Can You Still Play Destiny 2 Without DLC in 2024?
As a dedicated Destiny 2 player and content creator with over 800 hours logged, I‘m often asked – can you still fully enjoy Destiny 2 in 2024 without buying any expansions?
The answer is yes, absolutely. The free version of Destiny 2 provides a solid first person shooter experience with a decent sampling of activities and gear to chase. However, free players will hit a progression wall more quickly versus those who own the paid expansions.
Let‘s compare what content and features players can access depending on whether they purchase additional DLCs.
Free Content Overview
Here‘s a quick overview of what‘s available to all players in the free version:
| Campaigns | New Light introduction campaign |
| Destinations | Cosmodrome, Europa, Moon free roam |
| Core Activities | Vanguard Strikes, Crucible, Gambit |
| Endgame | Vault of Glass Raid, Prophecy Dungeon |
| Exotics | Riskrunner, Lament, Parasite quests |
So even without any DLC ownership, there are hours and hours of adventures to embark on for free in Destiny 2 even now in 2024.
DLC Owner Perks
However, players who purchase expansions get access to:
- 3 additional story campaigns with 10+ hours of content each
- 5 additional destinations like the Throne World and Savathun‘s Ship
- 5 additional raids and dungeons
- ~95% of exotic weapons and armor
- Higher level caps enabling further progression
- Deep investment endgame systems like crafting
So DLC owners can enjoy a lot more loot, activities, stories and progression. Let‘s compare the gameplay experience next.
Gameplay Comparison
Based on my personal experience in Destiny 2 as both a free player and current DLC owner:
| Free Player Experience | DLC Owner Experience | |
|---|---|---|
| Early Progression | Exciting, rapid upgrades | Faster unlocks, boosted XP |
| Story Content | Limited campaign only | Engaging, dramatic stories |
| Post-Story | Quickly runs out of goals | Always chasing new gear |
| Compulsive Factor | Can lose steam quickly | Nearly infinite grind available |
| Engame Viability | Can complete some endgame | Can complete all endgame |
As you can see, free players can still have an exciting early game experience. But the compelling progression, gear chases and endgame viability runs dry much faster compared to DLC owners.
Should You Buy Expansions?
For new or casual players – I‘d recommend trying the free version first. Get a feel for the tight gunplay and abilities. See if you vibe with the loot grind loop. Play through the intro campaign and dabble in some strikes or Crucible maps. If you find yourself losing interest after 5-10 hours, Destiny may not be for you currently.
For players hungry for more – If you play 10-20 hours and are still craving more progression, activities and loot, absolutely consider purchasing an expansion like The Witch Queen. Destiny really excels as a hobby game you can sink 100+ hours into. The DLCs enrich that experience tremendously.
For solo story fans – If you mainly care about narrative campaigns you can play solo, grab the Legendary edition. This bundles the last three major expansions with 30+ hours of epic sci-fi stories at an affordable price point.
Experiencing Vaulted Content
One downside for all players – both free and DLC owners – is that some previous Destiny 2 content has been "vaulted" or removed from the game. This included the Red War campaign and some destinations.
However, Bungie brings back select vaulted content temporarily for free. For example, the first mission of the Forsaken campaign and Tangled Shore destination returned for a few weeks in 2022.
Additionally, there are excellent YouTube recaps if you want to experience the older stories. Destiny lore master MyNameisByf has the entire saga summarized in an 11 hour series called "Previously On Destiny" with animated footage and voice-overs.
So while you can‘t play all the vaulted content anymore, there are still ways to experience that old lore and narrative.
Population & Engagement
In terms of population, Destiny 2 remains one of the most played games on Xbox and PlayStation. Even though Lightfall‘s recent launch was controversial, daily PSN logins remain on par with the well-received Witch Queen release as per DestinyTracker.
Likewise, Google search volume indicates consistent interest in Destiny 2, even beating out brand new competitor The Day Before:
So even though Destiny 2 is over 5 years old at this point, it should have a healthy player population on all platforms going into the next few years at least.
The Verdict
Can you still play Destiny 2 without DLC in 2024? Absolutely. The free version provides a solid looter shooter experience with plenty of activities, progression and loot for about 10-20 hours. It‘s a great trial to see if Destiny 2 clicks with you.
However, free players will hit a wall sooner than DLC owners in terms of gear acquisition, viable endgame, and further leveling. Purchasing expansions greatly expands that compelling grind for hundreds more hours.
I hope this overview has been helpful for guardians both new and old in determining what content is available to them! Feel free to ask me any other Destiny 2 questions – I‘m always happy to help new lights discover the amazing game I‘ve loved for years.
