Destiny 2 launched in September to positive reviews from critics who felt that Bungie's second space opera was a strong improvement over the first title. Most notably, the new installment of the Guardian's tale features a well-thought-out story that engages players with the created world and its various populations and locales. Even without the updated graphics, new subclasses, and improved leveling system, the fact that Destiny 2 has an actual story places it parsecs beyond its 2014 predecessor.
Not only does the Destiny 2 campaign have a clear beginning, middle, and end, each with its own, relevant objectives, but the new release has also made it easy for players to explore and learn beyond the boundaries of the linear story missions, a feature not found in the original Destiny. Making this possible is Bungie’s decision to include world-building lore within the game itself on this go-round. Players of the first Destiny could unlock snippets of information on the franchise’s NPCs, bosses, factions, races, and history by completing in-game objectives, but they had to go outside of the game, to a specific website, in order to reap — or, rather, read — their rewards. It was a poor decision, and one that Bungie appears to have learned from with Destiny 2.
Even with all that information at your fingertips, it’s still remarkably easy to miss some of the coolest facts about the game. The Destiny franchise may have only two games, but Bungie has a wealth of information on its created world, and much of it remains so much buried treasure. Here are 15 hidden plotlines you probably missed in Destiny 2.
15 The Villain Had A Terrible Childhood
Destiny 2’s big bad is Dominus Ghaul, a massive, albino Cabal who leads the Red Legion. He believes he can convince the Traveler to give him its Light, and only resorts to stealing the Light as a last-ditch effort to retain control over the Traveler and the Last City on Earth. Understanding his backstory doesn’t make him any less intimidating, but it does give us some clue as to why Ghaul went to such great lengths to conquer humanity’s last refuge.
Ghaul was an orphaned runt, left to die according to the Cabal’s Spartan customs. He was rescued by a fringe scholar who convinced him that he, Ghaul, was destined to harness the Traveler’s Light. As a result, the child grew into an adult who would commit treason, exile his ruler — the Leviathan raid boss, Calus — and install a military government over the Cabal.
14 Guardians Have No Fear Of Death . . . But That Might Be A Bad Thing
Being a chosen agent of the Traveler has its perks, but it also has some serious downsides. When the Traveler’s Light is blotted out, it leaves every Guardian, from the player to the three Vanguards, without their powers. Ghosts cannot revive Guardians without the Light, which means that everyone we know and love is, from the moments after Ghaul arrives, on their last life.
When the player locates her in the story mission “Sacrilege,” Ikora Rey has many doubts about her new place in the world. Although she was arguably the most vicious fighter on the Tower during the Red Legion’s assault, the Warlock Vanguard admits that her fearlessness was almost entirely caused by her connection to the Traveler, and that without her Light, she has realized just how afraid she is to die.
13 Something Terrible Could Happen To Your Ghost
The Traveler and its Light might be what gives a Guardian their powers, but without a Ghost by their side, no Guardian could come back from death so easily. So when Destiny 2 shows you that your Ghost can be hacked, it’s a truly horrifying moment, but it’s one you may have missed if you weren’t paying attention to the dialogue.
The “Arecibo” adventure involves tracking down transmissions from the Warmind Rasputin, once the protector of humanity, and still a key player in the events of the Destiny storyline. When the Ghost makes its last scan, something hurts it, and it begins to scream gibberish about “red sands” and “ice caps” before returning to its normal programming. The worst part is that your Ghost appears to be totally unaware of what has transpired, which makes you wonder just how safe you are in its company.
12 An Exotic Item Hides A Grim Secret
One of Destiny 2’s new features expands flavor text for certain items, allowing players to read more about their biggest treasure’s backgrounds. The exotic Warlock helmet known as the Skull of Dire Ahamkara, which also appeared in the first Destiny, now has a long lore entry that gets really weird, very quickly. Crafted from a dragon’s skull, the helmet seems to have been possessed by a previous owner, who refers to the Guardian as “bearer mine,” and attempts to convince them that the world around them is not the real one: “I came to find you, only you, because you're special. You're from somewhere real. And together we can burn our way back there. Can't we, o player mine?”
