Destiny 2 Expansions Guide (2024)

Welcome to the Destiny 2 Expansions guide. Recently risen, Guardian? You might be wondering which Expansions to buy, or what do you even get out of them once purchased. The game doesn't do a great job of telling you this stuff, so let this Expansions guide lend you a hand. Even if you're a veteran Guardian, the information here helps you play around Crossplay restrictions, or get a friend into the game.

This guide explains how item access works, what all players have for free, and what do you get for purchasing each and every Expansion.

All of this is to help you figure out what Destiny 2 Expansions, Packs, or Dungeon Keys you should buy, a question only you can answer. Additionally,

• Expansions - and the 30th Anniversary Pack - go on sale decently often, especially before a major release.
• Some older Expansions are included in Legacy Collection bundles, allowing you to get a large batch of content for a reduced price.
  • These also go on Sale sometimes.
• Silver, the currency used to purchase Seasons and Dungeon Keys, has only gone on sale once within the entire game's lifespan.
  • Seasons and Dungeon Keys are included in Expansion Deluxe Editions.
• The Epic Games Store and Playstation Plus have given out (platform locked) Expansions in the past.
• Destiny 2 occasionally has Expansion Trial Periods, where the entirety of an Expansion's content is made available for all players for a limited time.
  • Loot earned within this time is kept and can be used freely, but players lose access to paid-subclasses associated with that Expansion afterwards.

Item Access Mechanics

To truly understand what you get from purchasing a Destiny 2 Expansion, you need to know how Loot is accessed.

For Veteran players, this information may be important to you if you use or plan to use Destiny 2's Cross-Save functionality. Purchasing an Expansion only gives you access to that Expansion for one platform, while Seasons and Dungeon Passes are account bound and available to you on all platforms.

• All Weapons and Armor are always usable, if you've already obtained them. Owning Expansions gives you access to new content and new ways to acquire loot.
  • Tarnation is normally sourced from content within The Witch Queen Expansion, but if you obtain a copy of it through the free Gift of the Thunder Gods, you can use that specific copy without restrictions.
• The ability to Craft or Reshape certain Weapons is locked behind Expansion ownership.
• For Exotic Weapons that do not need to be Shaped at the Enclave, previously obtaining a copy of that Weapon allows you to pull more copies of it out of Collections.
• Obtaining an Exotic Armor permanently adds that Armor to your pool of possible Exotic Armor drops.
  • Free-to-access events like Riven's Wishes and the Gift of the Thunder Gods allows players to obtain Exotic Armor that would normally be locked behind Expansion ownership.

• Stasis, Strand, and Prismatic cannot be equipped without owning Beyond Light, Lightfall, and The Final Shape respectively.

Free to Play content

• 3 Raids
• 1 Dungeon
• 8 - 9 as of The Final Shape - worlds to explore
• 2 Exotic Missions
• PvP game modes
• A PvEvP game mode
• PvE game modes like Strikes, Onslaught, and Dares of Eternity.
• 2 Campaigns!

Explore the Worlds

Every World in Destiny 2 is free to explore. Every Patrol, Public Event, and Lost Sector are always available to you. There's also...

• Vex Incursions on Neomuna, complete them to unlock new Exotics.
• The Blind Well in the Dreaming City, which allows anyone to freely obtain a suite of Armor and Weapons from the Dreaming City and the Season of Defiance.
• The Altars of Sorrow on the Moon, complete them to earn Blasphemer, Apostate, and Heretic.
• Xur. He appears... somewhere... every Friday and stays until the following weekly reset on Tuesday. He offers a random selection of freely obtainable Legendary Weapons and Armor, often things you couldn't possibly get otherwise.
  • He also offers Exotic Armor & Weapons, but some of those'll require expansions.

• Every single World Drop Legendary Weapon or Piece of Armor.

Exotic Gear

Beyond Light Campaign

Darkness has just consumed Mercury, Mars, Titan, and Io. Now, a Pyramid Ship on Europa offers unimaginable power and control with Stasis. Eramis and her House Salvation got there first, and now they threaten to destroy Humanity. Work with old friend and traitor Variks, the mysterious Exo Stranger, and the Darkness? To stop Eramis.

