What happened in the Destiny 2 Season of the Seraph’s Finale?
The Season of the Seraph ended in Destiny2 today. It also featured an ending mission that was typical of the game’s seasonal structure. There was a lot to be done. We saw a cutscene that we hadn’t seen for a while and also received dialogue, transmissions, and much more. Let’s go over everything, discuss where we are heading into Lightfall and then get into the ongoing story of Destiny 2. Spoilers for the end of Season of the Seraph are ahead.
The season finale mission opens with the news that Eramis, House Salvation, and Seraph Station have attacked Seraph Station. They are trying to use the Warsats against the Earth and Traveler. The Guardian infiltrates Seraph Station again, fighting their way through the Fallen, and Hive and engaging Eramis who fled. The Guardian finally defeats the Hive Wizard who was leading the attack. But it’s too late. Eramis has already taken control of the Warsats.
The Traveler appears to be fleeing from the Earth as the Destiny2watch cast watches. Eramis is on Zoom with the Witness and powers up the Warsats to try to destroy the Traveler, just as Rasputin intended back before the Collapse. Rasputin orders Ana to erase him so that this does not happen. The Traveler, now in Earth’s orbit, stops dead in its tracks. The Witness and his troops are also present, content that there is no place for the Traveler to run.
The Guardian is greeted by Rasputin after the dust has settled. He tells the Guardian that Osiris was correct in seeing a city on Neptune and that he has decrypted some data that refers to it.
What does the Season of Lightfall Mean for the Seraph?
But the Witness is still here. Eramis is still here, so it looks like she will continue to be an antagonist. The Traveler has now moved into space. Everyone saw the Traveler attempt to escape. This will probably have an impact on some Destiny characters such as Zavala and Ikora. It may be what motivates Osiris in Lightfall to develop Strand powers.
Rasputin appears to be dead. But, it is possible that he will return via the Spire of the Watcher. He may return as a Guardian, or, perhaps, even more likely.
It isn’t clear that we have any reason to travel to Neptune in Lightfall. Osiris may have vague visions. We found the buildup to the next major Destiny 2 expansion not as well executed as in Season of the Lost, before Witch Queen. Let’s now discuss the problems with this season’s finale.
The Finale of the Season of the Seraph: Issues
The Season of the Seraph’s ending has a major problem. It also raises a larger issue with the destiny 2 narratives. It seems that the Guardian is the only person capable of defending the Light. House Salvation and Eramis were able to easily infiltrate Seraph Station because the Guardian was not there. Were the station not defended after our retaking?
This leads to another problem — Aramis herself. The leader of House Salvation has been defeated twice already, once in Beyond Light and again in Season of the Plunder. The battle we had with her at Seraph Station was funny, as seasonal content is not meant to be as difficult as Raids or Nightfall. Aramis laughs at us after we lose, but clearly, we won. After her failed plot to use the Warsats, we completely lose track of Eramis. The Guardian and she are clearly still at the station. We just let her go for some reason. Again.
Let’s not forget the larger problem: The season of the Seraph and Rasputin’s treatment. Rasputin was a complex, alien-like character who had been unable to speak. The Guardian helped him get a body and voice during this season. After ten weeks, Rasputin kills himself to save the world. For a variety of reasons, it felt forced and unnatural. First of all, we had barely met him so his death wasn’t going to be as meaningful for us as Cayde’s. Rasputin would need to kill himself to disarm the Warsats. Why would turning him on cause the Warsats to crumble?
It is obvious that Rasputin was a dangling thread. He was a powerful ally who could solve many of Destiny2’s problems. He and the Warsats had to be removed from the scene by the Season of the Seraph’s finale. Although the narrative had already established that the Warsats would empower Xivu Arath because of her status as a God-of-War, it wasn’t enough. Rasputin had no choice but to leave.
The Move Away From Lore
Bungie seems to be clearing the decks with regard to many plot threads that were mainly in Destiny2’s history as they rebalance the game to focus on the conflict between the Witnesses and the Traveler. It’s a bit disappointing for those who have been involved in the lore for a while, but not surprising.
Destiny2 has always had a problem with lore. How many times have you seen a great story only in a lore book or in a short story that isn’t part of the game? These formats are great for writers because they allow them to explore characters and settings that are impossible to incorporate into the game. The problem is that Destiny’s story has grown over time.
Bungie must eliminate these lore elements. Bungie cannot ignore them or pretend they don’t exist. The Destiny story can be filtered out so that the team can focus on the future and not on any of the side stories from the past.