On Tuesday, September 9 next week, Bungie's long-awaited Destiny makes its debut. If you're interested in picking up the title, there are several editions for you to consider.
We'll pick through the rubble and show you the key differences between Ghost and Guardian Editions, and where you'll get the best perks for snagging them early. (As of writing, some of these editions are now out of stock or hard to find.)
Standard Edition Only, Please
If you just want the Standard Edition, some retailers will give you bonuses along with your pre-order. If you're pre-ordering the Destiny Standard Edition for the Xbox One or Xbox 360, your best pre-order option will be at the Microsoft Store.
There you'll get a bonus $10 Xbox gift code via email, plus if you pre-order by Friday, September 5th at 2pm Pacific, the MS Store is guaranteeing you'll receive your copy of Destiny on the September 9th release date. Not bad!
If you're pre-ordering for the PS4 or PS3, your best option is probably at Best Buy, where you'll receive $10 worth of My Best Buy Rewards Points as an extra incentive to use on future purchases. Additionally, you can opt to pick up your copy in a local Best Buy store to play on release date. You can also choose GameStop, which has no store credit bonus but gives you the Upgraded Sparrow Vehicle pre-order bonus - a GameStop exclusive.
Two things to note before we dissect the different Editions:
1) All pre-orders from qualified retailers come with a Vanguard Armory Set, giving you early access to special weapons and armor that would otherwise take extra time and effort to accumulate in the game were you to buy post-release. The list of names and items in the Vanguard Armory Set has been released, but specific stats and details on those bonuses are presently MIA.
2) The Destiny Expansion Pass comes with every Edition save the Standard. Yep, Destiny already has extra content available to buy. It contains two expansion packs: "The Dark Below" and the "House of Wolves". These get you access to extra story missions, cooperative activities, multiplayer arenas, and more weapons and gear.
Limited Edition - $99.99
The Limited Edition gets you everything from the Ghost Edition except for a few big physical items. You won't get the Relics from a Golden Age (sorry, no stickers for you) or the Ghost Replica. Everything else - the Star Chart, SteelBook case with game disc, Arms and Armament Field Guide, and so on - is still included. For next gen consoles, the Limited Edition is sold out, but the Xbox 360 version is available at the Microsoft Store with a bonus $10 Xbox Gift Code, while the PS3 Limited Edition is still for sale at Walmart.
Digital Guardian Edition - $89.99
It's pretty hard to sell out of a digital download product, and fortunately no one is sold out of the "Guardian Edition". There's only a limited list of retailers selling the Guardian Edition though - GameStop being the most prominent because you'll get also get a GameStop-exclusive "Upgraded Sparrow Vehicle" with your pre-order. You get what's in the Limited Edition except the physical items, but for $10 less. It's a pure download only but may still be worth it, because in addition to a few exclusive items, you'll also save $5 vs. buying the Standard Edition of the game and the Destiny Expansion Pass separately. Here's what's included in the Guardian Edition:
Ghost Edition - $149.99 (SOLD OUT)
You would've needed to pre-order this bundle immediately as it showed up for sale. As of writing, it's sold out at every retailer. The only way to go about buying the Ghost Edition is via eBay, where they're currently selling for well over $200. The Ghost Edition contained the best array of physical goodies:
Which Destiny Edition Should You Buy?
What Edition is the best? That's quite subjective. Right now, we think just pre-ordering the Standard Edition will get you a decent enough monetary bonus that if you decide to upgrade later to the Destiny Expansion Pass, you won't miss the $5 or so you'd have saved by buying the beefier Limited or Guardian Editions of the game.
Nevertheless, some of the physical and in-game items are attractive, and judging by rapid sales, there's definitely demand out there for them. Comment below and tell us which Edition is your favorite - or anything we forgot to mention.
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