With Destiny 2 now in its fourth year, many fans were expecting a sequel to be arriving in the not too distant future. It came as some surprise then when instead of a sequel, not one, but three new expansions were announced back in June. The last of those expansions, Lightfall (working title), is slated for a release at some point in 2022 – at which point Destiny 2 will be five years old. Thankfully for fans, the first expansion will be here quite a bit sooner.
Beyond Light is now less than a month away and many fans are excited to see what the team at Bungie has hidden up their sleeves. In the past, Destiny expansions have been a little hit or miss, although typically they’ve improved as the games have aged. Beyond Light will be the 5th expansion for Destiny 2 and the 9th in the series’ history. It certainly has the potential to be one of the best yet, but there is some stiff competition hidden amongst some of the series’ limper expansions.
8 Destiny 2: Curse Of Osiris
Curse of Osiris was the first expansion for Destiny 2 and many fans had high hopes prior to its release. Unfortunately those hopes came crashing down to earth, falling flat like the expansion itself. It was somewhat reminiscent of the earlier expansions for the original game. Rich in quantity but lacking in quality.
The expansion added a few new locations and some story missions, but it felt more like a developer papering over the cracks than a real effort to improve or innovate. Worse still, it did little to enrich the endgame loop which at the time was sorely needed. What made Curse of Osiris so disappointing though was not so much its meager offering, but that Bungie had seemingly learned nothing from their experiences with the first Destiny game.
7 Destiny: The Dark Below
The Dark Below was the very first Destiny expansion and at the time, nobody quite knew what to expect. The game had overcome some of its earlier teething problems and was starting to build up a head of steam. Sadly, The Dark Below offered little to help maintain the game’s momentum. Perhaps that was to be expected given its relatively low price.
The Dark Below expands upon many of the game’s worst elements rather than introducing new ideas or building on the things that really worked. What little story development provided falls far too short and much of the length comes not from additional content but instead meaningless grinding. The Dark Below offers something new to do those who have already reached the endgame, but very little else.
6 Destiny 2: Warmind
Warmind is the follow up to The Curse of Osiris and thankfully avoids making many of the mistakes that its predecessor made. It isn’t perfect, but it was definitely a step in the right direction. It actually adds less to the game than The Curse of Osiris, but, as the old saying goes, less is sometimes more. The new story content feels meaningful and coherent – even if it is a little lacking in both ambition and length.
Like many of the expansions that preceded it, much of the new content encourages grinding. Thankfully, the new weapons and the Masterworks update at least provide players with a decent reward for their hard work. As is often the case, busywork feels a lot less like busywork when there’s a meaningful end-goal to motivate.
5 Destiny: House Of Wolves
After the disappointment of The Dark Below, House of Wolves provided Bungie with some much needed redemption. It is everything that the earlier expansion should have been and felt like the moment that the developer started to really listen to what players were asking for rather than trying to shove unwanted content down their throats. Even for those who didn’t enjoy the expansion, it was infinitely more palatable.
The Vestian Outpost provided a nice change of scenery and the Prison of Elders arena activity offered a new experience at a time where much of the game’s offerings were starting to become a little stale. It was by no means the perfect expansion and did little to draw new players to the game. It did, however, give existing players a reason to stick around a little longer.
4 Destiny: Rise Of Iron
Rise of Iron was the final expansion for the first Destiny game. While it was by no means a bad addition, it felt like a bit of an anticlimax. By this point, Bungie knew exactly what they were doing and which areas they needed to focus on, but it was a bare minimum type of effort rather than an attempt to go out with a bang.
The story content was engaging and introduced some interesting ideas & characters, and the plethora of quest lines provided players with more than enough to keep them busy. Arriving two years after the game’s release though, many players had started to grow a little tired of the grind and were ready to move onto something new. Thankfully, with Destiny 2 on the horizon, they wouldn’t have to wait too much longer.
3 Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
Shadowkeep is the latest expansion for Destiny 2 and is up there with the very best. It’s a little rough around the edges, but that doesn’t detract too much from the refinement of some of the game’s mechanics nor the massive improvements it makes to the endgame. More than anything, it eased concerns over what the post-Activision era of Destiny would look like.
The Moon is as cold and uninviting as ever, but in spite of the bleak scenery, Shadowkeep provides a colorful story. The new story content is rich in lore and does a great job of pulling players in. Unlike some of the earlier expansions, the disappointment of its short length comes more from players wanting more of a good thing than them feeling like they’ve been short-changed.
2 Destiny 2: Forsaken
Forsaken ensured that Activision bowed out with a bang. The expansion provides many of the things that players had been hoping for and more than makes up for the mediocre offerings of the two expansions that came before it. It may have taken a year to achieve, but Destiny 2 finally felt like a worthy successor to the original game.
The expansion brings with it a host of updates and new content that rewards those who stuck with the game while it was treading water during its infancy. The Gambit game mode is probably the best thing on offer, but there are plenty of other positives to be found in Forsaken. The new storyline has a lot of potential, although at times is held back by the game’s substandard storytelling. It’s not the worst out there, but is perhaps the only missed opportunity in an otherwise fantastic expansion.
1 Destiny: The Taken King
The Taken King had a hefty price-tag when it first released. What’s more, it also required the first two expansion packs in order to play it. Thankfully, it was worth every penny. It included a new story campaign, new enemies and new locations. Pretty much new everything. The Taken King was almost like an entirely new game and couldn’t have arrived at a better time.
The new storyline was definitely the highlight of the expansion and helped to breathe life into the game just as it looked to be on its last legs. The update also brought with it a host of quality of life improvements that helped to streamline the Destiny experience. In many ways, it felt like Destiny‘s coming of age and marked the moment that the game finally realized its full potential.
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