What Destiny 2's post-credits teaser means for the series' future
Pyramid scheme.
Destiny fans are excited by the post-credits teaser of Destiny 2 - and what it might mean for the future of the series. (If you haven't seen it yet and want to watch it yourself, this is your final spoiler warning.)
After the expected defeat of Ghaul and the Red Legion, Destiny 2's credits roll. Then, afterwards, you are treated to a glimpse of what is coming next. The sneak peek is all the more exciting for long-time Destiny fans, as it shows the first in-game appearance of something three years in the waiting.
The Traveller's Light can be seen spreading past our Solar system, out across the Milky Way - and further, into the dark of space where Mass Effect's Reapers live. And there, as the Traveller's Light continues to ripple out, a fleet of pyramid-shaped ships awaken.
Pyramid ships! These have long been teased. Bungie first showed them in a piece of concept art prior to Destiny 1's launch - although they never appeared in the game beyond a carousel of concept art viewable while installing patches.
Much changed during the development of Destiny 1 - so much so that concept art and footage for what eventually became the Taken King expansion's Dreadnought location, the Reef social space added in the House of Wolves DLC plus the European Dead Zone area finally found in Destiny 2, were all glimpsed prior to Destiny 1's launch.
Back at GDC 2013, Bungie director Chris Barett and Destiny 1's original writer showed off the above image as well as a separate piece of concept art which depicted five races. Destiny 1 only launched with four. The fifth race was illustrated by - you guessed it - pyramid-shaped ships, as well as dark smoke.
Which brings us to what the pyramid ships could be: the Darkness. Destiny 1's somewhat threadbare lore described how the Traveller was chased to Earth by "the Darkness". Humanity only survived after the Traveller sacrificed itself, causing it to go dormant (a state it has seemingly awoken from at the end of Destiny 2).
References to the Darkness were deliberately kept to a minimum in Destiny 2's base campaign - it's not part of that story. Likewise, Destiny 2 does not refer to PVE enemies under the blanket term "minions of the Darkness", as Destiny 1 did.
And yet there are a couple of glimpses of the Darkness hidden in plain sight. Destiny 2's opening animation sees a pyramid-shape "pursuing" the Traveller, described as its "ancient enemy".
Likewise, pyramid ships can be seen in your Traveller-inspired vision of the future, seen after the mission Homecoming. (The raid location, Leviathan, can also be spotted.)
The pyramid ships are coming, then. When? Well, it seems unlikely they will finish their journey to Earth before this time next year. Destiny 2's first two expansions have already been mapped out and partially-leaked: an adventure on Mercury with mysterious Warlock Osiris and the Vex, and then something to do with the Warmind planetary defense network, of which rogue AI Rasputin is a member.
The arrival of the pyramid ships and the Darkness as a new fifth enemy type would better fit a big, annual expansion of the size of The Taken King. And really - it is about time. In many ways, Destiny 2 is a refresh and recap of what's come before, with Cabal - lots of Cabal - Hive, Fallen and Vex enemies to shoot. The Taken King brought in the Taken remixes of enemies, while Rise of Iron rehashed the Fallen as Devil Splicers.
A return to the storyline of the Traveller - and finally some answers on what it is, and where it came from - is long overdue. Destiny 2 simultaneously killed off The Speaker and confirmed he never actually communed with The Traveller - so the introduction of The Darkness as a way to reveal more about the Traveller makes sense. Also overdue? Answers on what the Darkness actually is. Here's hoping this tease means we'll learn more in the not-too-distant future, and we're not kept waiting until Destiny 3.