Destiny 2: What transpired from Beyond Light up until Witch Queen?

The Witch Queen campaign was probably the most exciting in Destiny 2. It saw the arrival of Savathun in her full glory, and Guardians raced against time to stop her from successfully executing her plans.

Going by the lore in the game, Savathun tried to take the fight to the Witness and the Black Fleet. The Witness is an entity that controls Darkness, just like the Traveler controls the light.

Interestingly enough, the seeds for the Witness' arrival were planted even before Savathun became a threat in Destiny 2.

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What happened during Beyond Light campaign in Destiny 2?

During Beyond Light, Guardians got to get their hands on the powers controlled by the Darkness for the first time. Stasis was the first darkness power that the Guardians got to wield. All this happened after a strange pyramid landed on Europa in Destiny 2.

The pyramid on Europa wasn't the only strange occurrence. Several locations like Mars, Io, Mercury, and Titan went missing. However, these weren't the reasons why the Guardian went to Europa.

They went there while responding to a distress signal. Variks of House Judgement, an Eliksni, had sent that distress signal because he was being hunted by other Eliksni, led by Eramis Kell in Destiny 2.

Eramis was one of the Fallen leaders that Variks had helped in escaping from the Prison of Elders during the events of Forsaken. This Fallen leader had then gone to Europa and started gathering Golden Age tech to launch an attack on the Tower. But their plan failed.

Following their failure, Eramis went back to Europa and established the city of Riis-Reborn. It was here that she discovered Clovis Bray's research on Darkness.

She also found a conduit called Clarity Control linked to the intelligence behind Darkness. Upon further digging, Eramis got her hands on Splinters of Darkness, which allowed her to control the power of Stasis, one of the first darkness powers.

Although the Vanguard and Zavala weren't happy about the Guardian's use of Stasis, it proved to be influential in defeating Eramis. To stop Eramis, The Guardian communed with the Darkness and gained control over Stasis.

Once the Guardian defeated Eramis Kell, they ventured into Deep Stone Crypt with their Fireteam to conquer the last of Eramis' lieutenants, Atraks.

Despite being able to control Stasis, many Guardians were corrupted by Stasis, and thus the first waves of Darkness were finally being felt in the Solar System.

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Destiny 2: Season of the Hunt

While the Vanguard was busy on Europa, Osiris, the legendary Warlock, began investigating the disappearance of Mars, Io, Mercury, and Titan. During these investigations, he came across the High Celebrant of Xivu Arath.

After a fierce battle with the High Celebrant, Osiris somehow survived because his ghost Sagira sacrificed herself to save her Guardian.

Now ghostless, Osiris set out on a journey to kill the High Celebrant of Xivu Arath after sending a message to the Vanguard about everything that transpired. Osiris managed to locate the High Celebrant and was engaged in a deadly battle again, but he was mortal.

The Guardian rushed to the Moon to help Osiris and arrived just in time only to see that Osiris had been saved by a "freelance" Lightbearer called The Crow, who was none other than Uldren Sov himself, the man who had murdered Cayde-6.

The Crow worked for Spider, the planetary vendor on the Tangled Shore. But just like every other Lightbearer, he had no memory of who he was before he was a Guardian.

When the Darkness first arrived in the Solar System, Savathun tried to interfere with the signals that Eris Morn intercepted. Failing to prevent the Vanguard from controlling the Darkness, Savathun went into hiding, thereby allowing Xivu Arath to consolidate her power.

Xivu Arath sent Cryptoliths to the Tangled Shore, EDZ, and the Moon to strengthen her position, which turned creatures into the Wrathborn in Destiny 2. With the help of Spider, Osiris, and Crow, the Guardian managed to defeat the Wrathborn and ultimately the High Celebrant.

In exchange for dealing with the threat, the Guardian asked for Crows' freedom, which Spider granted.

