Destiny 2’s Monuments of Triumph is here, the final update for the game and potentially the last Destiny anything. Even This Week In Destiny, my weekly ritual for over a decade now, is coming to an end. To that end, Bungie has crammed in as much of a conclusion as possible, given we’re actually at the start of a brand-new saga.
After the conclusion of the decade-long Light and Darkness saga in The Final Shape, Bungie kicked off the Fate saga, beginning with The Edge of Fate. It’s all about the mysterious god-like entities affiliated with the planets of the Sol system who have been pulling the strings this entire time. They control time, setting up key events like dominoes.
Rory Norris
Destiny has been with me for most of my life, as strange as that is to say. Destiny 1 came out when I was in high school, and Destiny 2 caught the tail end of it. Thousands of hours over the past decade, hundreds more watching lore videos. This is very much the end of an era for both the series and me, and what a way to wave goodbye. Spoilers ahead.
Say what you will about The Edge of Fate, but its story was the most fascinating aspect. New character Lodi (one of the best in the series, no less), a pre-Golden Age guy working at Destiny’s version of the Federal Bureau of Control, was ripped out of the space age and brought to space in the far future. Turns out he was a co-worker of Ikora’s, though Guardians don’t tend to remember their past.
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Unfortunately, this promising new saga was cut short, ending just as it was ramping up. And the new secret cutscenes in Monuments of Triumph are a bittersweet teaser of what was to come, and an obituary for a universe we might never get to explore again.
There’s a bunch of great dialogue and story developments between its new quests, but I want to focus on its two vital hidden cutscenes. Obviously, spoilers ahead for ‘the end of Destiny’, so to speak.
Me and you, Big Blue
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“Thank you. For walking with me all these years. For carrying this burden with me. You make me proud.”
Zavala
The first cutscene sees our commander-in-chief for a decade reflecting on the journey and the weight he’s had to carry. It tugs at the heartstrings of any long-time Destiny fan, not least because of the passing of his previous voice actor, Lance Reddick. Rightfully, Zavala’s ready to hang up the hat, with no Ghost and only one life left. Zavala’s story fittingly ends with him retiring and passing the baton to Ikora, the last vanguard of the old Vanguard.
And then your Ghost drops one of the most on-the-nose, poignant lines: “Nothing ever stays the same, does it? What do you think is in our future?” You know what, Ghost? I don’t know, but I hope it’s a continuation of this world.
What’s most impressive about this cutscene is the directing, which is a shocking step up from just about anything we’ve seen in the series. I adore the transition between scenes using Zavala’s shoulder pad.
Cinematic director John Ebenger explained that the team “pulled out some new tricks for the transitions between in-engine and pre-rendered and tried to put in the work to make this one special in a short time frame.”
A meeting in the Dark Forest
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This cutscene is the most important one for the future of the saga, and the one that hurts the most. Lodi’s in the Dark Forest, possessed and contorted by an unknown being and speaking cryptic gibberish. He speaks of “A showdown at the end of time, between champions of Dark and Light,” and that’s why the egotistical Nine have been courting us this whole time.
This entity is presumably the Winnower, an extradimensional god, lover of the ‘flower game’, and the Darkness equivalent of the Traveler so to speak, directly interacting with us for the first time. And it’s told you to take a breather and enjoy some slaughter for the time being. In other words, the story ends here, but with just enough of a thread to pick back up on should Bungie ever get the opportunity.
That’s one hell of a cliffhanger, and only makes the realisation that a showdown with the Winnower is unlikely feel like a punch to the face.
I suppose that was the plan with this update, really? Pull out all the stops, set up a new story in the most intriguing way possible, but also try to tie as neat a bow as possible just in case. You win, Bungie. I’m sad, I’m angry, and now I want Destiny 3 even more.
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