Teased back in Halo 3: ODST, Destiny has become one of the most successful FPS titles of all time. Combining the amazing gunplay of Halo with more MMO elements, Destiny has carved a unique niche in the industry that no other game can match.
With a decade of development behind it, the game has its fair share of stories and community inside jokes to tell. Thankfully, Bungie has included many Easter eggs and nods in their own game for perceptive fans to find. From Halo references to accident counters, here are 10 Easter eggs in Destiny 2 you probably missed.
10 Raze-Lighter
One of Destiny's most iconic weapons can be found in Destiny 2, but you can't use it. Lord Shaxx can be seen wielding Raze-Lighter in the "Homecoming" level, but he doesn't seem keen on sharing.
For those who never played Destiny: Rise of Iron, Raze-Lighter was an Exotic Solar Sword that dealt a tremendous amount of damage and had an alternate Solar uppercut slash that dealt absorb amounts of damage. You can also find various robot guards in The Tower wearing Twilight Garrison, although the ability to dodge mid-air has alluded Titans in Destiny 2's lifespan thus far.
9 Sunken Isles Vandal
Randal The Vandal was one of the most frustrating yet memorable things from the original Destiny. This tough Fallen Vandal has had its impact on community memes and Destiny 2 itself.
In Destiny, a particular Vandal in the Cosmodrome had a random chance of becoming incredibly tanky, requiring a squad of min-maxed Guardians to take down. The community dubbed this character "Randal The Vandal," and it seems Bungie included him in Destiny 2. In The Sunken Isles in the EDZ, players can sometimes find a Vandal that, just like Randal, has an obscene amount of health.
8 I Don't Even Have Time To Explain
The original story for Destiny has been widely criticized as one of the worst Frankenstein stories ever created in gaming. No matter your opinion on its execution, it certainly had its fair share of memorable quotes.
One often ridiculed line is when the Exo Stranger says "I don't even have time to explain why I don't have time to explain." Either Exos think alike or it's a coincidence, but Cayde-6 utters nearly the same line in The Red War campaign. While captured on Nessus, Cayde will tell the player "I don't have time to explain what I don't have time to understand," a subtle reference to the iconic line from the first game's story.
7 Omolon's iPhone Parody
A Guardian's weapon is a part of who they are. Entire stories in the Grimoire revolve around a Guardian and their weapon.
With how important they are, it wouldn't be surprising if a major corporation tried to revolutionize the way weapons function. Well, that's exactly what Hard Light's Lore tab mentions. It is beat-for-beat Steve Jobs's reveal of the iPhone, only replace the references of a phone for an Auto Rifle. With how rampant Auto Rifles are in Crucible currently, maybe that reveal did Omolon some good.
6 Days Since Last Accident
Everyone has jumped off The Tower at some point, whether on accident or for no reason. The Lore even jokes about this at times, but it goes deeper than that.
Did you know that The Tower keeps track of Guardian deaths related to falling? It's true! Head to the Tower Hanger and head to the balcony overlooking the zone. From there, you can find a sign that says "days since last accident." This lists how long it's been since a Guardian fell off of The Tower, resetting to zero if someone dies.
5 Hope For The Future
Paul McCartney and Bungie weren't synonymous with each other originally until Destiny was announced. His song, "Hope For The Future" is featured in certain sections of the original Destiny.
You might not hear it in the credits like the first game, but his song is still in Destiny 2. To hear it, play the "Homecoming" mission and head to the destroyed end of the Tower Hanger. If you listen closely, you can hear a distorted version of the song playing on a loop.
4 Shaxx Mixtape
While Guardians are invincible, it doesn't mean that they don't take care of their bodies. Staying fit to fight the forces of The Darkness is no small feat as Shaxx's mixtape shows.
Introduced in Season of the Worthy, players can head to Zavala's office during The Fourth Horsemen Exotic questline. While on your way to obtaining this weapon, stop at his office and jump to the back left of the room. Resting atop of his bookshelf is a mixtape Shaxx himself made, comprised of various tracks from the Destiny universe and inspirational quotes to keep the workout flowing.
3 NASA Emblem K1 Logistics
Shadowkeep, Destiny 2's latest expansion, is focused on slaying the nightmares roaming the Hive-infested Moon. This moon includes plenty of secrets, but one of them is grounded in reality.
The K1 Logistics Lost Sector in Archer's Line has a hidden NASA emblem players can find. Complete the Lost Sector as normal until you reach the boss arena. Head right of the entrance and you'll see a crashed satellite. Interacting with it will grant an emblem that resembles the LunaH-Map Mission's official logo. This Easter egg also references the Lunar Polar Hydrodren Mapper, a satellite planned to crash land in the Moon in 2021 to look for, well, hydrogen.
2 Whether We Wanted It Or Not...
Cerberus Vae III is an instantly recognizable Strike among hardcore Destiny fans. That isn't because of its mechanics, but rather it's dialogue.
This Strike contains an opening where Zavala says "Whether we wanted it or not, we set foot on a war with the Cabal on Mars..." Bungie has included this snippet of dialogue in Destiny 2, but not from Zavala. Instead, it's in the subtitle screen of the options menu. When altering your subtitle setting, the sample text is none other than Zavala's infamous intro speech.
1 Whispers On Io
You'll need to be a serious Halo fan to have found this obscure reference. Whisper of the Worm's mission was teased way back in Halo 2. It is unknown if this is a cheeky reference or pure coincidence, but it's a cool Easter egg nonetheless.
During the opening level of Halo 2, Cortana will mention another "whisper near Io" to Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood. This matches up with how players acquire the Whisper of the Worm Exotic Sniper Rifle in Destiny 2. To obtain it, you need to slay a Taken Knight during a specific Io Public Event to open a unique portal. The level is aptly named "The Whisper."