Caution: This article contains spoilers for this week's Season of the Wish story events in Destiny 2. It is recommended to complete the story before continuing.
The Season of the Wish appears to mark the end of Destiny 2's 10-year story with The Final Shape. Despite the postponement of the next major expansion from February to June, players are now poised to pursue and take on the Witness, the game's primary antagonist.
We should be moving swiftly towards the conclusion, but instead we're moving sluggishly. The delay isn't solely to blame, but it certainly doesn't help that Destiny 2 fans are left waiting for another five months. The issue lies with the Season of the Wish and the overall storytelling in Destiny 2 since the release of last year's expansion, Lightfall. The story isn't building up to a showdown with a powerful alien being, nor is it portraying the frightening consequences of leaving the Witness unchallenged. It has yet to clearly communicate the Witness's intentions or potential actions.
Bungie needs to deliver something better than what we've seen so far - better than the Season of the Witch and definitely better than the Season of the Wish - to elevate the spirit of Destiny 2 before The Final Shape. The game cannot enter its final chapter feeling so low or boring and still expect players to engage.
It's no secret that the last year of Destiny 2 has been disappointing in several significant ways. The Lightfall campaign was meant to lead into the final moments of Destiny 2's Light and Dark saga, but it left even the most dedicated lore scholars confused about the game's villains and their true intentions. The Season of Defiance, while focusing on a powerful invasion of Cabal forces on Neptune and Earth, has become stale in the months since its launch, and the threat it posed has turned into mere background noise.
And with the two seasons that followed, events have been anticlimactic. In the Season of the Witch, Destiny 2's good guys struck back against the Hive god Xivu Arath, a threat that has been looming for years now, with incomprehensible magic--and the villain apparently ran away without ever appearing on screen. Though the season alluded to some potential conflicts among the ranks of the Guardians and even the possibility of Eris Morn, a major character, going dark and becoming a threat herself, in the end, everything worked out as planned and with little inconvenience.
The narrative of Crow and Mara Sov reconciling during the Season of the Wish was a personal one, but not the most effective build-up to the final showdown of the saga. At the apparent end of the Season of the Wish (there's likely one more story beat, a cutscene or something, that will lead directly into The Final Shape), things are even less exciting. After battling enemies that kept showing up in an alternate dimensional space that doesn't really matter or affect anyone, the spirit of the raid boss Riven used space magic to open a portal and Crow was able to chase after the Witness. The season's big moment was a heartfelt goodbye between Crow and his sister, Awoken Queen Mara Sov, and then him disappearing through a glowy circle. And now we're waiting for Crow to open the way for the rest of us, and we're left mopping up in the meantime.
The upcoming finale of a decade-long story is lackluster to say the least.
I'm not criticizing this year's seasonal stories, though. "Defiance," "Witch," and "Wish" were enthralling, offering intimate character moments that enrich the world of Destiny 2 and make me genuinely care about it. In the past, the game's story often revolved around defeating new alien foes without delving into the characters, so witnessing Eris grapple with the corrupting power or forming a connection with the Ahamkara Riven, who is driven to cause destruction, has been a welcome change. The contemplative nature of the seasonal stories has been crucial in getting me invested in Destiny 2's overall narrative, as it finally feels like these sci-fi events are impacting the characters.
Waiting for Crow and Osiris to open a door, knowing they will succeed based on the trailers, fails to evoke the expected excitement and suspense that a story about the end of the universe should bring. Destiny 2 has not effectively conveyed the gravity of the situation. The Witness used the Veil to connect with the Traveler's Pale Heart in order to bring about the Final Shape, which will ultimately end the universe. However, we lack crucial information about the Veil, the Pale Heart, and the Final Shape, as well as the Witness's current actions and motivations. The lack of urgency in addressing these mysteries adds to the underwhelming impact of the narrative.
It's been a year and this image is losing its impact. Back in the regular universe, everything continues as normal. There are aliens lurking around, but they pose no real threat. We recently went through the Dreaming City again, but the time-looping curse story remains unresolved. The Last Safe City is not under attack, and there are no significant dark forces preventing us from pursuing the Witness. We just finished the Destiny 2 holiday special, and another seasonal celebration event is coming up before we explore the Crow Portal to see the Witness's redecorating inside the Traveler.
Destiny 2 doesn't need to explain everything for the story to work, but it's important to clarify the stakes - what's at risk, the threat, and how people are coping. This could be conveyed through action or by showing characters experiencing dread and anxiety. Are the alliances straining? Are the people of the Last City panicking about the universe possibly ending? Are others making plans that could interfere with ours? Is the universe showing signs of impending doom? In a word: no. It's business as usual.
After the lackluster conclusion of the Lightfall expansion and the confusing setup for the next chapter, Destiny 2 is failing to keep players engaged. The delay of The Final Shape has left us unsure about what to be concerned about after ten years of storytelling. As a long-time fan, I expected to be more invested in the conclusion, but I'm finding it hard to muster any interest.
Destiny 2 can't expect us to be invested in the final showdown between Light and Darkness if the stakes are unclear and the danger is distant. The game needs to bring the impending crisis to the forefront and make us care about the outcome for the story to have any impact.
The Final Shape will be an unprecedented moment for Destiny 2. The game needs to make us feel it, now more than ever.
Editor's P/S
As a hard fan of Destiny 2, I am deeply concerned about the current state of the game. The recent seasons have been underwhelming, and the story has failed to build up to the epic conclusion that we were promised. The Season of the Wish, in particular, was a major disappointment. The narrative felt disjointed and anticlimactic, and the big moment of the season was a heartfelt goodbye between Crow and Mara Sov, which, while touching, did little to advance the overall plot.
I understand that Bungie is facing some challenges, such as the delay of the next major expansion. However, this does not excuse the lackluster storytelling that we have seen in recent months. Destiny 2 has always been known for its rich lore and engaging narrative, and it is disheartening to see this aspect of the game suffer. I am hopeful that Bungie can turn things around and deliver a satisfying conclusion to the Light and Dark saga, but they need to step up their game and give us something truly special.