Clearly, something strange is at work here, but exactly what is wrong remains to be seen.
11 Everyone's Favorite Robot Survives For A Horrifying Reason
Way back when Destiny launched in 2014, the cleaning android affectionately known as Sweeper Bot endeared itself to the game’s fans. After the Red Legion’s assault, those fans were glad to see that Sweeper Bot had endured the explosions that rocked the Tower, even if they did find it convenient that the little robot had come out of the fighting unscathed and undeterred.
But the reason for Sweeper Bot’s survival can’t be chalked up to mere fanservice, as is revealed later in the game. After players conquer the first raid, they learn that Sweeper Bot has actually been a Cabal spy all along. It’s unclear whether or not dear old S.B. was working with Ghaul of his own free will or not, but it’s terrifying to think of all the juicy intel we may have revealed to him without realizing it.
10 Darkness Is Coming To Consume The Galaxy
Destiny 2 ends on a happy note, but the final cutscene casts serious doubts over how safe the agents of the Light will be from dark forces. Even though the game’s developers have admitted that they never knew quite what The Darkness was, something closely resembling Bungie’s depictions of the Light’s biggest enemy shows up at the end of Destiny 2.
Bungie has represented The Darkness with black triangles for a long time now. Back before the first game hit stores, there were five races, and one of them had black triangles and ominous clouds among its arsenal, sort of like The Darkness, which has been portrayed as the Traveler’s “ancient enemy” — a black triangle — and as writhing clouds that close in on the Tower. Rendering those pyramidal ships from the Destiny 2 ending as black triangles makes perfect sense, which can mean only one thing: The Darkness is coming.
9 The Cabal Were Preparing For A Civil War
Before he deposed him, Dominus Ghaul was at Emperor Calus’ right hand, as the Primus of the Red Legion. But it’s clear that, no matter how close the Emperor felt to his young favorite, he and his armies felt it necessary to protect themselves from Ghaul’s Cabal faction. Calus’ Loyalists refused to use the new, more advanced weapons with which Ghaul outfitted his troops, instead relying on classic slug rifles that were designed, first and foremost, to kill other Cabal. Even though probably hoped he would not have to, Calus was prepared to put down Ghaul and the Red Legion if push came to shove. Unfortunately, the Emperor failed to save himself in the end, and Ghaul amassed the full power of the people who had once despised and abandoned him.
8 One Vanguard Leader Might Expose The Real Horrors Of Life On The Tower
I know it’s difficult to say how one would react in a strange, stressful situation, but if I lived on a delicate refuge in the sky, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be squealing goody gumdrops to see it blown to smithereens. But that’s exactly how Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6 responds to the Red Legion’s assault on the Tower. He’s not just excited. He’s downright giddy.
Although you might say that Cayde-6’s reaction to the attack shows just what a chaos-loving guy he is, there may be something far more sinister at play. Throughout the first Destiny, the Exo Vanguard itched to get back out into the wilds of the solar system. He wanted his chance to get into some action, and he didn’t care much how that chance came about. If Cayde-6 was actually trapped inside the Last City, then the Tower was not as idyllic as players thought.
7 You Might Have Been Killing Humans All Along
When it comes to enemy types, Destiny is pretty simple. You have the Fallen, a race of insect-like pirates; the Hive, a subterranean, Darkness-worshipping people; the Cabal, a militaristic race of space turtles; the Vex, a mechanical race of mentally-connected soldiers; and the Taken, a race made up of other creatures that have been twisted by the Hive’s God-King, Oryx. Except in the Crucible, no Guardian fights another Guardian, and the Exos, Awoken, and Humans have learned to live together in peace, right? Right?
As it turns out, you might have been fighting your fellow Humans and Human-allies all along. Some weird things go down in Destiny, but this might just be the weirdest. There’s evidence to indicate that at least one of the enemy races may be made up of your former allies. That’s pretty dang horrific, because it means that . . .
