Bungie introduced the Content Vault intoDestiny 2withBeyond Lightand the start of Year 4 on June 03, 2025. TheDestinyContent Vaultis a means for Bungie to vault certain content in the game to make room for new content, while keeping the game’s file size more manageable. This system has its pros and cons for different parts of the game.
Destiny 2originally kicked off with a clean slate for Guardians ofDestinywhile providing an easy entry point for New Light Guardians too. With the Cabal completely wiping out the original Tower and the vaults where Guardians held their gear, Guardians startedDestiny 2by stepping into a war with the Cabal. With the startDestiny 2and The Red War, all ofDestiny’s original content was taken away and set aside for something new.
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Destiny 2’s Growth
After The Red War,Destiny 2continued to grow as new content and new seasons continued to release.Destiny 2: Forsakensignaled the start of Year 2, bringing with it the death of the Hunter Vanguard, Cayde-6, an important story plot forDestinymoving forward.Forsakenalso brought new destinations and Campaign story content for Guardians to explore, makingDestiny 2bigger with more things to do.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeeplaunched Year 3 forDestiny 2, bringing back the Moon fromDestiny 1and exploring more of Oryx’s sister,Savathun: The Witch Queen, who has an upcoming expansion titled after her. Many Guardians were excited to go back to the Moon, while others looked at this as recycled content. As the seasons progressed andShadowkeeppushed through Year 3 ofDestiny 2, Bungie announced theDestinyContent Vault, beginning at the start of Year 4.
At the start of Year 4 with the launch ofDestiny 2: Beyond Light, Guardians felt the immediate effects of theDestinyContent Vault. Mercury, Mars, Titan, Io, The Farm, and The Leviathan are all destinations that were moved into theDestinyContent Vault. All activities associated with these destinations were also moved to theDestinyContent Vault, includingDestiny 2’s original Raid, the Raid Lairs, and the Crown of Sorrow Raid.
The Cons
CoreDestiny 2Campaigns The Red War, Curse of Osiris, and Warmind were also vaulted along with the narratives from Season of the Forge, Season of the Drifter, and Season of Opulence. This meant that Guardians, new or veteran, could no longer experience these stories or campaign missions. For new Guardians, this means not having a way in-game to catch up and experience the story and lore, which could be a deciding factor to not invest time intoDestiny 2.
TheDestinyContent Vault not only removed the Campaigns and Raids of previous content, but also removed various side activities fromDestiny 2.Gambit and Gambit Primewere traded out for a new single version. The Reckoning, Escalation Protocol, The Whisper and Zero Hour Dungeons, multiple Strikes, and various Crucible game modes and maps were also vaulted.
Because of the loss of a bunch of content all at once, the launch ofBeyond Lighthit Guardians pretty hard.Paired with Sunsetting, Guardians were almost forced into a fresh start. Many players felt as if their time and money had been taken for granted now that a lot of paid content was removed fromDestiny 2. This left Bungie in a tough position to try and fill content gaps as well as produce quality content to make theDestinyContent Vault worth it.
Recently, however, Bungie announced that theForsakenCampaign will also be moving to theDestinyContent Vault, taking away another year of core story moments.Forsakenhas been regarded as one of the better Campaigns inDestiny 2,and has strong connections toDestiny 2’s new character, Crow. While Bungie has been giving some explanation about Crow inDestiny 2, New Light players who begin the game afterForsakenis vaulted will not be able to form as deep of an understanding of Crow within theDestiny 2universe. This could cause some confusion around his character in the future.
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The Pros
On a positive note, theDestinyContent Vault allows Bungie to more efficiently maintain and updateDestiny 2with new content. This means that Bungie can respond to player feedback faster due less overall content in the game, and obviously, more content means more potential for game-breaking bugs. This further allows Bungie to avoid having to releaseDestiny3 sooner rather than later. However, with the recentannouncement of a newDestinySaga, Bungie could still release aDestiny3 in the future.
TheDestinyContent Vault also allows the return of fan favorite content from previous years ofDestiny’s history such as the return of the Vault of Glass Raid next season. Bungie’s approach with theDestinyContent Vault also allows it to bring back content that was popular, while removing content that Guardians are not interacting with. This allows Bungie to make better use of that space in the game’s code, maintaining a stable file size while improving overall playability of the game.
Destiny 2,with the help of theDestinyContent Vault, can continue to grow with relevant story content without growing big enough to create unnecessary bugs from its size. Bungie is also aware ofcurrent seasonal content expiringtoo early and is making steps to ensure some seasonal content stays around for its relevant expansion. This will also help keep relevant content in the game longer for Guardians to enjoy.
Worth It?
With many of the negatives of theDestinyContent Vault more apparent to Guardians, it can be easy to forget about the positives it can bring. While there are downsides to theDestinyContent Vault, there are also some relevant upsides for Guardians to take into consideration. Many of the positives of theDestinyContent Vault are behind the scenes, making for a more stable game in the long term. With news ofDestinyexpanding into a new Saga in a few years, long term stability is important.
Guardians will have to make their own decision on if theDestinyContent Vault is a worthwhile addition toDestiny 2. In the meantime, the Cabal are back for another round,bringing their Empress, Caiatl, and her Battlegrounds with them. Empress Caiatl, as well as the seasonal Battlegrounds activity, are safe from theDestinyContent Vault, at least for now.
Destiny 2: Beyond Lightis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
