When The Witch Queen expansion launched for Destiny 2, many were excited that they would finally get to face Savathun in the spotlight. Throughout Year 4 of the game, the Hive’s Witch Queen had been the antagonist in the shadows of Destiny 2. Savathun spent her time chipping away at the Vanguard’s morale before finally forcing the Tower, the Guardian, and the Awoken of the Reef into an ultimatum that served her more than anyone else in Destiny 2’s story. However, following the release of The Witch Queen and the completion of its campaign, many players discovered that Savathun wasn’t the real enemy they had to watch out for.
Instead, another big bad evil guy appeared almost out of thin air, shrouded in darkness and spewing smoke. Just as Season of the Risen kicked off, many Destiny 2 players saw the Witness for the first time, and it has quickly become Destiny 2’s most enigmatic and terrifying figure. In the greater story of Destiny 2, it seems that the Witness may be responsible for every action in the name of Darkness that players have encountered so far. However, at the same time, The Witness may be another pawn in the grand game between the Gardener and the Winnower. Nonetheless, the story of the Witness is already a compelling one, even with the extremely limited information that players have been provided so far.
The Witness in Destiny 2
The history of the Witness in Destiny 2 is muddled and murky, something that seems intentional given what players learn of the character during The Witch Queen’s campaign. The Witness is at some points implied to have birthed the Darkness, or possibly be the Darkness itself, and at others is labeled as its strongest emissary. These both would make the Witness a devout follower of the Darkness, without a doubt, but the two are distinct separations with major implications for Destiny 2’s future. Given the actions of the Witness that players know, however, it seems likely the latter is closer to the truth.
If the Witness were the Darkness itself, it would likely wield it in a more straightforward manner. The Darkness in Destiny 2 dominates, and whether players experienced The Witch Queen’s Legendary campaign or the normal one, it’s made clear that like Savathun, the Witness does enjoy acting from the shadows. This is exemplified in how the Witness interacted with the Krill, the proto-Hive species Savathun and her siblings once were, to prevent their blessing by the Traveler. Instead of dominating them and their homeworld of Fundament, the Witness corrupted them through Sathona’s Worm familiar.
The Witness pushed Sathona and her siblings in the direction of the Darkness, encouraging them to accept the powers of the Worms. In a way, the Witness offered the same twisted salvation to the Krill as it had to Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness. This ultimately was a bloodthirsty power, but why offer the proto-Hive the ability to dominate galaxies in a convoluted manner if the Witness had already birthed the Darkness itself? If the Witness is an emissary of the Darkness instead, spreading its power and influence by corrupting the Krill to serve what it likely views as a deity makes sense. It’s not as straight forward, but it would explain why the Witness has gone through great trouble to rally its forces even after it has shown how skilled it is at undoing the Traveler’s work.
The Witness acting as the strongest and highest worshipper of the Darkness also makes sense when players look at how the Darkness pyramids and statues are portrayed in-game. While these structures are sources of great power, they are also influential. Interacting with the Darkness pyramids on the Moon and Europa is an overwhelming experience, and the latter leads to Guardians adopting Stasis. Once again slow corruption appears to be building to the dominant force that the Darkness is. The statue in the Deep Stone Crypt raid does something similar, pulling Clovis Bray down a dark path that puts himself, his family, and the population of Europa at risk.
What is the Witness in Destiny 2?
If the Witness is the ultimate agent of the Darkness itself, then it may be the opposite of the Traveler in a more mirrored sense. The Witness’s existence could suggest that the Traveler is more an agent of the Light, rather than the paracausal force's physical manifestation. This would help explain why the Traveler’s not all-knowing in Destiny 2, and would also play into the game that the Gardener and the Winnower are engaged in based on lore. The Witness might very well be a piece from the Winnower’s side of the board whose purpose and goal is to defeat the Traveler.
This doesn’t particularly change much about the Witness, but it does offer a reason for the character’s longevity and influence on the universe in Destiny 2. At billions of years old, the Witness can very well seem indifferent from a god to many, much like the Traveler is to humanity. Some of the lore that was made accessible after the Vow of the Disciple raid portrays Rhulk in a way that could be interpreted as worshipping the Witness. However, it’s also clear that the Disciple views the Witness as a king-like leader, rather than a deity. Rhulk might believe that the Witness saved him, but he also understands they serve the Darkness in their goal for the final abyss.
With how Rhulk talks about the Witness in mind, it’s clear that the character is incredibly powerful, but still appears to be mortal. The Witness might harness the overwhelming paracausal abilities of the Darkness and be incredibly skilled with them, but it isn’t its physical manifestation in the universe.
However, following the death of Savathun, the Witch Queen, the Witness has become someone that Guardians should be incredibly concerned about moving forward. Lightfall and the Final Shape are set to be the final two expansions in Destiny 2’s Light and Darkness saga. With only a couple of years left in the main storyline, the arrival of the Witness is inevitable, and it will be here to watch the Sol system fall to the pyramids sooner than later.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
