Destiny 2 is approaching its first major content Annual Pass content drop to follow up the release of the Forsaken expansion. The Black Armory DLC launches December 4, unleashing a horde of new content for buyers. To help players better understand what's next, Bungie has released an 8-minute Destiny 2 ViDoc titled "The Road Ahead," as well as a detailed gameplay calendar showcasing the plans for the forthcoming year.
The ViDoc breaks down all of its currently planned content through Year 2, or at least the content Bungie's ready to share. That includes all three DLC offerings included with the Forsaken Annual Pass: the Black Armory, Joker's Wild, and Penumbra. And it also includes the three seasons associated with each DLC: the Season of the Forge, Season of the Drifter, and Season of the [Redacted]. That final season is rumored to be Season of the Shadow, but maybe Bungie is thinking of changing it in the months ahead.
In addition to splitting up the forthcoming Destiny 2 content based on Seasons, the gameplay calendar also has another category by which they split things up. Content will be available either as part of the premium Annual Pass, or it will be free to all players as part of seasonal updates. These free updates will, of course, include holiday events like The Dawning, Crimson Days, and a new event during the Season of the Drifter. All in all, there's a lot of content to come for all Destiny 2 players.
One idea that Bungie constantly hammers throughout the lengthy Destiny 2 ViDoc is the idea that the annual pass has dramatically changed how post-launch content will be approached from here on. Gone are the days of major DLC drops like during year one of Destiny 2 and in the original Destiny. From here on, Bungie is approaching the game much more like a live service, with content spread throughout the duration of a full season. The way Bungie describes it is as "An End-Game With a Campaign rather than a Campaign With An End-Game."
Forsaken, Destiny 2's big year-one DLC expansion, introduced that idea but wasn't representative of the philosophy as a whole. After all, Forsaken was primarily a major campaign release with a long endgame tail. However, the endgame that came with Forsaken, the constantly evolving world and the endless surprises to be discovered, is likely to be what Bungie has in mind going forward. The Forsaken gameplay calendar for year two will help players see exactly what's in-store, but the true value of the Annual Pass is likely hidden between the rows and columns. Bungie has surprises in store, and it's hoping that's exactly what players want going forward.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.