Bungie makes old Destiny 2 DLC free with Forsaken, gives early Forsaken buyers free loot

As of Tuesday, October 16, Destiny 2's Curse of Osiris and Warmind DLCs will come bundled with its new Forsaken expansion, Bungie announced in a recent blog post. Both DLCs are required to access Forsaken, but previously they were only available under a separate season pass. Bungie says it's put them together to "make it less complicated for other Guardians to begin their journey in Forsaken." 

Note that Destiny 2's annual pass, which covers three smaller DLCs starting with this winter's Black Armory, is still sold separately. Even so, it's nice to see Destiny 2's underwhelming year one DLC blended into Forsaken. Forsaken is absolutely worth buying, and this is one less barrier to entry for new and returning players.

To compensate players who've already purchased Forsaken and Destiny 2's previous DLCs, Bungie is also giving away a "Veterans of the Hunt" bundle this December. Anyone who plays Forsaken before October 16 will receive the Tiger Stripe Black shader, the Veterans Nameplate emblem, a bundle of consumables like vanguard and crucible boons, and the Knife Trick and Coin Flip exotic emotes (names subject to change). These emotes "will be made available on Eververse sometime in the future," but the shader and emblem will remain exclusive. 

Judging from its colors, the Tiger Stripe Black shader is similar to the Old Guard shader in Destiny 1, which was awarded to players who purchased the Dark Below and House of Wolves expansions before the release of The Taken King. In fact, the whole bundle is similar to The Taken King's VIP rewards, right down to the big cat motif in the Be Brave and Veterans Nameplate emblems. It just goes to show closely Destiny 2 has followed the playbook of its predecessor. 

Destiny 2 may be in for another blast from the past. According to recent leaks, the upcoming Black Armory DLC will bring back three fan-favorite exotics and add a new tier of gear.