Most would probably agree that Destiny 2 made good on its promise to deliver a cinematic campaign with memorable characters and a storyline that's easy to follow. The game's narrative was an incredible improvement over the story told in Destiny 1, and it ends with momentum to carry the franchise into the future.

For those who have finished the game, there is a scene after the credits that is no doubt foreshadowing what is to come in the narrative of Destiny, whether that comes in the expansions for Destiny 2 or in Destiny 3. Interestingly, the after-credits scene also hearkens back to an early piece of concept art from Destiny 1.

(Full spoilers for Destiny 2's campaign follow.)

The Destiny 2 campaign ends with Ghaul taking the Light for himself and having a final fight with the player's Guardian. After being defeated, Ghaul is reborn immortal and threatens the Traveler and the Guardians with his now infinite power. Except that he is destroyed by the Traveler who wakens and emits a burst of energy that not only obliterates Ghaul but also further cripples itself. That is the official end before the credits roll. But sit through the credits and players are treated to this scene:

The Traveler's burst of energy that defeated Ghaul stretches out into space, beyond the Milky Way galaxy, and into deep space. It is there that it awakens an armada of black, pyramid-shaped ships that turn and no doubt set a course for earth.

The History of the Pyramid Ships

Those unfamiliar with Destiny 1 may not understand how big of a reveal this after-credits scene may be. These pyramid ships have been spotted before.

During development of the first game, Bungie talked about the Darkness as the "ying" to the Traveler's "yang" - an ancient enemy that has pursued the Traveler across the universe for millennia. According to the lore of Destiny 1, the Traveler sacrificed itself to protect earth from the Darkness, but there was always a looming threat of the Darkness itself finding the Traveler once again. While enemies like the Hive and the Fallen were called "minions of the Darkness," early on Bungie used this concept art when referring to the Darkness.

destiny pyramid ship concept art

So despite Destiny 2's directors saying that the Darkness would not be present in the game, it looks as though it may have a cameo right at the end of it.

The pyramid ships hold a sense of mystery for longtime fans, as they appear to be something that was scrapped along the way of developing Destiny 1, and it has always been theorized that they represented the true manifestation of the Darkness in the Destiny universe. It comes from back in 2013, more than a year before Destiny 1 launched, Bungie held a panel at GDC and presented this image showing a mood board for enemy races in Destiny 1:

From left to right, the first four races made their way into the game as the Hive, Vex, Cabal, and Fallen. However the fifth race in the yellow box has never been seen in the franchise. That is, until the Destiny 2 after-credits scene where the pyramid ships clearly seen in the enemy race mood board above make an appearance.

Are They The Same Pyramid Ships?

Bungie clearly used the same design as seen in the Destiny 1 concept art for the pyramid ships seen in Destiny 2. However, they may not carry the same weight or lore in the universe as fans have supposed, or even as Bungie originally intended.

These images come from a time before Destiny 1's story was reportedly completely scrapped and much of the game changed, especially its narrative. So while the design of the ships is the same, it may be another enemy faction but it may not be the manifestation of the Darkness. It will be up to Bungie to decide how the narrative proceeds and what exactly the ships are and what force they contain.

Where The Story Goes From Here

It's unknown when these pyramid ships will make a splash in the Destiny universe's narrative, but they surely will at some point. There are two planned expansions coming for Destiny 2, which would be the first opportunity. According to leaks, the first expansion, due in December, will be about Osiris and the Vex, adding a lot of playable space and content on Mercury. The second expansion is rumored to be about Rasputin, an infamous warmind that was seen throughout Destiny 1.

It's possible that the ships could appear in one of these expansions, or perhaps the after-credits scene hints at a long space journey that will finally bring them to earth in Destiny 3.

Destiny 2 is available now on PS4 and Xbox One, and releases on October 24, 2017 for PC.