Wow. Just, wow. You know, for many fans, myself included, there really was only one NPC that I have truly grown to love throughout my time with Destiny 2 and its predecessor. Yes, you guessed it, Cayde-6. If you haven’t already seen the new story trailer for Destiny 2’s upcoming Forsaken expansion, you can check it out above. Alternatively, if you’re avoiding spoilers and pretty much any Destiny 2 article on the internet this week, now is a pretty good time to look away. We’re about to dive into Destiny 2’s most controversial topic.
Still with me? Great! Then let’s not waste any more time and dive right in. There’s no denying that, much like Destiny, Destiny 2 has been through the ringer. The game got off to a great start and then rapidly fell down hill due to a piss poor post-launch DLC roadmap, namely Curse of Osiris and Warmind. Bungie, with feedback in mind, are trying to pull the game back on track by relaying a darker tone. This movement will be most apparent once Forsaken has arrived later this year, Destiny 2’s upcoming and first major expansion.
Bungie first revealed Forsaken a few weeks back and highlighted some of its impressive content features, but it wasn’t until this week that we caught a grasp as to how the story will shape up. The story reveal, seen above, has already split the fanbase. For good reason too, might I add. The trailer showcases a messed up Cayde-6 on his knees alongside his companion ghost. Moments later, his ghost suffers a devastating blast, seemingly killing it in the process. We then get a moment to see the shooter, who appears to be masked.
Seconds after this, we see the shooter aiming his gun directly at Cayde’s head before pulling the trigger, killing everyone’s favorite vanguard. The masked shooter is then revealed to be no one other than Uldren Sov, the Reef Queen’s brother. Yup, that absolute tosser that went missing during The Taken King. Personally, I loved Mara Sov and hope that we get to see her coming back in this expansion, hopefully not aligned with her brother. The trailer finally moves to a still image, showing that of a guardian carrying Cayde’s lifeless body.
Speculation suggests that Cayde-6 can come back to life as Cayde-7 through a number of different lore-informative ways. However, Bungie seems adamant that our one-liner Hunter is gone for good, but are they really willing to pull that trigger? Why, furthermore, would they reveal such a huge plot point in a short teaser trailer? Well, I can answer the latter question for you. Bungie are currently working damage control and are doing everything that they can to entice players back to Destiny 2. So, what better thread to lead with?
Sure, the return of Uldren Sov is interesting enough to gain some turned heads, but nowhere near as interesting as finding out the fate of Destiny’s most loved character. It’s a very clever marketing tool that essentially amounts to “Hey you, yes you, you who no longer play our game – we’re murdering your favorite Hunter but you’ll need to play the game to see what happens next, see you this Fall”. I can tell you, from someone who has given Destiny 2 no love at all lately, I for one cannot wait to get into the game to see what’s what.
I’ve had Destiny 2 in my mind more now than ever before, just off the back of that trailer. So, in regards to enticement, Bungie has easily achieved that goal. Though, this brings us right back full circle to that one underlining question. Have they really just pulled that trigger? I believe they have. If they’re trying to shoot for a darker tone, what better way than to kill off the only comedy that the game relays? Exactly. That’s not to say that we wont see Cayde ever again, and although that’s quite likely, nothing is ever certain.
This is, after all, a sci-fi shooter that literally revolves around life and death. Bungie could easily write Cayde back into the franchise whenever they see fit. Do you watch Game of Thrones? Well, then you’ll be all too familiar with the difference between dead-for-good and Jon-Snow-dead. Stories that have no ties to anything remotely realistic can do whatever the hell they like. If Bungie wants Cayde back, they’ll bring him back. I, however, do not see that happening in the foreseeable future, or at all, to be quite frank. Though, that’s just me.
So, in my humble opinion, I do believe that Bungie has pulled that aforementioned trigger. I also believe, despite how much I absolutely love Cayde, that it’s the best thing for Destiny 2 right now. Curse of Osiris and Warmind did very little to keep me, and many others, entertained. Huge characters were thrown into a campaign that lasted little over a few hours and even then, their screen time was laughable. Having a large game-sized expansion that directly revolves around someone we’ve grown to love, who is now dead, is incredible.
The expansion will waste little time getting to this particular thread, in fact, it’s the end of the first mission that puts us in this position, leaving the rest of the campaign wide open for more twists, turns and hopefully, a confrontation with Uldren Sov to find out why the hell he put a hole in Cayde’s head. The expansion isn’t even out yet and I’m pissed off with Uldren. Forsaken, even from it’s short teaser, has completely caught my interest. This darker tone is what the fans wanted and Bungie seems more than keen to deliver on that request.
That’s not to mention all of the large changes that are coming this year too, such as being able to go back to Destiny’s weapon slot system as well as random rolls for the weaponry. That’s not to mention the upcoming PvPvE Gambit mode, the end-game exclusive location and everything else in between. I’ve been very hard on the game since launch, but now, Bungie has my attention. This, by and large, is their last attempt to win me and many others back over, and I have to say, it’s looking up. Do you agree? Disagree? Hit the comments.
Want to keep up to date with the latest Xt reviews, Xt opinions and Xt content? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
