We have been waiting for weeks in Destiny 2 for the final story quest to begin. Bungie kept us in suspense for the best part for a long time. But last night it finally happened. The fresh season content not only tempted us but many other Guardians back into the game. But when we realized what was happening, it became quiet.
What happened in the story of Destiny 2? Currently, Guardians in Destiny 2 can experience the end of Season 19. It marks the final part before the new, major DLC Lightfall. And we need to talk about what happened. So if you don’t like spoilers, please stop reading here.
The Traveler is gone!
What every Guardian always knew but never wanted to admit happened yesterday. The Traveler has left humanity and the Last City. And with that, this one thing in Destiny 2 that was always certain has vanished.
Destiny was always about the great fight between Light and Darkness. There was nothing to shake or question about that. The light-bearing and thus empowered Guardians against the evil Darkness.
The Traveler, the great machine with its powerful Light, stood for our power. It had almost always hovered over the Last City and its Guardians since 2014. Only a few exceptions separated us from it.
- In the Red War, Ghaul wanted to siphon off the Traveler’s Light and imprisoned it in a special prison that also separated us from the Light. After his rescue, it remained voluntarily with us in the Last City.
- In the DLC “The Witch Queen,” Savathun kidnapped the Traveler to her Throne World. Why is still unclear. But even there it voluntarily returned to us in the end.
Should we doubt now? Since Witch Queen, Bungie has been subtly sowing doubts in the hearts of Guardians. Especially Savathun’s plans and her relationship with the Traveler raised big questions.
In Year 5, I had absolutely no choice on the predetermined path that my Guardian took in the “The Witch Queen” story. Still, I wondered in the end if I really did the right thing. For the first time, I questioned the Traveler.
Is the Traveler in Destiny really good? My Destiny colleague at MeinMMO, Christos, told me just today: “Britta, you still see too much good in the Traveler.” And he is right. I’ve never really questioned the Traveler actively before.
Why should I? After all, Bungie themselves stated in Destiny 1 that the Traveler is the savior of humanity. A benevolent being that is good and grants them great power.
Savathun herself reminded us of the credo of a Guardian:
- Dedication leads to courage
- Courage leads to sacrifice
- And sacrifice leads… to Light
Should I begin to doubt it? After all, the Traveler gave humanity knowledge and hope. Or in other words: Do they want me to start doubting the Light?
Bungie is messing with my thoughts
In the story of Destiny 2, one often finds oneself pondering and could talk for hours about connections, speculations, and doubts. Hopefully, it’s not just me and my Guardian.
In Season 17, even the Vanguard-Commander Zavala himself begins to doubt the Traveler. He also recognizes that other races have been blessed by the Traveler and that humanity is not the elite species that can or should have the Light alone. This was his truth and led to his sacrifice. However, the term “Chosen” becomes shaky with Zavala and so does I. So many sacrifices for a false god?
Since then, Zavala is no longer the same. I believe I can see these gnawing doubts in every scene with him. He thinks the Traveler will leave us just like all the other races before. And Bungie sows more of these doubts. Even Lord Saladin has whispered to me: “What if the Traveler is not what we thought?”
As if we should believe even more firmly that Guardians are neither chosen nor special. We are a tiny dot in a vast story that, if the Traveler abandons it, crumbles into the dust of time with a blink.
This is exactly the point we are at now. It is an absolutely great goosebumps moment that I actually don’t want to acknowledge. Because now it is happening. The beginning of the end. The end of a great saga now feels like it is right at my doorstep and wants to come in – no matter what.
If you were once a Guardian or still are, then treat yourself to this epic trailer:
As curious as I was about the story of Destiny in recent years, I now want to backtrack. Watching the Traveler ascend into the sky while humanity is cradled and the NPCs look questioningly at the sky really evokes uneasy feelings when you are witnessing it live. After all, in that moment, one experienced the beginning of the end. Something that has taken almost 9 years.
In doing so, I realize: Even after so many years under the light of the Traveler, I don’t really know it at all. The Witness has its students and has been speaking non-stop since it entered the Destiny universe.
But we Guardians know nothing about the Light. Our mentor is silent. Even the lore is always told only from the perspective of Darkness, even though I often wished it were different.
This is the reason why I play Destiny 2: In these moments, the reason why I play Destiny 2 becomes clear to me once again. Sure, it may just be a game. But after so many years of experiencing the story, the development of the characters, and that of the Guardians, it has become more.
A piece of this Guardian identity is something you eventually carry within you. With it, you have gone through so many highs and lows over the years since Destiny has existed. You have fallen, gotten back up, and kept going. You met friends and made it all into a great experience with cool space abilities. Such a cutscene simply cannot leave you cold.
It is silent while it happens. We watch as the Traveler rises, distancing itself from the Earth and thus from humanity. It stops alone in front of a multitude of pyramid ships.
Then suddenly, an ancient lore from the long-gone Speaker comes to mind, and I realize that I am now experiencing exactly this moment he dreamed of years ago.
„I am the last Speaker, and I dream that the Traveler will leave us. My dreams foresee a terrible future: a future without the Light of the Traveler. I see them all fall, Guardians and Lightless alike, fallen by the absence of the Traveler. I do not understand why it is happening, and I do not know when. But I know it is coming.”
Source: Ishtar Collective
I don’t know if it wants to flee or if it is up there because it wants to protect us. As a small shiver runs down my spine, I decide that I don’t care.
The Light gives me the choice: In contrast to the Witness, the Traveler has never demanded anything from me. With it, I always had the free choice as a Guardian, and one cannot accuse it of influencing me. I was always free to choose how I deal with the Light and what I use it for.
Ultimately, it also never demanded that we Guardians must protect it. And yet, in this moment, I want to do exactly that. Because it now stands alone against a huge fleet of the Witness.
How did you feel about this moment? Did it become clear to you that soon all Guardians will face the end? And what comes next? Can you imagine a Guardian existence without Light, if the Traveler loses the fight? Feel free to share your perspective on things in the comments.
There were also a few secrets to discover in Witch Queen that you should know about before Lightfall arrives:
8 of the most important events from Destiny 2: Witch Queen you should know for Lightfall
