One of the most compelling aspects ofDestiny 2is that it combines a very unique setting with rich lore. In the universe that Bungie created, mankind was not too dissimilar from the real world, but everything changed when a strange object appeared in the sky and started terraforming planets in the Solar System, something that would push humanity to space travel and its so-called Golden Age. That alien object wasthe Traveler, and it came to Sol to find creatures that would be empowered by it, rising up to the standards of a violent universe where there was no room for losers.
This is still the Hive’s philosophy, which is called Sword Logic, and it comes from the Hive pledging their allegiance to the Darkness and the Depth millennia before mankind’s Golden Age, believing in the power of survival through supremacy. This is opposed to the Traveler and the Sky, which are about providing power to benefit anyone, trying to bet on their goodwill - something the Traveler did with mankind so much that it eventually gave up its residual energy to turn humans into Guardians, wielders of the Light. This all matters more than ever now that Pyramid Ships, the Darkness' Black Fleet, have turned Sol into a stronghold. When this happened back inDestiny 2’s Season of Arrivals, players expected a war that has yet to come.
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Destiny 2: The Winnower’s Final Shape
There is a theory about the origin ofDestiny 2’s universe revolving around a wager between two eternal beings:the Gardener and the Winnower. These two represent the Light and the Darkness, and their bet turned into a game where each would try and prove their points. The Traveler offered specific races their respective Golden Age, and the Winnower is trying to find the “final shape.” To the Traveler, humanity and Guardians are one of the answers to this wager, something the Winnower calls the final argument; to the Winnower, mankind is the only one possible solution to the game.
When the Darkness came to the solar system, it was not because it wanted to destroy mankind, but rather because it wanted to observe its actions and its decisions. That’s why the DarknessprovidedDestiny 2Guardians with the power of Stasis, to see what mankind would do with it to withstand the final shape, another higher power that it had always considered evil. The Winnower wants to build an argument for Guardians and mankind as a whole to join it in its wager against goodwill.
The Winnower fully believes in the Sword Logic, as they state there is no use in celebrating the fallen in a lore card aptly called “The Wager.” They didn’t survive because they weren’t the strongest, and that’s what it takes to win the game. It is the Winnower’s belief that simply existing is enough to claim one’s right to live, and not doing so means to never have existed in the first place.Destiny 2’s Hiveembraces this view perfectly, and that’s why the premise forThe Witch Queen- with Savathun renouncing the Darkness for the Light - is so compelling.
Yet, it was the Gardener’s actions that brought mankind to its pinnacle of existence, resurrecting the dead and giving them immense powers, so the Winnower is also celebrating one of its counterpart’s solutions. This endless opposition is the reason whyDestiny 2’s Pyramid Ships have been so quiet afterShadowkeepand Season of Arrivals, and afterBeyond Light. The Darkness wants Guardians to win, not fail, otherwise its prime candidate for the final shape will be no more.
Destiny 2is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
