Destiny 2 players haven’t seen a new enemy faction since the Forsaken expansion over five years ago. There is a reason why players hold Forsaken as a prime example of what an expansion should be, and that reason is why Destiny 2 needs a new enemy faction more than ever.
Every year since Forsaken, players have been clamoring for a new race of foes to challenge themselves against. Unfortunately, for the past five years, we have had nothing but reskinned versions of what we’ve been battling against since the start of Destiny 1. At this point, I’m sure some of the community would even enjoy another kind of Taken faction that takes the enemies we know and fundamentally changes them to feel very different. Sadly, none of that has been or looks to be a thing.
The closest thing players got to a new enemy faction was Lightfall’s Tormentor miniboss and The Witch Queen’s Hive Lightbearers. It is simply not enough because neither of those things offer enough variety and replayability. Because you aren’t going to see Lucent Brood outside of The Witch Queen content, nor Tormentor’s outside of Lightfall content. Whereas a whole new faction can and has been the focus of an entire season or even multiple expansions. Which is exactly what happened with the Scorn being found in three separate Destinations, Strikes, Dungeons, Gambit, etc.
A new enemy faction could also benefit Bungie as a company. Most notably, they could use the inclusion of a new faction to draw hype for an upcoming expansion or seasonal content, potentially increasing preorders. Especially if those reveals offer even greater challenges than before. Additionally, a new flashy enemy faction in trailers might both bring in new players as well as returning veterans. So, what would a new enemy Faction look like in the Bungie universe?
Well, years ago, there was some concept art revealed at a convention where Destiny 1 was present and talked about. During the time they were on stage, they showed off concept art for a race of bug-like people with features that earned them the name ‘Moth People.’ While it is said that these moth people eventually became the Hive as the concept was developed, I feel like Bungie could return to that concept and turn it into something new for players to enjoy.
What I could imagine for a future episode beyond The Final Shape, or even in The Final Shape would be two opposing races of these Moth people that have lived in the Traveler for millennia, are not very technologically advanced, but use, cultivate, and evolve the powers of Light and Dark in opposing ways. I feel like Bungie could craft a story around these two opposing Moth civilizations that gives players the choice to join one side or the other.
Then after the end of The Final Shape, these two new factions could be organically added to pre-existing PvE content after escaping the Traveler. If I’m being honest, that is one thing that I was quite disappointed with regarding the Lucent Brood’s Hive Lightbearers. That they never showed up as a surprise encounter in non-Witch Queen content. What a missed opportunity! Strikes, Nightfalls, and Dungeons could have easily been spiced up if Bungie created a system where certain encounters could be a buffed version of anything already in the game.
Whenever we do get a new enemy faction from Bungie, I hope it is utilized in as many ways as possible. Players like new content, but they also like surprises and unpredictability. Take Warframe, for example. If you kill a boss, then there is a chance that during a random future mission that you will be invaded and hunted by a powerful geared enemy called the Stalker that fights like a fellow Warframe. I think it would be wise for Bungie to tap into something like that for Destiny 2 going forward—especially when that enemy is part of a newly introduced enemy faction.
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