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- What Is The Traveler?
- Escaping The Darkness
- A Golden Age For Humanity
- Making A Stand
- Dominus Ghaul And The Red War
- Savathun's Scheme
- The Fated Showdown
- Aftermath
In the vast, complex lore of Destiny 2, one entity has been the centrepiece of the story from its inception. The Traveler, a massive, white sphere that now floats above the Last City on Earth, is an ancient entity that possesses a long, varied history.
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PostsSeen and worshipped by many as a god, the Traveler once journeyed from solar system to solar system, uplifting near-dead planets into advanced civilisations. Despite its magnanimous nature, the Traveler's charitable actions end up indirectly creating the overarching villain of the story, one we finally face in the series' latest DLC. So, if you're keen to learn more about the lore behind the Traveler, then you've come to the right place.
What Is The Traveler?
The Traveler, also known as the Great Machine or the Gardener by some, is the embodiment of Light, an alien entity with the capabilities of terraforming dying planets, turbocharging civilisations to prosperity and, at times, gifting them paracausal powers.
It's unknown how the Traveler was created, but it's implied that it has existed since the beginning of time. Furthermore, as suggested by the Proto-Worm Ahsa, the Traveler might have been a singular entity conjoined with the Veil, and that the Light and the Dark were once one.
We do know that, at some point, the Traveler fell dormant for a long time on an unknown planet, where the Precursors - the first recorded civilisation that was uplifted by the Traveler - encountered it. The entity thereafter woke up and began terraforming the Precursors' planet, and this race enjoyed a 'Golden Age' for millions of years.
However, since the Traveler rarely communicates with the civilisations it uplifts, the Precursors began to feel aimless and relentlessly sought guidance on the meaning of existence. They bickered among themselves about what the universe should look like, and the most fanatical faction won out with their ideal of the 'Final Shape'.
Simultaneously, the Precursors discovered the existence of the Veil, an opposing entity with an affinity for the Darkness. The Precursors plan to fuse the Traveler and the Veil to bring about a world without pain, but the Traveler blatantly disapproves of their scheme and flees the planet, never to return.
Incensed, the Precursors went to the extreme, still determined to bring the 'Final Shape' to fruition. As a result, they underwent a ritual, fusing every single individual into one being, the personification of Darkness and the story's main villain: The Witness.
Escaping The Darkness
For an unspecified amount of time, the Traveler continued on to other dying planets, giving them the same treatment it did the Precursors. However, whenever the Witness appears, the Traveler is forced to leave the planet it's on and find another star system far enough from the Darkness, where it will proceed to terraform another planet.
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PostsWhile on the hunt for the Traveler, the Witness is known to annihilate entire civilisations that have been uplifted by the Traveler. This includes the destruction of the Lubrae and the Noesis, as well as the creation of The Witch Queen, Savathun and her siblings, Xivu Arath and Oryx, and the birth of the Hive.
This endless cycle of the Traveler fleeing from the Witness continues until it comes upon the Sol System.
A Golden Age For Humanity
Eventually, the Traveler enters the Sol System, and it is suggested that it did so for a specific purpose that remains unknown to us. When humanity first took notice of the Traveler, they dubbed it 'Moon X'. Over the course of two years, the Traveler terraformed the planets Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus, with cults springing up to worship it.
The Traveler soon terraformed all the planets in the Sol System, and helped spur a Golden Age for mankind. It brought about a long era of peace and prosperity for humanity, as well as taught them new forms of technology they had not encountered before. However, so long as the Witness is still around, the good days are bound to come to an end.
Making A Stand
The Witness' arrival and subsequent invasion triggered what's known as the Collapse, resulting in natural disasters obliterating cities and nearly killing off all humans. However, instead of running away as it had in the past whenever the Darkness arrived, the Traveler decided to stay and finally make a stand.
