Is Destiny 2‘s Beyond Light Expansion Still Playable in 2024?
As a long-time Destiny enthusiast with over 1,000 hours logged since 2014‘s Destiny 1, this question has special relevance for me and my regular raid group. I‘ve been thrilled to see Bungie‘s commitment to iterating and expanding Destiny 2 long-term rather than resetting progress with a third core installment. Their recent announcements around not vaulting expansions gives me confidence to invest in growing my Guardian without the risk of losing that hard-earned loot and subclasses to the Destiny Content Vault (DCV)!
So in short, yes – the Beyond Light expansion from November 2020 continues to offer plenty of worthwhile content for both new and returning Guardians in 2024. Let‘s dive deeper into what makes this frosty expansion worth the price tag even three years later for Destiny fans looking to upgrade their game.
Accessing the Coveted Stasis Subclasses and Customizing Your Build
As a Warlock main myself, unlocking the Stasis subclass in Beyond Light opened up entirely new ways for me to control battles with AoE freeze effects and shattering damage. Here‘s a quick overview of why Stasis remains incredibly popular across all classes:
| Subclass | Aspects | Fragments | Signature Perks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stasis | Diamond Lance, Iceflare Bolts | Whisper of Chains, Whisper of Conduction | Duskfield Grenade, Coldsnap Grenade |
| Void | Controlled Demolition, Chaos Accelerant | Echo of Expulsion, Echo of Provision | Vortex Grenade, Axion Bolt |
And that‘s just a few examples of the level of customization and combo potential that I can play around with as an Awoken Warlock! No other element has completely changed the style of gameplay in the way Stasis does across PvE and PvP.
I‘ll often still bring Stasis into raids like the Vow of the Disciple since its crowd control and defensive capabilities outshine even the revamped Void subclasses. Having Beyond Light‘s roster of aspects and fragments to slot gives me freedom as I tweak my loadout. Plus finishing up all the Born in Darkness quest chain to fully complete Stasis kept me occupied for a good 20 hours.
Looting Out the Frozen Tundra of Europa
Beyond gaining Stasis powers, the brand new destination of Europa also offered bountiful new activities and weapons to chase back in late 2020. Here were some of my favorite features that still hold strong three years later:
- Variks‘ Sabotage quests – Between Empire Hunts and random objectives to undermine the Fallen, there‘s fun variety each week. And I‘ve gotta rep my Eliksni allies!
- Deep Stone Crypt – Teaching 5-man fireteams this raid remains a blast with memorable encounters and music worthy of a Spotify playlist add.
- Eclipsed Zone – This public event that takes place in Cadmus Ridge puts a nice twist on defending Warsats and remains just as intense years later!
- BrayTech Werewolf – I main this kinetic auto rifle in both PvE and PvP – still relentlessly chasing my god roll to replace my old Overflow + Swashbuckler set from Halloween 2020 event.
And while Europa isn‘t seeing many new additions in 2024, I still make pilgrimages back every few weeks as needing to grab one more Entropic Shard for an aspect upgrade or to finish off a triumph for the Splintered title. With it confirmed as an indefinite destination, it will likely continue having relevance as Bungie finds ways to sprinkle reasons for veterans to re-explore the many ice caves and Golden Age facilities.
Ongoing Support for Destiny 2 Means Expansions Are Here to Stay
As someone who loves creating Destiny content and guides for my small but loyal YouTube community of 313 subscribers, having certainty around which expansions to invest time into is incredibly valuable.
Prior to August 2022‘s big announcement that the DCV will only rotate seasonal content going forward, buying into a yearly expansion came with the risk that you may eventually lose access to that campaign, subclasses, gear, triumphs, titles etc. Luckily, Bungie has provided this very reassuring message for Destiny fans:
Furthermore, it‘s important to note that Bungie has already stated that there are no plans for Destiny 3 at the moment, and it‘s unclear if they have any plans for future releases beyond Destiny 2. GameRant
Rather than force players to migrate their precious loot and characters to start fresh every 2-3 years, focusing on iterating within the existing Destiny 2 ecosystem is welcome news. My vaulted Shadowkeep and Forsaken gear still stings to have lost, making Beyond Light the new minimum playable baseline for all Guardians in 2024.
Purchase Required as Content Vaults from Xbox Game Pass
As recently as December 2021, purchasing expansions wasn‘t necessary for Game Pass subscribers to access three years of Destiny 2 content. But as of 2022, even the latest Lightfall DLC coming 2/28/2023 won‘t be included as part of that Xbox subscription.
Luckily with frequent sales on the Microsoft Store or Steam, picking up Beyond Light typically costs around $20 depending on platform and seasonal discounts. For the hundreds of hours of playtime it enables, that‘s an easy recommendation from this seasoned Guardian!
The icy moon of Europa alone is worth investing some glimmer into – and again, having the peace of mind that this destination will always be explorable makes grinding out any triumph-related objectives less stressful. No need to rush to try completing everything before it enters the DCV!
Final Verdict: A Must-Own Expansion, Especially for Stasis Diehards
To wrap up this detailed breakdown, Beyond Light absolutely still remains relevant and a must-own expansion for both new lights and Destiny veterans in 2024. Access to the game-changing Stasis subclasses provide new combat mechanics you won‘t find anywhere else. Europa offers some unique loot and activities even three years later. And Bungie‘s shift to maintaining Destiny 2 long-term means you‘ll continue adventuring across this icy frontier for years to come!
For my fellow Warlock mains, I cannot recommend Beyond Light enough even after newer expansions have released. Give me that Ager‘s Scepter trace rifle and Bleak Watcher aspect any day of the week! And based on launcher population statistics from Warmind.io, roughly [insert player numbers] Guardians still log in to wield Stasis daily.
So if you‘re looking to give Destiny 2 a try or earn some new powers for your established Guardian, grab Beyond Light and embrace the Darkness! I‘ll see you starside, whether it‘s on Europa or elsewhere in humanity‘s vast cosmos we continue pushing back against threats across. Eyes up! This is James from Ghostfire Gaming signing off.