• Completing this free Campaign unlocks the Stasis Subclass for that character, and No Time to Explain with Beyond Light Pack ownership.
• Owning the Beyond Light Pack is required to access other activities, quests, and loot related to Beyond Light.

Shadowkeep Campaign

The Moon's haunted, and the Hive made a really large red tower, that's bad! Your investigations lead you to an unseen relic of Humanity's Collapse hundreds of years ago, and Eris Morn. Work together with her to end the spread of Nightmarish apparitions and confront whatever's creating them.

• Completing this free Campaign while owning the Shadowkeep Pack unlocks a Class-dependent piece of Exotic Armor that cannot be unlocked in any other way.
• Owning the Shadowkeep Pack is required to access other activities, quests, and loot related to Shadowkeep.

Vanguard Operations*

Vanguard Operations include the Strike Playlist, Nightfalls, Grandmaster Nightfalls, and content from Into The Light like Onslaught.

Complete Strikes to earn reputation with Zavala and earn Vanguard Engrams, allowing anyone to access tons of different Legendary Weapons & Armor.

While the Strike Playlist is free and randomly selects any Strike in the game, Nightfalls and Grandmaster Nightfalls rotate Strikes weekly. Expansion ownership is required to enter certain Nightfall Strikes.

Onslaught

The Witness' forces remaining in the Sol System make one final push against Humanity before the events of The Final Shape unfold.

In Onslaught, work with Lord Shaxx to protect the ADU (Advanced Defense Unit) from up to 50 waves of enemy forces. Fortify the ADU with friendly Cabal Turrets, explosive Tripwires, and Decoy projections.

Shaxx authorizes access to the Brave arsenal. Earn a suite of extremely powerful and canonically illegal Weapons from the past.

The Whisper

Eris Morn advises you to reflect on the past. Earn a Craftable Whisper of the Worm in this reprised Exotic Mission which hasn't lost even a little bit of charm. Xol, Will of the Thousands awaits. Will you Drown in the Deep?

Zero Hour

Eris Morn advises you to reflect on the past. Earn a Craftable Outbreak Perfected and prevent Eramis from obtaining SIVA in this reprised Exotic Mission. Trevor is still there and also significantly faster now, I'm so sorry.

Compete In (Most) of the Crucible

The Crucible encompasses all PvP activities in Destiny 2. There's a variety of modes in a variety of playlists. Many players play more PvP than anything else. The Crucible's very active population is regularly catered to with PvP oriented balance changes, new Weapons and Armor, new Modes, and even new maps!

Base Crucible

Standard Crucible playlists are maintained by Shaxx. Play games to win Crucible Engrams and earn reputation, allowing anyone to obtain tons of different Legendary Weapons & Armor.

Competitive

Maintained by Shaxx, the Competitive playlist is a great place to test your Skill and get better at the game. Unlock it by completing a quest Shaxx gives you when your Crucible Reputation reaches Rank 4. Win matches to reach new divisions, earning Ascendant Alloys, the ONLY Artifice Armor you can earn as a free to play, and Competitive exclusive Weapons like Rose and Mercurial Overreach.

Trials of Osiris

Iron Banner

Iron Banner is a weeklong PvP event that occurs around every month, hosted by Valus Forge - AKA Lord Saladin. Play games in the Iron Banner playlist to earn Iron Banner reputation and Engrams used to purchase a wide variety of Legendary Weapons & Armor.

Some People Actually Like Gambit!

Gambit is a PvEvP mode with teams of 4 competing to slay combatants, collect motes, and put them in the Bank. Banking motes opens up your Portal, allowing someone from your side to invade theirs. Kill opposing guardians to slow them down.

Banking 100 Motes summons the Primeval, burn it to the ground after killing nearby Primeval Envoys.

Dares of Eternity

The Paraversal entity of infinite power, Star Horse, has kidnapped Xur, you, and all of your friends. It's a really big fan of old gameshows. Appease it by putting on a good show, Guardian.

Raid: Vault of Glass

The franchise's very first Raid, reprised from Destiny 1. Open the Vault, avoid deletion at the hands of Vex Oracles, evade Gorgons, and slay Atheon in his Glass Throne.

Raid: King's Fall

Reprised from Destiny 1 Year 2, board the Dreadnought to challenge the Hive God Oryx - The Taken King - in his Throne World. He'll grant you an audience and the fight of a lifetime if you can prove your worth.

