Destiny 2 became better after Bungie adopted the seasonal model for its narrative, adding new chapters to the overarching story it has been telling since the first installment. As such, it doesn't come as a surprise that Year 4 was one of the most compelling to date, starting with Beyond Light and Season of the Hunt, all the way to the current Season of the Lost that will act as a bridge to The Witch Queen expansion in February 2022. The story building up to the next major release for Destiny 2 has been an incredible journey that took players through acts that saw many peaks, but also a broader theme of inclusivity that led canonically hostile races to join hands with humanity.
This happened with Destiny 2's Season of the Hunt making players go through the grief of losing Cayde once again by having to cooperate with Crow, the risen Uldren Sov, only to become Crow's friend and mentor. Then, in Season of the Chosen, players found a way for the Vanguard and the Cabal led by Caiatl to come to peaceful terms rather than one trying to subdue the other. Lastly, Season of the Splicer was all about Mithrax's Eliksni of the House of Light residing in the Last City, and how conflicts arose between mankind's factions as the words of Lakshmi-2 fostered hatred rather than peace.
Destiny 2: Lakshmi-2's Role in Season of the Splicer
Lakshmi-2 was a prominent character in Season of the Splicer, more than she had in past Destiny 2 content aside from classic Faction Rally events. Last Season, she foresaw an armed conflict in the Last City, with the Eliksni led by Mithrax in the middle of it all, which reinforced her biases about them being enemies of humanity. However, Lakshmi-2's vision was limited to a single moment in time, of which she couldn't foresee the cause nor the aftermath, despite her faction - the Future War Cult - analyzing possible futures and outcomes for it.
Lakshmi-2 tried to warn the citizens of the Last City, but she chose to do so by forwarding her own agenda of hindering the truce between humanity and the people she despised. The vision was proven to be true all along, but what Lakshmi-2 thought would be the cause was something else entirely. It was her own doing after she tampered with Vex technology and opened a portal in the middle of the Eliksni Quarters within the Last City. Lakshmi-2's story is sad, but it's particularly interesting now that Destiny 2 players find themselves in the exact same position with Season of the Lost and The Witch Queen.
Destiny 2 Players Find Themselves in Lakshmi-2's Shoes
Season of the Lost acts as a prelude to The Witch Queen expansion, and the reveal stream Bungie held last August makes it so the Destiny 2 community knows what is going to happen. Bungie has been discussing the impact of Savathun's Hive getting the Traveler's Light in terms of gameplay, but very little is known about how she will manage to pull this off and what is going to happen next. The Witch Queen trailer shows Savathun with a Ghost of her own, while also sending an army of Hive Ghosts to resurrect her Hive as Guardians explore the dangerous Throne World.
However, because the circumstances of the main events of The Witch Queen still elude players six weeks into Season of the Lost, Bungie managed to create a situation where it's players in Lakshmi-2's position. They know the gist of what is going to happen, but the how and why remain big questions. The consequences of Savathun's actions also remain unknown, and with everything that's been happening in Season of the Lost, it's unclear what Savathun's true intentions are.
This shift in perspective is likely not a coincidence, rather Bungie's doing to make players trade places with Lakshmi-2 and see what it must have been like for her in Season of the Splicer - no matter how detestable she grew to be. Furthermore, this perspective change also shares a few similarities with The Last of Us 2.
How The Last of Us 2's Perspective Shift Compares to Destiny 2's
The Last of Us 2 is one of the biggest and most acclaimed games to date in terms of awards, though it sparked several debates. One of The Last of Us 2's main story beats is letting players control a character they were familiar with, Ellie, as she embarks on a quest for revenge against Abby - the woman who killed her father figure Joel. This is merely the first half of the game however, as Naughty Dog then completely changed the players' viewpoint by making them control Abby, discovering her weaknesses and growing to like her.
This sort of contextual shift provokes critical thoughts on the players' part, as they have to face the fact that there is not a single viewpoint. Rather, there are many shades in between characters, their actions, and the consequences of those. As such, what Destiny 2 is doing with Season of the Lost makes a lot more sense, because delving into The Witch Queen with all the answers would be both anticlimatic and uncompelling. Ultimately, the comparison with The Last of Us 2's Ellie and Abby makes even more sense because it further proves Bungie's point that even antagonists can turn into likable characters, and vice versa.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
