This week, Bungie held a livestream in which Mark Noseworthy and Luke Smith discussed the studio's vision for the future of Destiny 2. One of the biggest surprises was the announcement of three major expansions, one of which is centered around the Witch Queen Savathun.
Destiny 2 expansions usually aren't announced until the marketing material is ready, so, Bungie revealing two other expansions alongside Beyond Light proves its commitment to Destiny 2. And Savathun taking the spotlight in 2021 is sure to bring a smile to veteran players' faces. The Witch Queen has been mentioned repeatedly in Destiny 2 and even has multiple strikes revolving around her schemes.
Savathun is, for all intent and purposes, a God among her people. She is the most cunning of her siblings and could be one of the most formidable forces Destiny. She and two her siblings created the horde players know as the Hive, and carried out a crusade across the stars, ridding the galaxy of weakness as they believe the feeble do not deserve a place in the cosmos. The first of the three Hive Gods players encountered was Oryx and he unleashed the Taken scourge upon the system.
Once Oryx was defeated, the Taken army became leaderless and uncoordinated. It is believed that Savathun will take control of the Taken and will most likely unleash it during the upcoming expansion. She controls her own Hive army too and had tried to harvest Void Light from dead Guardians to summon an unknown being to Titan, indicating that she knows how to manipulate or utilize Light.
Savathun is one of the rare villains whose actions players have dealt with before meeting them. She has been in the background of Destiny 2's story ever since launch and is said to be pulling many strings. One of the most memorable ways in which players have engaged with a machination of Savathun is the never-ending curse on the Dreaming City. It remains to be seen what other parts of the Destiny world her agents have infected already.
Last year's Shadowkeep expansion included the Festering Core, during which Eris Morn explained that Savathun was gathering her strength for some unknown purpose. No one in Destiny 2 lore knows what she is planning, and that seems to be by design. Savathun goes to great lengths to be unpredictable and smart about her moves and could mean that whatever happens in The Witch Queen will not be telegraphed beforehand.
It is quite promising that Bungie is committed to Savathun's story this early on. She is one of the biggest antagonists in Destiny despite the fact that players have actually come face to face with her.
Destiny 2 is out now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.