I originally started this thread over on the Destiny Sub-reddit however I think it will be helpful here too. [b]How many classes are there?[/b] [spoiler]There are 3 classes. The Hunter, The Warlock and the Titan. Each of these is split into 2 Sub-classes. For the Hunter there is the Gunslinger and the Bladedancer, the Warlock has the Voidwalker and the Sunsinger and the Titan has the Striker and the Defender. Once you get to level 15 on ANY class it unlocks the sub-classes for every future class and character.[/spoiler] [b]What is the level cap?[/b] [spoiler]There is a soft level cap of 20 which you can obtain through gaining XP through kills, missions and bounties. After level 20 you gain Light, which is part of the equipment you obtain. The more Light you have equipped at one time the higher your level. The highest current level is 30 which is only obtainable with complete raid gear or 1 exotic, all of which give 30 light points each.[/spoiler] [b]What is Reputation for? What are the Factions?[/b] [spoiler]By default every player is in the Vanguard faction, you gain reputation for this faction by completing Vanguard bounties and specific daily/weekly missions. You can choose to join other Factions within the Tower by wearing their specific class item, this in turn gives you Faction reputation instead of Vanguard. Levelling up a Faction gives you access to exclusive Legendaries, Emblems and Class items. After level 3 in a faction you are given a random Legendary engram for each level. It's worth noting that you can only gain reputation for 1 faction at a time, either the Vanguard or one of the other 3 within the Tower. However you can gain Vanguard reputation AND Crucible reputation at the same time, but if you equip a faction item ALL reputation goes towards that faction including the Crucible.[/spoiler] [b]What are Marks?[/b] [spoiler]Marks are the first form of premium currency you will come across and can only be obtained after level 18, they are split into Vanguard marks which are gained through daily/weekly missions and Public Events and Crucible Marks which are gained through competing in Crucible matches. PLEASE NOTE You can only gain 100 of each Mark per week this is shown on the Director Screen (level select) with the blue and red bars going around the Strike and Crucible icons. ALSO You can only HOLD 200 of each in your inventory at a time, any marks gained after you have 200 are lost so it's worth-while spending them to ensure you don't lose any. You can also trade in resources like Spinmetal for Marks at particular Vendors. However you only get about 3 marks per 50 resources. There are no separate marks for the 3 optional factions, only Vanguard and Crucible.[/spoiler] [b]What do I spend my Marks on?[/b] [spoiler]There are Vendors in the Tower who only accept Vanguard Marks or Crucible Marks, they sell Legendary equipment weapons and Sparrows. It's worth noting that the element on those Legendary weapons may change on refresh, so if you're really after a particular sniper rifle with solar damage you can hold out for it changing. [/spoiler] [b]What are Bounties?[/b] [spoiler]Bounties are optional missions you can obtain after hitting Level 4 from Xander 99-40 in the Tower. They change each day and are separated into Vanguard (PvE) and Crucible (PvP). They reward Marks and XP on completion and sometimes other rewards such as Ship Schematics, Strange Coins, Motes of Light and Exotic Bounties.[/spoiler] [b]Exotic Bounties[/b] [spoiler]Exotic bounties are rare quest-chains that send you on an adventure to gain one of the sought after Exotic weapons. Some of them have easy requirements such as go here, find this. Others have you battling out in PvP trying to keep a high K/D ratio. NOTE: Everyone should be aware that you can only equip 1 Exotic piece of equipment and 1 Exotic weapon at a time. You can still however hold them in your inventory and switch when you like.[/spoiler] [b]How do I get Exotic Bounties?[/b] [spoiler]Pray to RNGesus, it's completely random when you hand in Bounties, you may get an exotic one in return which then allows you to choose between 3 different Exotic Quests, the quests don't list what the bounty gives you so it's a good idea to read about them here[/spoiler] [b]What does dismantling an Exotic give you?[/b] [spoiler]The exact same items that you would get from dismantling a Legendary. Also please note you can't break down inventory items or Engrams for resources, if it says "Destroy" you will literally just delete it and gain nothing[/spoiler]. [b]What is the Queen's Bounty/Wrath? - This is a timed event due to end October 6th 2014[/b] [spoiler]The Queen's bounties are a limited-time event in which 5 additional bounties with a mixture of PvE and PvP were added to Xander's bounty list. Completion of these bounties offered Queen's Reputation which is a separate "faction" used to purchase Queen's Wrath items and allowing access to special "Kill Order" missions, these missions rewarded exclusive Queen's equipment (basic Legendaries) and exclusive weapons.