The Sparrow was easily obtained in Destiny and was the main mode of transportation, but that has changed in Destiny 2.
In Destiny 2, players will need to put in a bit more effort to be able to use the hoverbike to quickly travel and explore. Here are all the ways to get a Sparrow in Destiny 2, as well as an explanation on why Bungie made the hoverbike harder to acquire.
Warning: there will be some spoilers ahead.
How To Get Sparrows In 'Destiny 2'
The first way to get a Sparrow in Destiny 2 is to complete the game's story missions. The feat requires an investment of up to about 12 hours, but finishing these missions is a great way to start the game anyway. After completing the campaign, players can then pay a visit to Amanda Holliday, a vehicle vendor who also appeared in Destiny. Holliday will then give the player a free Sparrow from three choices, and will offer additional Sparrows for sale.
The second way might take an even longer time, but it will not require players to finish all the story missions if that is not yet in their plans. Players will need to reach Level 20 to unlock Bright Engrams, the loot chests of Destiny 2, which can be earned or purchased from the shop of Tess Everis in The Farm after the Spark mission. Everis can decrypt Bright Engrams, and players will simply have to hope that a Sparrow will randomly drop.
Why Is The Sparrow Hard To Get In 'Destiny 2'?
In Destiny, players can get their hands on a Sparrow just by finishing a few missions. The hoverbikes were so popular, in fact, that Bungie even launched a Sparrow Racing League. However, it is much harder to acquire in the sequel, which was a conscious decision.
According to the developer, the worlds of Destiny 2 offer much more compared to the barren environments of Destiny.
"There's a lot of content now that we place in these worlds — there's a lot of little offshoots and bits of history — and we don't want people just blasting past it," said Bungie senior environment artist Jason Sussman to Polygon.
While walking through Destiny 2 does not really put players at a disadvantage, the absence of Sparrows becomes evident during open-world missions, as players without the hoverbikes will often be left behind by their teammates.
Returning players from Destiny might want to grab a Sparrow as soon as they can due to how dependent they were on the hoverbikes in the first game. However, for new players, finishing the Destiny 2 story to get the Sparrow sounds like a good plan.
