All Destiny 2 DLC ahead of The Final Shape, from Forsaken to Lightfall expansions
Destiny 2 has certainly changed a lot in the almost seven years since it launched, and a big part of that is thanks to Bungie's regular expansion schedule.
The game has seen five major expansions so far (we're not counting Curse of Osiris and Warmind since they were a) smaller and b) are now vaulted), with the sixth, The Final Shape, delayed to June 2024.
That means there's plenty of time to catch up if you are looking to get into Destiny, although you should note that the base game's campaign, the bulk of Forsaken, the seasonal stories that stitch expansions together, and the accompanying cinematics have, sadly, been moved to the Destiny Content Vault.
Still, if you're looking to dive in (particularly with so many Destiny 2 DLCs regularly discounted) you'll find our rundown of each expansion in order below. Looking for a story recap? We have one of those, too.
Spoiler Alert: You'll find some spoilers for Destiny 2's plot and DLC stories here.
Every Destiny 2 DLC since 2017 in order
- Curse of Osiris (Vaulted) (December 5, 2017)
- Warmind (Vaulted) (May 8, 2018)
- Forsaken (September 4, 2018)
- Shadowkeep (October 1, 2019)
- Beyond Light (November 10, 2020)
- The Witch Queen (February 22, 2022)
- Lightfall (February 28, 2023)
As you can see, the yearly releases of the expansions shifted from late in the year to early the following year between 2020 and 2022, due largely to COVID-related delays.
The two most recent DLCs launched in February, and the final expansion, The Final Shape, was intended for a February 2024 release until it was delayed until June.
Click to enlargeNot many fans talk about Curse of Osiris or Warmind, both of which arrived as part of the base game's season pass. Not only are they now unavailable, but both were pretty heavily panned by critics. It wasn't until Forsaken that things really picked up.
First expansion: Forsaken
Click to enlargeThe first annual expansion to Destiny 2, Forsaken took us back to the Reef and introduced us to the Dreaming City, the home of the Awoken. The plot of the expansion centred around Uldren Sov, manipulated by Riven, the Taken Ahamkara, staging a breakout of the Prison of Elders and creating the Scorn.
The most notable event of this expansion was of course the death of Cayde-6, the incident which incited our journey for revenge. Forsaken had a darker, more personal tone due to this, and was capped off by the Last Wish raid.
Second expansion: Shadowkeep
Click to enlargeShadowkeep brought us back to the Moon, which as we know is haunted. In Shadowkeep we learned just how haunted the Moon has become in our absence, with Nightmares now populating much of Luna.
We came here to work with Eris Morn to learn more about these Nightmares, the Scarlet Keep that the Hive had constructed, and exactly what lies beneath the surface of the Moon. The expansion also brought us back to the Black Garden in the Garden of Salvation raid and introduced us to the puppetmaster behind 'The Darkness' - albeit with The Witness posing as a doppelganger of our own Guardian.
Third expansion: Beyond Light
Click to enlargeA pivotal moment in Destiny 2's overarching story was Beyond Light, which brought us to Europa for the first time. Here on this moon of Jupiter, we worked with the Exo Stranger again to take down Eramis, the Kell of Darkness.
While learning about the Darkness, we also learned we could wield it ourselves. This introduced the first Darkness subclass to the game, Stasis. With a new campaign, new icy Stasis subclasses, and the Deep Stone Crypt raid, Beyond Light brought plenty to the game.
Fourth expansion: The Witch Queen
Click to enlargeLauded as one of the best updates Destiny has ever seen, The Witch Queen brought us face-to-face with Savathun, the Hive God of Cunning. During this expansion, we got to explore Savanthun's Throne World and encounter the Hive Guardians; Light-wielding Hive with powers similar to our own characters.
The Witch Queen introduced a new campaign system, allowing players to replay campaign missions as they like. The new campaign, new location, new enemies, and Vow of the Disciple raid were excellent additions which set the stage for the future of Destiny. It also added a narrative full of twists and turns befitting of the Witch Queen herself.
Fifth expansion: Lightfall
Click to enlargeThe latest, if not the best-received expansion, Lightfall is the penultimate chapter in the current "Light and Darkness saga" of Destiny 2. Lightfall brought the conflict with the Witness into the forefront, but rather than directly combating them (assumably that is being saved for The Final Shape), we went toe-to-toe with the Witness' new Disciple, Calus, and his Shadow Legion of Cabal.
We journeyed to Neptune and made contact with the people of Neomuna, a hitherto unknown pocket of humanity that survived the Collapse. We worked with their protectors, the Cloud Striders, and defeated Calus and his Shadow Legion.
While some were left wanting, Lightfall brought another well-crafted campaign (albeit missing a few important plot details), an interesting new location, and the very fun Root of Nightmares raid.
Now that you've had a history lesson in DLCs, head to our Destiny 2 homepage where we have guides for Xur and Trials of Osiris each weekend, as well as how to get Amazon Prime Gaming rewards and the free Witcher emblem.
