This may come as a surprise to some, but Destiny 2 actually has a story, and it’s really darn good. The plot takes players through many worlds and pits them against various foes, but it also introduces NPCs and several new plot points to grab hold of.
For new players, some of it may be a lot to take in and can be sort of confusing. We’re going to break down the story to make it all a bit clearer for you. This goes for returning players as well, who probably were expecting little more than another convoluted quest again. Brace yourselves, guardians, it’s time to see what went down and what possibly awaits us.
This breakdown will be focusing on the war with the Red Legion and the core plot. This should go without saying, but there will be a ton of spoilers ahead. If you’d rather play first then come and look for clarity after, we suggest you exit this article right now. If you just really want to know what happens, continue on.
SPOILERS AHEAD! FINAL WARNING!
Lost Light
Destiny 2 Story Explained
Destiny 2’s story kicks off with… well, your guardian getting literally kicked off the Tower. Dominous Ghaul, leader of the Cabal Red Legion, is a being who was once snubbed by the Traveler as well as his own people. Since then, he has grown to believe that the Traveler made a mistake, that he was worthy of its blessing and, by extension, its power.
Ghaul felt so entitled to this power that he brought his entire army to simply take it. What follows is a siege of the Tower, one that ends with the Traveler trapped in some sort of cage, the Speaker presumed dead, and all guardians left without their light. That means no super abilities and, most importantly, no more reviving. They are humans, and if they die, that will be their last life.
After getting kicked from the Tower, the player’s guardian somehow survives the fall, though their ghost is badly battered. It’s time to seek refuge, so into the EDZ you go.
Hawthorne and the Farm, Ghauls Plan
Destiny 2 Story Explained
While your guardian is left seeking out refuge, a vision of a bird appears to guide them. At the moment, there’s no telling if it’s real or if this is some sort of vision, but it’s providing much more direction than the guardian already has, so why not follow? After a few close encounters and a missed jump, Hawthorne is there as your guardian comes to. Luis, her hawk, found you and led you to her. She recognizes that you were once a guardian, and brings you along to get some help.
Hawthorne is not like you. She was never a guardian, though she did once reside in the Tower. But her personality and lack of desire to follow rules that made her safety feel like a prison led her to do her own thing, still helping the guardians in any way that she could. What’s most intriguing about her is that she’s always had only one life, yet she has incredible courage which pushes her to always put her life on the line, something she pushes your guardian to do.
While she needs your help to take care of some things out in the world, there’s a force pulling you toward the dark forest. She tells you how to get there, and it sets you off on a journey for redemption and revenge.
In the meantime, Ghaul is on his ship and he has a surprise. The Speaker, who went missing from the Tower during the opening mission of Destiny 2, is not dead. Instead, he’s Ghaul’s prisoner. Ghaul intends to have the Speaker teach him the ways of the Traveler in the hopes of obtaining its power.
Shard of the Traveller
Destiny 2 Story Explained
During the attack on the Tower and the Traveler, some pieces broke off and were scattered in the forest down below. They still hold the power of the Light and call to the guardian in order to restore their abilities. As a chosen one, the guardian seeks out the Shard, as the Ghost feels its pull.
The Traveler may be out of contention at the moment in Destiny 2, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to leave you on your own to fight the biggest threat Earth has faced thus far. A new subclass is born (depending on your chosen class it’s either the Dawnblade Warlock, Sentinel Titan, or Arcstrider Hunter), and it’s time to set out and take down Ghaul.
Of course, that’s a task that’s much easier said than done. It’s time to gather up the troops, the Tower must be taken back.
Titan, Zavala, and Reuniting the Vanguard Fireteam While Ghaul Continues to Seek Power
Destiny 2 Story Explained
After the events that transpired at the beginning of the game, the vanguard leaders (Zavalla, Ikora, and Cayde-6) each sought to find peace elsewhere as they tried to figure out where they went wrong. Upon returning with your Light restored, you aid Hawthorne in getting her radios up and running. That’s when you find out that Zavala is alive and well, and sending out a call to all guardians. He’s on Titan and it’s time to see what the Commander has for us to do.
Upon arriving at Titan, Zavala is surprised to see that a guardian has regained their light. He decides that it’s time to seize the opportunity and make a move on the Last City and the Tower where Ghaul now holds power along with his Red Legion. But before any of that, you must reunite his fireteam, and that means traveling to other worlds.
Cayde-6 is on Nessus, though he’s not doing too well. While snooping around, taking out Cabal, and dealing with Vex forces, he caught himself in a teleportation loop. After helping him out and meeting the hilarious Failsafe AI, you learn of Ikora Rey’s whereabouts. She’s on Io, a moon of Jupiter that is incredibly important to guardians, especially Warlocks. It is there that she sought to meditate. When you arrive for her, though, it appears that she’s figured out a new threat.
