Warning: This article contains spoilers for Destiny 2`s latest expansion, The Edge of Fate. We recommend you complete its story campaign before reading further.
With Destiny 2`s 2024 expansion, “The Final Shape,” concluding a decade-long narrative arc spanning both Destiny titles, the game now embarks on a completely new journey. Its latest chapter, “The Edge of Fate,” ventures into uncharted territory, laying the foundation for a fresh storyline and determining Destiny`s trajectory for the foreseeable future.
A New Era with The Edge of Fate and The Nine
“The Edge of Fate” brings significant changes, transporting players to Kepler, a new planetoid. The narrative centers on The Nine—enigmatic, powerful interdimensional entities intrinsically linked to the solar system`s planets. Previously existing mostly in the background, The Nine now actively steer the narrative, directly influencing events more than ever before.
Introducing Lodi: A Man Out of Time
Central to this new story is Lodi, a character unlike any seen previously in Destiny. Unlike the Traveler-resurrected, immortal Guardians, Lodi is a man displaced in time, hailing from the 1960s. His perspective, grounded closer to that of real-world players than the game`s futuristic space wizards, offers a fresh viewpoint. Lodi was a member of the U.S. government`s Department of External Observation (DEO), a Cold War-era agency focused on extraterrestrial phenomena. This introduction injects new lore into the Destiny universe, providing an unprecedented look into its past. The Collector`s Edition of “The Edge of Fate” even hinted at the DEO`s investigation into the Kennedy Assassination, sparking fan theories about Lodi`s potential involvement.
The numerous additions in “The Edge of Fate” have naturally raised many questions. GameSpot recently interviewed Narrative Director Alison Lührs via email to discuss the expansion`s new elements and Bungie`s evolving approach to Destiny`s ongoing narrative.
An Interview with Narrative Director Alison Lührs
On Fate, Free Will, and Identity
GameSpot: “The Edge of Fate” explores compelling themes of fate, free will, and identity through characters like Lodi, Ikora, and Orin. Could you elaborate on the expansion`s core message and what you hope players will take away from it?
Alison Lührs: Our primary objective was to launch the “Fate Saga” with a fundamental question that challenges a core Destiny tenet: “Guardians make their own fate.” But is this truly the case? In this expansion, each character confronts destiny in their own unique way, revealing aspects of who they are and who they are becoming. We aim for players to ponder this profound question and to critically examine the world of Destiny themselves.
Crafting the Next Saga: A Flexible Blueprint
GameSpot: The Light and Darkness Saga eventually achieved great narrative synergy, but it took time, with early expansions focusing on smaller, isolated stories. Destiny 2`s storytelling often involves planting “seeds” for future plotlines rather than adhering to a rigid plan. What is the team`s approach to constructing this new `saga`?
AL: We already know the ultimate conclusion of the “Fate Saga”! When planning this new saga, we prioritized setting ourselves up for narrative success by having a clear end goal. We view the story structure as a “skeleton”—we understand the fundamental framework, but the specifics of how we achieve it remain flexible. This allows us to embed elements early on that will pay off significantly in the finale. The result is a rich, layered story that still affords us creative adaptability as we progress.
`The Humanity Is In The Writing,` Destiny 2 Lodi Actor Says
Lessons Learned from The Final Shape
GameSpot: What insights did you gain from the Light and Darkness saga, culminating in “The Final Shape”? How will these lessons influence Destiny 2`s future storytelling?
AL: As “The Final Shape” was my first expansion, my biggest takeaway was validating a theory: our players are deeply invested in our characters, and when we reciprocate that investment, everyone benefits. “The Final Shape” served as an ensemble character study, and its success demonstrated that we can delve deeply into character development in the way our fans desire. Expect more new faces, deeper engagement with familiar ones, and a greater emphasis on characters driving world changes through their choices.
The Interconnectedness of Expansions
GameSpot: While “The Edge of Fate” appears to establish many long-term story threads, “Renegades” might seem like a more self-contained experience. How are you approaching storytelling across expansions for Destiny 2 moving forward? Is Bungie still interested in telling expansive, long-term stories like those of recent years?
AL: “Renegades” actually continues directly from “The Edge of Fate”—it`s an intrinsic part of the “Fate Saga”! We deliberately chose to integrate it into the broader narrative, believing players would engage more deeply than with a standalone episode. We`ll be exploring the consequences of III`s demise and the reactions of the other Nine.
Character Focus in Episodic Narratives
GameSpot: Recent seasons allowed for focused character development, giving specific characters significant attention without the demands of a high-stakes expansion story. How do the changes in seasons and episodes influence your approach to Destiny 2`s narrative?
AL: We believe we can achieve both. We want to maintain a sharp focus on central characters while demonstrating how their choices and relationships lead to high-stakes consequences for the world. “The Edge of Fate” exemplifies this model—instead of juggling a multitude of characters, we concentrated on a select few to allow for deeper exploration.
Non-Linear Mission Design
GameSpot: A fascinating structural aspect of this campaign was the ability to play many missions out of order, which created intimate moments with various characters. Could you discuss how you approached designing “The Edge of Fate`s” story and these non-linear missions to ensure they were engaging and cohesive regardless of play order?
AL: First, we drafted a concise, seven-sentence outline of our core story. Then, we identified all the relevant knowledge areas—character facts, world revelations, lore—and allocated them to the various locations we planned to visit. Each area, or biome, was assigned a distinct narrative theme, containing knowledge specific to that region. This design ensures that progression in one area isn`t dependent on completing another. Players can tackle the initial areas in any order they prefer, with subsequent side quests unlocking based on their overall progression. It was an enjoyable and enlightening experience to approach storytelling this way!
Bringing The Nine to the Forefront
GameSpot: The Nine are among the most peculiar and intriguing elements of Destiny 2`s lore. What were the challenges in transforming them from an enigmatic background presence into characters who directly interact with the player?
AL: The main challenge with The Nine was preserving their inherent alien nature while ensuring players could still comprehend them—not just what they are, but what they desire. We began by thoroughly researching existing lore and the divisions among them, then explored the individual motivations of each of The Nine. We delved deep into the established textual history and had a lot of fun building upon that foundation to flesh out each of them as distinct characters.
Balancing the Bizarre with the Epic
GameSpot: Given the “Space Horse,” Xur, and the myriad possibilities of extra-dimensional beings, are you planning to lean into the Nine`s inherently weird (in a complimentary sense) nature? Is it difficult to balance these disparate elements of the Nine`s `character`?
AL: It’s genuinely enjoyable! One of the great pleasures of crafting a vast space epic is discovering how to organically weave disparate elements together. Storytelling, for us, is an act of listening: to what we`ve already established and to what players find interesting. Uncovering these connections is a truly fun exercise in narrative tapestry.
Lodi`s Unique Perspective and Origin
GameSpot: Lodi is unique among Destiny characters, offering a relatable perspective closer to that of actual players, given his reference point is near our own time. He feels more like an ordinary person than a Guardian. Could you discuss the decision to introduce such a contemporary character, his inspirations, and the challenges involved?
AL: Once we decided to tell a story centered on time, we knew we needed a character to embody that theme within our ensemble. Time travel exists in Destiny, so while it was a familiar element, we wanted to approach it unconventionally. This involved a significant risk: we could have simply had a time traveler from the Golden Age, but to players, that era still feels futuristic. We saw an opportunity: if our time traveler came from an era closer to the player`s own, there would be ample room to play with knowledge—what the character doesn`t know, and conversely, what they know that our other characters don`t.
After making that decision, the most crucial aspect was ensuring Lodi felt like he absolutely belonged in Destiny. We achieved this by making him embody principles inherent to Destiny: themes of hope, identity, and a strong connection to existing Destiny elements.
With this guidance, the pieces fell into place. He needed to be optimistic, his journey should involve a quest for identity, and conveniently, we needed a new Emissary. For Lodi himself, we had fun envisioning the ideal time traveler: a diplomat, gifted with languages, possessing high charisma, and, most importantly, someone we would enjoy spending time with.
The Department of External Observation (DEO)
GameSpot: The Department of External Observation (DEO) is a substantial yet mysterious element in “The Edge of Fate,” differing from typical scientific organizations in Destiny 2. What inspired its creation, and what led to its inclusion in the story?
AL: We envisioned the DEO as a blend of NASA and Men in Black. Destiny already features a lot of “Big Science,” and we were excited to showcase the organization that formed the philosophical bedrock for so much of our world`s approach to the unknown. The DEO believes in welcoming extraterrestrial life with open arms, a value that resonates throughout the future. The “New Weird” genre is rich with examples across various media, and we`re eager to explore it further.
Approaching Destiny 2`s History and Time Travel
GameSpot: The DEO`s introduction provided a more direct look into Destiny 2`s past than ever before. With The Nine possessing time-manipulation abilities, how, if at all, are you considering Destiny 2`s history? While time travel has always been a fascinating part of the lore, do you anticipate it becoming a more central gameplay or narrative element going forward?
AL: Rest assured, we aren`t plunging headfirst into full time travel; we won`t end up on a 70s island with a Dharma Initiative scenario. We plan to handle time travel with extreme caution, as it`s easy to mishandle. I don`t foresee it becoming a larger part of our experience moving forward.
It`s important to note, however, that in Destiny`s universe, we approach its past with the same optimism that Destiny views its future. The past in Destiny is not a direct reflection of our own history.
The JFK Assassination: An Easter Egg Unveiled
GameSpot: So—did Lodi assassinate JFK? Was it The Nine? Do you have a giant conspiracy board in the Bungie office? Is the answer to all these questions `yes`?
AL: Lodi has an ironclad alibi! He was with his brother in Illinois, at work, and later heading out to watch his nephew`s pee-wee football game.
More seriously, this was a fun Easter egg we were excited for fans to discover! Lee Harvey Oswald was indeed the culprit in this world, just as in ours, but the weapon used was suspiciously extraterrestrial. The DEO obtained that weapon, successfully reverse-engineered it, and used the discovered technology to initiate the Graviton Project. Dr. Nella Davis, a DEO mathematician, helped formulate the proofs for this technology, which eventually led to the creation of the Graviton Lance. Yes, that one.
Old Chicago and the Cloud Gate
GameSpot: If Destiny 2 were to, hypothetically, send players to Old Chicago in the future, would “The Bean” (Cloud Gate sculpture) still be there?
AL: No, but surprisingly, the Adams/Wabash station would be perfectly fine.
A Glimpse into the Future
GameSpot: Anything else you`d like to add?
AL: We`re diligently working on “Renegades,” refining its story to be the best it can be, and the most exciting part is [REDACTED FOR SPOILERS].