Season 9 did not pick up on the mysterious ending of Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, but the story around the Darkness and the pyramid ships is by no means forgotten or concluded, as Bungie stated in a new interview. On the contrary, the players would only be scratching the surface.
How did the story of Shadowkeep end? In the context of the Shadowkeep expansion, the story focused on a mysterious pyramid ship on the Moon. But what does it mean?
Until the Season of Dawn, the so-called pyramid ships represented the greatest threat to Guardians, humanity, and the Traveler – namely the Darkness, the absolute evil.
And what was hinted at the end of the main story of the base game finally came to fruition with Shadowkeep: the Guardians encountered one of these mysterious ships beneath the surface of the Moon for the first time. The great danger was indeed present.
Many celebrated this, as many players had been waiting for it for a long time. Some hoped that this great mystery of the Destiny universe could finally be unveiled.
But the story, particularly the ending of Shadowkeep, left many disappointed. While some questions were answered in the process, even more new ones were raised. Furthermore, the story surrounding the ship ended very abruptly and essentially completely open – with a major cliffhanger right at its peak.
No Pyramid Ships in Season 9
What comes next after Shadowkeep? The Season 9 did not continue the story around the pyramid ship and the Darkness in any way – much to the dismay of many players. The focus was on continuing the seasonal story from Season 8, which now revolves around Cabal, Osiris, and Saint-14 in Season 9.
Some complained that the ship was just another one of many plot lines that Bungie starts in Destiny 2 but never concludes (at least not yet). And that would be a real shame, as the fight against the Darkness essentially embodies the primal conflict in the Destiny franchise.
However, Bungie already indicated in an interview: No, nothing will come with the ships in Season 9. But the whole situation is not forgotten.
In a new interview with Hollywood Reporter, Bungie further clarified this statement.
With Shadowkeep, the Guardians are only scratching the surface of the Darkness
The cliffhanger is not forgotten: In the interview, Bungie’s Creative Lead Robbie Stevens and Narrative Designer Nikko Stevens commented on the ending of Shadowkeep and how this story thread will continue.
In short: Bungie has not forgotten this cliffhanger. On the contrary. Shadowkeep essentially sets the stage for the future of this story.
Robbie Stevens spoke about how Destiny 2 has shifted to a seasonal model and that the focus is now on advancing the story month by month – like a TV show. He promised, however, that the experiences of the Guardians within Shadowkeep are just the beginning of a larger discovery surrounding the Darkness.
Bungie’s thoughts on the ending of Shadowkeep and the future of the story: Regarding the Darkness itself, it was stated: “This is a massive cosmic force. Something that the Guardians have never seen before. It has its own intrinsic power and abilities, of which we are only just scratching the surface. Also regarding what Darkness actually means. The way the player interacts with the ship (in Shadowkeep) is just slowly pulling back the curtain on what these cosmic beings actually are.”
When asked what they are now, it was said: “We don’t want to say that yet; it will unfold.” Stevens added: “What they are will be told from the perspective of characters. Even if someone speaks directly about it (the Darkness) – it is their own view of things. If you follow these things between the lines, major releases like Shadowkeep will unfold these stories.”
Whether Destiny 2 will receive further major expansions – possibly in the fall of 2020 – or whether it will possibly already continue in Destiny 3 is unfortunately still unknown.
In conclusion, the developers teased that the ending of Shadowkeep, where you as a Guardian encounter your doppelgänger, a kind of physical manifestation of the Darkness, is just the first step towards something larger:
“We are piecing together the future. The moments from Shadowkeep, where you see your doppelgänger and interact with the pyramid ships, and it (the Darkness) speaks with you – that is how we are setting the stage.”
What do you think? When will the story surrounding the Darkness be picked up again? Would you be happy about that? Or do you also enjoy the seasonal story that has been continued since Season 8?