Meanwhile, Ghaul is still toying with the Speaker. It appears that the Speaker has gotten into the Cabal commander’s head, convincing him that he must earn that light if he truly wished to prove a point. This isn’t exactly liked by Ghaul’s right-hand man, but since he’s the leader what he says goes.
Io and the Traveler’s Light
Destiny 2 Story Explained
After arriving on Io, both your guardian and Ikora notice lots of Red Legion ships moving around and a burst of light, which Ikora confirms is from the Traveler, can be seen. After a moment’s thought, she realizes what the Cabal are up to. They want to take this power in order to become like the guardians once were, both powerful and immortal. The threat of the Red Legion is much larger than them simply taking over the Tower. They want to take over everything, and with the Traveler’s power, nothing will be able to stop them.
Fortunately enough, you’re there, and Ikora asks for your help in stopping the forces’ progress. This involves lots of fighting, a Warmind, and quite a bit of running for your life. But in the end, you’ve stunted their progress, while also uncovering a new threat: The Almighty.
Back Together, The Almighty Awaits
Destiny 2 Story Explained
So the gang’s all together at the Farm. Zavala, Ikora, Cayde-6, and Hawthorne are there formulating a plan. After completing the missions on Io, it’s learned that the Cabal have a sun-destroying weapon called The Almighty. Think of it as a failsafe that exists just in case you happen to take the Tower back. The Cabal believe in leaving nothing behind, so they plan to wipe out your sun, which would cause everything in the system to be obliterated. Obviously, that throws a wrench in the plan to take the Tower back. You don’t want to piss Ghaul off while he has something like that waiting in the stars.
That means you’re going to have to take care of The Almighty first. After grounding one of the Red Legion ships, it’s time to head up there and walk really close to the sun (seriously, you can actually get burned in certain parts of the mission). Players must deactivate the ship’s cooling systems and mess up a bunch of other parts in order to destroy it. This will remove the threat hanging over Earth and allow the Guardians to actually push forward. Time to head to the Last City.
The Beginning of the End
Destiny 2 Story Explained
Now that The Almighty is gone, it’s time to take back the city. While you’re busy returning from a space station you just destroyed, Zavala, Ikora, Cayde-6, and Hawthorne are leading a small militia into the city and working to reach Ghaul. With a bit of help from his trusty chicken, Cayde-6 is able to stealthily kill a few Cabal. Of course, stealing the spotlight is Ikora Rey with some sick Sparrow skills.
After a tough fight (Cayde-6 loses an arm), the vanguard fireteam awaits at the top of a building with a teleportation device ready to take you to Ghaul.
As you’re making your way through the city, heading to that device, Ghaul is doing something as well. His right-hand man, who turned out to be the mentor that took him in when he was a kid, is tired of waiting and attempts to chastise Ghaul. Of course, being the leader of the army, he doesn’t take too kindly to that so Ghaul kills him before heading to the Traveler to siphon its power.
Facing Ghaul
Destiny 2 Story Explained
Ghaul has finally decided to take the power of the Traveler by force and it has turned him into a powerful, guardian-like being. Due to the direct tap, he is able to wield all of the elements as he tries to crush you. After a violent encounter, Ghaul falls, but then rises as a juggernaut of light. He is immortal and ready to wreak havoc.
Thankfully the Traveler has decided to wake up at a perfect time. After being dormant for years, it’s awakened once more to defend humanity, just like it did before the events of Destiny 1.
A Possible New Golden Age and What Appears to Be a New Threat
Destiny 2 Story Explained
After the credits, the Traveler can be seen spreading its light throughout the galaxy. This can possibly be its blessing touching all of these worlds, which can potentially spark a new Golden Age (in the past this led to huge leaps in technology and travel). Yet, while the light is spreading, a mysterious ship takes notice and starts to move.
Some are saying that it may either be the Nine, the group that Xur works for, or even more Vex. That doesn’t hold up very much, though, since both of those groups are already well aware of the Traveler, humanity, and everything else that has transpired in the previous games. There’s a strong possibility that this is a new threat, though it may actually come from the Jovian worlds where the Nine reside. The reason for that speculation is that the ships are shown after the light passes the Reef, the only real barrier between the Jovian worlds (Jupiter and beyond), and the ones we’ve explored thus far in Destiny 1 and 2.
It’s not confirmed whether or not these ships bear any ill will towards us, but the ominous music that plays when they’re first unveiled does have us feeling quite worried. The Traveler is back, as is the light, and that’s a wonderful thing. But the power, which has attracted so many enemies before (the Darkness, Fallen, Hive, and most recently the Cabal) seems to have attracted yet another.
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