“Welcome to a world without light,” Ghaul says as he motions towards the Traveler, allowing me to witness the moment that my Titan was cut off from its power. His voice is deep; imposing yet intelligent. There’s a cunning to Ghaul that we’ve yet to see from Destiny’s villains, something that makes him far more scary than any threat we’ve faced so far. He’s not an otherworldly god or a time-traveling robot, but he has the strict military acumen of the Cabal and his mission against the Traveler and those who wield its light is personal. It takes Bungie less than 30 seconds to make Ghaul feel like a worthy villain at the conclusion of the opening mission, Homecoming.
I detailed Homecoming and its emotional impact when I played it at the reveal event, but the Destiny 2 Beta added a fair amount to the beginning and end that I hadn’t seen before. It turns out that Cayde has a presence in the mission too, so you’ll be interacting with all three members of the Vanguard in combat roles, a desperate yet fruitless play to fight off the Red Legion. You’ll see familiar areas in a place you once called home, now riddled with flames and rubble. Finally, after a unique sequence destroying the Cabal’s shield generator, comes the scene we didn’t see. Ghaul himself, in all of his long-suffering and calculated capacity.
As the Traveler is captured, my Titan stumbles, the pale visage of light fading from his body. Ghost ...