Warning: SPOILERS for Destiny 2 ahead!

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The much-anticipated sequel to Bungie's shooter-MMO-hybrid game, Destiny has arrived and already it's considered a marked improvement over the first installment. Destiny 2 brings with it a lot of changes to how the game looks and plays, most of them for the better (others not so much), but by far it's most obvious change is in how the game approaches storytelling.

Destiny 1 had, for the most part, a really interesting tale to tell. Problem was, much of what made Destiny's story so interesting was only found in Grimoire cards that players could unlock in game but then had to read online, outside of the game. It was a baffling decision on Bungie's part and left most players in the dark about the full scope of Destiny's epic saga.

For the sequel, Grimoire cards have been done away with and everything players need or just want to know about the worlds, characters, and the lore of Destiny 2 can be experienced while exploring the game. And the story Destiny 2 has to tell is quite the doozy, ending with a couple reveals that are sure to have a dramatic effect on where Destiny's story is heading next.

The Traveler Awakens...

destiny 2 ending traveler awakens

The final mission of Destiny 2's story campaign finds players' Guardian facing off against Dominus Ghaul, the Cabal leader of the Red Legion who's come to Earth to steal the Light of the Traveler. By the time players have reached this mission, Ghaul has killed the Speaker (his prisoner for much of the game) and attained the super abilities granted to those who have a connection to the Light. Players must then fight Ghaul as he unleashes one barrage of super attacks after another. Ghaul is eventually defeated only to then resurrect (as those with the Light do) in a giant form made entirely of a glowing, ethereal Light.

Now seemingly immortal, Ghaul appears victorious - then the Traveler wakes up. Up until this point in Destiny 1 and 2, the Traveler was in a dormant state, idling above the Tower after sending the Ghosts to raise up the Guardians and imbue with them the Light needed to protect itself and Earth. But once threatened by Ghaul, the Traveler begins to glow and the cage the Red Legion had attached to its surface breaks and falls off. A massive wave of light then explodes from the sphere, destroying the Ghaul-god. It's the first active role the Traveler has played all game and it's without a doubt a big moment for Destiny, dramatically altering the story going forward.

Making this development all the more significant is the reveal (coming just before the final boss fight) that all along the Speaker wasn't actually speaking for the Traveler but rather pushing his own, mysterious agenda under the guise of doing so. This is sure to affect how the Vanguard and all of the Guardians see the Traveler and its gift of the Light, hinting at a huge shift in how the Traveler communicates with its chosen. Of course, since all this new information comes only at the very end of the campaign, Destiny's story will likely be on a bit of hiatus for the foreseeable future. The raid may shed a bit more light on what a reawakened Traveler means for the future, but chances are, any big reveals will be held until the game's next expansion.

destiny 2 ending pyramid ships the darkness

A New Enemy Threat is Revealed in Destiny 2

The Light which emanates from The Traveler in the final, climactic moments of Destiny 2's campaign doesn't just stop after it destroys Ghaul - it keeps going, spreading across the solar system, beyond The Reef, beyond the Dreadnaught caught in Saturn's rings, and beyond even that. The Light spreads until it's far outside the Milky Way galaxy, finally reaching a gathering of strange, pyramid-shaped ships. Once the Light reaches these vessels, they appear to awaken and immediately set course towards the source: Earth.

This scene is presented as an after-credits stinger and it's obviously meant to tease what's next for the Destiny franchise. So while everything needed to grasp and appreciate what's going on in Destiny 2's story is readily available in-game, not shelved on some website, Bungie is holding on to a few secrets. However, the most astute of fans have already drawn a connection between these pyramid shapes and some original concept art for the game, suggesting we may already know to whom these pyramid ships belong.

Early on in Destiny's development, Bungie shared five images that teased the game's enemy alien races - four of which players are now more than familiar with: Fallen, Hive, Vex, and Cabal. That fifth image featured pyramid-shaped spaceships and a weirdly amorphous cloud of black energy. Many keen-eyed players are now proposing that this fifth alien race is, in fact, the Darkness, Destiny's big bad. Much has been made of the Darkness - considered to be the Traveler's arch-enemy and therefor a threat to anyone in cahoots with the Light - and if that's who's inside these flying pyramids, then it's now on its way towards Earth. Darkness or not, these ships and their interest in where the Light came from is sure to be bad news for anyone imbued with the Traveler's Light.

The Future of Destiny

destiny 2 ending the speaker dead

With a tease of greater and more dangerous enemies on the horizon, the future of Destiny's sprawling saga has much left to offer. Leaks have already revealed that Destiny 2's first expansion will feature the character, Osiris - a former apprentice of the Speaker who was banished when his study of the Vex and their time-manipulating abilities drew criticism - as well as a new destination to explore on Mercury. With the Speaker dead, having one of his former apprentices return seems like more than a coincidence, suggesting there are changes to come in how Guardians interact with the Traveler. Additionally, the Speaker and his apprentice had their falling out over Osiris' belief that the universe wasn't as simple as Light-good, Darkness-bad - a line of thinking that seems more plausible now that the Speaker has been revealed as a fake.

From the beginning, Destiny players were told their Guardians were given a new life and abilities in order to protect everyone from the Darkness. That's still a valid purpose, but it's no longer tied to the Speaker's dogma, suggesting the future of Destiny may include Guardians who will chart a different path. Then again, there's almost certainly a new threat on its way - be it the Darkness or some other alien race - and those who carry the Light will be needed to protect the Traveler and all who live in its shadow.

Next: Destiny 2 Is Already Better Than Destiny 1

Destiny 2 is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and will release on PC and Battle.net starting October 24, 2017.