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Expansions in a video game attract a lot of attention, even more so when a heavy life service game like Destiny 2. Since Activision decided to release the first-ever expansion of the title, it is no surprise how well the game has done in terms of content and player base.
It was only later that Activision made their exit from Bungie. However, since then, Bungie has taken matters into their own hands and continued to release expansions every year. There have been three major expansions since the game’s initial release in 2017, with each year calculating the tally starting from year 2.
Destiny 2: Forsaken (Year 2, first major expansion and Activision’s last involvement)
Looter-shooters tend to attract a certain portion of the audience. Unfortunately, not many are fans of the genre, while others will dedicate their lives to grinding for better loot.
Destiny’s base game was initially aimed at becoming a life service weekly, but it failed shortly with minimal stories, strikes, exotic weapons, raids, and repetitive bounties from different vendors.
To get the players involved, the story needed more spark, more content, a new game mode, more raids, and a few new areas for the Guardians to explore. That’s where forsaken came in.
A year after the initial release of the base game, Activision made one of the boldest moves a life service game could make. They announced an expansion and stated that they're killing off one of the main characters of the story.
The expansion came with a new raid, a brand new game mode called the Gambit, new exotic weapons, two brand new locations and vendors, new strikes, and new types of enemies altogether.
It's hard to say what drew most people into playing Destiny 2 at the time. Was it the death of the most fan-favorite character of the series, Cayde-6? Or was this the content the expansion was brought in with? Whatever it was, it paved the way for a bright future for the title.
The exotic weapons that came in the expansion are:
Cerberus+1, Wish Ender, One Thousand Voices, Trinity Ghoul, Malfeasance, Ace of Spades, Queen breaker, Two-tailed fox, The Chaperone, Lord of wolves, Black Talon, and Wavesplitter.
Gambit
A new game mode means a new vendor. Just like that, players were introduced to The Drifter, a nameless rogue lightbearer who hosts the so-called Gambit and acts as a vendor. He can be found near the Annex checkpoint of The Tower.
Gambit is a 4v4 PvPvE multiplayer game mode where players have to kill enemies, collect motes that drop after killing each of them, bank a certain amount of motes to spawn a boss, and defeat the boss before the opponent team to secure victory. But there’s a catch.
The opposing team can invade each other’s parallel instance and deny the motes each of them is carrying by killing the other guardians. This is where the PvP comes in.
This was a welcome change. Players loved the idea since Gambit had its own farmable exotics and numerous other weapons.
Raid(s)
Raids are a six-player co-op activity that requires immense communication to crack each level. Bungie takes each of their raids very seriously, and it’s almost like a ceremony when it comes to the first day of the new raid.
The new raid that came with the Year 2 expansion was no different. It was called The Last Wish. At that time, it was labeled “the hardest and the most mind-boggling” raid ever in Destiny after the “King’s Fall” raid in Destiny 1.
Finishing the raid would earn the Guardian a chance to get a new raid exotic fusion rifle, called One Thousand Voices.
However, four more raids were added to the tally later on. The raids were named: Scourge of the Past, Crown of Sorrow, Eater of Worlds, and Spire of Stars.
Strikes
Strikes in Destiny are three-player co-op activities that do not require as much communication as raids. The four strikes that came with the Year 2 expansion are: Broodhold, The Hollowed Lair, The Corrupted, Warden of Nothing
Story
The biggest surprise for players, new and veteran, was to see one of the main characters of the story die. It demanded emotional involvement with the characters, something that the base game lacked.
The main objective of the story for the guardian was to hunt down seven scorn Barons and Uldren Sov, who were involved in the murder of Cayde-6.
Season Pass
Each expansion of Destiny 2 comes along with multiple season passes. For example, the Year 2 expansion came with the following passes in order: The season of the Forge, The season of the Drifter, and The season of the Opulence.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep (Year 3, second major expansion and BUNGIE’s first solo involvement)
After Forsaken, it’s safe to say the guardians were hungry for more. Rightly so, and Bungie promised another expansion. Right around this time, seeing the spike in their player base, the company decided to move their title to Steam from Blizzard, making the base game free to play for new players.
Shadowkeep expansion came with four-season passes: Season of the Undying, Season of the Dawn, Season of the Worthy, and Season of the Arrivals.
Destiny 2 also came alongside new raids, new stories, strikes, locations, bounties and exotics, dungeons, and new seasonal activities.
Exotic weapons
Deathbringer, Divinity, Eriana’s Vow, Monte Carlo, Leviathan’s Breath, and Xenophage.
Raid
The new six-player raid consisted of four bosses over the course of four encounters. Players had to start the raid via a vex gate located deep beneath a cave on the moon.
Additionally, guardians had to follow a quest line that added an objective to the raid. If finished, the guardian would be rewarded with the raid's exotic trace rifle, The Divinity.
The Story
Shadowkeep introduced the Destiny 2 community to the main antagonist of the main story - The Darkness, whose motive and whereabouts are still unknown.
Strikes
The Strikes that came with the Shadowkeep expansion include The Scarlet Keep and The Festering Core.
Dungeons
The concept of Dungeons was a first in Destiny 2 that was introduced in Shadowkeep. It is a three-person co-op activity that is not as easy as a strike but not as tough as a raid. The Dungeons introduced in the Expansion were: Pit of Heresy and The Prophecy.
Armor 2.0 and Glimmer cap
The Glimmer cap was raised to 250,000, and new modifications on guardian’s armor could be made. In addition, guardians can handle their Discipline and Intellect stats along with Targeting mods for specific weapons.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light (Year 4, third major expansion and the delay)
Year 4 expansion was delayed due to difficulties in development due to COVID. This resulted in the season before the expansion to run for an additional two months.
After the failed release on the initial release date of 22nd September 2020, the Year 4 expansion was finally released on November 10th of the same year.
Much like its predecessors, The Beyond Light is an ongoing expansion of Destiny 2 that has seen two new locations, the vaulting of three old planets, three seasons so far, two new strikes, one new raid, and a brand new stasis subclass.
Exotic Weapons
Cloudstrike, Duality, Eyes of Tomorrow, Hawkmoon, The Lament, No Time to Explain, and Salvation’s Grip.
Raid(s)
Beyond Light expansion brought in a brand new raid called The Deep Stone Crypt. The Guardian had to push through the hoards of Fallen across five encounters with two bosses.
Bungie also dropped a vaulted remastered version of a raid from Destiny 1 called “Vault of Glass,” which is accessible to both players who purchased the expansion and those who did not.
The story
The Guardians will have to travel to Jupiter’s moon, Europa, to confront the Fallen Kell Eramis, who plans to use the powers of the Darkness’s power to take vengeance against the Traveler back on earth. The Guardians counter this by harnessing the power of the Darkness itself, which is known as the Stasis subclass in-game.
Strikes
Year 4 of Destiny 2 was introduced to the community with two new strikes, The Glassway and The Disgraced.
Seasons
Guardians have got to experience three seasons so far: The Season of the Hunt, The season of the Chosen, and the ongoing Season of the Splicer, with another upcoming season yet to come
Before the start of the Season of Arrivals on June 10th, Bungie teased a few upcoming expansions named The Witch Queen and Lightfall. The name of the latter has not been finalized yet.
With the player base of Destiny 2 reaching an all-time high in recent times, the Guardians are eagerly waiting for the new expansion The Witch Queen to drop later this year which is anticipated to be the biggest and the most game-changing expansion ever in Destiny 2.
