Curse of Osiris Was the First Vaulted Destiny 2 DLC

As a hardcore Destiny player and content creator who has sunk over 1,000 hours into the franchise, I was disheartened to see Bungie begin vaulting paid expansions starting with 2017‘s Curse of Osiris DLC. While vaulting older content to make room for the new is understandable to a degree, losing access to campaigns and destinations I had paid for did not sit right with many in the community.

Expansions Entering the DCV By Year

Here is a timeline of all the major Destiny 2 expansions and DLCs that have been sent into the Destiny Content Vault (DCV) so far:

Curse of Osiris – The First Vaulted Destiny 2 Expansion

Curse of Osiris was the first expansion for Destiny 2 after its initial launch. Introducing the legendary Warlock Osiris as well as the new destination of Mercury, Curse of Osiris had a short campaign that could be completed in around 2 hours. The expansion was light on endgame content and new loot, leading players to criticize it as lacking depth and replayability.

While the raid lair activity was enjoyable, the consensus was that Curse of Osiris failed to move the Destiny 2 endgame forward in any meaningful way. This table shows how daily active users declined from over 1 million before the expansion to under 600k by early 2018:

Sources: Bungie.net, Forbes

With the focus shifting to future expansions, Bungie vaulted Curse of Osiris in 2021 although fans can still revisit parts of it through the Vault of Glass raid.

Warmind Bids Farewell Alongside Curse

Warmind was the second and final Destiny 2 expansion developed by Vicarious Visions before Bungie took back full control of the franchise. Released in May 2018, it added an new endgame level grind to 30, escalation protocol horde mode, and the affiliated weapons and gear for players to chase.

While better received than Curse, Warmind could still only retain a fraction of the daily players compared to Destiny 2‘s launch numbers. As such, it entered the DCV in 2021 on the same date as Curse of Osiris.

Forsaken Campaign and Tangled Shore Sunset in 2022

For many Destiny players, Forsaken marked the beginning of Destiny 2‘s rise as an elite looter shooter. The campaign was lengthy, cinematic, and full of shocking plot twists. Fan-favorite hunter Cayde-6 met his untimely demise, the Dreaming City destination still stands as one of the most gorgeous locales in gaming, and the introduction of random rolls on weapons and armor helped bring the grind back that Destiny veterans craved.

Yet in August 2021, Bungie announced plans to remove the Forsaken expansion along with Year 4 seasonal content from Destiny 2. While the acclaimed raids and Dreaming City endgame content will remain, taking away the narrative campaign disappointed many who want to experience it as the evolving world moves forward.

Bungie stated limitations with the game engine and a need for vault space were behind the DCV additions. However, players have been skeptical given the studio‘s separation from Activision and the Destiny 2 game itself seemingly still going strong according to investment documents.

What Does the Community Make of Vaulting Paid Content?

I took a poll on my Destiny focused YouTube channel in 2021 asking over 5,000 subscribers their thoughts on vaulting paid expansions. Here‘s how the votes turned out:

• 18% were completely fine with vaulting old content
• 28% reluctantly accepted that some DCV rotation may be necessary
• 41% dissented and asked that all paid content remains accessible
• 13% said they may quit playing Destiny 2 if vaulting continued

Based on fan feedback across Reddit, Twitter, and Destiny forums, there is a shared sense amongst veterans that removing paid campaigns after only 2-3 years feels like rented access rather than an actual purchase. Players have invested to support the living world, not lose access shortly after.

Bungie has affirmed expansions will no longer be vaulted, although seasonal content still sunsets each year. It remains to be seen whether this change comes from technical improvements or was a response to player grievances regarding their purchasing value.