Over the past decade, billions of dollars have been wasted in pursuit of the perfect live service game, withConcord,Skull and Bones, andMarvel’s Avengersbeing just some of the manyhigh-profile flops that have failed to capture the hearts and minds of gamers. However, every once in a while, a developer does manage to get things right, as evidenced by Bungie’sDestinygames.
Many consider them to be pioneers of the live service formula, although a big part of their success comes not from these GaaS elements, but rather from their fantastic DLC. The bestDestinyexpansions help to elevate their respective games, offering quality-of-life improvements and new story content while further fleshing out the series' expansive lore and world-building.
12Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris
OpenCritic Rating: 56
Curse of Osiriswas the first expansion forDestiny 2and many fans had high hopes for it 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 madeCurse of Osirisso disappointing though was not so much its meager offering, but that Bungie had seemingly learned nothing from their experiences with the firstDestinygame.
11Destiny: The Dark Below
OpenCritic Rating: 60
The Dark Belowwas the very firstDestinyexpansion, 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 Belowoffered little to help maintain the game’s momentum. Perhaps that was to be expected though given its relatively low price.
The Dark Belowexpands 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 Belowoffers something new to do for those who have already reached the endgame, but very little else.
10Destiny 2: Warmind
OpenCritic Rating: 62
Warmindis the follow-up toThe Curse of Osirisand thankfully avoids 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 thanThe 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 players.
9Destiny 2: Beyond Light
OpenCritic Rating: 71
Prior to the release of The Witch Queen and The Final Shape, the bar was set pretty low forDestiny 2expansions. Most players were happy just to be getting some new content and the occasional quality-of-life update, yet, with it coming right off the back of Shadowkeep, it was hard not to be disappointed with Beyond Light.
Like a lot ofDestinyexpansions, Beyond Light boasts a fairly mediocre campaign, but the biggest complaint players had was withthe way that it handled the sunsetting of olderDestiny 2content. With its release, players lost access to locations, weapons, and even entire campaigns, including The Red War and Warmind.
8Destiny: House of Wolves
OpenCritic Rating: 69
After the disappointment ofThe Dark Below,House of Wolvesprovided Bungie with some much-needed redemption. It’s 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 when 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 into the game. It did, however, give existing ones a reason to stick around a little longer.
7Destiny 2: Lightfall
After the success of The Witch Queen, Lightfall felt like a bit of a backward step to manyDestiny 2players. It certainly has its positives, but these are largely overshadowed by the expansion’s lackluster campaign and the fact that a lot of the content that it offers retreads old ground; clumsily, in most instances.
All that said, exploring Neptune can be interesting, with the advanced man-made city of Neomuna offering something very different from most of the other in-game locations. The Strand subclass still holds up pretty well too, as do the many quality-of-life improvements that were introduced as part of the expansion.
6Destiny: Rise of Iron
Rise of Ironwas the final expansion for the firstDestinygame. 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 an emphatic bang.
The story content was engaging and introduced some interesting ideas and 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 on to something new. Thankfully, withDestiny 2looming large on the horizon, they wouldn’t have to wait too much longer.
5Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
OpenCritic Rating: 76
Shadowkeepis the fourth major expansion forDestiny 2and 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 thepost-Activision era ofDestinywould look like.
The moon remains as cold and uninviting as ever, but in spite of the bleak scenery,Shadowkeepprovides 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.
4Destiny 2: Forsaken
OpenCritic Rating: 82
Forsakenensured 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, butDestiny 2finally 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 ofother positives to be found inForsaken. 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 fantasticDestiny 2expansion.
3Destiny: The Taken King
OpenCritic Rating: 84
The Taken Kinghad a hefty price tag when it was 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 Kingwas 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 theDestinyexperience. In many ways, it felt likeDestiny’s coming of age and marked the moment that the game finally realized its full potential.
