In a surprise move, Bungie is bringing a bunch of stuff back to Destiny 2. All the campaigns, destinations and raids that were removed from the game back in 2020 will return at some unspecified point in the future.
It's a big attention grabbing move—one that's welcome, but that also acts as another frustrating reminder of how many unforced errors Bungie made across the length of Destiny 2's active, live-service run. For some, removing paid-for campaigns was the line in the sand—an unforgivable move that poisoned the well for how the wider gaming community viewed the game.
Right now, it's hard to say what any of this means for the future of Destiny. Rather than speculate, I'm going to focus on what bits of these returns I'm actually excited for. Not the campaigns—honestly they range from 'fine' to 'not very good'. No, I'm more interested in the small, hyper-specific parts of Destiny 2 that I've missed over the years—the little moments and memories that still live rent free in my head.
Here are seven such moments. Jump into the comments to let me know yours.
The intro sting for the Tangled Shore
When you load into the Tangled Shore, you get 54 seconds of music that are, honestly, just *chef's kiss*. Just the perfect intro sting to set the vibe of an outlaw adventure. Less than a minute of soundtrack that has been seared into my brain.
The Eater of Worlds solo chest run
I'm a big fan of solo raid chest runs in Destiny 2, because glitching through bits of level is fun. The Eater of Worlds' raid chest run was particularly involved—essentially asking you to run the entire raid layer without loading in encounters, all for the chance at a Telesto catalyst.
The jumping puzzle in Spire of Stars
The Spire of Stars raid is infamous for its final boss, which is up there as one of the most mechanically complex in the game's history. But the really memorable part is the jumping puzzle before the final encounters—in which you navigate rotating platforms across a giant chamber while hurling balls to teammates under strict time pressure.
The Fallen nightclub Lost Sector
Back to the Tangled Shore, one of its Lost Sectors is an underground Fallen nightclub which contains a jukebox that plays, a) a bluegrass version of Destiny's main theme, b) Paul McCartney's endearingly cringe Hope for the Future. You kill everyone in it for their crimes against ears.
The dogs in Leviathan
On the one hand, the Leviathan raid's Pleasure Gardens encounter is a faff: It's way too finicky, because Destiny 2 is not a stealth game. On the other hand, the backing music during the DPS phase is peak—it sounds like the dogs are howl-singing, which is adorable.
The only good bit of Curse of Osiris
The strike mission A Garden World is the best part of Destiny 2's worst DLC. The encounter design is strong throughout, especially its Champion-rich Nightfall version. And the boss—a big turret that revolves around a circular chamber, dematerialising cover—makes for a strong finale.
Scourge of the Past's sparrow bit
Scourge of the Past is one of Destiny 2's more memorable raids. For instance: After the first encounter, when you're chased by a giant burning servitor—the entire fireteam racing away on sparrows down narrow tunnels, jostling each other to survive.
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Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.