After months of slowly building up to the launch of Destiny 2's 30th Anniversary Pack, the DLC has finally been released today. It is clear that Bungie poured a lot of work and love for its games into the Anniversary Pack contents, and rightfully so because it's the celebration of the company's 30 years in the industry. With a lot of interesting features and new activities, the 30th Anniversary Pack has immediately been a huge success that generated a lot of impressions on social media, maybe with a little help from an old friend of Bungie's: Halo.
Despite its focus being on Destiny 2 and the new IP 'Matter,' Bungie has made several great games that include titles like Myth and Marathon, but it is also renowned for the creation of the original Halo trilogy. Bungie's work on Halo changed the industry forever in many ways, and even if the developer doesn't own the rights to the game anymore, it's clear that there was more than just a bit of inspiration coming from Master Chief's saga into Destiny 2's 30th Anniversary Pack. Rumors of a Halo crossover event coming to Destiny 2 have been going on for a long time, and the new DLC's loot pool and quests provide the definitive answer with great Halo-themed weapons.
Halo Weapons in Destiny 2's 30th Anniversary Pack
The first weapon that players will recognize even if they are not huge Halo fans is the iconic Energy Sword, which was added to Destiny 2 in a rather clever way. Because it's apparent that the company cannot use Halo assets and names, the Energy Sword was severed in half, with the blades being installed on two different handles, making up two separate swords that are more akin to Destiny 2's style. The first is called Half-Truths, and it is an Arc Adaptive Frame sword, whereas the second is called The Other Half, and it is a Void sword with the same frame.
The second most noticeable weapon is Halo 2's Battle Rifle, which makes its appearance in Destiny 2 as the BxR-55 Battler pulse rifle. The weapon is an Energy pulse rifle that deals Solar damage, and it comes with a design that's very similar to that of the original Battle Rifle without being a straight copy. This is one of the first weapons that players recognized from the promotional images for the 30th Anniversary Pack on Steam, and it comes with a unique frame called Legacy PR-55 that no other weapon in the game has.
Perhaps not as straightforward in what it does when compared to the other Halo-themed guns is Retraced Path, a weapon that has the merit of being Destiny 2's first Legendary trace rifle. The gun shoots a laser-like beam of Solar energy that continuously deals damage to enemies it touches, and its design is quite similar to that of the traditional Covenant Carbine from Halo games. This too was spotted early by Halo fans on promotional images, even though it was unclear what Destiny 2 weapon it would be, if not an ornament for Prometheus Lens.
Last but not least is the Forerunner Exotic sidearm, a weapon with a beautiful design that's inspired by Halo: Combat Evolved's Magnum. The gun is an oversized sidearm that shoots powerful bullets, and it is obtained when completing the Magnum Opus questline - another nod to Bungie's legacy. Furthermore, this gun's Exotic catalyst allows Destiny 2 players to throw fragmentation grenades after using an alternate reload action. All five weapons bring something unique to the table for Destiny 2 players and combined with the universal ornaments available from purchasing the pack, they are rather nostalgia-inducing for all Halo fans.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.