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Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen

After everything that transpired during the Season of the Hunt, Xivu Arath wreaked havoc on Torobatl, the Cabal home world. With Torobatl destroyed, Caitl, the successor to the Cabal throne, escaped with her people and allies with the rest of the Red Legion while seeking an alliance with the Vanguard in Destiny 2.

She demanded that the Vanguard join her against the Hive, with Commander Zavala and the others being subservient to her. This did not sit well with the Vanguard.

Simultaneously, Caitl also organized something known as the Proving Grounds, where Cabal warriors participated in a fight to the death for a spot on her war council.

While all this was happening, the Vanguard and the Cabal maintained some positive diplomatic relations. Unhappy with this bloodbath, the former sent their Fireteams to disrupt the activity.

While meeting with Caitl, rogue Cabal Psions tried assassinating Zavala on two different occasions. Both times, it was Crow who saved the Commander's life in Destiny 2.

Finally aware of Crow's true identity, Zavala extended a hand of friendship to him for saving his life but was upset that his close friends kept Crow's identity from him.

The Glykon, a strange Cabal ship, was discovered during this time. After boarding it, the Guardian found traces of experiments Calus had tried to conduct with the Crown of Sorrow, a powerful Hive artifact in Destiny 2.

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Destiny 2: Season of the Splicer

After the Season of the Chosen events, the Vex covered the Last City in an endless night, a state of perpetual Darkness. The city kept losing power during the Endless Night, and people fell sick.

The Vanguard saved a Fallen House Captain, Mithrax, who claimed to have technology that could help end the endless night. The Vanguard rescued Mithrax and granted his followers sanctuary in the Last City itself, which was looked down upon by Lakshmi-2 and the Future War Cult.

Lakshmi-2 tried to gain allies and caused an uprising in the Last City against the Eliksni residing there. Her main plan was to overthrow the Vanguard.

She tried to gain the support of Saint-14 as well. However, during his interactions with Mithrax, Saint-14 changed his heart and vowed to protect the Eliksni residing in the Last City.

With the help of Mithrax, The Guardian managed to end the Endless Night. Lakshmi-2 lost her life as well, and all turned calm in the Last City.

This was when Savathun revealed herself in Destiny 2. She had been hiding under the guise of Osiris all this time.

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Destiny 2: Season of the Lost

Savathun got into a cocoon of sorts and brokered a deal with Mara Sov, the Queen of the Reef. Savathun promised to return Osiris if Mara helped exorcise her Worm Familiar.

This Worm Familiar is a parasite and happens to be the source of the Hive's power. To conduct this exorcism, Mara would need the help of her Techuns, lost in the Ascendant Plane.

The Guardian went into the Ascendant Plane and aligned the key lines that helped guide the lost Techuns back to Queen Mara in Destiny 2.

Finally, after months of preparation, Mara Sov began the exorcism of Savathun's worm. During this activity, Xivu Arath's forces attacked the Dreaming City.

The Guardian, along with Saint-14, held the fort while Mara Sov finished the exorcism. Once it was complete, Savathun quickly swapped places with Osiris, foiling the Queen's plan to execute her after the exorcism.

With Osiris back and under Saint-14's care, the Guardian and the Vanguard ventured into Savathun's Throne World in Destiny 2.

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Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

After being exorcised of her Worm Familiar, Savathun made it to her Throne World and raised her Light bearing Hive. Initially, it looked like Savathun was trying to control the Traveller, but that wasn't the case.

Savathun was trying to protect the Traveller from the Witness, the entity behind the Darkness. After a lot of work, the Guardian finally defeated the Witch Queen.

During these conquests, the Guardian found that Savathun's Worm Familiar tricked her into believing that her race would be exterminated, causing her to turn to the Darkness in Destiny 2.

However, without the Worm Familiar, Savathun was free from the Darkness and was trying to defeat the Witness and her sister Xivu Arath. With the Witch Queen finally defeated, the Vanguard braced itself for the impending arrival of the Black Fleet and the Witness, leading into the Season of the Haunted in Destiny 2.