The Exo Stranger finally returns in Destiny 2 expansion Beyond Light
Time to explain.
Bungie has revealed the next big expansion for Destiny 2 - and it marks the return of a character players haven't seen since the Destiny 1 campaign.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light, due out on 22nd September 2020, revolves around the arrival of the mysterious Darkness via a fleet of Pyramid ships that is heading towards Earth.
Destiny 2's Season of Arrivals, which begins today, sees the arrival of the first Pyramid ship on the moon of Io. This sets off a chain of events that will unfold throughout the season and tie into Beyond Light.
Beyond Light adds a new destination, Jupiter's frozen moon Europa, and above it an ancient Pyramid ship. You get to infiltrate the Golden Age Braytech facility there and uncover secrets under the ice.
Beyond Light also adds Destiny's first new element ever, dubbed Stasis. Here's the official blurb:
"Rooted in Darkness, Guardians will wield this new elemental power alongside Arc, Solar, and Void to summon epic supers and control the battlefield. Titans, Warlocks and Hunters will each use Stasis in a different way. More details on Stasis to come later this summer."
There's a new raid, as you'd expect, called the Deep Stone Crypt. This lies underneath the frozen tundra of Europa. Also on Europa is the Fallen, whose splintered houses have rallied and built a new empire under the banner of the Fallen Kell of Darkness, Eramis. "Abandoned by the Traveler and left by the Light, Eramis is on her own journey into the Darkness, and towards a collision course with Guardians," Bungie says.
Of particular interest to fans will be the return of the Exo Stranger. This character was last seen making little sense in the Destiny 1 campaign, where the ghost-less Exo disappeared after aiding the player Guardian. The Exo Stranger is infamous within the Destiny community for the "I don't even have time to explain why I don't have time to explain" line of dialogue, which became a meme and a metaphor for the nonsensical, Frankenstein story Bungie pieced together last minute for Destiny 1's September 2014 launch. Back in May 2018, Destiny fans reckoned they'd worked out the identity of the Exo Stranger, but this remains unconfirmed. Perhaps now, six years after Destiny came out, we'll find out.
As Bungie had already announced, Destiny 2 is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Purchases of Destiny 2: Beyond Light on Xbox One will transfer to Xbox Series X for free via Microsoft's Smart Delivery program. Purchases on PlayStation 4 will upgrade to PlayStation 5 for free, Bungie said. Expect more on the next-gen versions of Destiny 2 in the coming months.
Back to Destiny 2's Season of Arrivals, and Bungie noted throughout the season, Messages of Darkness will be found on Io. Players can go to the Cradle on Io and uncover these hidden communications. Also on Io is a new public event under the newly arrived Pyramid ship, "where an untapped power has summoned the enemies of humanity."