The Traveler shot a beam of Light towards the Witness' Black Fleet, but sustained damage from the attacks. The Witness was ultimately deceived by Savathun to leave the Sol System with its Black Fleet, leaving humanity and the Traveler to lick their wounds. Severely wounded and exhausted, the Traveler releases a stream of Ghosts as further protection for mankind, resurrecting those among the dead who can use the Light as a weapon against the Darkness, known as Lightbearers.
After doing so, the Traveler falls dormant above the Last City on Earth, where it has remained since. It would remain in a comatose, seemingly inactive state, though the Traveler has found ways throughout the ages to keep in contact with the Guardians.
Dominus Ghaul And The Red War
It wasn't until the Red War occurred, led by the Cabal Emperor Dominus Ghaul, that the Traveler was brought out of its catatonic state. Desiring to become a Guardian and wield the Light, Ghaul successfully captured the Traveler and placed it in a cage. The Traveler was able to communicate with the Guardians by sending them visions to guide them against the enemy.
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PostsIn the final battle, the Traveler broke out of its prison and annihilated Ghaul with its Light, fully awakened from the Collapse. The Traveler continues to send visions to the Guardians, but it has not fully acted as of yet.
Savathun's Scheme
When the Guardians came to blows with Savathun, it's noted that the Witch Queen also possessed the power of the Light. It's later discovered that after dying, the Traveler granted Savathun and her Hive the Light, thus resurrecting her.
Savathun wants to protect the Traveler from the Witness, and attempts to do so by transporting the Traveler to her throne world. However, Savathun is defeated by the Guardian, and the Traveler returns to its usual place above the Last City.
The Fated Showdown
The Traveler reawakening drew the attention of its old nemesis once more, and this time, the Witness intends to settle matters and enact the 'Final Shape' once and for all. The Black Fleet once again re-enters the Sol System, with its Pyramid ships settling on various planets in the system.
At this time, the Traveler finally makes its move, removing itself from Earth and appearing as if it would flee like it had done countless times before. In an act that surprises and angers the Witness, the Traveler remains close to Earth and does not move an inch more. The Witness makes its move to approach the Traveler, shrugging off the beam of Light the Traveler propelled its way. The ships the Vanguard sent had been destroyed, and there was nothing to stand in the Witness' way.
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PostsAfter successfully acquiring the Veil, the Witness was able to cut out a triangle-shaped portal into the Traveler. The Witness entered the Pale Heart (the inner world within the Traveler) along with several of its ships, with the Guardians unable to enter the same way. The Guardians were able to gain access to the Pale Heart after making a deal with Riven, doing so also with the help of Mara Sov.
While the Guardians were figuring out a way to get into the Pale Heart, the Witness was putting its plan to bring the 'Final Shape' into motion. It had nearly taken over the Traveler's Light, but the Traveler was actively trying to repel it. With the Guardians inside, the Traveler not only gave subtle hints that were echoed by the dissenters in the Witness' consciousness, but it also gifted the Guardian with a Sword of Light to wound the Witness.
With the knowledge of how to defeat the Witness, 12 Guardians channelled the Traveler's Light through their Ghost and directed it against the Witness' collective consciousness, ending the Witness' reign of terror.
Aftermath
In the aftermath of the Witness' defeat, the Traveler appears to return to being dormant. The triangular portal cut into its surface remains, and it's now leaking both Light and Darkness, as well as regularly spewing the remains of the Witness (known as Echoes) into space.
Without the threat of the Witness, various parties, such as Savathun, now wish to take the Traveler for themselves. From the Witness' death, it was also implied that a new enemy may arise to take its place. It remains to be seen if the new state of the Traveler will present a problem for the Guardians in the future, but there will certainly be those who will take advantage of the new situation.
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Like Follow FollowedDestiny 2
FPS Systems 8.3/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 84/100 Critics Rec: 88% Released August 28, 2017 ESRB T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence Developer(s) Bungie Publisher(s) Bungie Engine Tiger EngineWHERE TO PLAY
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