Bungie has been exploring the depths of our solar system for the past decade, but it looks like it’s finally gearing up to go somewhere new, or rather somewhereotherwise. At least that’s what seems to be happening in Destination‘s 11th year, that is provisionally titled Borders.
In a recent interview with Edge magazine, which was reissued through GamesRadar+Several Bungie developers discussed the future of the game, which is currently in its tenth year and halfway through its first “episode” – a notable break from the game’s seasonal model, though players currently have difficulty recognizing which is fundamentally different. While discussing what players can expect from the coming year, Bungie also let a little bit of their voices be heard, by hinting at what’s coming for Lot 2with not only new characters and stories, but also seemingly new worlds.
At least that’s what Robbie Stevens, assistant game director at Lot 2, suggests. Discussing what’s next for the epic sci-fi/fantasy opera, Stevens revealed:
“A lot of that thinking about Year 11, and how we really start the next journey after these episodes, we’re going to lean into that thinking as well. Because we’ve been doing this linear thing for a while, and we want to get back to expanding our worlds and worldbuilding, expanding the universe of Destination in general.”
The emphasis on worlds and world building is key to why Stevens’ statement excites me. In Destination‘s traditionhumanity experienced a golden age of discovery and exploration prior to the war against Darkness which culminated in the battle against the Witness in The final shape.
The conflict decimated humanity and forced it onto its hind legs, meaning that much of the series is spent reclaiming space in the solar system from the forces of Darkness. For the first time in a long time, the Guardians are somewhat free to push back and visit new and completely alien worlds.
It’s an exciting prospect that fulfills some of the fantasy players have had since the very beginning. Destination. While they’ve always understood the need to keep the story in our own solar system, you can’t just give people a sci-fi game with ships and aliens and ask them to never go anywhere else. All things considered, Stevens’ tease, the Borders to appoint, and recent cutscene If we describe a character’s dream of exploring space with his or her partner, it certainly indicates that we need to get out of Sol as soon as possible and see more of the universe!!
Considering how much more we’ve learned about the alien species Destination Since the beginning this has felt like a foregone conclusion, but it’s exciting to think that it’s almost here. Over the years we’ve learned a lot of about the Hive and their home planet Fundament, and while it sounds inhospitable as hell, imagine seeing it someday in the future? Caiatl, a Cabal commander who became one of humanity’s greatest allies, often speaks of the former capital of the Cabal Empire, Torobatl, which was decimated by the Hive God of War, Xivu Arath. Despite having taken out her two siblings (Savathun and Oryx), Xivu Arath is still at large, and the campaign against her could begin or end with reclaiming Torobatl!
The Eliksni, later known as the Fallen, are still in need of a new home planet after the collapse of Riis and the failure of Riis-Reborn on Europa. The final shape even teases players with glimpses of the Witness’ original civilization, and according to this recent interview, their faction (the Dread) is apparently here to stay. And where exactly did the Vex come from, and what’s their whole deal? There are so many big questions to be answered in Destination still, and it feels more and more like us solar system is running out of solutions. It’s time to get out there.
Lot 2 is a notoriously complex and intricate game, so I’m really looking forward to this soft reset that follows The final shapeI’m even more excited about the explicit direction it’s taking and how well it’s fulfilling that dream of Destination that I had ten years ago.