Destiny 2 surprises players with a strong story and a new video in Season 14. For MeinMMO author Philipp Hansen, one of the biggest criticisms of the action MMO is finally a thing of the past.
This is how the new Destiny week surprises: What is Monday in the real world is the Weekly Reset in Destiny 2, which always takes place on Tuesdays. The Guardians follow their routine, Xur and the Trials take leave until the next weekend, and all clocks reset to zero. And during the reset on June 1st, it seemed at first that a quiet week was ahead.
But what awaited the Guardians in the game is probably the best story Destiny 2 has told in what feels like an eternity. It involves a “Nazi robot,” an impending civil war, and a new cutscene that labels the celebrated heroes of humanity as murderers of entire races.
A civil war threatens in Destiny 2 and we are right in the middle of it
This story is told: Right at the beginning of Season 14, the Vanguard of an alien race sought refuge within the walls of humanity’s Last City. The Fallen had previously appeared as our enemies and were fought bitterly. The House of Light, led by Mithrax, is now our ally and actively helps us in the ongoing season to defeat the vile Vex that threaten the Last City.
However, not everyone in the Tower is pleased that we are now granting shelter to the aliens instead of slaughtering them by the dozen as usual. If you listen carefully during the dialogues in the seasonal activities and take a look around the refugee camp, you will learn that the Fallen live here in fear of us Guardians and are on the brink of extinction.
- On one side are the Vanguard bosses Zavala and especially Ikora, along with us players who want to help the Eliksni (that’s what the aliens call themselves).
- On the other side stands Saint-14, the “greatest Titan who ever lived,” who sees the Fallen as a threat and wants to get rid of them as soon as possible. Here, Lakshmi-2, the leader of the Future War Cult, positions herself, speaking of an even greater threat. She repeatedly incites against the Eliksni.
- A civil war is brewing in the Last City.
This is how the situation escalates: Those who diligently play their weekly override activity, collect their top loot, and then want to continue receive a pretty big shock: We are to visit the Fallen camp because an attack has taken place here.
Upon arrival, we see Mithrax mourning the destruction and wondering how he will feed his people without supplies. The powerful protector, Saint, simply states that no witnesses can be found for the crimes, while Lakshmi ominously remarks that the Fallen should be glad it wasn’t worse.
Then the situation becomes even more uncomfortable to watch:
- Lakshmi increasingly loses her restraint and lets her true disposition shine through.
- For her, all Fallen are the same, “hiding behind political structures,” exploiting humans. They have been granted shelter by “the brood” and the Fallen are ungrateful and lazily twirl their four thumbs.
- Later, Lakshmi compares the Fallen to a “fever and an infection that must be rejected” and insists that the Fallen should leave the walls of the city – “where they belong.”
- It is clear that she is behind the political attacks to get rid of the Eliksni. What hints in small audio dialogues slowly escalates into outright alien racism.
One of the strongest videos from Destiny is now live, and it comes without action
This is something every Guardian should watch: Because the political intrigues and the boiling hatred are not enough for a week, Destiny 2 also releases a new cinematic. It comes without Hollywood-level action scenes and gloss, but it is probably one of the best videos Bungie has ever made.
MeinMMO has already discussed this video in detail, which shows Saint as a monster and makes us feel genuinely guilty. Check out the clip in German here:
Destiny 2 finally tells its story the way it always should have
Philipp from MeinMMO says: Destiny finally tells the story the way I have always wished. In the game itself, with my Guardian in the action. I can understand if someone just wants to shoot and doesn’t care about the space opera. I also enjoy turning off my mind and enjoying the cool action.
The Destiny devs have learned a lot about seasonal storytelling since Ikora was crafting at a portal weekly in Season 8. I am now really curious to see how the story with the Eliksni and the looming civil war continues. Honestly, this story has me more hooked than the seasonal activities do. Sure, in the end, we will certainly save the Last City, but the journey there is exciting for me.
But how Bungie tells the story here is truly outstanding. It doesn’t always have to revolve around grand “the whole universe is in danger” stories, and this is exactly why I leave many series behind near the end. With the darkness and Savathûn’s emergence, there is indeed already a blockbuster story on the horizon. This is how a season’s story should be, well done Bungie!
This point of criticism is finally a thing of the past: In my eyes, the criticism that Destiny has no story, that I have to piece together a story from lore fragments of items – and that outside of the game itself – is over.
The good thing: All of this still exists. Those who wish can still piece together the profound, cool background info and fairy tales of the past (or look at them prepared by the historians like Byf). For those who enjoy cool videos, they are also catered to. Now there are tangible, emotional themes from Guardian life. The world in which I fight seems more believable and immersive to me.
Did you also expect a rather uneventful Destiny week and were then surprised by the story? Do you not care at all who or what you shoot at and why, or do you find it cool to learn more about the game and its world this way?