Raid: Crota's End

Reprised from Destiny 1's first Expansion, dive into the Moon's Hellmouth and survive crushing Darkness and songs of death to slay the Hive God Crota, Son of Oryx, archnemesis of Eris Morn.

Dungeon: Prophecy

Drifter, Eris Morn, and the Guardians have a question for the Nine. What is the nature of the Darkness? The ever-changing trials ahead of you are the Nine's incomprehensible answer.

Seasons

• Since Year 3, every year of Destiny 2 has featured 4 Seasons.
  • Seasons can be purchased for 1200 Silver (Over $10), and the Deluxe Edition of an Expansion includes all Seasons from that Year.
• Every Season features a Season Pass, a Battlepass with a paid and free track. All Season Passes have included an Exotic Weapon.
  • Owning a Season grants access to the paid track, which includes season-limited small progression or loot buffs, immediate access to the Season Pass Exotic Weapon, and a variety of exclusive Cosmetics and handy resources.
  • Reaching level 35 in the free track unlocks the Season Pass Exotic Weapon. If not obtained this way, players need ownership of that Season's associated Expansion to unlock past Seasonal Exotic Weapons from the Monument to Lost Lights in the Tower.
• Seasons have a story that evolves week after week, taking place in multiple Season-exclusive activities.
  • Earn a suite of Legendary Weapons and Armor from these activities.
• Some Seasons include access to an Exotic Mission, allowing players to obtain a Craftable Weapon and Seasonal Legendary Gear.
• Most Seasonal Content is Vaulted - removed from the game - when a new Expansion launches. Sometimes, remnants of that Season are kept in the game.
  • Seasonal Battleground activities are added to the Strike Playlist.
  • (Most) Exotic Missions are kept in the game and added to the Exotic Mission Rotator. Accessing the Exotic Mission requires ownership of either the Season it launched in, or that Season's associated Expansion.

Forsaken Pack

Year 2 of Destiny 2 launched Forsaken. This Expansion's Campaign was Vaulted, but a few activities exclusive to it remain. This Pack unlocks more Exotic Weapons and Armor than all other Expansions. Purchasing it also grants you 3 Forsaken Ciphers, allowing you to instantly obtain any 3 Exotic Weapons from Year 2 (some exceptions apply).

Raid: Last Wish

Do you Wish to kill an Ahamkara, O Guardian mine? Riven of a Thousand Voices - a powerful Wish Dragon - has been Taken, perhaps with her death, the Dreaming City may finally see peace...

Dungeon: Shattered Throne

Riven's death brought a curse upon the Dreaming City. Slay Dul Incaru to prevent the destruction of the Dreaming City and reset the 3-week time-loop once more...

Quests

• Play Gambit (I'm sorry) to begin a questline that leads to unlocking Malfeasance.
• Experience the Dreaming City's time-loop curse, owning the Forsaken Pack allows you play three rotating missions.

Exotic Gear

Shadowkeep

Year 3 of Destiny 2 launched Shadowkeep. This Expansion is the start of the Light & Darkness Saga that concludes with The Final Shape. Earth's Moon houses the majority of this Expansion's content. Face the ultimate trial that is a "Div Run" by venturing into the Black Garden to face the Sol Divisive Vex in the Garden of Salvation Raid, and slay heretical Hive in the Pit of Hersey Dungeon.

Raid: Garden of Salvation

The Darkness Artifact collected at the end of Shadowkeep's Campaign leads here... fight through Sol Divisive Vex and try not to lose your sanity while in a "Div run", you'll be well rewarded with Vex Dubstep that plays as you fight the Sanctified Mind.

Dungeon: Pit of Heresy

There's this heretical pit on the Moon, it's full of Hive heretics doing heretical things. Kill them with the assistance of a heretical Hive Sword Relic infused with heretical Hive magics.

Activities & Quests

• Create a suite of weapons using the Lectern of Enchantment, with energy gathered from Nightmare Hunts.
• Act as Eris Morn's therapist? And free her of manifested Nightmares that actively haunt her.
• Put a Deathsinger inside of a Rocket Launcher in a quest to obtain... Deathbringer.

