Everything Missing From the Game as It Shuts Down Service

One of the reasons the inevitable shutdown of Destiny 2 is such a big deal is because once live-service support for it concludes, it will usher in an era unlike any we’ve seen in gaming for over a decade. Yes, Destiny 2 will technically still be playable for the foreseeable future, but this will be the first time in over 13 years that fans haven’t had something Destiny-oriented to look forward to. With reports that Destiny 3 is not, nor has it ever been, in the works, this means everything that exists within the world of Destiny is dying with the Destiny 2‘s final update in June.

Something that hits even harder, though, is that there is still a lot of missing content in Destiny 2 that players haven’t had access to in years, tucked away inside the Destiny Content Vault. Originally created as a live-service solution that would allow Bungie to update and maintain Destiny 2 more efficiently, the DCV became the new home for many of the game’s original campaigns, strikes, raids, and more, preventing players from accessing them unless Bungie removed them from the vault for one reason or another. But now that Destiny 2‘s live-service era is coming to an end, that essentially means that what began as a compromise to increase efficiency is now part of the game’s final playable form, leaving it feeling empty in many ways from now on.

Destiny 2’s Vaulted Campaigns

The most obvious missing pieces are, of course, Destiny 2‘s original campaigns. The Red War, Curse of Osiris, Warmind, and Forsaken all have a special place in the game’s history, with The Red War and Forsaken, in particular, being two fan-favorites. The Red War will always be one of the most iconic stories in the game, simply because it is the campaign that started it all, whereas Forsaken is often praised as the best Destiny 2 expansion for a multitude of reasons.

Destiny 2‘s Warmind campaign is widely considered one of the better ones, though it pales in comparison to Forsaken and the nostalgia-fueled Red War. Curse of Osiris, on the other hand, is arguably one of the worst Destiny 2 expansions ever made, though seeing its campaign permanently locked within the DCV after the game’s final update still comes with its own sense of loss, because even Destiny 2‘s rougher chapters helped define what the game eventually became.

Destiny 2’s Vaulted Destinations

Losing destinations is difficult because Destiny 2 has always been about more than the activities players complete there. These spaces carry memories, atmosphere, music, vendors, public events, secrets, and the feeling of where the game was at a certain point in its life. Titan, Io, Mercury, Mars, and the Leviathan were all moved into the Destiny Content Vault when Beyond Light launched, and while some were stronger than others, each one represented a specific era of Destiny 2 that players can no longer revisit in the same way.

However, the Tangled Shore might be the most painful missing destination after that, mainly because it was originally introduced in Forsaken. Add in the Farm, the Derelict Leviathan, the Eliksni Quarter, and several H.E.L.M.-connected seasonal spaces, and Destiny 2‘s final form feels like it is missing several rooms from its own house.

Destiny 2’s Vaulted Raids

Vaulted raids are a different kind of loss because raids have always been Destiny 2 at its most memorable. They are where the game asks the most from a fireteam, and they often become the activities players remember years later because of the mechanics, the failures, the late-night clears, and the people they finished them with. Losing a campaign or destination hurts, but losing a raid means losing one of the clearest snapshots of what Destiny 2 was capable of during a specific era.

That makes the continued absence of Leviathan, Eater of Worlds, Spire of Stars, Scourge of the Past, and Crown of Sorrow especially disappointing. Leviathan was Destiny 2‘s first raid, while Scourge of the Past and Crown of Sorrow each captured very different sides of the game’s endgame identity. Bungie may be refreshing raid and dungeon loot in Monument of Triumph, but unless something changes before launch, some of Destiny 2‘s most important raid memories will remain locked in the Content Vault.

Destiny 2’s Vaulted Strikes

Vaulted strikes hurt in a more practical way because they were some of Destiny 2‘s most replayable activities. Campaign missions were usually experienced once, and raids required a committed fireteam, but strikes were part of the game’s regular loop—and anyone could do them. They filled playlists, Nightfalls, quests, and casual sessions where players could jump in, spend a little time with the game, and still feel like they had revisited a real piece of Destiny 2‘s world.

That makes the absence of strikes like Savathun’s Song, The Pyramidion, The Festering Core, A Garden World, Tree of Probabilities, Strange Terrain, Will of the Thousands, Broodhold, and The Hollowed Lair feel especially noticeable. Some were better than others, but they all helped give destinations like Titan, Io, Mercury, Mars, and the Tangled Shore more purpose. With those strikes still vaulted, Destiny 2 is missing some of the connective tissue that once made its worlds feel more alive.

