At the beginning ofShadowkeep, it seemed like the mysterious Darkness enemy was finally making its presence known inDestiny 2. Then, as the seasons went on, that tease at the end of the “Beyond” mission inShadowkeepseemed to fall flat. Season of the Undying ended up dealing with a Vex invasion, and then both Season of Dawn and Season of the Worthy brought back the Cabal once again. Season of Arrivals seemed like it would deal with the Darkness directly, but so far it’s still been distractions with the Taken and the Hive.
AsBeyond Lightapproaches release, dedicated fans are searching for any hints as to what the Darkness' true plans are. So far, all that’s confirmed is the big bad ofDestiny 2:Beyond Lightwill be a tainted Fallen house on Europa, lead by Eramis. There’s been no clear indication of a Darkness-specific enemy, only meddling by the enigmatic evil with Eramis. However, there are plenty of hints in and around what’s been shown so far fromBeyond Lightthat could be leading to a big Darkness reveal this November.
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Going Beyond the Light, Literally
At first many assumed that the pyramid ship landing on Europa meant the Darkness had truly invaded the solar system, finallyanswering that tease left behind at the end ofShadowkeep. However, while another Darkness ship has invaded Io, it seems in both cases the true Darkness itself is taking on a much more reserved role for now. Fans already know there are potentially thousands of pyramid ships at the disposal of the Darkness, and yet there’s only been two (and soon to be three) confirmed ships landing in the solar system.
The prevailing theory is that the “going beyond the light” wording inBeyond Light’s marketing is a literal translation of what to expect inBeyond Light. Rather than facing the Darkness itself, guardians will need to embrace the Darkness-themed power of Stasis to take down humanity’s enemies, specifically Eramis and the Fallen on Europa. That much is obvious, but beyond that, it’s very possible players’guardians will be communing with the Darknesseven more often. Frankly, there’s nothing concrete that proves this theory, but there’s plenty of circumstantial evidence.
Taking From the Darkness
Consider the trajectory ofDestiny’s story sinceForsakencame out: Players went on a one-guardian killing spree to get revenge for Cayde 6’s murder, and also players have met and worked with the Drifter in his studies/manipulations of the Darkness with the Taken. Not to mention every interaction with Eris sinceShadowkeephas been in service to her encouraging guardians to use the Darkness to humanity’s advantage. She even came into direct contact with the Darkness in the pyramid ship on the Moon. Now inBeyond Light, the Exo Stranger has returned andpractically assured the guardians' usage of Darkness is for humanity’s own good.
This all cannot be in service of just taking out goons who are tainted by the Darkness, the Darkness itself has to rear its head soon. The very idea of utilizing powers of the Darkness revolves around the concept of “taking” that power, thus the Taken. Guardians will in some way interact with the Darkness to gain the Stasis subclasses coming inBeyond Light. There’s also the theory that these pyramids are simply servants of the Darkness, and not necessarily the true embodiment of Darkness. It’s very possible they are servants ofthe Winnower, the destructive half ofDestiny’s creation myth.
None of this is confirmed by any means, but it’s possible the pyramids may be hiding the true identity of the Darkness.
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As for how the reveal of the Darkness' true identity occurs, well that parts up to conjecture for now. Assuming guardians truly do have to “take” from the Darkness to receive the Stasis powers, then either Guardians will defeat Eramis to receive these powers, or they’ll come into direct contact with the Darkness itself. Some have pointed to certain structures in the pyramids resembling a “face,“which could be the true identity of the Darkness, but that’s not even close to definitive evidence. Besides, according toDestiny 2’s roadmap, guardians' big clash with the Darkness presumably won’t be occurring untilLightfallin Year 6.
That doesn’t mean the Darkness can’t be teased inBeyond Light, in fact it would make the most sense to have the enigmatic force’s identity shown for the first time this November. The Darkness has been teased for so long, and for the pyramid ships to be finally entering the solar system in Season of Arrivals,Beyond Lightshould absolutely unveil something regarding the Darkness. Considering there’s going to be another two years before the ultimate clash with Darkness occurs, any encounter with the Darkness will likely be brief. That being said, it’s very possible that could be the big revealBeyond Lightis hiding within its story content.
Destiny 2: Beyond Lightlaunches on June 03, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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