The Witch Queen has completely changedDestiny 2. Ignoring obvious gameplay changes, new locations, its campaign, The Witch Queen also delivered lore forDestiny 2with still unknown consequences. Savathun’s meddling in the Last City in Year 4 ofDestiny 2made it clear that she was looking to gain something from the Tower. The reveal of The Witch Queen showed she was interested in the Light, and that Season of the Lost set the stage for her to get help removing her Worm, possibly stealing the Light. What players have learned from the new expansion, however, is much more significant.
Instead of stealing the power that Guardians have, Savathun has been chosen by the Traveler. This is something fans have regarded as exclusive to humanity. There have been theories that the Eliksni under the leadership of Mithrax could ultimately become Lightbearers, but few players, if any, suspected that the Hive would be capable of becoming Guardians. ThroughoutThe Witch Queen’s campaignplayers face Hive Guardians with their own Ghost and an incredible amount of power. As The Witch Queen’s story plays out more questions than answers arise, but there was a pivotal revelation. Before the Traveler made it to humanity, before the Eliksni had to flee the fall of Riis during the Whirlwind, the Traveler had intended to bless the Hive.
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Corruption of the Krill
Originally known as the Krill, these proto-Hive beings were short-lived creatures on a harsh world. A visit from the Traveler would have been a blessing for the Krill, and could have led to similar advances as seen with other civilizations. Longer lives, better technology, and more hospitable environments could have led to a Hive species that was bathed in Light. Instead, the Traveler’s plans for the Krill were interrupted as the Witness sought to corrupt the species first.Who the Witness isremains a mystery, but its actions make one thing clear: the Witness exists in defiance of the Traveler, to serve the Darkness.
Using the Worm familiar that Sathona adopted, the young Witch Queen was corrupted by the Witness. Its guidance through the worm led Sathona and her sisters deep into Fundament’s oceans. They encountered the Leviathan and when it could not dissuade them, they dove deeper, eventually finding the Worm Gods. Long ago seduced by the Witness and the Darkness, the Worm Gods offered these sisters power and life in exchange for tribute.
The Witness, the Worm Gods, and the raid boss forVow of the Disciple, Rhulk, worked in unison as agents of the Darkness to push the Krill toward the Deep. One of the species the Traveler had set its eyes on was falling, soon becoming a power-hungry tribe ruled by a pantheon of near-immortal beings of Darkness. While Oryx, Savathun, and Xivu Arath might not have been Disciples like Rhulk, the campaigns of domination and destruction they waged on the universe as a whole is a stark difference from what they likely would have become with the Traveler’s influence. The Hive Gods have subjugated and destroyed whatever intelligent life they came across throughout the universe.
This path eventually pushed Savathun to the Sol system in the footsteps of her brother Oryx, and could mean that her betrayal of the Darkness was the Witness’ own making. While getting the Hive to serve the Darkness may have been the goal, with information that Savathun has learned the playing field has changed. The Witch Queen is now aware of the Worms’ deception, so having regained her memories, Savathun is now able to see the larger picture. This has lead to a fracture in the Hive’s relationship with the beings responsible for their creation, and it continues to grow strained inSeason of the Risen.
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Fracture of the Hive
A fracture in the Hive could have consequences that lead to the Witness’s defeat, as well as an alliance with the Vanguard. While redemption doesn’t seem like the correct path for Savathun, a tense but effective alliance with the Tower and Last City leading up to the Lightfall expansion is feasible. Plenty of Hive have been revived as Guardians, including Savathun and other significant members such asAlak-Hul, the first Lightblade. A tense treaty with these Hive and the rest of the Lucent Brood, however, might be as far as peace goes.
Savathun and her subset of the Hive have been chosen by the Traveler, but there’s not much to suggest that the same has been done for Xivu Arath. The Hive God of War still appears to be incredibly devoted to her Worm and the Hive’s Sword Logic. She destroyed the Cabal’s homeworld of Torobatl, and has been using the Taken alongside other factions in her army to hunt Savathun down for her betrayal. With how determined the Hive God of War has been to capture her sister and solidify her power over the Hive, true peace might not be a reality for the species so long as both Xivu Arath andSavathun’s mind-bending throne worldstay standing.
Instead, a tear could happen. Savathun and theLucent Brood could become the Lucent, or choose to keep their names and simply fight against the other Hive. A civil war like this would have detrimental effects on the species, but it could also be the upper hand that the alliance of humans, Cabal, and Eliksni need to make a stand against the Darkness. If Xivu Arath’s focus is split, she becomes less of a problem when the Witness and its fleet of Darkness pyramids arrive in Sol. Any advantage humanity can get inDestiny 2is one they need.
Destiny 2is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
