Why Destiny 2 Had To Remove Original Campaigns
As a passionate Destiny 2 player and content creator, I was as shocked as anyone when Beyond Light vaulted the Red War, Curse of Osiris, and other past campaigns. This piece will analyze Bungie‘s reasons behind "why did Destiny 2 remove the campaign", the community response, and what it means for Destiny 2‘s future evolution.
Bungie Vaults Major Expansions To Clear Space
With Beyond Light‘s November 2020 release, Destiny 2 players discovered several major expansions no longer playable, including:
- Red War
- Curse of Osiris
- Warmind
- The Tangled Shore destination
- Forsaken campaign
This initial "Destiny Content Vault" cleared space for Beyond Light and 2022‘s Witch Queen expansion, while aiming to solve growing file size and backend issues.
Player Reaction Ranges From Outrage To Acceptance
| Positive Player Reaction | Negative Player Reaction |
| – Understands need to clear space | – Upset about losing paid content |
| – Trusts this enables better content | – Feel story continuity ruined |
| – Appreciates Bungie‘s transparency | – Thinks content should always stay available |
As this table shows, some players encouraged Bungie‘s moves if it allows improving Destiny 2 long-term, while others criticized losing paid story content they enjoyed replaying. Overall reactions ranged from outrage to trust in Bungie‘s vision.
Bungie Prioritizes New Content & Fixes Over Older Releases
Bungie‘s statements explained why they removed beloved campaigns:
"Destiny 2‘s install size and runtime performance were increasingly challenged by our ongoing addition of new content, features, and fixes," said the studio.
They suggested focusing on the latest gameplay experiences over retaining aging content players rarely engaged with. Resources dedicated to maintaining Red War‘s missions, open worlds, gear could be reallocated towards new stories or gameplay innovations.
File Size Bloat & Engine Limits Block Improvement
With yearly expansions and seasonal releases, Destiny 2‘s installed footprint grew to over 115 GBs by late 2022 – problematic for consoles or PCs with limited storage. Bloated game code also caused updates and improvements to risk breaking something.
Vaulting content curated as less relevant lets Bungie enhance stability and minimize installs. The trade-off is temporarily losing beloved campaigns until suitable solutions arise to restore them.
Paying For Content That Gets Removed Stings
A key criticism around vaulting centers on players purchasing expansions, then having campaigns made unplayable later on. Losing content you bought understandably sparks backlash.
Forsaken getting removed in 2022, three years after release, meant players only accessed its acclaimed story for a fraction of Destiny 2‘s lifespan. This exacerbates feeling you wasted money on transient content.
Bungie Responds By Improving DLC Value
However, Bungie seems to have learned from this blowback. Recent expansions like 2021‘s 30th Anniversary Pack and 2022‘s The Witch Queen offer far more robust post-campaign content to enhance perceived value.
- 30th Anniversary Pack adds the Grasp of Avarice dungeon, Thorn armor set, new weapons, and cosmetics – substantial rewards beyond its brief story content.
- The Witch Queen includes the replayable Wellspring activity, weapon crafting system, two new dungeons, and more post-campaign gameplay innovations.
By focusing on gameplay loops versus transient story, newer expansions dissuade feeling you wasted money even if the campaign someday gets vaulted.
What Campaigns Can You Still Play?
While Red War and other classics are now unavailable, the following Destiny 2 campaigns remain playable as of early 2023:
- New Light & Cosmodrome Tutorials
- Shadowkeep Campaign
- Beyond Light Campaign
- 30th Anniversary Pack
- The Witch Queen Campaign
Destiny 2 still offers plenty of content for new players between free tutorials and recent expansion stories.
Upcoming Releases: Lightfall & Final Shape
I‘m personally excited for 2023‘s Lightfall expansion launching February 28th, which adds the Strand subclass and cyberpunk location Neomuna. 2024‘s Final Shape concludes Destiny 2‘s central Light vs. Dark saga.
While saying goodbye to campaigns as they enter the DCV stings initially, additions like these spectacular new worlds ultimately justify the tradeoffs. Destiny 2‘s future remains bright.
Vaulting Lets Destiny 2 Grow, But More Transparency Needed
To conclude, removing flagship campaigns wasn‘t an easy decision for Bungie. But enabling Destiny 2 to sustainably expand over a 10 year life cycle requires this calculated vaulting process. The backlash likely prompted expansions improving long-term value over temporary stories.
Maintaining trust and transparency around what enters the DCV remains critical. As a mega-fan diving into Lightfall, I ultimately believe the best for Destiny 2 is yet to come!
