is one shot with this beast. Mine came with Grenadier and Spray-and-pray bonuses, making it also work really well in PVE. Again the small mag annoys me but you can easily wipe out 3-4 enemies if you land all the shots. aesthetically it looks great, its got a very unique black barrel extension that really stands out against other shotguns.

Vanquisher VIII (Auto rifle) 9/10
Since the auto-rifle nerf, I initially found this weapon to be a bit lack luster compared to other guns. However compared to other auto rifles it excels in its field, featuring amazing stability, a varied choice of scopes and the base perks of Outlaw and Glass half full. The later perk is heavily utilized due to the mag of 22, which can be increased at the cost of stability. The gun looks amazing too, aside the heavy weapons it's the most chunky of all the guns, sporting the thick three white stripes against stock red, none of the brown detailing like on Crusader or Purifier. Dealing out short high-damage bursts with a super-quick reload, this weapon does well against bosses, normal enemies and guardians alike. I'd suggest actively buying this one if it doesn't drop for you with those perks, it'll be worth the marks.

Crusader I (Scout rifle) 10/10
I'm not sure if it's because of the rolls I got on this one, but aside The Satterienne Rapier this is my favorite scout rifle. Rodeo, Grenadier and explosive rounds and a default maxed out reload, this may be my favorite New Monarchy weapon. If I did have to poke a flaw it'd be the aesthetic, I'm not keen on the red and brown combo, but this can be overlooked by the vibrant trademark white stripes. I cannot sing it's praises enough, it can decimate large crowds of enemies in a few shots in PVE and PVE alike making it a must-have for any loadout. I use the Quickdraw IS scope, it makes getting headshots natural and easy. I'm not sure this weapon is for sale, you're just going to have to get lucky with the perk rolls but if it pays off you'll be using this as your primary for months on end.

Red Hand IX (Hand cannon) 7/10
Let me say a few things; Impact, stability and reload. This hand cannon is visually unique, powerful and a great addition to any arsenal. Maybe I'm biased, but I got this around the same time I got Thorn and after that the Red Hand always seems a little weak compared to it. I see guardians using this weapon almost religiously in PVP and PVE, but I never really got into it. Mine rolled with explosive rounds which I love, but I'll always use Crusader I over it due to the larger mag, range and reload. I'm not saying it's a bad weapon, just a little over-hyped. Use it over any other legendary hand cannon. but not if you've got an exotic or Crusader I.

Admonisher III (Rocket launcher) 7/10
A big red beautiful beast. It looks gorgeous, there's something satisfying about carrying a big block colour heavy around on your back, a feeling I can relate to the Valedictorian but less blue. Mine rolled with proximity detonation, and grenadier. I thought this second perk is kinda wasted, my grenade will have charged anyway by the time I find heavy ammo, however hitting a large clump of enemies can completely stack up our grenade so it's fairly useful but only in certain circumstances. The fully maxed out blast radius is great too, overall its a top-tier launcher among it's peers, but some sort of tracking would be appreciated. I've been ruined by Gjallarhorn.