Destiny 2’s Vaulted Crucible and Gambit Maps

Vaulted Crucible and Gambit maps are easy to overlook compared to missing campaigns, destinations, raids, and strikes, but they still matter because they gave Destiny 2‘s competitive side a handful of unique settings. PvP and Gambit live or die by map variety, and losing maps means losing certain sightlines, lanes, invasion routes, chokepoints, and match rhythms that players came to recognize over time. Even when a map was divisive, it still added texture to the playlist.

That makes the absence of maps like Meltdown, Firebase Echo, Eternity, Solitude, Legion’s Gulch, Retribution, Equinox, Gambler’s Ruin, Vostok, Emperor’s Respite, and The Citadel worth mentioning, along with Gambit maps like Cathedral of Scars and Kell’s Grave. Bungie is refreshing Crucible and Gambit in June 9’s Monument of Triumph update, including new Crucible modes, Heavy Metal’s return, and Gambit’s upgrade into an Ops category, but those changes don’t erase how much of Destiny 2‘s old competitive map pool is still missing.

Destiny 2’s Vaulted Exotic Missions

Vaulted Exotic missions are some of the hardest losses to ignore because they often represented Destiny 2 at its most creative. Destiny 2 missions like The Whisper, Zero Hour, Presage, Harbinger, Vox Obscura, Operation: Seraph’s Shield, and others gave Exotic weapons a sense of mystery and occasion, turning them into more than something players pulled from a kiosk or earned through a standard quest step. At their best, these missions felt like hidden corners of Destiny 2 where Bungie could experiment in ways the rest of the game didn’t always allow.

That’s what makes their absence so frustrating in Destiny 2‘s final form. Some of the weapons tied to these missions may still be obtainable through other means, but the original experience of earning them is where much of their identity came from. Getting Dead Man’s Tale from Presage, Outbreak Perfected from Zero Hour, or Whisper of the Worm from The Whisper mattered because the mission made the weapon feel earned, discovered, and remembered. Without those missions fully preserved, Destiny 2 loses some of the best examples of how powerful its Exotic chase could be.

Destiny 2’s Vaulted Seasonal Content

Destiny 2‘s vaulted seasonal activities are where its missing history starts to feel a bit overwhelming. Activities like Ketchcrash, Expeditions, Salvage, Deep Dives, The Coil, Riven’s Lair, Override, Expunge, Astral Alignment, Shattered Realm, and many others were built to support specific chapters in the game’s overarching story, but most of them were never meant to last forever. That made some sense while Destiny 2 was still actively moving from season to season, but it feels much harder to accept now that the game is approaching its final live-service update. These activities weren’t all equal, and some were clearly stronger than others, but they helped define what Destiny 2 felt like from year to year. More importantly, many of them were tied directly to seasonal narratives that are now vaulted as well.

Destiny 2’s Vaulted Seasonal Narratives

• Season of the Forge
• Season of the Drifter
• Season of Opulence
• Season of the Hunt
• Season of the Chosen
• Season of the Splicer
• Season of the Lost
• Season of the Risen
• Season of the Haunted
• Season of Plunder
• Season of the Seraph
• Season of Defiance
• Season of the Deep
• Season of the Witch
• Season of the Wish
• Into the Light
• Episode: Echoes
• Episode: Revenant
• Episode: Heresy
• The Rite of the Nine

So much of the game’s character work, worldbuilding, and long-term payoff happened in seasonal content, from Crow’s early development and Caiatl’s growing role to Rasputin’s sacrifice, Eris’ transformation, and the aftermath of Destiny 2‘s Final Shape expansion. Some of those moments can be watched online, read about in lore entries, or remembered by longtime players, but they can no longer be experienced as part of Destiny 2 itself.

Destiny 2’s Final Update Makes the Vault More Noticeable

Image via Bungie

But all of this is what’s so strange about Monument of Triumph. Bungie is clearly trying to make Destiny 2‘s final update feel like a celebration of everything the game has been, and in many ways, it sounds like a strong sendoff. The returning Director, refreshed rewards, updated activities, permanent SRL, and broader access to past event items all make sense for a game that is about to stop moving forward in the same way. But the more Destiny 2 tries to celebrate its history, the harder it becomes to ignore how much of that history still cannot actually be played.

That doesn’t make Monument of Triumph a bad final update. If anything, it sounds like one of the better things Bungie could have done for the players who plan to keep coming back. Still, Destiny 2‘s final form will be missing some of its most important chapters, from The Red War and Forsaken to old destinations, raids, strikes, Exotic missions, PvP maps, Gambit maps, and years of seasonal storytelling. For longtime players, that makes the update feel bittersweet. For newer players, it means Destiny 2 will remain playable, but it will never be fully complete.

Released

August 28, 2017

ESRB

T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence