Just about each week brings one thing new to Destiny 2, whether or not it is story beats, new actions, or attention-grabbing new mixtures of components that allow gamers devastate one another within the Crucible. Iron Banter is our weekly take a look at what is going on on on this planet of Destiny and a rundown of what is drawing our consideration throughout the photo voltaic system.The title and brand for Lightfall have been floating round in Destiny 2 for years now, however up till Bungie’s showcase detailing the growth, we’ve not recognized something about it. Still, these tidbits have been fairly evocative–after all, we’re coping with the continued warfare between the Light and Darkness, so Lightfall appears fairly self-explanatory. The brand featured a looming pyramid ship of the Black Fleet and a black and white colour scheme, suggesting a darkish and harmful story to return.Personally, I’ve been anticipating Lightfall to be one thing like The Empire Strikes Back: an enormous, tragic downside for the heroes of the story, the darkish night time of the soul they have to face earlier than the ultimate battle to return within the final growth of Destiny 2’s present story arc, The Final Shape. Both the title and the emblem appeared to again up a way of a darkish, desolate, and even dreary growth.What we noticed within the showcase, nevertheless, was something however darkish, desolate, or dreary. Lightfall takes place in a glowing futuristic metropolis hidden on the planet Neptune, one which has escaped the destruction wrought on the Solar System for the tons of of years which have handed for the reason that Collapse. Lightfall additionally obtained a brand new brand through the showcase, one which emphasizes a form of 1980s futuristic cyberpunk aesthetic. It’s truthful to say that what we noticed from Lightfall was a very totally different vibe from what many anticipated. Instead of destruction because the Darkness closes its grip, we noticed a complete new world freed from the wreckage that’s in all places else in Destiny 2.The brilliant, futuristic metropolis of Neomuna is a far cry from the desolation we’d have initially anticipated from a reputation like Lightfall.Just this morning, I obtained an opportunity to speak to director Joe Blackburn and assistant normal supervisor Dan McAuliffe in regards to the Lightfall showcase, and through that interview, Blackburn mentioned mapping out the narrative of the ultimate 4 expansions of the Light and Darkness saga–Beyond Light, The Witch Queen, Lightfall, and The Final Shape. As the crew was wanting on the temper of every of these tales and expansions, all the best way again to Shadowkeep, it realized they have been all fairly dour.”We were like, oh my gosh, it’s going to be the heaviest five years of Destiny that we’ve ever made,” he mentioned. “We’re going to feel really one note throughout this whole thing. And so, as we started getting toward Lightfall, we said, how can we keep the stakes high, but change the mood for release?”To circumvent 5 straight years of darkish and stormy expansions, Lightfall took on one thing of a, ahem, lighter tone. Blackburn additionally made reference to The Empire Strikes Back, noting that whereas the heroes lose throughout that film, it does not really feel like they’re all the time shedding through the course of the story. Bungie is taking an identical method to Lightfall.That makes me marvel if the title “Lightfall” needs to be taken as actually because it seems to be. It sounds fairly simple, however possibly there’s nuance to the title, identical to there’s nuance to the tone. Maybe Lightfall does not imply a devastating loss, however one thing else. Maybe it is not the autumn of the Last City, or the autumn of the Traveler, or the autumn of the Vanguard, as many people have been anticipating. Maybe the autumn of Light that Lightfall refers to is smaller, extra private; an ideological loss fairly than a navy one.What if the battle of Lightfall is for the hearts of the individuals of Neptune?This is definitely the path Destiny 2 has been going as of late. Ever since Season of Arrivals and Beyond Light, we have been coping with the suggestion that Darkness will not be equal to evil, and that Light will not be equal to good. We’ve had brokers of the Darkness, together with the Witness itself, asking us pointed questions on why we do what we do and why the characters of Destiny imagine what they imagine. Everyone, from Commander Zavala to Eris Morn to Ikora Rey to our personal Ghost has been questioning their deepest beliefs, and the a number of lifetimes they’ve devoted to combating for the Traveler.Now we’re headed to Neptune, a location untouched for the reason that Collapse, and thus, untouched by both of the paracausal powers that inform all the things that has gone on in Destiny 2 up till now. The individuals of Neomuna, the Neptune capital we’ll go to, have by no means needed to take into account the desire or motivations of the Traveler, or the inherent good or evil of the Witness. Likely, they do not even find out about these forces, essentially. That’ll unlock characters we encounter there to take a special perspective on the warfare between the Traveler and the Witness, and to probably add further powerful philosophical and ideological inquiries to the story by means of our interactions with them.My thoughts is leaping to all types of potentialities for what “Lightfall” would possibly consult with that might be one thing greater than a straight-up navy loss to the Witness. What if we reach our enterprise on Nepture to drive again Calus, however in so doing, lose the ideological battle for the individuals there? What if the brand new people we uncover in Lightfall do not find yourself being allies, however fairly enemies?More than that, the “Lightfall” might concern the Guardians themselves. The Witch Queen was a prolonged story a few group of Ghosts, lengthy the allies of humanity, selecting to assist the death-worshiping Hive as an alternative. Ever for the reason that creation of Stasis, we have seen tales of Guardians falling to its influence–and they’re not at all the primary to grow to be “corrupted” by both Darkness or their very own lust for energy. We could also be an ideological warfare in Lightfall that causes some Guardians to surrender the battle or to change sides, and that might be as a lot a fall of Light because the Black Fleet sweeping by means of the skies over Earth.Just as a result of Lightfall colourful does not imply it will probably’t be darkish, although.This is all simply idle hypothesis, however what I’m enthusiastic about on the subject of the Lightfall reveal is that, out of the blue, all these new concepts appear to be in play. Maybe that is an excessive amount of galaxy-brain pondering for the story, and Lightfall means precisely what we have all the time thought it meant. But Bungie has injected an enormous quantity of attention-grabbing nuance into the previously black-and-white morality of Destiny 2 over the previous few years. Lightfall is already an enormous digression from what many people anticipated from the chapter in Destiny 2’s story, and there is nothing that claims we’d not be shocked once more.Let me know what you consider all these random concepts, in addition to your impressions of Lightfall and the Destiny 2 showcase at giant, within the feedback beneath.
The merchandise mentioned right here have been independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot might get a share of the income should you purchase something featured on our website.