Can You See It? Destiny 2’s Alliance Vs. Horde Split Is Forming With Darkness And Light

Here are some things I know:

Luke Smith, Destiny 2 game director, is an enormous World of Warcraft fan and was one of that game’s top players back in the day.

World of Warcraft revolves around a central schism, the Alliance versus Horde.

Destiny 2 has now begun setting up two rival sides, Light (the Traveler) and Darkness (the Pyramids).

The Pyramids did not roll in as a destructive army like Mass Effect’s Reapers, and they seem intent on seducing us away from the Traveler to their “true power.”

So, what I think is possibly happening here is that Destiny is laying the groundwork for a possible turn into a true MMO, a split among both NPCs and possibly even the playerbase itself was player are asked to choose between different forms of power and different factions.

If you have been paying attention to this season, and really the entire past year, you can already see these seeds planted, and they’re beginning to sprout before our eyes, particularly on the NPC side of things.

A while ago I wrote about the Destiny 2 Avengers who would come together to fight the Darkness. But it seems clear that’s not exactly what’s going to happen, and the conflict is more nuanced than that. Rather than Avengers: Infinity War, this may turn into Captain America: Civil War instead. And when that happens, which side are different Destiny characters going to choose?

Eris Morn (Darkness) – It seems pretty obvious at this point that Eris is very deep down the Darkness rabbit hole, being lured by its power and already showing signs of wielding Stasis, the first Darkness power (that we know about). If the “Darkness faction” ends up with a leader, it’s probably going to be her.

The Drifter (Darkness) – Another figure that has been deep in the Darkness from the get-go, and one of the first people we know of to encounter it directly in his past adventures. He’s always been a bit of a bad boy, but I could see him being Eris’s right hand man based on what’s happening this season.

Zavala (Light) – Zero percent chance Zavala turns to the Darkness for power, and he will likely forever view this as a military conflict, just trying to figure out a way to blast the Pyramids out of the sky.

Ana Bray (Light) – She’s one of the most powerful light-wielders in the system, which you may not realize if you haven’t read the lore, and I think she’s probably going to be the next Hunter Vanguard.

Ikora (Light) – She’s been silent since Undying, and while she did visit the Pyramid during Shadowkeep, I think that was mostly out of concern for Eris, not because she’s tempted to use the Darkness.

Mara Sov (Darkness) – I have a feeling when we see her return, she’ll have had an experience with the Darkness and end up on that side of things.

Rasputin (Leaning Light) – I think Rasputin looks out for himself and himself only, and since he can’t wield Darkness or Light powers as an AI, he will just push back against whatever he thinks is a threat. Right now that’s probably the Darkness, given that they just shut him down.

Osiris (Darkness) – Osiris always had his problems with Traveler-worshipers like the Speaker, and while he’s a light-wielding Guardian, he has also had encounters with the dark and I can see him moving toward that side.

Saint/Shaxx/Saladin (Light) – The Crucible trio are too upstanding to get their hands dirty with Darkness, especially the newly re-emerged Saint.

The Exo Stranger (Leaning Darkness) – She “comes from a future where the Darkness won,” but what does that mean, exactly? Was that a good or bad thing? We know she doesn’t have a ghost, but some sort of creature thing that could be attached to the Darkness. And she’s hanging out with Drifter and Eris in Beyond Light, so I’m leaning toward Darkness here.

Us (???) – Again, I do not know what this will turn into for us as a player. I don’t know if we’re literally going to have to pick sides between Darkness and Light like we’re pledging to Alliance or Horde, but I would not rule it out. This fall at least, it looks like we’re going to be able to wield both Darkness and Light powers at the same time, and yet how long can that last? You don’t see the Jedi going “hm maybe I’ll use my red lightsaber and shoot a bit of lighting.” Eventually, you are taken by one side or the other.

Big, big things are coming. I can feel it.

Follow me on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels Herokiller and Herokiller 2, and read my first series, The Earthborn Trilogy, which is also on audiobook.