Destiny 2 F2P PC Players Will Now Need SMS Verification For Some Activities

PC players of Destiny 2 who have stuck with the game's free-to-play version following the launch of Beyond Light might want to keep their phone on hand while playing from now on. A new security measure has been added to the game to prevent cheating as of Update 3.0.1, adding SMS verification to certain activities.

As Bungie explains in a help article, this applies only to "certain pinnacle level activities," and players who have purchased a Destiny 2 expansion do not need to do this. Trials of Osiris, competitive Crucible matches, and the Iron Banner will be affected--all PvP activities.

Here are the steps necessary to activate and use SMS verification from Destiny 2 on PC:

1. Launch into an SMS restricted activity when playing on PC, and receive a pop-up requesting SMS verification
2. Click the "Verify Now" button. This will redirect players to Bungie.net
3. Sign into their Bungie.net profile
4. Enter their phone number in the space provided and request a verification code
5. Enter the verification code sent to their phone number

This might be a minor hassle, but hopefully it will have an impact on cheating and account theft on PC. Players with the expansions can also choose to opt-in for SMS verification, if they would like to do so.

If you're a console Destiny 2 player who has managed to get their hands on a PS5 or Xbox Series X version, make sure you check the game out after this latest update--it's a major upgrade.