Bungie has just done something it should’ve done a long time ago – it’s made some of its old Destiny 2 expansions completely free to play for Xbox and PlayStation gamers. As part of the Destiny 2 Expansion Open Access Month, three banger campaigns – Shadowkeep, Beyond Light, and the particularly-excellent The Witch Queen – are all now free for players to enjoy, as is all the seasonal content from the current Lightfall expansion. However, this generous offering from Bungie is only going to last until its new expansion, The Final Shape, launches on June 4, so you’ll need to act swiftly.
The Open Access Month is really great news, because Bungie has mishandled and under-utilized its old content in recent years. It’s made a confusing web of purchasing options and bundles, which alongside a previously-terrible onboarding experience for new players, meant the FPS game was really difficult to get into. I was lucky to have pals that were veteran Guardians already to help me get invested in the game just after Shadowkeep dropped in late 2019, but others aren’t as fortunate.
In my view, and the view of many others in the Destiny community, the best thing Bungie could do with older expansions was to just make them free to play. Now, it finally has – albeit for just four weeks until The Final Shape release date arrives. Shadowkeep, Beyond Light, and The Witch Queen are all brilliant expansions for the multiplayer game that are absolutely worth playing, but if you’re pushed for time over the next few weeks, I’d recommend prioritizing The Witch Queen.
I’d also encourage you to play through the four seasons of content from the current Lightfall expansion that Bungie is also serving up for free. While you’ll still have to pay to play the Lightfall campaign (which, while important to Destiny 2’s narrative, is actually pretty terrible), it’s far superior seasonal storylines and activities from Season of Defiance, Season of the Deep, Season of the Witch, and Season of the Wish are now also free up until The Final Shape.
Narratively-speaking, these seasons do a great job at teeing up the events of the next expansion, which will also draw the Light and Dark saga to a close. So, if you have any interest in playing The Final Shape or getting into what is one of the best Xbox games and best PS5 games more generally, these really are must-plays.
While this pretty amazing limited-time offering from Bungie is available on both PlayStation and Xbox, it’s worth flagging for all you PS4 and PS5 players that the Lightfall campaign is also free to redeem and play right now if you’re subbed to PS Plus. That way you can complete the set when it comes to the most recent expansions.
In other Destiny 2 news, a brand-new map pack for its PvP modes just dropped, and the most recent trailer for The Final Shape proves that it’s going to be Bungie’s Avengers Endgame moment. In the run up to the new expansion, be sure to follow us over on Google News so that you’re always in the loop!