With The Witch Queen expansion in February 2022, fans were eagerly anticipating a new adventure focusing on the titular Savathun and her Throne World. However, the news that new dungeons for The Witch Queen will need to be purchased separately has many peeved, and may have put a dampener on enthusiasm for the upcoming major expansion. For players unwilling to shell out the extra bucks for new dungeons, there is still plenty on offer throughout Destiny 2.
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The Witch Queen Controversy
After a delay that pushed The Witch Queen from 2021 into early 2022, Bungie looked to be setting up one of its largest expansions yet. But there was some blowback from players when it was revealed that Destiny 2’s Year 5 dungeons wouldn’t be included in The Witch Queen expansion. Since Destiny 2’s launch, additional dungeons have either been free-to-play or packaged in seasonal content and yearly expansions. This meant that although players had to pay for some via the purchase of expansions or season passes, there weren’t any additional costs.
Now, for players wanting to own all of the endgame content, they will need to purchase the expansion, the season passes, and either a Deluxe Edition or the separate DLC for the dungeons. The official statement from Bungie in October 2021 split the fanbase, with many feeling like Destiny 2’s developers weren’t clear when The Witch Queen expansion was announced, leading to player confusion.
While the standard edition of The Witch Queen will still include a story campaign, Exotic Gear, a raid, and a new destination called the Throne World, there is content not included in the basic expansion pack. With new dungeons in The Witch Queen behind a paywall, not all Destiny 2 players will see them. The good news is there are some challenging and diverse dungeons that players are able to explore before the release of The Witch Queen.
The Shattered Throne - Forsaken
As Destiny 2’s first major expansion, and third expansion overall, Forsaken featured a large overhaul of gameplay and followed the events after Cayde-6 is killed while containing a prisoner break in the Prison of Elders. A new enemy species called the Scorn was introduced and a raid called The Last Wish was added. Along with these changes, The Shattered Throne Dungeon was included in the Destiny 2 expansion, which was the first dungeon endgame activity.
With a focus on Taken enemies, the dungeon features waves of Taken Thrall that continue to spawn, making The Shattered Throne a perfect place for players to grind and farm catalyst kills. As Destiny 2’s first major expansion, Forsaken helped to establish more game lore and introduced elements that affected Taken, Scorn, and Hive factions.
With The Witch Queen release in February, some parts of the Forsaken expansion will be removed, including the Tangled Shore and all available activities within. However, the Dreaming City and its endgame content will remain in Destiny 2.
Pit of Heresy - Shadowkeep
Released toward the end of 2019, Bungie’s Shadowkeep returned to a location from the first Destiny game – the Moon. Its story follows the discovery of an unknown pyramid-shaped ship deep within the Earth’s satellite, and eventually leads to a new raid entitled the Garden of Salvation. In addition to sandbox changes from the expansion, a new dungeon called Pit of Heresy became available.
This dungeon focused on the exploration of the Scarlet Keep – a massive Hive fortress designed to harness the energy of the Pyramid in the chasm beneath. The Pit of Heresy also features in Savathun’s schemes, as the Witch Queen had hoped the Guardians’ actions on the Moon would deal with the last of her brother’s bloodline.
Prophecy - Beyond Light
The Season of Arrivals had weekly story-based missions for players to enjoy, and gave them the chance to face up against the Taken in a new area called the Cradle on Io. Each week gave players new insight into the Darkness – the primary antagonist of the Destiny series. Concurrent to this, Bungie released Beyond Light, another major expansion. The Prophecy Dungeon was a three-player dungeon introduced that is set in the realm of the Nine.
Guardians could enter the realm of the Nine via a portal on the Drifter’s ship, the Derelict, and would need to pursue an echo of a Fallen Kell. The Taken that players face within the strange realm are simulated entities, and gamers must defeat them while dealing with the puzzles they will encounter.
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Grasp of Avarice - Season of the Lost / 30th Anniversary
As The Witch Queen expansion was delayed into 2022, the Season of the Lost was extended to six months rather than the usual three for Destiny 2’s seasonal content. As part of Bungie’s 30th Anniversary Event from December 7, a ton of new content was added in addition to the Season of the Lost’s updates and events. New gear and cosmetics based on Bungie’s previous titles were released, including from the first Destiny, Myth, and Halo.
The Grasp of Avarice dungeon was one of the main new features toward the end of 2021, and is the newest of Destiny 2’s dungeons. With more of a focus on the activities contained within the dungeon and less on helping to establish the wider lore of Destiny 2, Grasp of Avarice feels the most distinct. With secrets to uncover and plenty of Easter eggs, players even believe Grasp of Avarice’s aesthetics was inspired by The Goonies.
Grasp of Avarice was also the first of Destiny 2’s dungeons to not be free or part of an expansion. This appears to have paved the way for The Witch Queen’s controversial release, and has already created rifts in Destiny 2’s playerbase.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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