Six weeks ago Bungie told Destiny 2 players the Content Vault era was over and vaulted campaigns, destinations and raids were coming back. What it did not say was which content, when, or how much. On Thursday, October 29, the studio finally filled in a good chunk of that in the first Bungie Community Update, a Q&A between community lead dmg04 and Head of Product Josh Deane.
The short version: the first wave is the Red War, Curse of Osiris, Warmind and Forsaken campaigns along with their strikes, raids and raid lairs, plus a returning Menagerie. The long version is that the porting work is still in pre-production, full production is expected to take about a year after that, and some things players hoped for are explicitly off the table. Here is everything Bungie said, what it means in practice, and what it left out.
If you missed the original September announcement, our earlier breakdown of the unvaulting reveal covers that background. This article is about the new details.
Why This Update Matters
Some quick context. Destiny 2's Monument of Triumph update had been framed as the end of the road, with Bungie announcing an end of service for the game. The community reaction to that was loud enough that new leadership reversed course. In September's The Next Chapter for Bungie post, Bungie wrote that "we are not done with Destiny" and that it was beginning the work of bringing vaulted campaigns, destinations and raids back, available to all Destiny 2 players.
That September post was a statement of intent. It named categories, not activities, and gave no timeline. It also warned that restoring content is "not as simple as restoring old files," because changes made since Beyond Light mean lighting, encounters, combatants and other systems all need updating.
The October 29 post is the first time Bungie has put names and rough dates on the plan. Deane is also blunt about why it is happening at all. In his words, the vaulting of essential Destiny 2 content "fragmented our experience and broke faith with our community," and Bungie does not see "how we could move forward with confidence without first repairing trust and making Destiny 2 'whole.'"
What Is Coming Back in the First Pass
Bungie calls this the first pass for unvaulting, and Deane says it is available to all players. The focus is "getting our campaign slate whole again," targeting the activity content of campaigns, strikes and raids from vaulted expansions. The list:
- Red War, Forsaken, Curse of Osiris and Warmind campaigns
- Strikes from those releases
- Raids and raid lairs from those releases
- Menagerie activity, with reprised rewards
What That List Likely Covers
Bungie did not name individual raids or strikes, so read this section as context from Destiny 2's history rather than a confirmed checklist. The vaulted raid content tied to that era is the Leviathan raid from the Red War year, the Eater of Worlds raid lair from Curse of Osiris and the Spire of Stars raid lair from Warmind. Forsaken's Last Wish raid never left the game, so for Forsaken the big return is the campaign itself, the story that sent a whole generation of players hunting Uldren Sov through the Tangled Shore.
The three Year 1 campaigns were removed with Beyond Light, and the Forsaken campaign was vaulted later. That means a lot of current players have never been able to play Destiny 2's original story inside the game at all. A free, playable Red War is arguably the single most requested piece of content in the whole vault.
For strikes, several from that era are still in the game in some form, so expect the return to mostly fill in the ones that are not. Bungie has not published a strike list, and we will not guess one.
"Reprised Rewards" Explained
Bungie only says the Menagerie returns "with reprised rewards." In Destiny, a reprised weapon is an older weapon brought back, usually updated to fit the current sandbox. Bungie has not said which weapons, which perks, or whether old Menagerie pursuits return. Treat this as "the loot will be updated," not as a promise that a specific roll you remember is coming back.
The Stretch Goals
Beyond the first pass, Bungie lists content it is investigating either at unvaulting launch or afterward. Deane says Bungie knows "aspirational content like legacy Raids needs a deeper chase even if we may not able to address it upfront." The list:
- Free roam destinations, including Public Events, Lost Sectors and Escalation Protocol
- Seasonal activities from Sundial (Season 9) to The Coil (Season 23)
- Raid and raid lair weapon updates
- PvP maps
Second, the seasonal activity window is huge. Sundial through The Coil covers years of seasonal content. If even part of that comes back, it would add a lot of variety to the activity pool, but Bungie is clear these are not commitments.
The raid weapon line is worth watching for loot hunters. Old raid weapons were often left with outdated perk pools after their raids were vaulted or reprised. An update pass there would directly affect whether running a returning raid is worth it beyond nostalgia.
What Is Not Coming Back
Bungie also listed content that "currently does not have a path to update either for technical and/or strategic reasons." Deane frames this as balance: bringing back everything "could come at a cost for what we want to build for you in the future." The list:
- Updated New Light experience
- Seasonal story missions
- Gambit map (Kell's Grave)
- Seasonal hubs, for example the Eliksni Quarter
"Currently" is doing some work in that sentence, so this is not a permanent no. But nobody should be planning around any of these coming back.
The Timeline: Why 2028 Is the Realistic Read
This is the part most players care about, and the part that will disappoint the most. Deane laid out the "progress bar":
Deane says pre-production is a "proof-of-work stage where we will ensure the process is working and hitting our quality bar as we port the legacy content." He expects it to last until "roughly January/February," and after that, "full production will be about 12mos. to fully complete the porting process. It's a lot of content."
Bungie did not give a release date. But if pre-production ends around February 2027 and full production takes about 12 months, the porting work would wrap up around early 2028. That is why several outlets have described it as an early 2028 target. Keep in mind that Bungie is describing when porting is complete, not necessarily when the first piece ships. It is possible some content could come out in stages, but Bungie has not said that either, so do not count on it.
