The Destiny 2 season 19 finale launched today, creating an emotional turning point in a storyline that drew together throughlines dating back as far as the original Destiny to culminate in one of the most memorable quests in the game’s history. The finale, ominously titled Final Dawn, brings together the stories of humanity, the Eliksni, and the Awoken in a fight against time to face forces led by Eramis, an Eliksni leader who holds a vendetta against the Traveler for leaving her people when they needed it the most. Eramis is also the primary villain in Destiny 2 Beyond Light and is now working alongside The Witness, a many-faced creature players first saw at the finale of The Witch Queen campaign in the popular FPS game.
This season, players saw Ana Bray tap into the consciousness of her grandfather, Clovis Bray, to help restore Rasputin, an AI Warmind. By the end of the season, it’s clear that Rasputin may be humanity’s only hope to save them from the threats of Eramis, Xivu Ararth, and The Witness. However, things don’t pan out exactly how one might expect.
Final Dawn is one of the most important story beats in the history of the Destiny 2 franchise. Further, the primary quest mission Abhorrent Imperative is playable only on Legend difficulty with a capped power level of 1350. The result is challenging and fulfilling, a strong precursor to what players can expect come Lightfall amid difficulty tweaks outlined by Destiny 2 game director Joe Blackburn.
The quest line also offers insight into how the Guardian will discover the city of Neomuna, set to debut in Lightfall, and various other tidbits as to why the Neptunian city may be important to Guardians and the forthcoming Destiny 2 Strand subclass.
The emotional finale closes the door on one of the best expansions in Destiny 2 history, rivalling other fan-favourite DLC such as Forsaken and the original Destiny’s The Taken King. The mission also sets up the possibilities of Lightfall, which Bungie intends to be the game’s penultimate expansion, and should answer long-standing questions about The Witness and Guardians’ relationship to the Light and Darkness. (For more insight into The Witness’s role in the Destiny franchise, see our recent interview with Destiny 2 Lightfall writers Liz Baker and Nikko Stevens.)
Those who wish to play the mission must own The Witch Queen expansion and the season pass for season 19, called Season of the Seraph. Players must also catch up on all story missions, which will unlock the final mission. Those who complete the mission will earn a special ship and an Ascendant Shard.
If the finale mission has you excited about what’s to come, check out our Destiny 2 Lightfall release date guide and Destiny 2 season 20 guide to learn what’s coming in one of the best multiplayer games that players can find on PC.