Destiny 2's Beyond Light expansion was met with equal amounts of anticipation and skepticism. Players were to be given an all-new story, subclass, location, and features to play around with, along with the usual level of content that most expansions add, while at the same time gutting a significant portion of the game's content, moving it to something Bungie calls the "Content Vault". It was a surprising decision, but one the studio felt was necessary in order for the game to still be open to new players without feeling too bloated.
But well over a month after the release, what has Beyond Light left players with? At least in regards to the story? Beyond Light answered many questions, but had its hand in creating new ones as well. (Spoiler warning!)
10 Missing Planets
The advent of Beyond Light brought with it the disappearance of several planets. Canonically, the only thing that Guardians know for certain is that the arrival of the Darkness's army in the form of the Pyramids intrinsically connects to the planets going dark. But it is not just in the sense of communication. According to some dialogue that can be overheard in the overworld at times on Europa, the physical planets/moons of Io, Titan, Mars, and Mercury themselves have vanished as well. It will be interesting to see how the Guardians deal with an enemy that can spirit away entire planets and if said planets will even return at all in the aftermath.
9
Vanished Allies
Along with the planets go the various allies that were stationed on them. Brother Vance can no longer be reached on the planet Mercury, Deputy Commander Sloane was taken with Titan, and Asher Mir vanished along with the moon of Io.With the exception of Brother Vance, these characters have been present in the game since the launch of Destiny 2, so their absence will no doubt be felt by most, especially veteran, players of the game. No mission in Beyond Light seeks to address the issue of these missing allies immediately, leaving fans to wonder if finding and rescuing them may be a pivotal plot point in future expansions.
8 A Ghost Like No Other
Many secrets were revealed about the elusive Exo Stranger who played a large role in the first Destiny game. Players confirm that she is Elizabeth "Elsie" Bray, older sister to Ana Bray and granddaughter to Clovis Bray I, and further details that she comes from a dark timeline where Guardians and the Traveler were defeated by the now invading Pyramids; even succumbing to temptations of power from the Darkness. However, one thing fans know from the grimoire is that the Stranger is not a Guardian, yet in the trailer and a cutscene from the campaign, she is seen traveling with the strange little drone pictured above. It is very reminiscent of a Ghost that Guardians use if not a very unique looking one. Yet, it is never brought up any other time in the story, nor is it ever seen again. What/who is this mysterious companion and what else could it tell us about Elsie Bray?
7 Clovis Bray I
With the revelation that the raid for Beyond Light was going to involve the Deep Stone Crypt, players with a heavy interest in the lore were excited by the prospect of seeing the birthplace of the Exos, the robotic humanoid race that serves as an option for player characters. What was not readily foreseen was encountering the creator of said Exos, Clovis Bray I, in the form of a giant Exo head beneath the ice of Europa. He speaks to the player at length about how disappointed he was to see his "life's work" in the form of the Morning Star space station falling from orbit during the first-ever run of the raid, but he also aids the players in acquiring an exotic sword, The Lament, that is very popular in the meta as of this writing. But what impact will Clovis Bray I have as a character in the world post-Beyond Light? Will he be an ally or an enemy? How will he interact with his granddaughters, Ana, and Elsie?
6 Dark Subclasses
One of the more thrilling additions to Beyond Light is the inclusion of a new ice-themed subclass known as Stasis. But this is no ordinary power, as for the first time, Guardians are wielding the Darkness as a weapon as opposed to the staple power of the Light. While this is unprecedented in itself, the most exciting prospect is what the menu shows when accessing this new subclass.
The player must actively switch out of their Light subclasses into a new menu that shows the sole Stasis subclass and spaces where two more possible subclasses could reside. This almost certainly means that new Darkness-based subclasses are in store for Destiny 2 players. Elsie Bray is the main teacher in controlling Stasis, but does she possess other powers of the Darkness that fans can only speculate about?
5 Darkbearers
In speaking of the dark subclasses, one would be remiss to ignore the consequences for the use of such powers. Darkbearers, or Dark Guardians, have been a possibility that has been implied within the lore of Destiny, but now thanks to Elsie Bray, players know for certain that they are a quite real threat. Elsie's timeline of corrupted Guardians and the power of Stasis makes for interesting paths the story could now take. Could fans see themselves tracking down rogue Guardians who become mad with the power of the Darkness, despite Elsie's best attempts to show there is a way to use it safely? Perhaps the Shadows of Yor, a group of Darkness-leaning Guardians, could make another resurgence? Or even, despite he being dead, the infamous Dredgen Yor himself?
4 The Future of the Fallen
Beyond Light's main plot point is the conflict between the player's Guardian and Variks against Eramis the Kell of Darkness and her House of Salvation. Throughout the campaign, players are treated to the discourse between her and Variks over the future of their people, the Eliksni, and whether or not using the Darkness, specifically Stasis, is the right path to take in order to restore the glory of their people. In the end, Eramis is defeated by the very power she wields against the players, frozen in a pleading pose to the Pyramid that granted her its boon. But throughout their discourse, Variks dreams of Eliksni and Guardians living side by side beneath the Light of the Traveler. Humanity is not without its Fallen allies as Mithrax, the self-proclaimed Kell of House Light, also works with the Guardians towards a mutually beneficial future along with the House of Spider. With most Houses being wiped out or forgotten as expansions go on, perhaps the Fallen will one day indeed be allies. Or possibly, a playable race for player characters somewhere down the line?
3 Mysterious Scanners
Perhaps the entry with the least amount of information, very little is known about these mysterious drones that have appeared around Europa, scanning specific areas. It is not even certain for who they work for, as they appear to scan in a similar way to the Vex, yet, they appeared after the first fireteam cleared the raid of Deep Stone Crypt.
So perhaps they are agents of Clovis Bray I? Scanning the world so that he may learn all that he has missed. Whatever the case, these drones seek something in their search, and it is yet unknown whether it is to the benefit or the detriment of the Guardians.
2 The Crow and the Queen
A villain redemption arc always makes for intriguing storytelling and the story of the Crow is no different. Formerly a condescending side character and later antagonist who murdered Cayde-6, the Prince/Uldren Sov was killed by the player character and Petra Venj at the end of the Forsaken expansion. The Awoken Lightbearer is now known as the Crow after being resurrected by a Ghost that he later names Glint. What was the reason for this resurrection? Did the Traveler perhaps take mercy on a man who was only trying to find his sister? And what about his sister? Fans of the series know that the Queen, Mara Sov, is still alive in her own pocket dimension, apparently keeping contact with her agent, Petra. But will she and her brother attempt to reunite? Will she try to help him restore his lost memories? Or maybe it is better that he not know that she exists, since his quest to find her is what led to the downward spiral of the events of Forsaken.
1 The Darkness
Finally, it comes to the Darkness itself. Despite the tagline of Beyond Light being that Guardians would be able to wield the Darkness against the Darkness, it felt as if the main antagonist of the series took more of a backseat to other story-elements within Beyond Light. There is the constant presence of Europa's Pyramid and the new Ziggurat that appears and allows for the acquisition of Stasis as power, but other than that, the Darkness did not ever attack the players themselves besides assisting the House of Salvation with Stasis and communicating through the player character's Ghost once. It certainly makes Beyond Light feel more like the Season of Arrivals, a prelude to the more grand acts that the Darkness is sure to perform.