Who is The Witness in Destiny 2?

Destiny 2 is awash with a never-ending supply of new and exciting lore to put all the sci-fi shooter action into context. With every new expansion, the game seems to drop a fresh shadowy figure, promising the threat of a new final boss on the horizon.

The Witness was finally revealed by the end of The Witch Queen DLC. The haunting figure has been alluded to in previous dialogue, but the grand reveal is finally here. The Witness will be an essential figure in the future of the game.

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The Witness in Destiny 2

The big reveal at the end of Destiny 2's Witch Queen expansion is that the eponymous villain Savathun isn't the real enemy. The final cutscene finally reveals the striking appearance of The Witness, with some chilling implications.

The Witness's big reveal isn't the most narratively rich moment in the game. The Witness emerges from a black sludge, proclaims "the game" to be over, and unveils a seemingly infinite liminal space. As planets float through the unnamed void, The Witness approaches an armada of Black Fleet ships.

Most of what fans can know about The Witness comes from the statements of Savathun. Some statements are contradictory, however. The Witness is referred to as the being that birthed the Darkness. It serves as its physical emissary.

The Witness was likely once a mortal being but is now something akin to a hive mind or gestalt entity. It uses plural pronouns when referring to itself. Though much of The Witness's history is unknown, fans know a few critical things.

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What has The Witness done in Destiny 2?

Destiny 2 has managed to tell many stories throughout main quests, side missions, and cutscenes. The Witness has significantly influenced the narrative, but mainly from the shadows.

The Witness has existed for an unknowably long time, but most of its early history is unknown. The first big moment made explicit for the character came when The Witness visited a planet called Lubrae.

On that planet, The Witness made a disciple of a warrior named Rhulk. Rhulk was betrayed and left for dead by his clan, so he served it as its enforcer when The Witness saved his life. The Witness converted Rhulk to worshipping the Darkness, then used the warrior as a weapon to do its bidding.

The Witness used Rhulk to subjugate the Worms, which is then used to plunge the Krill into the Darkness. The Worms were a vital tool in The Witness's scheme to transform the young Sathona into The Witch Queen.

The Witness meets the Guardian and proclaims themself the salvation of humanity, with some dark implications. The Witness used their mastery of the Darkness to seize Mercury, Titan, and Io from the galaxy and deposit them in an alternate realm.

The Witness' final moment in Destiny 2 features it declaring that it has seen enough and will be taking action soon. Players will have to wait and see what The Witness has in store in the next expansion, Lightfall.