Why It Takes This Long
Deane spends a good part of the post explaining why Bungie is not throwing a huge team at this right away. His reasoning: projects with lots of unknowns should start small, with time spent on "discovery, concepting, research and development, scoping, and feasibility analysis before you scale." Forcing a big team into that phase, he says, "creates chaos and crushes it from a production perspective."
He also mentions that in June, Bungie started "finding a partner to help us make it real." So some of this work is being done with an external partner. Bungie did not name who.
Combine that with the September post's warning about post-Beyond Light changes to lighting, encounters and combatants, and the timeline makes sense even if nobody likes it. These activities were built for a version of the game that no longer exists.
The Rest of Bungie's Destiny Plans
The unvaulting work is not the only Destiny project on Deane's list. He describes a phased plan with "anchors" that will each get their own progress bar:
The Destiny 2 Celebration is described as new updates "beyond Monument of Triumph" for the community to enjoy, with more details to come. Destiny Legacy is the more intriguing one. Deane says Destiny's "epic journey started over a decade ago, and the whole experience needs to be served to you all where you play today." Bungie did not explain what form that takes, so we will not speculate beyond the quote. Then there is a third, redacted entry, which dmg04 jokes about in the post.
Deane also sets expectations firmly. He says not to expect a Destiny announcement at The Game Awards this year, or "to randomly drop a logo that sets the world on fire right away." His line: "We get there when we get there."
Marathon Is Part of the Picture
The post is not only about Destiny. Bungie says it is preparing Marathon: Symbiosis for launch in December, with Marathon's December and March updates described as "a formative period for all of us here at Bungie that will help determine the shape of our future." The next Marathon Dev Insight is expected in early December, and Bungie mentions playtesting an upcoming experimental PvP mode.
Deane is direct that the two communities are linked: "nothing can help bridge us into future more than for Marathon to rapidly evolve and become sustainable." In plain terms, Marathon doing well helps fund and justify the Destiny work. That is useful context for anyone wondering whether unvaulting is safe from future budget decisions.
What Destiny 2 Players Should Do Now
Honestly, not much changes in the short term. Some practical points:
- Do not expect any unvaulted content in 2026. Pre-production runs into early 2027 and full production is about a year after that.
- Watch for February. Bungie is "targeting February" for its next major comms update, with unvaulting progress shared along the way. That is the next real checkpoint.
- Free for all players. Bungie says the first pass is "available to all players." It has not detailed how ownership, Triumphs or collectibles tied to old expansions will work, so do not assume details either way.
- Keep your expectations on destinations in check. Campaigns, strikes and raids are committed. Free roam on the old planets is a stretch goal.
- If you are coming back to Destiny 2 for this, there is no rush. You will have plenty of time to get your account in shape before anything lands.
Our Take
This is the most honest roadmap post Bungie has published in a long time. It tells you what is committed, what is a maybe and what is a no, and it puts a real, if long, timeframe on the work. The reprised Menagerie is a nice touch, and a playable Red War, Forsaken and the old raid lairs for everyone would be a genuine fix to one of Destiny 2's worst decisions.
The catch is the wait. If Bungie hits its own estimate, the porting work finishes around early 2028, more than seven years after Beyond Light pulled the Red War out of the game. The February update will tell us a lot. If Bungie shows real progress there, this plan will look credible. If it slips, the trust Deane talks about rebuilding takes another hit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What vaulted content is coming back to Destiny 2 first?
Bungie's first unvaulting pass covers the Red War, Forsaken, Curse of Osiris and Warmind campaigns, the strikes from those releases, their raids and raid lairs, and the Menagerie activity with reprised rewards. Bungie confirmed this list in its October 29, 2026 Community Update.
When will Destiny 2 vaulted content return?
Bungie has not announced a release date. Pre-production is expected to last until roughly January or February 2027, followed by about 12 months of full production to finish the porting. On that schedule, the full first pass would not be complete until around early 2028.
Will unvaulted Destiny 2 content be free?
Bungie says the first pass will be "available to all players." It has not published details on how ownership, Triumphs or old collectibles will work, so wait for Bungie's follow-up before assuming anything beyond that.
Is the Leviathan raid coming back to Destiny 2?
Bungie says raids and raid lairs from Red War, Curse of Osiris, Warmind and Forsaken are in the first pass. Leviathan, Eater of Worlds and Spire of Stars are the vaulted raid content from that era, but Bungie has not named specific raids in the post, so treat this as very likely rather than confirmed by name.
Are the old Destiny 2 planets coming back?
Not in the committed first pass. Free roam destinations, including Public Events, Lost Sectors and Escalation Protocol, are listed as stretch goals that Bungie is investigating for unvaulting launch or afterward.
Is the Menagerie coming back in Destiny 2?
Yes. Bungie included the Menagerie in the first unvaulting pass, citing years of community requests. It is returning with reprised rewards. Bungie has not listed which weapons or perks.
Will seasonal content like the Sundial come back?
It is a stretch goal. Bungie is investigating seasonal activities from Sundial (Season 9) through The Coil (Season 23), but they are not committed. Seasonal story missions and seasonal hubs like the Eliksni Quarter currently have no path back.
Is Kell's Grave coming back to Gambit?
No, not currently. Bungie lists the Kell's Grave Gambit map among content that does not have a path to update for technical or strategic reasons.
When is Bungie's next Destiny update?
Bungie is targeting February 2027 for its next major Destiny communication, with unvaulting progress shared along the way. Deane also said not to expect a Destiny announcement at The Game Awards this year.
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