Over the years, Bungie’s seminal live-service FPS Destiny 2 has received no less than seven major pieces of post-launch DLC, with at least one more – The Final Shape – due to come out next year, in 2024. But which of those was good? Which of them was bad? Why is 2023’s Lightfall sitting at an ‘Overwhelmingly Negative’ review rating on Steam? And why did the game lose massive batches of content in the years prior? One thing is for sure: Destiny 2‘s history is remarkably complex and storied, and this article aims to look at it with a specific objective in mind: ranking all Destiny 2 expansions.
As is usually the case with ranked game lists, this one, too, is at least somewhat subjective to some extent. That being said, we did take into account the DLCs’ respective Metacritic scores, the critical coverage provided by Destructoid reviewers – where applicable – and the community’s own opinions. With all that research in mind, this list should resonate with newcomers and Destiny 2 veterans alike!
Ranking all Destiny 2 expansions
#8: Curse of Osiris
Certainly, large batches of this list can be disputed due to differences in opinions, depending on which aspect of a DLC is most important to a given player. Destiny 2 veterans who jumped into the Curse of Osiris DLC on launch day will almost certainly agree, however, that this is the worst mainline DLC the game’s ever received. Infamously, its humble Raid Lair was the only bright spot of the whole DLC, having been shipped with a short and grindy campaign and very little in the way of loot. It was an impressively poor showing, with a User Score of 1.8/10 on Metacritic.
#7: Beyond Light
The Beyond Light DLC may have introduced the first Darkness power – Stasis – and a long-anticipated trip into the infamous Deep Stone Crypt, but its biggest point of contention is the sunsetting of Destiny 2 content. Though the practice has now been sunset itself, the removal of a very substantial amount of content from the game is still a huge black mark on Destiny 2, and it’s the main reason why this particular DLC is so low on this particular totem pole. With a 4.1 User Score on Metacritic, it’s far from the best this game offers.
#6: Warmind
Indeed, Beyond Light‘s sunsetting is the biggest reason why it fell below Year 1’s Warmind DLC. Coming up as a direct follow-up to the Curse of Osiris, Warmind‘s Metacritic User Score of 3.2 may make it sound like the DLC is quite bad, but it wasn’t really that awful. It was simply mediocre and inoffensive, but comparatively better than its predecessor. Warmind‘s Mars patrol zone and the fan-favorite Escalation Protocol activity helped bump it a tad higher than it otherwise would’ve been.
#5: Lightfall
Understanding the comprehensive failure of Destiny 2: Lightfall is no mean feat, but the important bit to mention here is that the content on offer is, indeed, better than its 2.2 Metacritic User Score would make one believe. Lightfall delivers the Strand Darkness subclass, a competent new Raid, and a genuinely fun and engaging campaign… as long as one can disregard the DLC’s shoddier aspects. Lightfall came out after the previous year’s Witch Queen DLC absolutely smashed the players’ expectations, only to follow up on it with shoddy writing and heaps of tonal whiplash. Still, its competent gameplay loop does elevate it beyond many of Bungie’s older outings.
#4: 30th Anniversary Pack
Though one might discount the 30th Anniversary Pack for its lack of a classic Destiny campaign, Raid, and the like, this standalone piece of content deserved a spot in this article. Notably, this smaller and cheaper DLC does not take itself too seriously, and it’s mainly a tongue-in-cheek reference to some of Bungie’s most popular productions, including Halo, Marathon, and beyond. Its featured dungeon and activity are fun, and it’s a lovely change of pace compared to most other Destiny 2 content.
#3: Shadowkeep
Considering the expansion packs featured higher up on this list, Shadowkeep does indeed pale in comparison, but its 5.5 Metacritic User Score suggests there’s something compelling about it. And, indeed, there is! Not only does Shadowkeep have an immaculate atmosphere, what with hordes of Hive prowling about, but its campaign also has one of Destiny 2‘s most iconic campaign setpieces yet. More so than anything else, though, Shadowkeep was a solid piece of content with a few standout moments, and that alone sets it apart from the likes of Warmind.
#2: Witch Queen
Deciding between the two best Destiny 2 DLCs was always going to be a toss-up between Witch Queen and Forsaken, and it all boils down to personal preference. Witch Queen delivers Destiny‘s best campaign of all time, with a lengthy batch of missions and a delightfully tricky Legendary mode for veteran players. Witch Queen holds a stellar 8.1 User Score on Metacritic, and there’s a very real possibility that it’s going to remain the absolute pinnacle of Destiny 2 content for the foreseeable future. Lightfall‘s campaign does, after all, compare to that of Witch Queen, but its vibe was a total swing and a miss for Bungie.
#1: Forsaken
We’ll be honest here: the Forsaken DLC isn’t actually necessarily better than Witch Queen. In fact, it served up a far less compelling campaign mode, and its Metacritic User Score of 6.1 roughly illustrates that Bungie’s 2022 outing was, indeed, the superior product. The thing that upgrades Forsaken from the status of a fine but unremarkable expansion pack to something totally indispensable for Destiny 2 is the fact that it marked a huge change for the game. Remember: Forsaken came out after Curse and Warmind. Two rather poor showpieces that Bungie followed up on with the biggest DLC in Destiny history, with two huge patrol zones, the most complex Raid the franchise’s ever had, and a wealth of other assorted content whose only real downside was that it got removed from the game during Bungie’s sunsetting phase.
Forsaken arguably saved Destiny 2 at a low point in the series history, and for that alone, eviscerated though it may be in its current form, this DLC is an all-time great.
The future of Destiny 2 feels shaky
It’s hard not to admit that the featured list does feel a tad reductive in the grand scheme of things. Though there are, certainly, many caveats to Destiny 2‘s live-service model, Bungie has successfully established a universe that continually evolves and changes, introducing large batches of content every single year that fill out each respective DLC’s roster of activities, goodies, and other assorted stuff. These large batches of content have, however, gotten removed from Destiny 2 with each passing year, making them largely (and sadly!) irrelevant for the average casual player.
At this time, Bungie is admittedly stuck between a rock and a hard place, given that the community hasn’t been too thrilled with Destiny 2: The Final Shape. Due to launch in February of 2024, it represents the grand finale of the franchise’s decade-long Light and Dark saga. Ideally, it very well should overtake all the DLCs listed in this article. Delivering a memorable narrative finale should be Bungie’s primary goal here. Can the studio deliver, though?
While we all wait for more info on The Final Shape to drop, Destiny 2 newcomers may wish to learn more about the game’s Raid content in release order, too.
Published: Aug 28, 2023 02:40 pm