Destiny 2 The Final Shape ending explained, including what's next

Destiny 2's Final Shape is here, and for most of the die-hard fanbase, it lived up to expectations. In our review we called it "the new gold standard of Destiny", thanks to its impressive tying up of the series' "Light and Darkness" saga that began with the first game a decade ago.

It's been a long journey from the Cosmodrome to inside The Traveler, but Final Shape closes things out nicely - while hinting at what's to come. Here's a rundown of the expansion's epic ending, including the setup for the upcoming episodic content.

Destiny 2's Final Shape plot summary

After the events of Lightfall, the Vanguard sends Crow into The Traveler via an Ahamkara wish. When he arrives, he's greeted by Cayde-6, the former Hunter Vanguard that he killed in a prior life as Uldren... awkward.

Realising Crow is no longer the man he once was, Cayde begins teaching him, and they work within The Traveler to find out what the Witness is trying to do. Crow's arrival in The Traveler allows his sister, Queen Mara, to open a portal for our Guardian, Commander Zavala, and Ikora Rey to get inside, albeit via a crash-landing that scatters them within the Pale Heart, the location within The Traveler where the expansion is set.

The Pale Heart is a physical manifestation of things The Traveler has seen, including a version of The Last City, as well as the Witness' corruption, manifesting as spikes, thorns, and hands throughout the space.

While exploring, the Guardian finds Cayde-6, but not before experiencing their first taste of Prismatic - a new power which melds Light and Dark together. The two help rescue Crow, who had been led into a cave where The Witness attempted to promise him his deepest desires: Power, and his sister's love.

The gang then catch up with Ikora, and then Zavala, with the latter found in the physical manifestation of his memory of his home. The Witness suggests to Zavala he can be reunited with his wife and son if he gives in to Darkness, but Ikora prevents him from doing so.

While tracking a powerful source of Light, Crow explains to Cayde that alongside the Wish that brought him into the Traveler, he wished for Cayde to return. The powerful Light source ends up being a facsimile of the Guardian's initial resurrection by Ghost and grants a powerful new Super ability.

The gang works to find other sources of Light to commune with The Traveler, finding one in the Pale Heart which is protected by a Hive Wizard called Luzaku, who broke away from Savathun's Lucent brood. Cayde communes with The Traveler and sees a vision of his ghost, Sundance, who repeats "Devotion inspires bravery, bravery inspires sacrifice, sacrifice leads to death" - the Guardian creed.

Zavala, disappointed in the lack of answers from The Traveler and perhaps swayed more than expected by the temptation of a family reunion, leaves the group (and his ghost, Targe), and heads to find The Witness alone. In tracking him down, it is revealed that the veiled statues we've seen since the Shadowkeep expansion are dissenters of The Witness - parts of its species that it cut out when it created itself.

While the dissenters help the Guardian find Zavala and explain that The Witness can be "unmade", Targe sacrifices himself to prevent The Witness from taking him - leaving Zavala Lightless.

The Final Shape's ending explained

The Guardian then pushes ahead to a ritual site, the Sacrarium, where they battle The Witness and The Traveler gives them a sword of Light with which to destroy the beings within The Witness. Doing so weakens it, but it casts the Guardian out, before transforming into a huge monster.

This is where the Salvation's Edge fits in the timeline, as six Guardians battle The Witness and weaken it, before Excision (a post-launch mission) lets 12 players band together to finally defeat it by channelling the Guardian's energy through Ghost, destroying our floating friend in the process. It's also worth noting that Zavala takes up Stasis powers as part of the final battle, coming full circle from his distrust of Darkness.

Afterwards, Cayde sacrifices himself to bring back Ghost, saying it was "his choice". While sad to have lost their friend again, the Vanguard celebrates its victory, along with their allies. Crow becomes the new Hunter Vanguard, while "Echoes" of The Witness are fired into space following its destruction (more on those in a moment).

As for our enemies, Xivu Arath is in hiding (we severed her from her Throne World in Season of the Witch, essentially making her mortal), while Eramis of House Salvation is also missing. Savathun, as she often does, is continuing to try to make a mess of things, waging war in the Pale Heart.

The Traveler is also bleeding paracausal energy into space, and while the Vanguard and their allies have enforced a no-fly zone, there's every chance that'll come into play in the future.

What's next?

Those three Echoes of The Witness will essentially kickstart their own episodes within the next year of Destiny.

Episode 1: Echoes has already begun, with the Vex acting strangely, leading the Guardian to Nessus to investigate with Saint and Osiris.

Episode 2 is dubbed Revenant, and will focus on Fikrul as it leans into players tackling the Scorn and Fallen again, while Episode 3: Heresy will be focused on the Hive again - expect big things from Xivu Arath and Savathun there.