In-game and Lore
- The opening narration by your Ghost with the release of The Taken King has him describing his search for you, as he was born right when the Traveler died. He speaks of how he watched all the other Ghosts were finding their Guardians, fearing that he'd might never find his Guardian...Ghost: "As I saw the other Ghosts find their Guardians, and the centuries went by, I wondered if I would ever find you. And then, I did."
- It's brief, but in your first mission on the Dreadnaught, with its massive fleet- and Saturn's-Rings-annihilating Wave-Motion Gun, Cayde warns you to be careful because you're essentially completely on your own until you set up transmat zones for future Vanguard explanation (you had to smuggle a stealth drive onto Eris' ship and "borrow" it to get to the Dreadnaught; it's destroyed easily)...and then gatecrash Crota's "funeral" and steal a chunk of his soul:Cayde-6: Eris can replace her ship; we can't replace you.
- Throughout the Taken King questline, Eris continually shows little regard for your safety as she obsesses over the chance to put down the Taken King once and for all. It comes to a head in Lost Rites, where you pull a heist for Crota's Soul, but as you do so, your cloaking fails and the situation goes FUBAR. Cayde-6 attempts to get you out while Eris demands you steal more of Crota's Soul. Unable to escape, and after Oryx's Elites finally show up, Eris makes the risk of using dark magic to teleport you out of there.Eris: There is nothing I fear more than the darkness. But I will NOT lose another Guardian.
- Paradox is one part downer and three parts creep fest, especially during the alternate version where Praedyth directly implies that the Vex will continue to exist due to your very intervention. However, even still, the alternate route ends on a surprisingly hopeful note as he lets you know that despite that, you still prove that the Guardians are not bound by fate and probability.Praedyth: The Vex won't spare the city. They won't even thank you. But that's the thing about Light: you never know where it'll shine.
- The Quest for the Exotic Khvostov is big romp through the opening sequence (if albeit ravaged by the Splicers), taking you back to familiar places as you fight to put together the very first gun you obtain in the game. After you put the gun together and test it on the crew of a Devil's Ketch, your Ghost invites you to the overlook of the ruined highway as he shares some words with you.Ghost: "Every Ghost is born knowing that we have to find our Guardian. We don't know what they look like. Not on the outside, anyway. On the inside, I'd always known who you were. And that together, we could be something more. When you think think about everything we've seen, everything we've done, I feel like... I made the right choice. [...] Thanks - you know - for being my Guardian.
- And for those who didn't get to see this moment, or even knew of its existence, Bungie made sure you had the chance by implanting it as the Lore entry for the Season 3 Ghost shell appropriately titled "The Right Choice."
- The Festival of the Lost is a short but fun Breather Episode for the in-game world. Much like real life Halloween, The Festival is a celebration in rememberence for those who've died, including the Guardians; a grand and fun recognition of the Guardians' efforts. And with it, you turn the many monsters and demons that threatened humanity into little more jokes and bedtime stories, with various masks created in their likeness for fun. After all, the best way you can tell something is no longer a threat is when you can laugh at it, right?
- The Dawning event acts as the thematic counterpart of the Festival of the Lost. Done with paying respects to the lost, it celebrates everything humanity has succeeded in as well as everything it will create, as well as featuring the Sparrow Racing League. Again, signs that humanity is slowly but surely gaining back what is lost, from beloved festivals to competitive sports.
- The grimoire card for The Dawning is a conversation between Eva Levante and Eris Morn. Surprisingly, Eris is helping Eva as she readies her Dawning event. Eris, being the nihilistic downer she is, wonders what's the point in pretending to have fun and hope. Eva calmly asserts that rather than pretending, she is genuinely interested in having fun and hope for a better future, musing that Guardians who have hope in their hearts and the capacity to see a better future will be the ones to save them. Accepting this line of thinking, Eris wishes Eva a happy Dawning. Eva's cheery disposition is especially powerful, considering she lost her entire family as they made their way to the Last City, so if anyone has a right to give up, it's Eva, and yet she continues to hold on to hope.
- If you read the Grimoire entry dedicated to Eris herself, you'll find that once the Age of Triumph began, and the the City is safe, Eris decided to move on and continue the fight elsewhere. Instead of boiling in her fear and hunger for revenge and nihilistic loss of hope, Eris leaves the City and takes the fight on to the rest of the Hive.
- The first thing you're tasked with from Eva Levante is delivering various gifts from her to the Vanguard Commanders (books for Ikora, loaded dice for Cayde, and a scarf for Zavala), all three of whom love their gifts without a hint of sarcasm. Crochet enthusiast and instructor Zavala in particular is overjoyed (if subdued about it) in contrast to his usual stoic demeanor.Commander Zavala: "Remarkably even stitches, and the finishing is excellent! And she used merino!
Ah. Excuse my enthusiasm, Guardian. Please send [Eva Levante] my regards."
- During the base game, the Speaker said that people no longer told children scary stories about the Darkness, because they were already too frightened to begin with. But during the Age of Triumph trailer, the Speaker says that now, the children are no longer afraid of the Darkness, and instead tells stories about your triumphs in defeating its greatest champions. After three years of fighting, you've given the Last City something more than mere survival. You have given them hope.
- During Rise of Iron, Lady Efrideet makes her return to officiate the Iron Banner since Lord Saladin is busy leading the campaign against the Devil Splicers. We're treated to a short and sweet cutscene of Efrideet coming upon Saladin at Felwinter's peak and teasing him over why she's the only Iron Lord without a statue. The look on Saladin's face of familiarity and relief that one of his old friends is still alive could melt the snow outside the temple.
- The official reveal for Destiny 2: The Cabal have launched a full-scale attack on the Last City and have taken control of it. Once again humanity has lost everything. Instead of letting themselves fall immediately onto the path to another Dark Age, the Guardians still prove to be the symbol of hope, especially as we see a small child and a Titan help a Hunter out of some wreckage so she can get back into the fight.'
