By Nicolas Ayala

There are few live-service games as ambitious—and occasionally audacious—as Bungie’s Destiny 2. After more than a decade of Guardians chasing power, exploring lost civilizations, and juggling cosmic-level threats, Destiny 2 is about to launch its next evolutionary chapter: The Fate Saga. What makes this multi-year story arc truly stand out isn’t just the new expansions on the horizon, but how Bungie is blending lore, gameplay, and iconic pop culture energy into one stellar (pun intended) mix.

The Fate Saga will reshape Destiny 2’s storytelling structure forever

Starting July 15 with The Edge of Fate, Destiny 2 players will embark on a fresh journey through a new release cadence. Gone are the seasonal updates that wore down even the most dedicated Fireteam. In their place, Bungie is rolling out two major expansions per year—each roughly the size of the original Destiny 1’s Rise of Iron. Between these drops, free "major updates" will keep the game evolving for everyone, no matter their wallet.

It's a smart pivot. After the narrative marathon that was the Light and Darkness saga—capped off by last year’s phenomenal Final Shape—Bungie needed a way to both streamline the experience and deepen the lore. The Fate Saga promises to do just that, giving players a tighter, more meaningful story loop to engage with. And with four expansions already lined up, the roadmap is clear: The Edge of Fate (July 2024), Renegades (December 2025), Shattered Cycle (Summer 2026), and The Alchemist (Winter 2026).

Renegades isn’t just inspired by Star Wars—it’s practically suiting up in its armor

If The Edge of Fate is the setup, then Renegades is the mic drop. Bungie’s December 2025 expansion isn’t merely channeling the spirit of Star Wars—it’s decking Destiny 2 out in a full galactic cosplay. Lightsabers? Check. Desert planet straight out of Tatooine? Check. Ultimate Edition skins that include... Darth Vader? Check, check, and check.

Yeah, you read that right. There will soon be Guardians running around with Sith Lords’ drip, and for those keeping score, the Dark Lord himself appears to be Titan-exclusive. Whether that breaks lore cohesion or not (spoiler: it probably does), the sheer excitement of wielding a lightsaber in Bungie’s space-fantasy shooter is impossible to ignore.

But what makes Renegades truly intriguing isn’t just the fan-service—it’s how Bungie is embedding this Star Wars-inspired spectacle into its original narrative. Assistant Game Director Robbie Stevens described it best: “We’ve taken the space western vibe and aesthetic that is Star Wars and put it through that Destiny lens.” It’s not a crossover in the traditional sense. It’s an inspiration so strong that it borders on intertextual immersion.

Kepler, The Nine, and a return to cosmic mystery in Edge of Fate

Before players get to wield Jedi weaponry, The Edge of Fate beckons them to a new locale—Kepler. This mysterious outpost in the Destiny solar system serves as the stage for a new gambit by The Nine, those enigmatic celestial entities long teasing their roles in the Destiny mythos. Bungie is smartly circling back to The Nine, using them to re-inject a sense of cosmic enigma that the community has been craving.

Kepler’s design reportedly leans into metroidvania-style exploration, giving Guardians more freedom to uncover secrets in non-linear ways. It’s a gameplay shift that may reinvigorate the looter-shooter loop, especially for players hungry for atmosphere and discovery. And with The Nine pulling strings behind the scenes, the stakes feel... well, inevitable.

Destiny 2 is walking the tightrope between fan service and deep lore evolution

What makes Bungie’s latest gambit so fascinating is how it balances player desire with narrative ambition. The Star Wars-themed Renegades expansion could have easily been a standalone cosplay event, but instead, it’s a core part of the Fate Saga. Whether that means we’ll see more genre-blending storytelling or just more cool-looking content, remains to be seen. But the potential is undeniable.

After years of seasonal fatigue, and a community that’s oscillated between “Destiny is dead” and “Destiny is king,” The Edge of Fate and its successors might be the rebirth the Guardian world needed. Bungie is no longer just asking players to grind—it’s asking them to imagine. To explore. To become alchemists of their own fate.

And in a universe where you can both fight cosmic gods and cosplay as Darth Vader, that kind of creative freedom is nothing short of legendary.