Bungie’s Destiny 2 was a game that was both hotly anticipated and controversial among its core constituency.
While players of Bungie’s Destiny universe certainly looked forward to new content, they weren’t totally sure if releasing an entirely new game was the right way to go about things.
Though the sequel did get off to a rough start, Destiny 2 went on to be a successful game in its own right. Read on to learn more about the game and its expansions.
Below you will find all Destiny 2 games and expansions in order of release, so let’s get started:
1) Destiny 2 (2017)
Destiny 2 is probably the most confusing part of the entire series, because it can be thought of as both the main game that encompasses all of the post-release content as well as the title of the game in its original release state.
To make things easier, it might be best to think of the original release by its campaign name, The Red War.
The Red War began by essentially knocking down everything that the original Destiny had built up.
Gone would be the Last City, the Light gathered by the Guardians, and much of what had been successfully regained by the various characters in the original game.
Instead, players would find themselves relocated to a new location – The Farm – and fighting against a new enemy named Dominus Ghaul.
The original version of game was met with somewhat mixed reactions, with long-time fans generally liking the story but disagreeing with many of the game’s balance changes.
2) Curse of Osiris (2017)
Destiny 2’s first expansion was 2017’s Curse of Osiris. This small expansion took place largely on Mercury and focused on a Warlock named Osiris.
It was the first real chance for Bungie to show how it was going to support the game going forward. Unfortunately, reactions were largely negative.
Curse of Osiris was short, made unpopular changes to weapons, and didn’t do much to move the ongoing story forward.
Though there were undoubtedly fans of the series who enjoyed the chance to take a closer look at the Vex, most looked at the expansion as a missed opportunity by both Activision and Bungie to prove that they cared about supporting Destiny 2 after the game’s initial launch.
3) Warmind (2018)
If Curse of Osiris was Bungie’s chance to prove that it was going to support Destiny 2, Warmind was certainly the company’s chance to prove that they could learn from their mistakes.
Unfortunately, this small expansion had many of the same problems that occurred in the previous expansion, making changes that few appreciated while also failing to provide much content.
This expansion focused on a lost Guardian linguist, a Warmind, and an ancient enemy. Players were largely tasked with missions on Mars that would help them to defeat an ancient enemy.
The most notable part of this game was the addition of Escalation Protocol as well as the implementation of ranked PvP.
4) Forsaken (2018)
Forsaken was, in many ways, Destiny 2’s answer to Destiny’s The Taken King expansion.
It existed not just to expand the story of the game, but to make some major overhauls to the systems that many agreed did not work.
While Forsaken wasn’t the most sweeping set of changes to Destiny 2, it had a huge impact on the game’s story and seemed like a major push to keep Destiny 2 relevant.
Forsaken killed off a beloved character early in its story, helping to set the tone for the new expansion. It also introduced a new enemy, the Scorn, as well as an entirely new mode, Gambit.
Perhaps most tellingly, Forsaken was given away as a free to play campaign to new players in an attempt to build up some buzz. While largely well-received, this campaign would be shelved by 2022.
5) Shadowkeep (2019)
Destiny 2’s next big expansion was Shadowkeep. While the Moon-based expansion was actually fairly large, it’s probably best known for being the expansion that happened while Bungie was in the midst of breaking away from Activision to go on its own.
This meant that much of the expansion ended up overshadowed by real-world news.
The good news is that the expansion was actually quite solid. It added finishers and new enemies, as well as a solid story.
Shadowkeep helped to solidify Destiny 2’s place as a title, even if most of what it would set up didn’t have much reliance on anything that had come before.
6) Beyond Light (2020)
If Shadowkeep was the expansion that was made in a state of flux, Beyond Light was the expansion that was made to help Bungie prove how it would manage Destiny 2 on its own.
Developed in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and subject to substantial delays, this new expansion would stand alone as a part of Destiny’s ‘New Light’ initiative and give players a great idea of what the game would look like going forward.
Beyond Light took place largely on Europa, giving players a beautiful new habitat to explore.
This choice paid off huge dividends when the game was released on the new generation of console hardware, helping to sell Destiny 2 as a major player for many gamers.
Beyond Light also stood out because the game took important steps to introduce the villain of the next expansion.
7) The Witch Queen (2022)
The Witch Queen is really Destiny 2’s first expansion to follow directly on the heels of a previous expansion.
Though it could stand on its own, The Witch Queen narratively depended both on Destiny 2’s Beyond Light expansion as well as Destiny’s The Taken King.
Giving players a chance to emotionally invest in a new villain was a choice that seemed to pay off well.
The Witch Queen largely pitted players against the titular foe, the sister of the Taken King.
Players would also get to fight against the Witch Queen’s own Ghosts, finally allowing them to take on enemies with powers approximating their own.
Though not universally praised, this expansion’s ambitions did seem to please most players.
8) Destiny 2: Lightfall (TBA, 2023)
The upcoming Lightfall is set to introduce players to a new offshoot of humanity, Cloud Striders, a new city on Neptune.
Based fairly deep in the lore of the previous expansions, players will get a chance to experiment with a new subclass and to make use of a new grappling hook mechanic when the expansion releases in 2023.
9) Destiny 2: The Final Shape (TBA, 2024)
The Final Shape is set to release in 2024 and will wrap up the major narrative arc of Destiny 2.
Bungie has characterized the game as ending its Darkness and Light saga and prepping players for the next saga, though it’s impossible to say if this is meant to continue on in Destiny 2 or if the next saga will be an entirely new release.
Regardless, players should prepare for new mechanics, sub-classes, and enemies in this expansion.
