WhileDestiny 2does plenty to entice old and new players to jump into its seasons via Exotic and seasonal gear, its narrative remains a big hook for those who’ve been around for a long while, as Bungie mastered the art of having stories come full circle. One of the most recent examples comes from Season of Defiance, which saw the death of long-time character Amanda Holliday, whose story has always been about helping others and not being afraid, with her succumbing in a mission to save more prisoners from Calus' Shadow Legion.Destiny 2’s Season of the Deepdoubles down on this concept with its Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon and its ultimate reward - The Navigator Exotic trace rifle.
In a move that made Dungeons more interconnected with the seasonal storyline,Destiny 2managed to have its lore expand and thrive more consistently. This was seen in Duality’s exploration of Calus' mind, even explaining why his daughter Caiatl grew detached from him, and Ghosts of the Deep further enhances the connection between Titan, Xivu Arath, and Oryx. The Navigator Exotic is the icing on the cake, and it allows multiple stories to converge into one big bittersweet ending.
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How Destiny 2’s Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon Ties Multiple Stories Together
The Navigator’s name is no coincidence, as it was Aurash’s title all the way back when the Hive did not exist, and the proto-Hive race called Krill lived on Fundament, a gas giant. Aurash was the daughter of the Osmium King, and she had two sisters - Sathona and Xi Ro - who went on to become the Hive Gods known as Savathun and Xivu Arath, whereas Aurash becameOryx, The Taken King, and gave the title to one ofDestiny’s most beloved expansions to date. Aurash is the one who navigated Fundament and eventually found a way for the Krill to survive, albeit with the help of Sathona, and usher into the era of the Hive.
The reason why Aurash’s past as The Navigator became relevant when she became Auryx through the king morph is that Hive Gods still have their Hive Worms to feed, and they must do so by following their nature. That’s why Savathun became the deceiver, Xivu Arath became the God of War, and Auryx eventually became Oryx, the one who had to always pursue knowledge. It’s what made Auryx seek the power to Take from Akka during the war against the Ecumene, and it’s what allowed him to finally defeat them.Destiny 2’s Ghosts of the Deepeven highlights Xivu Arath’s thoughts and feelings toward her brother, shedding further light on the Sword Logic’s followers.
SinceDestiny 2’s The Navigatoris meant to be a support weapon, it only makes sense to tie it into the lore surrounding Oryx’s origins, and the weapon can also be listed among the game’s best for party play overall. On top of lore references to Oryx, the Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon also explores what happened to his body after his demise, with Hive loyalists trying to resurrect him and make him come back as The Taken King.
This is something that The Witch Queen expansion anticipated, withSavathun’s two truths and two lies game inDestiny 2telling Guardians that The Taken King will come back. It’s unclear what this will mean for Oryx and his long-lost title, with the most likely option being that someone else will become The Taken King, but the result is still that Bungie’s careful planning and seeding led to a moment in the game where multiple threads are being unraveled after 8 years of buildup.
Destiny 2is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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