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.
Following the decade-long narrative climax of Destiny 2`s “The Final Shape” in 2024, the game embarks on a fresh chapter with “The Edge of Fate.” This expansion ventures into new narrative territory, charting Destiny`s course for the foreseeable future and establishing the foundation for its next grand story arc.
A significant shift introduced in “The Edge of Fate” is the new planetoid Kepler and a story deeply intertwined with the Nine. These potent interdimensional entities, historically existing in the periphery of Destiny 2`s lore and connected to the solar system`s planets, now take a central, direct role in driving the narrative.
At the core of this new storyline is Lodi, a character unlike any seen before in Destiny. Lodi is not a Guardian, resurrected by the Traveler with extraordinary powers. Instead, he is a man displaced in time, offering a perspective more akin to a player`s own than that of the futuristic space wizards commonly encountered. Lodi`s unique background stems from the 1960s, where he was a member of the U.S. government`s Department of External Observation (DEO), an organization dedicated to tracking extraterrestrial life. This introduction brings a wealth of new lore, providing an unprecedented look into Destiny`s past. The Collector`s Edition of “The Edge of Fate” even hints at the DEO`s investigation into the Kennedy Assassination, sparking fan speculation about Lodi`s potential involvement.
These numerous changes in Destiny 2 have naturally raised many questions. To address some of these, our team conducted an email interview with narrative director Alison Lührs, delving into the new elements introduced in “The Edge of Fate” and Bungie`s evolving approach to the game`s ongoing narrative.
An Interview with Alison Lührs, Narrative Director
GameSpot: With Lodi, Ikora, and Orin, “The Edge of Fate” explores intriguing themes of fate, free will, and identity. What was the intended portrayal with this expansion, and what message do you hope players take away?
Alison Lührs: Our primary goal was to launch the Fate Saga with a fundamental question that challenges a core Destiny belief: “Guardians make their own fate”—but is this truly the case? In this release, each character faces fate differently, and their responses reveal their evolving identities. We want players to ponder this profound question and begin to ask deeper questions about the Destiny universe.
The Light and Darkness Saga was commendable for its narrative synergy, though it took time to develop, often starting with smaller, standalone stories. Destiny 2`s storytelling frequently involves planting seeds for future plotlines rather than adhering to a rigid plan. How is the team approaching the planning of this new “saga”?
AL: We already know the conclusion of the Fate Saga! When planning this new arc, we aimed for narrative success by establishing a clear end goal. We envision the story structure as a skeleton: the basic framework is known, but the methods to achieve it are flexible. This allows us to embed elements early on that will culminate at the saga`s conclusion, resulting in a rich narrative that also provides creative flexibility as we progress.
“The Humanity Is In The Writing,” Destiny 2 Lodi Actor Says
What key lessons were learned from the Light and Darkness saga and its culmination in “The Final Shape”? How will these influence Destiny 2`s storytelling moving forward?
AL: “The Final Shape” was my first expansion, and the biggest lesson was validating the theory that our players are deeply invested in our characters. When we invest in them, it resonates with everyone. “The Final Shape” was essentially an ensemble character study, and its success confirmed that we can delve deeply into character development in the way our fans desire. Expect more new allies, deeper connections with familiar faces, and a greater emphasis on character choices driving the world`s progression.
While “The Edge of Fate” appears to establish many long-term narrative threads, “Renegades” sounds like it might be a more self-contained story. How is the overall storytelling approach evolving for Destiny 2, from one expansion to the next? Is there still interest at Bungie in pursuing large, long-term narratives, similar to recent years?
AL: Actually, “Renegades” directly continues from “Edge of Fate”; it`s an integral part of the broader Fate Saga. We deliberately chose not to make it a standalone or “bottle episode,” believing players would engage more deeply if it were inherently linked to the overarching story. We will be exploring the repercussions of III’s death and the actions of the other Nine in response.
Recent seasons effectively focused on character development, dedicating considerable attention to one or two characters without the demands of a high-stakes expansion. How does the shift to episodes affect how you approach Destiny 2`s narrative?
AL: We believe we can achieve both. We aim to maintain a strong focus on central characters while demonstrating how their decisions and relationships impact the world in significant ways. “Edge of Fate” exemplifies this model—rather than juggling over ten characters, we concentrated on a select few to explore their stories in depth.
One of the more interesting structural aspects of this campaign was the non-linear nature of many missions, allowing players to experience moments with specific characters in varying orders. Can you elaborate on the approach to crafting “The Edge of Fate`s” story and designing these missions to be compelling and contribute to the whole, regardless of the play order?
AL: First, we outlined a concise, seven-sentence core story. Then, we identified all the pertinent knowledge—character facts, world revelations, and lore—and allocated them to specific locations we knew players would visit. Each area, or biome, has a distinct narrative theme and holds knowledge unique to that region. This ensures that no single area`s understanding is dependent on prior knowledge from another. Players can explore the initial areas in any preferred order, and subsequent side quests unlock based on their progression. It was an enjoyable and enlightening experience to approach storytelling this way.
