The Witness is dead. The ten-year "Light and Darkness" saga is over. You’d think the Vanguard would finally take a vacation, but Bungie has other plans. Honestly, the shift we're seeing in the Destiny 2 new DLC cycle right now is the most aggressive pivot the studio has made since they left Activision. We are officially in the "Fate Saga" now.
It’s a weird time to be a Guardian.
Instead of one massive, chunky expansion every February, the roadmap has split into a two-hit combo per year. We’ve already seen the first part with The Edge of Fate back in July 2025, which dragged us into the Nine’s territory on Kepler. But the one everyone is currently eyeing is Renegades, the expansion slated for late 2025 and bleeding into 2026. This isn't just another "kill the god of the week" story. It’s a space-western pivot that basically feels like Star Wars met Destiny at a bar and decided to make a baby.
The Death of the Annual Expansion
For years, the community complained about the "content drought." You’d get a big DLC, play it for two weeks, and then wait for the seasonal drip-feed. Bungie’s solution? Smaller, more frequent expansions.
The Edge of Fate and Renegades are roughly the size of Rise of Iron from the original game. They’re medium-sized. They don't have twenty-mission campaigns, but they’re designed to be less linear. Renegades specifically is leaning into this "lawless frontier" vibe. You aren't just following a quest marker; you're exploring threads. It’s kinda like the Dreaming City but with more dirt and blaster fire.
Bungie's narrative designer Alison Luhrs mentioned that this new saga is about pushing the universe into places it’s never been. In Renegades, that means a planet-side settlement vibe. It's less about the cosmic horror of the Witness and more about the gritty reality of what happens to the solar system now that the big bad is gone.
What is the "Fate Saga" Anyway?
If you're confused about the naming, join the club. Bungie loves a good codename. The overarching era is "Codename: Frontiers," but the story itself is the "Fate Saga."
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- The Edge of Fate (July 2025): This was the "Nine" expansion. It gave us Kepler and dark matter abilities.
- Renegades (December 2025): The "Space Western." Very Lucasfilm-inspired.
- Shattered Cycle (Summer 2026): This is the next big mystery on the horizon.
- The Alchemist (Winter 2026): The final piece of the current roadmap.
The most jarring change is the "Major Updates." They’ve killed the paid season pass model. Instead, we get these free updates like Ash and Iron and Shadow and Order. Bungie is trying to make the game easier to recommend to friends who don't want to spend $100 just to catch up. It’s a bold move.
Why the Star Wars Vibe Matters
Let’s be real: seeing a Hunter with something resembling a lightsaber or a Warlock looking like a Jedi is what’s going to sell this Destiny 2 new DLC. The Renegades expansion is a direct collaboration with Lucasfilm. While it’s still firmly in the Destiny universe, the aesthetic shift is massive.
We’re talking DL-44 style blasters. We're talking "Heavy Metal" PvP modes. It’s a departure from the high-fantasy "knights in space" look we’ve had for a decade. Some purists hate it. They think it dilutes the brand. But after ten years of Hive chitin and Vex chrome, a little space-western grime feels fresh.
Armor 3.0 and the End of the Grind
One of the biggest technical shifts arriving with these new DLCs is the "Armor 3.0" system. Honestly, it was about time. They finally realized that grinding for upgrade materials just to test a build was killing the fun.
Now, armor drops with max energy. Period. No more dumping Ascendant Shards into a piece of gear just to see if the mods fit. Plus, stats now matter beyond 100. If you can push a stat to 200, you get wild bonuses like kinetic shockwaves or infinite overshields. It makes buildcrafting feel like a legitimate RPG again rather than just a chore list.
The 2026 Problem
While the roadmap looks great on paper, things aren't perfect. Internal leaks suggest Shattered Cycle might see a delay into late 2026. Bungie’s workforce has been through the ringer with layoffs, and resources are being split between Destiny and their upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon.
Robbie Stevens, the assistant game director, was pretty blunt about it in a recent interview. He basically said they only have so much money and so much time. If the live game breaks, they have to fix it, and that takes time away from the next DLC. It’s a balancing act that sometimes results in "Major Updates" feeling a bit thin.
Is it Worth Jumping Back In?
If you’ve been away since The Final Shape, the Destiny 2 new DLC structure is actually a great excuse to return. The "Portal" UI has replaced the messy Director screen. It’s much cleaner. You can choose between Fireteam Ops, Solo Ops (short 10-minute bursts), and Pinnacle Ops.
The game feels more "pick up and play" than it has in years. You don't have to treat it like a second job anymore.
Actionable Next Steps for Guardians:
- Check your Vault: You’ve got 1,000 slots now. If you’re a hoarder, it’s time to organize before the Renegades loot drop.
- Master the Dark Matter: If you haven't played Edge of Fate, go to Kepler. You need to unlock the Matterspark ability to navigate the new non-linear maps efficiently.
- Don’t Buy Seasons: Remember, the Major Updates are free now. Only buy the expansions (Edge of Fate, Renegades) if you want the campaigns and the raids/dungeons.
- Watch the Reset Dates: Keep an eye on the in-game calendar for March 3, 2026. That’s when Shadow and Order drops, which will set the stage for the Shattered Cycle story.