Destiny 2 Cross-Save Is Terrific, once you make it work

The long-awaited ability to move your Destiny 2 progression between multiple platforms has finally arrived. Destiny 2's cross-backup was launched a few hours later than planned, but it's here – and it's working as promised, provided you can follow the initial setup process.

The launch of Cross-save coincided with the maintenance of Bungie.net. Bungie was forced to delay the launch for several hours due to maintenance work, which is now complete. As detailed in Bungie's cross-backup guide, you will need to connect each of your accounts and authenticate them as your own. This seems to be the stage where most people are stumbling. Many of us here at GameSpot have discovered that one platform authentication cancels another. Repeated authentication has finally worked for me and allowed me to continue – all platforms must be authenticated before continuing – but others are still stuck on this step and are sometimes faced with "500" errors during authentication. The situation seems to be improving and it is probably a temporary problem that will soon be forgotten.

And that's good news because cross-saving is really great right now. Although it would have been nice to have a crossover game (that means you could play with those of other platforms, whether you're on PS4, Xbox One or PC), it's the best thing to do. And it's probably a superior solution, which eliminates having to have content on each platform, because it allows console players to enjoy the benefits of PC gaming. As a long time console player, switching to the PC version almost feels like playing a completely new game. As beautiful as the game may appear on an Xbox One X, the refresh rate of over 60 FPS on PC is a sight to behold and the loading speed of Pursuits and other menu screens is a considerable improvement from life quality. And fortunately, from what I have been able to experience so far, the progress seems to be transmitted without a hitch. I won a little equipment and completed a PC bonus, then I was able to start my Xbox One, cash this premium and dismantle the equipment without apparent delay.

The only drawback of cross-saving is that you must own the game on every platform you want to play on – and that makes things rather complicated. Things will change later this year, as Bungie releases Destiny 2: New Light, a free version that includes the basic game and its first DLC expansion. In addition, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep will be launched as a standalone extension. So you can theoretically buy it on your secondary platforms and read this new content. But using New Light or Shadowkeep would prevent you from accessing, for example, the Forsaken raid or Black Armory forges – although the equipment you gained through these activities on your main platform (s) ) are always usable. What makes it even more difficult is that the PC version of Destiny moves from Battle.net from Blizzard to Steam later this year. If you want to dive into Cross-Save without any restrictions at the moment, you can only buy one set of all the content currently available on Battle.net, then switch to Steam later. Plus, you can only spend money – the game's main motto – on the system on which you bought it.

Confusion about what you can access apart, there are surely some quirks that appear. For example, one of my friends discovered that he was able to claim some bonuses on Xbox One before switching to the PC, where he does not own Forsaken, and also claiming replacement bonuses. This will hardly detract from the balance of the game, although it remains to be seen if players discover more powerful loopholes.

But the bottom line is that cross-saving has opened up new possibilities for all Destiny 2 players, allowing console users to take advantage of additional PC features and everyone to finally have a more viable way to play with all his friends. For a game so strongly focused on progression (ie showing your cool objects) and group activities, that's a good thing.