As has been teased for a while, it seems the Darkness has finally caught up to humanity in Destiny 2. Lore and in-game teases since the beginning have been teasing the overarching villain of the series ever since the first Destiny's opening cinematic. Now, six years later, the true Darkness is making its long-anticipated, long-dreaded return to humanity's solar system. And with the Darkness may come salvation for the game itself, despite its ill-fated return.
Ironic as it is that a cataclysmic entity in Destiny lore could potentially bring back former fans, it does represent a genuinely interesting opportunity. Destiny 2's player base has been dwindling greatly this past season due to a number of factors, but the Darkness could be the culminating threat worth returning to the game for. Story-wise and gameplay-wise, Destiny 2 could be in for quite the revolution with the return of the Darkness.
A Grave Enemy Approaches
Catching up those who aren't as invested in Destiny lore as hardcore fans, the Darkness is the mysterious overarching villain of the series. Serving as the main antagonist to the Traveler and its Light, the Darkness is a similarly celestial, pyramid-shaped being that's chased the Traveler across the universe for thousands of years. Early on in the Destiny timeline, the Darkness was the enemy force that caused the Collapse, which ended the Golden Age and forced humanity into The Last City where Destiny 2's hub world is. From there, fans only know cryptic details about the Darkness in Destiny history. Fans do know that the Darkness was beaten back by the Traveler's Light before disappearing for years prior to the first Destiny game. Now, players have learned in Season of the Worthy that the Darkness is returning.
In terms of Destiny 2 specifically, the Darkness finally returning is a huge reveal that fans have been waiting for. Functionally this will be the first time guardians will come into contact with the Darkness directly since the Collapse that occurred thousands of years before the first game. With the Darkness also comes a pervasive feeling of apocalypse, considering the destruction the Darkness was capable of during humanity's Golden Age. Narratively and functionally, fighting the Darkness in Destiny 2 will be an arduous task. Considering the lore behind this enemy, the Darkness will likely employ some of the toughest enemies the game has seen yet, along with a variety of new story content.
The State of Destiny 2
Of course, the big question on retired Destiny players' minds is whether or not this will be enough to return to the game. To be fair, it's an understandable mindset considering much of the disappointment being echoed by players during Season of the Worthy. Constant issues with cheating, exotic weapons being taken offline due to exploits, incremental/seasonal content that's lacking, and general dissatisfaction with many of the core features of Destiny 2 have caused players to migrate elsewhere. Ever since the split from Activision and the move to Steam, cheaters have showed up to the game in droves.
Now with Season of the Worthy re-introducing the pinnacle PvP mode Trials of Osiris, players of all kinds are quitting the game fast. Tons of cheaters and exploits are being discovered/employed in Trials like self-revives, aimbots, and hacks to obtain infinite super energy. Even if all of these cheating issues didn't exist, there's still a wealth of players leaving due to lack of meaningful content. The story/PvE content in Season of the Worthy involves the same bounty-looping structure that Season of Dawn implemented with Sundials, but instead has a smaller loot pool with middling perks and stats. The recently introduced Grandmaster Nightfall Ordeal Strikes don't offer any new or unique rewards either, despite being incredibly difficult and time-consuming activities.
Along with this latest season's content, there's been tons of miscellaneous changes that Bungie's development team has made for Destiny 2 that's irked veterans and streamers many times over. Exotic weapons/equipment are constantly getting taken offline for exploits and glitches that cause unfair advantages. Weapon retirement is being implemented across the board for several legendary weapons, controversially forcing a rotation of the viable endgame weapons and forcing players to give up their favorite guns. The summation of all these problems and more has caused so many players to leave that it's causing potentially irreparable damage to Destiny 2.
New Life Within the Darkness
Assuming the Darkness is the center of attention in Destiny 2's Year Five expansion, all eyes will be on the game to see how the game intends to introduce this pivotal antagonist. Story-wise, the Darkness represents a narrative payoff six years in the making, so obviously Destiny 2 should start things off with a bang. Gameplay-wise, Destiny 2 is going to need to match the impact of that payoff with new content to keep players occupied as well. It's a critical time for the Destiny franchise, considering the Darkness has had such an ominous grip over the games for such a long time.
It's an uncertain time for humanity, as not only is there a more imminent threat with the Almighty hurtling towards the Traveler in Season of the Worthy, but the foreboding Darkness is returning as well. Expect some serious heartbreak when the Darkness does finally come, considering guardians may not last through the ordeal. Destiny 2's story is going to need to tackle some of the franchise's long-running mysteries head-on with the Darkness returning, and hopefully have some serious emotional impact on players.
Players will also likely have to take on some serious challenges this time around, considering the Darkness is the most powerful enemy to guardians and the Traveler. Plenty of leaks seem to be pointing to tons of Darkness-themed new content like subclasses, new enemy types, and other weapons/armor based on the Darkness. Along with that, players should expect a new Raid with the expansion, considering how long it's been since a new Raid has been added to Destiny 2. There's also a variety of new strikes and other activities that could be added as well.
Overall, Destiny 2 needs to come out with a bang in order to bring fans back. Bungie knows the game's hurting and wants the community to know it cares, and what it can do to make the game better. Plenty of players feel like they've been burned by the seasonal content so far, especially in Season 10. Bungie is likely painfully aware of this, so the return of the Darkness will hopefully help keep the game alive.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.