6 The Vex Can Consume Guardians
Yes, you read that correctly. Vex technology has the ability to consume Guardians, not just mentally, as in the case of Vault of Glass-victim Kabr, but physically as well. Just ask Asher Mir, the Warlock unfortunate enough to have been the subject of a Vex experiment. He now sports one fully mechanical arm, which is slowly eating its way up his body and consuming more of him, day by day. He believes he will die without a cure for the encroaching Vex influence, but it’s possible that Asher might survive the consumption, albeit with a wholly altered consciousness. What happens when a Guardian becomes a Vex? Players might find out in one of the DLCs for Destiny 2, but for now, just keep your distance from any Vex probes.
5 Many Of Your Adversaries Aren't Fighting You Willingly
It’s one thing to fight an enemy who chooses to charge at and kill you, but what if you found out that some of Destiny 2’s most deadly adversaries might not have a say in whether or not they fight you? That appears to be the case with the Cabal Psions, whose helmets come off in Bungie’s new game, revealing a creature fitted with several menacing-looking cranial bolts.
If the Psions really are being forced to fight the agents of the Light against their will, they’re in good company. The Thrall are the lowest-ranking Hive, and as such must kill as much as possible if they want to survive and grow into Acolytes. Then there are the Vex, who probably wouldn’t be all bad, were it not for the hive mind that controls their thoughts and actions. So think twice before you pull that trigger, Guardian.
4 The Taken Can't Change Form, Unless...
Destiny 2 ushered in new ranks and fashions for all of the minions of the Darkness, except for the members of one race. The Taken have not changed at all, and there might be a very good reason as to why that’s the case.
See, the Taken were created by Oryx, who used his powers to separate members of all the alien races from their times and spaces and bathe them in the corrupting influence of the Darkness before returning them. But Oryx died before the events of Destiny 2, leaving the Taken without a real leader, and it’s probably safe to assume that, in the absence of aid from their commander, the Taken cannot change their forms.
Don’t expect the Taken to stay the same forever, though, because . . .
3 An Unholy Alliance May Be A Bigger Threat Than The Cabal
Oryx’s sister, Savathûn, left the galaxy as we know it after the Hive destroyed the Traveler’s last group of chosen, taking her armies with her. Now, with the appearance of her Knight, Naktal, in Destiny 2, Guardians are sure to see more of the Hive Witch-Queen. There’s just one problem: when and if Savathûn returns, she likely won’t be commanding an army of normal Hive anymore.
Before she left, the Witch-Queen received a Vex Axis Mind called Quria from Oryx, who appealed to his sister’s obsession with the technologically advanced race. Destiny 2 also hints heavily toward Savathûn being the next King of the Taken. When the Hive Witch-Queen returns with her Hive-Vex-Taken armies, the Guardians will have much more than some un-transformed enemies to worry about.
2 The First Raid Takes Place On A Nightmarish Ship
Once upon a time, Destiny 2’s first raid, The Leviathan, took place on a living ship. The game’s developers originally intended the vessel to be a world-eating fish-creature that sported a city atop its head. Although it still looks relatively the same, the new Leviathan isn’t a sentient being harnessed by the Cabal, but a huge, mechanical, ego-boosting testament to their power.
That is not to say that The Leviathan is any less frightening as a piece of machinery than a space whale, however. It’s still big enough to eat planets, and Dominus Ghaul thought it was a fitting spot to exile the Cabal Emperor whose throne he usurped, so it clearly still has a great and terrible purpose, even without being a sentient creature.
1 And The Ship Is A Terrible Inversion Of The First Game
Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you the best part. The Leviathan turns everything from the first Destiny game on its ear. Where previous raids have been fought in underground labyrinths built by Hive and Vex, The Leviathan raid takes place aboard Emperor Calus’ gold-and-white prison ship. And as a world-eating spacecraft, it goes against the tenets laid out in the Books of Sorrow — the Hive bible — which read:
++TURN BACK FROM THE WORLD-KILLING WAY++
++OR YOU WILL LIVE AS DEATH AND DEVASTATION++
(That’s from the entry on Leviathan, by the way.)
So what does this mean for Guardians looking to learn more about The Leviathan? Well, you should probably understand that the Cabal have managed to do precisely that which the Hive did not wish to do: harness the power of a greater evil.
Destiny 2 is off to a great start.