Bungie talks Destiny 2 unvaulting, teases Destiny 1 remaster and Destiny 3

Everyone who plays Destiny 2 knows that the game’s biggest pain point has been the Destiny Content Vault, referred to as the DCV, originally introduced in Beyond Light in 2020. The DCV is where Bungie stuffed all of the year 1 content in an effort to keep the game’s file size manageable. In a blogpost today, Bungie spelled out their plans for bringing back the vaulted D2 content, a potential Destiny 1 remaster, and the future of the franchise. Here's our breakdown.

The Destiny Content Vault is getting vaulted

When Bungie put out their update in September, they promised to bring back the vaulted Destiny 2 campaigns, destinations, and raids. Now, we have a clearer picture of what that actually means. Josh Deane, the head of product at Bungie, told community manager Dylan Gafner that their plans are broken down into "passes," with each one separated by varying degrees of scope. The first pass, which is guaranteed content, is as follows:

• Red War, Forsaken, Curse of Osiris, and Warmind campaigns
• Strikes from the above releases
• Raids, and Raid Lairs from the above releases
• Menagerie Activity with reprised rewards

The second pass, which Deane refers to as "stretch goals", are things like the free roam destinations, seasonal activities, PvP maps, and updated, tiered loot for the raids and raid lairs. Bungie said these might not make it for the unvaulting launch, but are still things that the team is focusing on getting into the game eventually.

Finally, Deane includes things that would be nice to get to, but would ultimately take away from the team's resources in building out the future. Don't plan on things like an updated New Light experience, seasonal hubs, or seasonal story missions to make it back to the game.

When is it coming out?

One of the biggest mysteries coming out of the September update was the timeline for returning content. As of right now, the Destiny 2 unvaulting has gone from scoping and finding the right "partner" in June, to validating the project in September so that they could let us know about it. Now, the project has entered pre-production, and Bungie expects this stage to last until January or February.

Bungie said that they anticipate full production to last around 12 months, so the initial pass of unvaulted content likely won't land until Q1 2028. While this is a bit later than many were speculating, this will give the team enough time to ensure it meets the community's quality expectations.

The Future looks bright

While the unvaulting of Destiny 2 content is their big focus right now, Bungie also let us know that the future of the franchise is already in motion. While these plans are not set in stone, Deane gave us a glimpse into what the future may hold if everything goes to plan.

Included in this was a "Destiny 2 Celebration"; a way for Bungie to celebrate the community beyond just the Monument of Triumph. This will come in the form of "new updates for Destiny 2".

Perhaps the most exciting part of the blogpost is the mention of what Deane referred to as "Destiny 'Legacy'". Beyond a vague post from him earlier this month, it seems to be that Deane is teasing a potential Destiny 1 remaster or port to modern hardware in some form or fashion. He calls out that "the whole experience needs to be served to you all where you play today".

Last but not least, a good old fashion Bungie "Redacted" shows up, teasing whatever the future might hold. Whether this is an expansion or a full new title will obviously be revealed at a later date, Bungie has not been shy about using the plural "games" when talking about Destiny's future.

Questions still remain

This first Bungie Community Update blog is a fantastic first step in their attempt at deeper transparency and provides a frank glimpse into the reality of game development. Of course, there are still a lot of unanswered questions for what the future of Destiny looks like. Will whatever Destiny "Legacy" is be a paid DLC port of Destiny 1 into Destiny 2? Or will it be a separate game client all together? Will the Redacted title be a full sequel, or will it be another Destiny 2 expansion? Who is this partner that will be helping with the unvaulting? Will they be continuing to help with future Destiny content and releases?

I can think of hundred more questions, but all will be revealed in due time. Thankfully, we won't have to wait long to hear more; Bungie is planning another large Destiny community update for us in February, with a new progress bar for unvaulted content, Destiny "Legacy", and the Destiny 2 celebration. Right now, Dylan is fielding questions over on Twitter if you're looking for clarity on what was covered today.