With the upcoming release of Destiny 2: Lightfall, it’s time once more to rank Destiny’s best expansions, and see where fan-favorite Destiny expansions from The Dark Below all the way to the Witch Queen end up. Let’s get started!
10. Curse of Osiris
This should be no surprise to anyone who played during the time, but the Curse of Osiris DLC continues to hold the position as the worst expansion in Destiny’s history. When Destiny 2 first released, it had a rough start as it did not capitalize on the success of Destiny 1’s send off, and the Curse of Osiris expansion was released to hopefully spark some life back into the game.
Unfortunately, it did not do what it was supposed to do and somehow worsened the situation, as it provided little to no content for players to enjoy. The content that was added was not memorable in the slightest. Thankfully, we shouldn’t expect more DLCs like Curse of Osiris, as Bungie has gotten back on track with how they handle their expansions.
9. The Dark Below
The Dark Below was the first expansion for Destiny, and with it, expectations were sky-high. The hype was starting to run out for Destiny, and fans wanted something new to take on and the Dark Below kind of delivered.
It felt light on content for the time, mainly because it needed more new, significant locations. What didn’t help either is that the raid Crota’s End was very buggy and led to frustration. However, compared to Curse of Osiris, The Dark Below was loaded with stuff to do. Still, needless to say, it’s not one of the best destiny expansions.
8. Warmind
Warmind actually would have probably been remembered as a solid expansion by more people if it wasn’t coming at a time where Destiny 2 was reeling. The game needed a huge shakeup, like what Forsaken eventually delivered, and instead players got more of the same.
The story was shockingly short; however, there was a lot of solid post-game content to sink your teeth into, including very rewarding exotic quests, new activities like Escalation Protocol, a raid lair, and a new location that was much bigger than Mercury. Again, while not a perfect expansion, Warmind brought enough players back to the game to keep it alive until the arrival of the Forsaken DLC, so Warmind unironically played a massive role in the game’s survival.
7. House of Wolves
House of Wolves was by far the best mini-expansion in Destiny history, even beating the future Destiny 2 mini-expansions. The DLC went out of its way to experiment with new ideas rather than just heaping the same content onto the pile. Prison of Elders, the series’ take on a horde mode of sorts, was a blast, and it featured a highly challenging three-person encounter, Skolas, which goes down as one of the most satisfying boss fights the series has ever seen.
Considering the price point, and the risks that Bungie took in this one, foregoing a raid for new stuff, the expansion scores some extra points, and gets a boost in our rankings as it’s one of the best destiny expansions.
6. Shadowkeep
Shadowkeep had the impossible task of trying to follow the incredible Forsaken expansion. Taking place on the Moon and starring Eris Morn, the expansion introduces us to what will likely be the primary antagonist in Destiny in the future, but lacks its own punch.
Shadowkeep features welcome refinements across the board, more exotic quests, raids, strikes and dungeons, all of which were well done. But it also experimented with more radical changes like armor 2.0 which at launch, was quite flawed, but a step in the right direction.
5. Rise of Iron
The Rise of Iron expansion had the challenging task of trying to compete with the success of The Taken King, and while it didn’t come up with the same numbers, it was still a massive success in the end anyway. The DLC gave us a story wrapped around the beloved Lord Saladin and the fabled Iron Lords, who were previously very mysterious characters in the franchise at the time.
It also gave us an amazing new enemy type in the Siva-corrupted Fallen. Siva was a nanotechnology that eventually got a mind of its own, and became “evil”. Siva left a huge impression on Destiny 1 veterans, and has continued to be the most requested feature to return from Destiny 1 to Destiny 2.
On top of that, the DLC also gave us the Wrath of the Machine raid, arguably one of the best raids in the franchise, and will hopefully return to Destiny 2 later this year.
4. Beyond Light
Beyond Light introduced Stasis and the idea of Darkness subclasses into the world of Destiny 2. While it was a bit of rocky start when it came to balance, Stasis quickly settled into Destiny 2 quite nicely.
Beyond Light also saw the story finally push forward as a cohesive unit rather than fragmented one-off campaigns, and also gave lore hounds a ton of insight into the Fallen. Finally, it added the Deep Stone Crypt, yet another stand out raid experience.
While not necessarily the best expansion, Beyond Light is meaty, introduces one new beautiful area in Europa, and sees the return of the Cosmodrome, and is overall a solid addition.
3. The Taken King
The Taken King was a series-changing expansion that reset the course of the first game. Until The Taken King, the fanbase was split on whether it would be a game they would see themselves playing for the long haul. Although we loved House of Wolves, only some did, and The Dark Below could’ve been better.
If The Taken King was ill-received, that could’ve been a massive problem for the series. Luckily, it was great, though. It added three new and super fun subclasses, arguably the best raid in the series, and took place on the Dreadnought, which was the most jam-packed and exciting location until recently. Without a doubt, the Taken King was the best Destiny 1 expansion and paved the way for the game and franchise as a whole to become as successful as it is today.
2. The Witch Queen
It’s been a year since the Witch Queen DLC has released, and it’s safe to say it was a massive success looking back on it. After years of teases and hints, we finally got to square off against the sinister sister of the Taken King, Savathun, and it was a legendary fight.
Nobody expected to ever go up against Light Bearers in a non-PvP game mode. Still, somehow, Savathun was able to steal the Light from the Traveler to not only become a “Guardian” herself but also create her army of Hive Guardians. It was truly a memorable experience for all to enjoy.
We also got our first set of Light 3.0 subclass revamps, starting with the Void subclass, which also became a massive success in the long run. Overall, the Witch Queen knocked it out of the park and is easily the best DLC the game has seen in years. However, there can only be one that sits at the top.
1. Forsaken
Last but not least, the Forsaken DLC is easily the best expansion in Destiny’s history. It isn’t an understatement to say that the Forsaken expansion saved Destiny 2, as the game was to the point of shutting down before it was released. Destiny 2 had a rough start when it first released, not being able to capitalize on the success of Destiny 1 immediately, so there was a lot riding on the first major DLC drop, and Forsaken knocked it out of the park.
From revamping the entire weapons system to how it was in Destiny 1, a dramatic and beautiful campaign with the tragic death of the beloved Cayde-6, and more. To this day, the raid released with Forsaken, Last Wish, is still considered the best raid in the Destiny franchise, even as it approaches five years old.
Overall, Forsaken was indeed the make-it-or-break-it DLC for Destiny 2 as a whole, and Bungie nailed it. Unfortunately, this was the last expansion Bungie would have help from another studio, as they split from Activision shortly after the release. Even though the Witch Queen was excellent DLC, it couldn’t compare to the sheer scale of content and changes that came with Forsaken, which is why Forsaken continues to sit at the top. Perhaps the upcoming Lightfall DLC will dethrone it?
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