Destiny 2's lore is expansive, covering rich thematic elements in the story's present timeline and detailing an in-depth narrative spanning billions of years. The recent story expansion, The Witch Queen, brought new and exciting twists to the narrative that has been ongoing for years. Seasonal activities have further developed the story's expansion, bringing new and old destinations for players to traverse. This additional content allows Destiny 2 to lay other foundations and secrets to uncover.
With The Witch Queen revealing that the Hive God Savathun has been reborn with the Traveler's Light as a Guardian, the possibilities of where the story may go are numerous. Not only does this story beat impact Savathun herself, but it creates intriguing opportunities for Guardians who have been devout to the Traveler, leaving them with uncertainty about their benefactor. Lightfall, the next expansion, is set to release in early 2023, and it could touch on several significant mysteries still unsolved.
Who or What is the Witness in Destiny 2
Perhaps some of the most anticipated answers left to come are those surrounding the enigmatic Witness, an entity tied to the Darkness. The Witch Queen expansion provided some essential information regarding the Witness and its involvement billions of years ago with Savathun, her sisters, and the creation of the Hive species. This information, while suspected by Savathun, reveals that the Witness manipulated the Hive Goddess through falsehoods that eventually led her and her sisters to embrace the Worm Gods and the Darkness to rob them of the Traveler.
Its intentions to serve the Darkness and thwart the Traveler have been clear for some time, yet the Witness' origins are left to debate. Savathun has offered contradictory information, claiming that the Witness once belonged to a species devoted to the Darkness, that it created the Darkness, or was a child of the Darkness. Since the Darkness has spoken on its own accord and claimed to be older than time, it's more likely the Witness is some child or emissary. Nevertheless, its presence after The Witch Queen shows it's ready to enter the fight in the Sol System.
The Reason for the Exo Stranger's Time Loop
First presented as a mythological stranger to Guardians at the Tower in the Last City, Beyond Light revealed that the Exo Stranger's identity was Elisabeth Bray. An extremely capable starship and weapons engineer during humanity's Golden Age, Elisabeth became one of the first Exos - human minds uploaded into artificial bodies. When Elisabeth's sister, Ana, joined the Darkness, it led to the entity's triumph when the Collapse occurred. For some unknown reason, a time loop began with Elisabeth trapped in its clutches.
Any time the Darkness won or Elisabeth perished, she found herself revived during a celebration at the Last City. Throughout the lore, the Exo Stranger has used her knowledge of the time loops to counteract the Darkness' plans. Recently, she prevented the Guardians from falling to the Darkness, denying the paracausal force a primary foothold needed for success. The nature of this time loop has yet to be revealed. Elisabeth's memory loss is similar to Guardians upon resurrection, suggesting the Traveler may have something to do with it.
Nevertheless, whoever or whatever is responsible aims to see Destiny 2's Darkness defeated. Questions have arisen about if what the Exo Stranger experiences is a time loop or her phasing into parallel realities. Part of Elisabeth's mythological status in the Tower comes from Guardians who can see other realities with their naked eyes. Whether these realities are parallel worlds or alternate timelines has yet to be fully answered.
Savathun's Role with the Traveler
Throughout The Witch Queen, Guardians travel through Savathun's throne world, attempting to uncover how the Witch Queen stole the Traveler's powers of Light. A shocking twist reveals that Savathun did not steal the Light; instead, the Traveler bestowed it upon her when she died before it. The actions of the Guardian throughout the campaign merely restored her memories, akin to Guardians when their Ghosts revive them. This revelation sends shock waves throughout the Guardians, as they cannot fathom why their champion would allow a being such as Savathun to become a Guardian.
While Savathun's status is unknown, her Ghost and Worm are still alive and may be attempting to make her whole. Savathun's Worm further revealed that during the Collapse, Savathun drove the Witness and the Darkness out of the Sol System to save the Traveler. While it may be that Savathun plans to hoard the Traveler and its power for herself, her actions against her Worm and the emotions she's been experiencing since impersonating Osiris hint that her arc still has a long way to go.
The God of War in Destiny 2
The three Hive Gods -- Oryx, Savathun, and Xivu Arath -- have been integral parts of Destiny 2's lore, spanning back to their origins on the planet Fundament billions of years ago. The Taken King story saw players slay Oryx, and The Witch Queen expansion dealt heavily with Savathun and her use of the Light. While the forces of Xivu Arath have been seen in the Sol System and combated by the Guardians, the God of War herself has yet to appear.
When Savathun struck a deal with the Awoken Queen, Mara Sov, to remove her Worm, Xivu Arath hunted her sister and sent her forces to prevent the exorcism. Despite entering the Dreaming City and the Spire, her attempts were eventually driven back, and Savathun's Worm was exorcised. While the lore indicates Xivu Arath follows the Sword Logic of the Darkness and is hunting Savathun at the behest of another, her exact role in the story has yet to be revealed. With the Witness set to remove its gloves, the plans of the God of War remain unknown.
Destiny 2 has no shortage of history and lore, with even more content planned for the future. The Witch Queen provided a trove of answers and revelations that changed the game's landscape. However, several significant mysteries remain unresolved, but there is hope that their answers are on the horizon. The nature of the Witness, the Exo Stranger's time loop, and the future roles of Savathun and her sister, Xivu Arath, are only some mysteries to be answered.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.