Although Destiny 2 takes place immediately after the events of its predecessor, making up less than eight years in the franchise as a whole, the universe built by Bungie is billions of years old. Humanity has a short history compared to other alien races in Destiny 2, with the Hive being one of the oldest species in the universe as creatures evolved from the Krill, who were otherwise destined to live for less-than 10 years. There are beings who are seemingly older than the universe itself, such as The Gardener and The Winnower, whose so-called "flower game" was what created the universe and later allowed the Vex to emerge.
The Traveler's origins are unknown in Destiny 2, but it did bless several races prior to making its stand on Earth and blessing humanity with the Light. There's a difference between the gift of the Light and the Traveler's blessing, however, and this can be seen through the tales of the Eliksni (commonly referred to as Fallen), the Ammonites, the Harmony, and the Ahamkara. These species were all touched by the Light to some extent, whereas humanity and now the Hive have been blessed by the Traveler's Light to receive powers and Ghosts for resurrection.
Races Chosen by the Traveler Prior to Destiny 2
The Ammonites were an advanced species who evolved on one of the moons of Fundament, where the Krill also lived. At some point, the Ammonites started worshipping the Traveler after its arrival, and with it, they started worshipping its disciple, the Leviathan. The Ammonites managed to prosper and to create paracausal technology, making them a powerful force in the pre-Destiny 2 eras, but they were eventually wiped out by the Hive's campaign of conquest and destruction, and the Leviathan fell presumably to Rhulk from the Vow of the Disciple Raid.
Much like the Ammonites, the Harmony also prospered thanks to the Traveler's presence, living the equivalent of the Golden Age of humanity in Destiny 2. The Harmony thrived because the Traveler realigned their home planet and other celestial bodies around a black hole, where it built a construct that radiated Light called the Gift Mast. It's possible that this was done so that the Harmony could use the Gift Mast as an engine to flee when the Darkness came, but they were instead annihilated by the Hive.
The Ahamkara, also known as "Wish-Dragons," are not strictly tied to the Traveler and the Light, but their existence is documented only after the Traveler's appearance in the Solar System. The Harmony also seemingly turned to "dragon-wishes" to fight the Hive back, which could be an indication that the Ahamkara originated during that time and eventually moved to the Solar System. However, there is no proof of either version, and the Ahamkara are extinct because of the Great Ahamkara Hunt - and later due to the events of Destiny 2's Last Wish Raid, during which players killed Riven of a Thousand Voices.
The Eliksni were one of the most recent races to be blessed by the Traveler, and they also lived a Golden Age while worshipping "the Great Machine." However, the Traveler abandoned the Eliksni when it fled from the Darkness and the Black Fleet. The Eliksni lived through an apocalyptic event called The Whirlwind, which led to their homeworld being invaded by the Pyramid ships and the Hive, decimating the species. Eventually, the surviving Eliksni used their technology to track down the Traveler and follow it to the Solar System in hope of being saved once more.
How Humanity and the Hive Became Blessed by the Light
Humanity was also living a Golden Age when the Traveler showed up and terraformed planets in the Solar System, including Mars, Venus, Jupiter's moons, and Mercury. The species thrived and expanded throughout the Solar System, both thanks to the Traveler terraforming planets and thanks to the entity helping mankind discover new technologies. It was when the Traveler first appeared in the Solar System and started vanishing for months that it got its name, as mankind first referred to it as "Moon X."
After some time the Darkness and its Black Fleet showed up in the Solar System, but the Traveler decided to stay and make its stand instead of fleeing as it did in the past, and this war's aftermath was called the Collapse. The Traveler sacrificed its strength to provide mankind with the gift of the Light, and the Darkness was driven away for a time. This is how Destiny 2 players can use the powers of the Light and be resurrected by their Ghosts. The Traveler survived, but it spent a long time healing its wounds and regenerating.
Then, as shown in the events of The Witch Queen campaign, the Hive was blessed with the Traveler's Light for reasons unknown - especially considering the Hive and Savathun have been enemies of humanity for a long time. Much like it did with mankind, the Traveler conceded its powers to the Hive via Ghosts, and it's possible its intentions were to help the species survive and prove The Gardener's point that all life can thrive, not just one species that annihilates all else. This is The Winnower's counterpoint, that only one species deserves to survive when all else has been destroyed, described as its so-called "final shape."
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