The Nine are among the most enigmatic and fascinating elements of Destiny 2 lore. What were the challenges in transitioning the Nine from an unknowable background presence to characters who actively interact with players?
AL: The challenge with the Nine lies in preserving their alien nature while ensuring players can comprehend them—not just their existence, but their individual identities and motivations. We began by reviewing existing lore, understanding the divisions among them, and then delving into what each of the Nine desires. We conducted extensive research on established text for the Nine, and it was immensely satisfying to build upon that foundation and flesh them out as distinct characters.
Are there plans to fully embrace the peculiar (in a complimentary way) aspects of the Nine, considering elements like the Space Horse, Xur, and the possibilities offered by extra-dimensional beings? Is it difficult to balance these disparate elements of the Nine`s “character”?
AL: It`s incredibly fun! One of the great pleasures of crafting a vast space epic is finding organic ways to connect seemingly disparate elements. Storytelling, for us, is an act of listening—listening to what we`ve already established and listening to what players find engaging. Discovering how everything interweaves is a truly enjoyable exercise in narrative connection.
Lodi stands out as the first Destiny character who feels relatable to actual players, given his frame of reference is much closer to our contemporary era than the Golden Age inhabitants of Destiny`s future. He`s more of an ordinary person than any Guardian, offering a compelling new perspective. Could you discuss the decision to introduce a more contemporary character, the inspirations behind Lodi, and the challenges of integrating such a character into the story?
AL: The moment we decided to tell a story centered on time, we knew we needed a character within our ensemble to embody that theme. Time travel exists in Destiny, so we were leveraging a familiar element but aimed to approach it uniquely. This involved taking a significant risk: we could have simply had our time traveler originate from the Golden Age, but from a player`s perspective, that still feels like the future. We also 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 would this character not know, and what unique insights would they possess that our other characters lack?
Once we committed to this idea, the paramount concern was ensuring the character felt unequivocally like they belonged in Destiny. We achieved this by making sure Lodi embodied core Destiny principles: themes of hope, identity, and a strong connection to existing Destiny elements.
With these guidelines, the pieces aligned: this character needed to be optimistic, their journey had to involve a search for identity, and—conveniently—we needed a new Emissary.
For Lodi himself, we enjoyed imagining the ideal candidate for time travel. To us, that meant a diplomat, someone skilled with language, possessing high charisma, and most importantly, someone players would genuinely want to spend time with.
The Department of External Observations (DEO) is a substantial but mysterious part of “The Edge of Fate,” differing from the typical scientific organizations in Destiny 2. What inspired the DEO, and what led to its inclusion in the story?
AL: We envisioned the DEO as a blend of NASA and the Men in Black. Destiny often explores “Big Science,” and we were excited to showcase an organization that formed the philosophical bedrock for so much of our world. The DEO believes in approaching extraterrestrial life with open arms, a value that persists into Destiny`s future. The genre of New Weird offers a rich tapestry of examples across media, and we are keen to explore it further.
The DEO`s introduction provided an unprecedented direct look into Destiny 2`s past. Given the Nine`s time-manipulation abilities, how, if at all, is the team considering the history of Destiny 2? While time travel has always been an integral and fascinating story element, do you anticipate it becoming a more prominent part of the overall experience moving forward?
AL: Rest assured, we are not fully embracing time travel; we won`t find ourselves on a 1970s island with a Dharma Initiative scenario. We intend to treat time travel with extreme caution, as it’s easily mishandled—I do not foresee time travel becoming a significantly larger component of our experience going forward.
However, it`s crucial to understand that in Destiny`s universe, we approach our past with the same optimism that Destiny views its future. The past in Destiny is not identical to our own.
So—did Lodi assassinate JFK? Was it the Nine? Is there a sprawling string 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 planned to watch his nephew’s peewee football game.
More seriously, this is a fun Easter egg that we`re thrilled to see fans get excited about! Lee Harvey Oswald was indeed the culprit in this world, just as in ours, but the weapon used was suspiciously extraterrestrial. The DEO acquired this weapon, successfully reverse-engineered it, and utilized the discovered technology to initiate the Graviton Project. Dr. Nella Davis, a DEO mathematician, played a key role in developing the proofs for this technology, which later led to the creation of the Graviton Lance. Yes, that one.
If Destiny 2 were to, hypothetically, send players to Old Chicago in the future, would “The Bean” (Cloud Gate) still be there?
AL: No, but surprisingly, the Adams/Wabash station is perfectly intact.
Anything you wish to add?
AL: We are diligently working on Renegades, refining our story to be its absolute best, and the most exciting part is ██ ██ █ ████████ ████ ██ ███ ████ ████ ███ ████ ██ █████ ████.
