Does Buying Destiny 2‘s The Witch Queen Include Previous Expansions?

As a Destiny 2 content creator and guide writer with over 2000 hours logged since the D1 alpha days, one question I see frequently from new and returning Guardians is:

Does picking up the new The Witch Queen expansion also grant access to the older DLCs like Forsaken, Shadowkeep or Beyond Light?

The short answer is: unfortunately, no. The Witch Queen is a standalone expansion that does not include or require any previous add-ons. You‘ll just get the content specifically tied to this 2022 release.

However, understanding what you do get with The Witch Queen (and its various editions) remains important. As well weighing whether those past expansions are still worth buying separately in 2024 depending on your needs.

So today, let‘s closely compare The Witch Queen to Destiny 2‘s previous DLCs. I‘ll break down exactly what you can expect feature and content-wise across the different versions so you can determine which purchases (if any) are right for you!

Destiny 2‘s Evolving DLC Model

In Destiny 2‘s early days, expansions built directly on previous narrative threads while adding substantive gameplay systems. 2017‘s Curse of Osiris directly continued base game story beats. 2018‘s Warmind expansion added onto this. And Forsaken radically overhauled everything in fall 2018.

This made buying all expansions essential to follow the disjointed, unfolding saga completely.

However, recent years have seen Bungie shift to more standalone DLCs…

2019‘s Shadowkeep kicked off a disconnected story about the Pyramid ships and nightmares completely unrelated to Forsaken. 2020‘s Beyond Light similarly delved into a whole new element-powered Darkness subclass detached from previous events.

Now in 2022, The Witch Queen centers on Savathûn and the Lucent Hive narrative threaded through recent seasons. But contains little direct reference to past DLCs stories.

This makes picking and choosing expansions based more on what types of content/loot interest you rather than narrative necessity. Let‘s analyze The Witch Queen specifically…

Breaking Down The Witch Queen‘s Offerings

Dropping in February 2022 and widely praised as Destiny 2‘s best expansion, The Witch Queen brings:

• A 15+ hour cinematic campaign diving deep into Savathûn‘s schemes
• The weapon crafting system allowing deep customization
• The glaive – a new exotic weapon archetype
• Two new darkness subclasses (Stasis released in Beyond Light)
• The Throne World destination to explore with dynamic enemy containment events
• Legendary campaign difficulty for increased challenge
• Raid-lite activity Duality Dungeon
• 6 player raid Vow of the Disciple
• Season of the Risen seasonal content (3 month duration)

Reviewing community feedback and outlet reviews like IGN – The Witch Queen really does deliver on all fronts. The campaign, crafting system and Throne World location stand out as particular highlights.

If purchased at launch, this expansion provided 100+ hours of meaningful endgame activities through early summer 2022.

But what about subsequent releases? Let‘s break those down too…

Editions & Season Passes Breakdown

First, The Witch Queen releases in 2 editions:

The Standard Edition ($40)

• Just includes The Witch Queen expansion/content listed above

The Deluxe Edition ($80)

• The Witch Queen Expansion content
• Season Passes for Year 5 (Season of Risen through Season 19)
• Two upcoming Year 5 dungeons releasing in late 2022 & 2023
• Exotic SMG, catalyst, ornament & sparrow bonuses

Given Destiny 2 seasons provide an additional seasonal activity, catalyst pursuit plus narrative threads every ~3 months, the Deluxe Edition offers great value if playing consistently through 2023.

Especially with those dungeons equaling 2/3rds the content of a normal raid lair.

Now, what about buying past expansions too? How do they compare 1+ years later?

How Do Previous Expansions Compare in 2024?

Destiny 2 now encompasses a massive amount of content across the past 5+ years. Making it challenging for new or returning players to determine what purchases make sense.

Let‘s analyze the last 3 major expansions in detail:

Looking at this comparison table, you can see year-over-year consistency in terms of campaign length, new destinations and marquee endgame content releases.

But how relevant remains all this older content going into 2023?

Is Forsaken Still Worthwhile in 2024?

With sunsetting seeing many Forsaken weapons/armor retired from endgame utility, the nostalgic Dreaming City location stands as the main draw 1.5 years later.

Hunting world drop exotics like One Thousand Voices or reprised Moon/Dreaming weapons means enjoyable replay value remains. Especially with the Shattered Throne dungeon offering one of Destiny’s coolest exotic quests in Wish Ender.

But for simply keeping up with the story,Campaign replayability or narrative closure on plot threads for characters like Uldren? Forsaken now skips past in the wider Destiny 2 saga. Making it hard to recommend on story merits.

Though it still provides some great loot…

What About Shadowkeep Content?

As covered earlier, Shadowkeep kicked off a side narrative disconnected from previous releases. Focusing instead on nightmares, the Pyramid threat and hints of Eris’ fireteam’s fate.

While certainly interesting lorewise, the Moon location itself is quite small, with few dynamic events once finishing the story content and campaign replays.

The Garden of Salvation is an excellent raid. But with sunset/retired weapons and armor lacking current power caps, motivation to rerun frequently diminishes except when featured as weekly raid rewards.

Ultimately, Shadowkeep now functions more an extended season-style content drop rather than fully fledged expansion in terms of scale.

The narrative seeds planted regarding Savathûn, the Black Fleet and Darkness subclasses bloomed beautifully later in Beyond Light and The Witch Queen.

But judged on its own merits as a standalone expansion? Difficult to recommend buying Shadowkeep solely for itself in 2024 except for completionists.

Does Beyond Light Content Still Hold Weight?

As Destiny 2’s latest chapter embracing the Darkness through new Stasis subclasses and Deep Stone Crypt raid, Beyond Light offers possibly the best value for those wanting to catch up now.

The icy Europa destination remains compelling to explore even over 1 year later – with dynamic weather events and hidden Exo challenges offering hidden gameplay depth.

Four pinnacle/powerful gear Empire Hunts encourage weekly completions. And the Deep Stone Crypt raid features some of Destiny’s very best weaponry and armor to chase through repeat runs or spoils purchases.

Factor in two standalone dungeons also available to all players (Prophecy & Creation), and Beyond Light likely marks the most essential previous expansion to pick up alongside The Witch Queen.

Offering the most compelling destination, loot and subclasses excluded from the free-to-play experience.

The Witch Queen & Older Expansions: Should You Buy Them?

Hopefully breaking down The Witch Queen’s offerings against previous expansions sheds light on what current DLCs provide best value going into 2023.

While The Witch Queen does not include any past expansions, its Throne World destination, campaign, weapon crafting system and Vow of the Disciple raid make it a must-buy for engaged Destiny 2 players.

• Particularly in Deluxe Edition format granting forthcoming dungeons and seasonal content.

As for older DLCs:

• Forsaken now shows its age, but provides nostalgia and great loot chased still today.
• Shadowkeep’s standalone story seeds perhaps resonate louder than content itself.
• Beyond Light marks the most essential backlog expansion for gameplay systems, destinations and loot.

For myself as a dedicated Destiny 2 content creator – I obviously recommend playing ALL the expansions eventually!

But focusing on The Witch Queen (+Deluxe Edition) and Beyond Light first comprises the most compelling content for fresh or returning Guardians in 2024. Providing 100+ hours of loot grinding and endgame challenges.

Have comments/questions? Let me know! Happy to discuss more with fellow Destiny fans. Eyes up Guardians!