The wait for the upcoming expansion Shadowkeep for Destiny 2 continues. In the meantime, we wondered which have been the best and worst expansions in the Destiny universe so far. Do you agree with our ranking or do you have completely different ideas?
What kind of ranking is this? For this ranking, Tom, Sven, and Micha sat down at the virtual pub and talked candidly: Which expansions and DLCs from the Destiny universe were enjoyable, and which made us roll our eyes?
Reaching a consensus was not so easy. One member of the exclusive circle of self-proclaimed “Destiny experts” was quite adamant about not rating the first Destiny 2 expansion Forsaken as highly as the other two Guardians.
After hard negotiations and some gritting of teeth, however, the ranking was established. Since the decision was so difficult and far from unanimous, we let the participants have their say. We explain how we voted and why Sven hates the Dreaming City so much.
Destiny Expansions and DLCs – This is Our Ranking
Our ranking from top (above) to flop (below):
- Kingsfall (Destiny expansion, 2015)
- Forsaken (Destiny 2 expansion, 2018)
- Darkness Awaits (Destiny DLC, 2014)
- The Rise of Iron (Destiny expansion, 2016)
- Season of Opulence (Destiny 2 Annual Pass)
- Season of the Forge (Destiny 2 Annual Pass)
- House of Wolves (Destiny DLC, 2015)
- Warmind (Destiny 2 DLC, 2018)
- Season of the Drifter (Destiny 2 Annual Pass)
- Curse of Osiris (Destiny 2 DLC, 2017)
Tom: Darkness Awaits will probably always be the best “small DLC” for me
This is what Tom says: Whether Kingsfall or Forsaken was the best Destiny expansion ever – I don’t want to make a definitive statement on that. Both expansions shook the game dramatically and raised Destiny (TTK) and Destiny 2 (Forsaken) to a significantly better level.
While I particularly liked the story around Eris and Oryx in TTK, which ended in the magnificent Kingsfall raid, I was captivated by Forsaken with the Triumph system and the Dreaming City.
Darkness Awaits will probably always be the best “small DLC” in Destiny for me. I played the Crota raid repeatedly and was fascinated by the crazy ways other guardians defeated Crota. Moreover, Darkness Awaits brought many iconic weapons into the game, like the Black Spindle or Crota’s Fury. At the release of Darkness Awaits, there were complaints about too little content for the money, but I have some of my best Destiny memories from that time.
The Rise of Iron, which was partly seen as a stopgap to bridge the gap until Destiny 2, ultimately represented a worthy conclusion to Destiny 1. The expansion not only brought a cool social space inhabited by wolves with Felwinter Peak but also several iconic weapons from Year 1 that evoked feelings of nostalgia, such as the Gjallarhorn or the Icebreaker.
The Drifter season and the bottom-ranking Curse of Osiris consistently land at the last spots. While the Drifter season only offered something for Gambit fans and even the Reckoning couldn’t convince, a lot went wrong with Curse of Osiris. Honestly, I don’t even want to think back on that.
Sven: I never warmed up to the “Lord of the Rings” look of Forsaken
This is what Sven says: Kingsfall and Forsaken are, in my eyes, the best expansions for their respective games. TTK made Destiny 1 noticeably better, Forsaken improved the previously maligned Destiny 2. But as good as Forsaken may be for Destiny 2: I simply love the dark setting of TTK and never really warmed up to the “Lord of the Rings” look of Forsaken. Therefore, TTK is personally the better expansion for me.
For this reason, Darkness Awaits comes next for me. Especially what Bungie created in the Hellmouth under the surface of the Moon remains unforgettable to me to this day.
Next comes The Rise of Iron. I loved the new area “Plaguelands” and found the SIVA setting simply awesome.
Even though I never liked the bling-bling look of the Leviathan, I was convinced by the chalice mechanic from the Season of Opulence. Next comes the Black Armory with its forges and the Fallen raid “Scourge of the Past”. This still embodies my favorite raid in D2. I also found the futuristic armor of the forges simply great.
Everything that follows really left me cold or disappointed. Neither House of Wolves nor Warmind really grabbed me. Since Gambit is absolutely not my thing, I have never played Destiny 2 as little as during the Season of the Drifter. And I don’t think I really need to say much about Curse of Osiris.
Micha: I’m glad that I didn’t have to go to Mercury for the Solstice armor
This is what Micha says: The first two entries on this list made it really hard for me: Kingsfall or Forsaken? I love Forsaken, but the hunt for the Barons didn’t work out well for me with the individual adventures, and the break between the Uldren story and the Dreaming City was too strong for me.
Kingsfall captivated me right from the start. I like the Dreadnaught and the Kingsfall raid, and Oryx really felt threatening as a villain. In the end, Oryx’s adorable chicken feet probably made the difference.
Then, of course, Darkness Awaits with the Crota raid.
In my personal view, The Rise of Iron would have ended up at a later rank. I even like the Season of Opulence and the Season of the Forge from the Destiny 2 annual pass even better. I never really warmed up to the Last Wish raid from Iron Lords. But the forge activity from the expansion was really fun for me until the end.
Only on three positions on this list were Tom, Sven, and I really in agreement: Darkness Awaits, Season of the Drifter, and Curse of Osiris. The Osiris DLC is still quite awful to me, and I’m glad that I didn’t have to go to Mercury for the Solstice armor.
Do you agree with our ranking or would you have voted differently?
