Over the past few years, Destiny 2 has been digging its heels in as it relays the story of Light and Darkness. From gut-wrenching moments of betrayal to shadowy scenes of revenge, Guardians have experienced a roller coaster of emotions as the story has played out. Up until recently, however, the conclusion of the Light and Darkness saga in Destiny 2 was something that didn’t seem to have a concrete finale in mind. The unstoppable forces of Darkness against the immortal bearers of Light set a stage for the never-ending conflict that players could theoretically enjoy with no feasible conclusion, so long as Elsie Bray remained in her time loop.
But the reveal for The Witch Queen expansion in August changed this. For the first time, the overarching story that Destiny has been telling since the first game was released in 2014 was charting a real path. While this goes into full swing, when The Witch Queen releases in February 2022, the current Season of the Splicer narrative has already given Destiny 2 a strong push on its way to the Final Shape. In between now and then, however, will be a lot of content guiding Guardians as they take on the Darkness and uncover whatever truths, or lies, have been just out of reach for the past seven years.
The Witch Queen
The Witch Queen will be the first major step on this road with both the expansion and the formal introduction of Savathun as an enemy. While the Hive Goddess has already spent time in the Last City and amongst Guardians, her deceptive ways weren’t yet aimed at the player with pure malice in her heart. If her plan to have Mara Sov, the Awoken Queen, remove her Worm works she could become an infinitely more dangerous enemy and with the power of the Light now being wielded by those that serve her, there might not be a lot that players can do.
The actions based around this taken by Savathun and the Guardians in the Witch Queen expansion will help to set the stage for what the following major expansions will be like moving forward. With the task of killing the Ghosts that the Hive use, and wielding the Light against others that use the Light a lot of speculation has begun to build around what the future of humanity will be like in Destiny 2. Season of the Splicer saw the Tower ally closely with Eliksni in the House of Light, but it is unlikely that Savathun will join this tense alliance and even less likely that after so much chaos caused by her as a leader of the Hive that she will be redeemed.
It’s also worth considering that even though Savathun is trying to escape Xivu Arath they could end up on the same side again. The Witch Queen will likely show Savathun wielding power that players haven’t been truly familiar with since The Taken King, in almost unimaginable ways. With all the Destiny 2 content getting vaulted in 2022, the game is preparing itself for one of the most intense expansions players have played through yet and at its heart will be Savathun leading her Hive forces.
Lightfall
With this in mind, Lightfall could mean major changes with the fall of the Traveler once again or the corruption of Lightbearers. The Traveler seems like the most likely target as it has already been attacked by the Cabal’s Red Legion in the past but it’s not guaranteed. While Xivu Arath the Hive God of War could have much to gain by stepping into the Sol System and attacking the Last City directly her campaigns of destruction are far and wide, thinning her forces. The Hive Goddess is bound to make her appearance in the future but how she chooses to present herself is still a subject of debate.
On the other hand, Lightfall could mean the fall of the Guardians. There have been those in the past who have succumbed to the Darkness, seeing its power as the answer instead of the Traveler’s. The infamous Dredgen Yor wielded one of the classic exotic weapons, Thorn, and killed innocents to consume their Light. Even though many look down on Dredgen Yor and see his actions as indefensible some idolize him, finding an artificial refuge for their admiration within the Shadows of Yor.
If Lightfall focuses on these Guardians the Vanguard and humanity could fracture down the middle. Those dedicated to the Light and the Traveler might continue to honor how they’ve approached the conflict historically as the Shadows of Yor and their followers join the forces of Darkness. This type of split wouldn’t be anything new either. Season of the Splicer showed how much power and influence the factions could hold. Even though the Future War Cult thought they were doing the right thing they were being deceived and thus misled the people, but it showed that the people of the Last City were still willing to question the Tower and follow the factions if they feel it is the appropriate response.
Such a situation could present itself in Lightfall with the Shadows of Yor at the center. While Shin Malphur and The Drifter are likely to try and stop them there’s no guarantee that they could face them all alone. This makes the possibility of the Darkness corrupting even more guardians in Lightfall a harrowing possibility and after the fall of the Cabal’s homeworld to fanatics of Xivu Arath, Guardians could soon face the Shadows of Yor unified under the Hive God of War’s banner.
The Final Shape
The Final Shape is the most mysterious of the expansions but it also points to the end of Destiny 2’s current story. The current title of the expansion might be on the nose but it’s understandable. The idea of the shape of the universe as the struggle between Light and Dark plays out has been intertwined with the lore in Destiny since the first game. Recently it has felt more defined and while players might not feel they have a concrete idea of what The Final Shape is it will end the current storyline in Destiny 2.
In all likelihood, The Final Shape could be a reset of sorts for the game. The paracausal entities that rule the universe in Destiny 2 might be responsible for its creation but they neither seem to be omnipotent or omniscient. This means they can be resisted and quite possibly, in the most severe of cases, destroyed. It would be a climactic end to Destiny 2 but liberating the player's character from their ties to Light and Dark would open a world of opportunities for the future of Destiny.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
