The momentum of the narrative ofDestiny 2since the release of the Shadowkeep expansion last fall has been the awakening and return of the Darkness, the malevolent force that has existed but remained unseen since the first game.One of the recent cutscenes from Season of the Worthyand a leaked cutscene for the future make it clear that the Darkness is closing in on earth and should arrive sooner rather than later.
The forces of the Last City will need to respond, but how exactly is in question. There are rumors that Guardians could receivethe long-rumored Darkness subclasseslater this year in a major fall expansion. But what about the greatest source of good in theDestinyuniverse, the Traveler?
RELATED:Destiny 2: Collapse Expansion Leak Sounds Too Good to be True
At the end of the main campaign ofDestiny 2, the Traveler awakened. After being silent for the entirety ofDestiny 1, and then being caged by Dominus Ghaul, the big-bad ofDestiny 2’s vanilla campaign, the Traveler burst from its energy cage, defeated Ghaul, and sent out a shockwave that echoed through the galaxy.
It is that shockwave that appears to have awoken the Darkness and its pyramid ships, as shownin the post-credits scene ofDestiny 2’s campaign. The Traveler currently still hangs above the Last City, seemingly awoken; however, it does little to show that it is awake outside of its heroics at the end of the main campaign.
Butas the Darkness closes in, the question is ifDestiny 2will employ the Traveler more, letting it fully and finally awaken. There are a few different waysDestiny 2might go about what happens to the Traveler in the next major narrative beat of the game.
According to the lore of the game, the Traveler and the Darkness are in an endless relationship, so it seems like the Traveler’s yin will have to respond somehow to the Darkness’s yang. According to the lore surrounding the character Ulan-Tan, Light and Darkness must live in balance, so the Light must rise up to the same power as the Darkness. But Ulan-Tan also said that it is up to humanity to healthe now-silent Travelerafter the Traveler saved humanity.
With the increasing strength of the Guardians, it is possible that the Guardians, who embody the Light of the Traveler, could be the force to rise up and balance the Darkness rather than the Traveler itself. Many longtime fans probably hope thatthe cosmic duel between the Traveler and the Darknesswill finally occur in-game, but players will have to wait and see.
Bungie teased at the start of Year 3 that next season would bea time likeDestinyfans have never seen before,so as that season and the eventual release of what is rumored to be a major fall expansion grow closer, hopefully, the narrative gains momentum and propels the universe ofDestiny 2forward in new and exciting ways.
Destiny 2is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