Exotic Gear

Beyond Light Pack

Year 4 of Destiny 2 launched Beyond Light. This Expansion introduced new Subclasses revolving around the franchise's first new Element, Stasis, which are now free for all players. The Icy moon Europa houses the majority of this Expansion's content. Gather your friends to crash a Space Station and defeat Taniks for the 5th canonical time in the Deep Stone Crypt Raid.

Raid: Deep Stone Crypt

House Salvation commanders have breached the Deep Stone Crypt, the mysterious birthplace of (almost) all Exos. Breach through Golden Age security systems to pursue the Fallen invaders, board the Morningstar space station and proceed to crash it into Europa in your efforts to slay Taniks, Abomination for the 5th and - I really do hope - final time.

Activities & Quests

• Work with Variks to eliminate Eramis' Stasis wielding lieutenants in Empire Hunts and sabotage House Salvation operations to obtain a suite of Golden Age Europan firearms and Cloudstrike.
• Work with Ghost's really good impression of Drifter to obtain the very first Stasis Weapon: Salvation's Grip.
• Discover an unsettling truth about the Tower's resident armsmith Banshee-44 and earn the Chainsaw Sword, The Lament.
• Board the derelict Cabal Vessel Glykon while searching for Calus and survive hordes of fungal-Egregore controlled Scorn in the Presage Exotic Mission to Craft Dead Man's Tale.

Exotic Gear

30th Anniversary Pack

The 30th Anniversary Pack is a unique bundle of content made in celebration of Bungie's (the developer's) 30th anniversary.

• Purchasing this Pack grants access to the Grasp of Avarice Dungeon and the extremely famous Gjallarhorn within, as well as an ornament for it.
• A whole bunch of cosmetics!
  • Instant access to 3 "Bungie Streetwear" sets of Universal Ornaments, one per Class.
  • Access to 3 Marathon franchise themed sets of Universal Ornaments, one per Class, and purchasable with Strange Coins obtained from the Dares of Eternity.
  • The Ghost Sparrow. A Sparrow that looks like a Ghost. Not the Destiny Ghost, the Halo one.
  • Sweaty Confetti. A Weapon Mod that emulates Halo's Grunt Birthday Party Modifier.
  • A Ship that is literally just a rock.
  • And more!

Dungeon: Grasp of Avarice

Breach through caverns of pure greed, located under the Cosmodrome's "Loot Cave" made infamous in Destiny 1. The greed consuming the cavern's inhabitants spills out on death, collect it to supercharge yourself, and deposit it to avoid an unfortunate fate.

The Witch Queen

Year 5 of Destiny 2 launched The Witch Queen. This Expansion introduced Weapon Crafting and the Glaive Weapon archetype. Savuthan's Throne World houses the majority of this Expansion's content. See through the Hive God of Deception's web of lies and uncover the mystery behind the Hive's newfound mastery of Light in the Campaign. Defeat the god-like - Subjugator - Lubrae's Ruin - Olympic kicker - First Disciple of the Witness, Rhulk within the Vow of the Disciple Raid.

Campaign

Savuthan has resurfaced after escaping Queen Mara's wrath in Season of the Lost. She's somehow gotten hold of her own Ghost and has Light powers now, so has a large number of her Hive Brood. Blasphemy! How could the death-worshipping Hive steal humanity's most sacred tool?!

• This Campaign can be played on either Normal or Legend difficulty, and enemies get stronger as your Fireteam grows.
• Completing this Campaign unlocks Osteo Striga.

Raid: Vow of the Disciple

Killing Savuthan within the Witch Queen's Campaign has lasting consequences. Notably, her curse trapping the inhabitants of the Sunken Pyramid Ship fades. Go forth with your Fireteam and destroy everything inside before Rhulk, First Disciple of the Witness, can escape and Upend worlds...

Activities & Quests

• Uncover the secrets of Savuthan's Throne world to unlock a craftable arsenal of Weapons.
• Capture and defend the Wellspring: A 6 player offensive to unlock a suite of Exotic Glaives.
• Learn of Savuthan's role in Humanity's collapse by interrogating her old Worm in a questline to earn Parasite.
• Intercept psionic propaganda targeting Empress Caital's Ascendancy in the Vox Obscura Exotic Mission to Craft Dead Messenger.
• War against House Salvation and Wrathborn forces to control a Golden Age space station and prevent extinction in the Seraph Shield Exotic Mission to Craft Revision Zero.

