Destiny 2's upcoming "planet" is both familiar and profoundly strange
Destiny 2: The Final Shape | Travel into The Traveler Trailer
The Pale Heart – the new location in Destiny 2: The Final Shape, located inside The Traveler – is more like a Destiny-themed funhouse than a brand new destination. And while that might sound like a boring or even disappointing way to end the first Destiny saga, it's actually one of the most striking and engaging destinations in the franchise's 10-year history.
When I visited Bungie HQ, I was able to explore The Pale Heart of The Traveler and learn more about exactly how the studio is using Destiny nostalgia to fuel the end of the Light and Dark saga. It's a risky move to lean so heavily on the past, a fact that Bungie's Catarina Macedo, Destiny 2 expansions project lead, and Ben Wommack, Destiny 2's battleground lead, are well aware.
"The pale heart is shaped specifically by the memories of whoever is there," Macedo said. This is why there is a very "earthly" feel to the beginning of The Pale Heart, and why the original Destiny's Tower plays such a large role in the safer half of space, as it is influenced by the player character's memories. Meanwhile, the other half of the destination is controlled by The Witness, which inspires a darker, scarier and more abstract environment.
