Destiny 2 developer Bungie has released a teaser trailer, signaling the long-awaited arrival of news on the next chapter of Destiny. Entitled “Lightfall”, the expansion will be showcased on August 23. The caption “Witness what’s next” refers to The Witness, the being that was revealed at the end of the Witch Queen expansion, and the physical manifestation of the antagonistic power of the series: The Darkness. Thus, it has revealed its role as the primary antagonist of the story.
Lightfall was originally intended to be the seventh and final expansion in what Bungie calls the Light and Darkness Saga, but they realized after some time they would need an additional final chapter to tell the full story. The Final Shape is the working title for the eighth and reportedly the final expansion of Destiny 2. This is the chapter where every conflict and plot point will be resolved.
There are many reflections across all the trailer scenes on the characters that are directly related to the Witness or have made a significant appearance in earlier Destiny 2 stories, the voice that accompanies the teaser keeps referring to salvation, a reference to the doppelganger that players have met in the Black Garden a (mysterious alternate dimension) of Shadowkeep. In this location, your own self explains that the darkness is your salvation, and the raid back then was appropriately titled “The Garden of Salvation.”
The Darkness has been a vague concept in the series so far. There are factions that worship it, and others that wield it, but the core of the darkness, and the reason it wants the traveller, the source of light at all costs, is yet unclear. Bungie has also confirmed the release of a new darkness subclass and damage type in Lightfall, giving more hints about the fall of the light and the player’s increasing need to rely on the power of darkness to combat the power of the Witness.
August 23 is slated to be the date for the new Destiny 2 showcase, but it is also the same day Season 18 of the Witch Queen yearly expansion is set to arrive. Bungie has recently finalized its acquisition deal with Sony. Bungie called their acquisition by Sony earlier this week a “big bold step forward.” It is unclear yet how this deal will affect the future of Destiny 2 content.
