Next Destiny 2 expansion won’t bring back vaulted planets

Destiny 2
(Image credit: Bungie)

Destiny 2 director Luke Smith has revealed that the next expansion for the game won't bring back any vaulted content.

The director revealed as much in a recent interview with PC Gamer, on the eve of the Destiny 2: Beyond Light launch. "Each expansion is going to include a brand-new destination," Smith said. Destiny 2's next expansion is called The Witch Queen, so this would appear to confirm a brand new location for the 2021 DLC.

"So The Witch Queen is not going to unvault one," Smith added, referencing the previously-vaulted content in Destiny 2. When Beyond Light launched yesterday, four planets (Io, Titan, Mars, and Mercury) were all removed from the game, with Bungie commenting that it was an effort to rebalance the game and take pressure off the development team.

The Beyond Light expansion has reintroduced the Cosmodrome, a location not seen since the original Destiny. This partially led to speculation that The Witch Queen expansion could follow a similar path, bringing back vaulted content for Destiny 2. Smith's comment have completely dispelled that belief, though.

In the more immediate future of Bungie's game, Destiny 2 gets a dedicated next-gen upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S next month in December. With Microsoft's next-gen consoles having launched just yesterday, Bungie revealed that Destiny 2's Crucible will run at 120FPS on both PS5 and Xbox Series X.

For our list of the best Exotic weapons and armor items you can get your hands on in all of Destiny 2, make sure to check out our page on the best Destiny 2 Exotics.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.