[/spoiler] [b]What is the Iron Banner? - Limited timed event which has not started yet[/b] [spoiler]The Iron Banner is a limited time event in which players are not balanced for PvP and all weapon and armour upgrades count. More information will be added when the event officially starts.[/spoiler] [b]What are the Trials of Osiris? - Limited timed event which has not started yet[/b] [spoiler]The Trials of Osiris are a limited time event in which players face off in 3vs3 battles and the rewards become greater the longer your win streak, however if you fail 3 times you are kicked out of the event. More information will be added when the event officially starts.[/spoiler] [b]What are Public Events?[/b] [spoiler]Public events are random events that happen during patrol missions on planets, they reward XP Marks and Ascendant Materials. You can easily track when an event MIGHT happen by going to DestinyPublicEvents.Com[/spoiler] [b]Who is the Cryptarch[/b] [spoiler]He is the ultimate evil and the hardest boss in the game... At least he was until the latest patch. Rahool the Cryptarch decrypts engrams that you bring him. If you hover the cursor over the engram it will tell you the possible outcomes. He also has a seperate level-up bar and he will gift you rare and legendary engrams every time you level them up, you can find them at the post-master.[/spoiler] [b]Who is the Post-Master and what are Lost Items?[/b] [spoiler]The Post-Master is Kadi 55-30 and she receives gifts from factions and Rahool that they send you once you level them up. She also maintains any "Lost Items" that you didn't pick up during a mission or that wouldn't fit into your inventory. It's worth noting that you should always pick up any engrams you see and don't rely on them being "posted" to you. Players have reported missing engrams. You should also be aware that only Blue (rare) and Purple (Legendary) engrams are ever posted. Never Green (uncommon) or White (common)[/spoiler] [b]How do I obtain Engrams?[/b] [spoiler]ANY enemy drops them, some bosses have reported to drop them too. * Chests * Gifts from factions/Rahool * Crucible Rewards * Tiger Strike Playlist * Daily Story Mission[/spoiler] [b]How do I upgrade Legendary or Exotic Gear?[/b] [spoiler]If you are lucky enough to nab yourself a Legendary or even an Exotic you may notice a significant addition to the upgrade options comared to their rare counterparts. Firstly most of the upgrades require one of the 4 resources found on the planets (details further down) and depending on the type they will always use Legendary rank resources too. All Legendary and Exotic weapons need Ascendant Energy and all Legendary and Exotic Armour uses Ascendant Shards. Details on the best places to find these are below.[/spoiler] [b]Who or What is Xur?[/b] [spoiler]Xur is a strange and mysterious Vendor that we know nothing about. He only shows up from Friday to Sunday and at random locations throughout the Tower, he sells exotic equipment and sparrow upgrades. he accepts premium currency known as Strange Coins and Motes of light.[/spoiler] [b]What are Strange Coins? And where do I get them?[/b] [spoiler]Strange coins are a currency accepted by the mysterious Vendor Xur. You can purchase exotic items and Sparrow upgrades with them. Methods of obtaining Strange Coins: The weekly strike on the hardest difficulty gives you 9 coins * Decrypting Engrams * Loot Chests * Bounty Rewards * Crucible and Strike rewards * Rewards from levelling up factions or the Cryptarch[/spoiler] [b]What are Motes of Light? And how do I get them?[/b] [spoiler]Motes of Light are another form of currency accepted by Xur they can purchase an Exotic Engram which gives you a random class of exotic armour. The Speaker also accepts the Motes for Legendary class equipment and Emblems. Methods of Obtaining Motes of Light: * Any "XP" level up after level 20 rewards a Mote. You can check your progress after level 20 by highlighting "Level 20" in the character screen with your cursor. * Decrypting Engrams * Bounty Rewards * Crucible and Strike rewards[/spoiler] [b]What are Ascendant Shards/Energy? And where do I get them?[/b] [spoiler]Ascendant Materials are a Legendary Class resource used to upgrade your equipment. Energy for weapons Shards for Armour. Methods of Obtaining Ascendant Materials: * The Daily Story mission on the hardest difficulty gives you 2 of either * Dismantling Legendary equipment * Strike and Crucible rewards * Daily Public Events * Rewards from levelling up factions or the Cryptarch[/spoiler] [u][b]Continuned Below[/b][/u]