As Destiny 2’s Season of Dawn comes to a close, many people are getting excited about the coming Season of the Worthy and what Rasputin’s role may be in it. This is evident in the recent Destiny 2 cutscene that showed Osiris confronting the Warmind and the subsequent speculation that arose in the community.
The cut scene opens with Osiris walking up to Rasputin’s core and pointing his gun at Rasputin’s control panel. Osiris exclaims his distrust of the Warmind saying, “The Tower looks at you and sees a god. But I see a thug, a murderer, betrayer.” He says that he has come from the infinite forest and implies he knows that Rasputin is not aligned with the light, that everyone needs to make a choice between the light and the darkness. He asks Rasputin which side he will choose as he raises his weapon. This cut scene allows for a lot of interpretation as to what Rasputin's role will be in the upcoming season, and there are a few possibilities that seem relatively clear.
Rasputin Needs to Prove Himself Worthy
The first possibility is that Rasputin is walking the line between the darkness and the light, and he must prove himself worthy with the help of the player in order to keep the trust of the guardians. This possibility is relatively obvious as the leaked name of the season is Season of the Worthy.
What has Rasputin been doing since the expansion Warmind? Has his actions become more tasteless or morally ambiguous since he was last given the spotlight? Osiris insinuates that Rasputin still has a choice between the darkness and the light. Rasputin could be unwillingly traveling towards the darkness and its up to the player to help him stay with the light. In this role, Rasputin would play a relatively helpless AI that needs the saving grace of the Player to keep him in the Traveler's favor. Interestingly, the language in this recent cut scene implies that maybe things are not as straightforward as players may like to assume.
Rasputin has had a history of toeing the line between the light and the darkness already, especially from Osiris’ point of view. But what can be expected from a man made AI? It makes the decisions humans can’t when necessary. Again however, the cut scene implies that Rasputin still has a choice between the light and the darkness. Not only does Osiris directly ask Rasputin which side he will take, he also says he has come from the infinite forest and therefore knows that, only in specific circumstance, Rasputin will choose the darkness. Osiris did not come from the sundial, which allows him to traverse time. This means Rasputin siding with the Darkness is not necessarily inevitable, it’s just a possibility. Clearly, the cut scene implies that things are not necessarily so cut and dry and maybe its up to the player to prove Rasputin worthy.
Osiris is not the cookie cutter hero either, at least to the Tower. Osiris was exiled from the last tower for his obsession with the Vex. He is a vigilante, and some would even say a radical guardian. His image of the linght may then play a big role next season. Perhaps neither Rasputin nor Osiris are wholesomely good or evil, and the player must walk the line in this next season and right their wrongs. This next season could aim to point out that the line between the light and the darkness is not a solid one but one that fluctuates and shifts.
Players Choose between Osiris or Rasputin
What may be the most interesting possibility for this next season is the concept of an active choice the player can make between Rasputin and Osiris. It would not be the first time Destiny 2 has introduced a choice. When Destiny 2 introduced the Drifter to the Tower with Jokers Wild, the Drifter explained his relationship with the Darkness and the player could choose to align themselves with the Drifter or the Vanguard. This choice didn't change much except for the loot the player would receive, but perhaps this next season will pull inspiration from this. One character aligns more with the darkness (Rasputin) and the other with the light (Osiris) and the player has the ability to choose a side and gain different loot based on that decision.
There has already been a leaked picture of what looks like a Rasputin themed sword, as well as the typical influx of loot. Is it so wrong to assume that some of it is Osiris themed and some of it is Rasputin themed? In this possibility, the player would get more Rasputin-themed gear if they side with Rasputin and vice versa with Osiris themed gear. With the reintroduction of Trials of Osiris, this assumption of a possible choice could provide an interesting change to the plethora of loot that comes with the PvP.
No matter what Rasputin’s role will be, one thing is for sure—this recent cut scene has given everyone who is looking forward to Season of the Worthy a lot to ponder and look forward to. Whether Rasputin needs to prove himself worthy or the player gets to make a choice between Osiris and Rasputin, Season of the Worthy looks like it will have a lot of excitement to offer. All that can be done now is to wait and see what surprises are in store when Season of the Worthy releases on March 10.
Destiny 2 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.