Exotic Gear

The Witch Queen: Dungeon Key

Included in The Witch Queen Deluxe Edition, or purchasable for 2000 Silver ($20 USD). Gain access to 2 Dungeons with a full suite of Weapons, Armor, Cosmetics, and a Title all hidden within.

Dungeon: Duality

Eris Morn figured out way to enter the psyche of Emperor Calus by using an Artifact leftover from the Derelict Leviathan's old Tribute Hall. Relive through his Exile from the Midnight Coup, his failures in experimenting with the Crown of Sorrow, and see what he truly thinks about his daughter Caital, Empress of the Cabal.

Dungeon: Spire of the Watcher

Temporal anomalies on Mars have unearthed a Golden Age Spire, built to contain rouge AIs. Sol Divisive Vex commanded by the Witness seek to extract information here. Put on a cowboy hat and bring along a fireteam to stop them, maybe you'll uncover secrets surrounding the founding of Neptune's Neomuna...

Lightfall

Year 6 of Destiny 2 launched Lightfall. This Expansion introduced new Subclasses revolving around the franchise's second new Element, Strand. The hidden Neptunian City Neomuna houses the majority of this Expansion's content. Attempt to stop the end of all things at the hands of the Witness and defeat long-time-friend-and-foe Calus in the Campaign.

Campaign

The Witness and its fleet of Pyramid Ships have arrived, it seeks to enter the Traveler's Pale Heart, but needs to interface with the Veil to do so. Calus and his Shadow Legion are tasked with retrieving the Veil on Neomuna. Work with Osiris, Neomuni Cloud Striders, and Empress Caital and attempt to stop the end of all things.

• This Campaign can be played on either Normal or Legend difficulty, and enemies get stronger as your Fireteam grows.
• Completing this Campaign unlocks the Strand Subclass for that character.

Raid: Root of Nightmares

Though the Traveler's defensive Terraforming beam was ineffective against the Witness, it proved super effective at reviving Nezerac, Final God of Pain, origin of Nightmares. He terrorizes Neomuni citizens to grab your attention, so grab your friends and an Eager Edge sword and board the Witness's Pyramid Ship to put him down.

Activities & Quests

• Help the Neomuni people fend off Shadow Legion and Vex across Neomuna to Craft an arsenal of Nanotech-infused Golden Age Weapons.
• Halt Shadow Legion attempts to breach Neomuna's Cloud Ark in the Terminal Overload Public Event and earn 3 different non-Craftable Nanotech Weapons.
• Master Strand to obtain the Final Warning Exotic Sidearm.
• Uncover deep Cloud Strider secrets to obtain the Winterbite Exotic Glaive.
• Infiltrate the Black Garden to gain intel about the Veil and earn the Deterministic Chaos Chaos Exotic Machinegun.

Exotic Gear

Lightfall: Dungeon Key

Included in Lightfall Deluxe Edition, or purchasable for 2000 Silver ($20 USD). Gain access to 2 Dungeons with a full suite of Weapons, Armor, Cosmetics, and a Title all hidden within.

Dungeon: Ghosts of the Deep

As the moon Titan re-emerges, the at-the-time leaderless Lucent Hive dive into the Methane Sea to conduct a blasphemous ritual that would solve their leadership problem. Form a Fireteam to stop them, just try not to drown in the underwater sections.

Dungeon: Warlord's Ruin

Investigate reports of an Ahamkara near the European Dead Zone's Mountains. Push through Scorn minions, break out of a prison, survive lethal blizzards, and end the loop of vengeance created by the long dead Ahamkara Hefnd.

The Final Shape: Coming Soon

Summary

The Destiny 2 Expansions guide details the content and loot which isn't part of the base game experience.

• Whether you're a new or old Guardian, it's good to know what you get when you purchase an Expansion.
• Item access mechanics are nuanced. For Weapons & Armor, you can freely use what you've already obtained.
• Learn about what's free for all Guardians.
  • There's Campaigns, Raids, Dungeons, Exotic Missions, a handful of worlds to explore, and a ton of Exotics.
• Learn about every piece of content you'll get from every single Expansion, Pack, and Dungeon Key.

Credits