How Long is Destiny 2‘s Full Campaign? A Completionist‘s Guide
As a hardcore Destiny 2 gamer and content creator with over 1,000 hours logged, one of the most common questions I get asked is "how long is the full Destiny 2 campaign if you want to complete everything?"
The answer isn‘t straightforward, as there are several expansions and questlines to work through. In this guide, I‘ll break down estimated completion times for all of Destiny 2‘s major campaigns, with tips to maximize your adventure as a new Guardian!
Main Campaign – The Red War (Vaulted)
Destiny 2 originally launched in 2017 with an epic cinematic campaign called The Red War, where you fought to regain your lost powers and defeat the infamous villain Dominus Ghaul. This main campaign took most players 8-12 hours to complete while also completing minor side quests like Adventures.
Unfortunately, The Red War and all Year 1 content was vaulted and removed from the game in late 2020 to make room for newer expansions. It still holds a special place in many veteran players‘ hearts for introducing the world of Destiny though!
Year 1 DLC Campaigns – Curse of Osiris & Warmind (Vaulted)
The first two DLCs, Curse of Osiris and Warmind, continued your journey with around 3-5 hours of story content each plus additional Adventures and end-game activities. These smaller campaigns have also been vaulted as of 2022.
Campaign Hours Breakdown
| Expansion | Main Story Length | With Side Content |
|---|---|---|
| The Red War (Vaulted) | 8-12 hours | 15-20 hours |
| Curse of Osiris (Vaulted) | 3-5 hours | 6-10 hours |
| Warmind (Vaulted) | 3-5 hours | 6-10 hours |
| Forsaken | 8-12 hours | 20-30 hours |
| Shadowkeep | 5-8 hours | 15-25 hours |
| Beyond Light | 6-10 hours | 25-35 hours |
| The Witch Queen | 8-12 hours | 30-40 hours |
| Lightfall (2023) | Estimated 8-15 hours | TBD |
So by my estimates, playing through all the existing campaigns and completing all side quests available could take around 130 hours currently, not counting endgame grinds!
Year 2 Campaign – Forsaken (Highly Recommended)
Destiny 2‘s first major expansion, Forsaken, arrived in late 2018 and instantly became a community favorite. The tragic story, variety of destinations, and wealth of loot still hold up today. I strongly recommend all new players experience Forsaken‘s 12+ hour campaign and 30+ hours of total content. Don‘t miss out on the playable Tangled Shore destination before it enters the DCV in 2024!
Year 3 Campaign – Shadowkeep (Recommended)
2019‘s Shadowkeep expansion marked Destiny 2‘s dive into darker, creepier themes with an extensive campaign taking you to the moon to investigate nightmares and phantoms. Its story lays the foundation for future plot threads leading up to the acclaimed Witch Queen expansion. Completing Shadowkeep‘s 8ish hour campaign and post-game content will take most players 15-25 hours.
Year 4 Campaign – Beyond Light (Recommended)
Beyond Light in late 2020 brought the highlight Stasis elemental subclasses and introduced the mysterious Exo Stranger who guides you to explore the icy moon of Europa. Its campaign spans 6-10 hours, but factor in another 15-25 hours to complete all of Beyond Light‘s post-game quests to unlock Aspects and Fragments for the Stasis subclasses.
I recommend playing Beyond Light before The Witch Queen since the latter continues story threads started in the former. Plus having access to customizable Stasis subclasses opens fun build options!
Year 5 Campaign – The Witch Queen (Highest Priority)
There‘s no debate that 2022‘s The Witch Queen expansion is Destiny 2‘s crowning achievement, with an epic 12+ hour campaign that dives deep into Savathûn‘s lies and deceit. The storytelling and mission design here reached new heights, keeping you on the edge of your seat from start to finish!
Including all of The Witch Queen‘s seasonal content like Weapon Patterns and post-game quests will likely take 30-40 hours to fully wrap up. I can‘t recommend the expansion enough. The campaign alone is worth experiencing even if you don‘t plan on grinding all the endgame stuff later!
Upcoming in Lightfall (2023)
Bungie just announced the next major expansion, Lightfall, which has a release window of early 2023. Details are still scarce, but based on the epic scope shown in teasers, I expect Lightfall‘s campaign to land in that 8-15 hour range at least. We‘ll be getting our first hands-on at GuardianCon 2023, so stay tuned to my channel as I‘ll be providing extensive coverage!
As you can see, there‘s a ton of content to dive into for new players in 2024. Focus first on catching up with The Witch Queen campaign along with Forsaken and Beyond Light for essential backstory. That alone will give you a good 30-50 hours of riveting story content as you hone your Guardian combat skills.
Let me know down in the comments if you have any other questions! I‘m here to provide advice to new lights looking to make their mark in the world of Destiny 2. Eyes up Guardian!
