The Hive have been one of Destiny 2’s more grotesque enemies since the franchise kicked off. As agents of the Darkness, the Hive are cruel and violent, killing for the sake of their Sword Logic and paying tribute to the Hive Gods. This, coupled with their affinity for claustrophobic environments that are almost untouched by the Light, has also made the Hive one of the more terrifying enemies in Destiny 2.
While the Scorn could give the Hive a run for their money when playing into the dark and supernatural, the Hive has long been a point of concern for Guardians. Crota was a menace in The Dark Below expansion and its raid, Crota’s End; some of Destiny’s most definitive moments forcing players to grapple with the Hive. Shadowkeep picked up where The Dark Below left off, and now with the launch of The Witch Queen the focus will be on the Hive again. This creates a great opportunity for The Witch Queen to reassert how terrifying the Hive can be, leaning into the more horrific aspects of the race and their environments.
The Witch Queen's Lost Sectors
There’s already been talk about the focus of The Witch Queen expansion getting Guardians to feel terror. While often portrayed as the heroes in Destiny 2, the immortal Guardians instill fear for many across the universe. Drawing on this approach, The Witch Queen introduces the Lucent Brood, forcing players to come to terms with the fear they instill in different races, and the fact they are no longer alone in wielding their power.
While this will likely be a great way to tap into the Hive's more terrifying aspects, there should be more done to draw out fear. Since The Witch Queen will also give players unfettered access to Savathun’s throne world, it should play into that. The latest Witch Queen trailer highlights some of its locations, and while they prescribe to the Hive’s general architecture, they don’t appear to focus much on making Guardians feel afraid in an alien location. The Lost Sectors of Savathun’s throne world could be a great way to underscore this and force players into the dark, congested pockets the Hive are known for.
A good comparison may be the hidden tunnels and obscure locations used on Oryx’s Dreadnaught. The Taken King expansion, while introducing its own levels of terror with the Taken, did well to create an environment that was winding and claustrophobic. While it was a location to be explored, it also felt like a prison players had to venture through as they grappled with threats aboard the Hive God’s ship. Using these design aspects for inspiration could allow The Witch Queen expansion to introduce Lost Sectors and other areas that feel unique when compared to the previous ones used throughout Destiny 2, especially as the new Lucent brood are the main aggressors.
This could also help the new Lost Sectors feel more important. As a whole, Lost Sectors have been a reliable way to fill in some of Destiny 2’s lore using different quests, puzzles, or exotic weapons. The history of the Hive is dark and violent, so tapping into this through Lost Sectors in Savathun’s Throne World would allow for that grim past to be highlighted. This could also build on Savathun’s lore in Destiny 2, helping to flesh out her character beyond the narrative that’s going to be used in The Witch Queen’s campaign and informing players about the Hive Goddess's past.
Destiny 2's Dark Future
Introducing more horror elements via Lost Sectors in The Witch Queen could also help breathe new life into Destiny 2. While Destiny 2 is a game about space magic and wielding incredible power, it wouldn’t hurt to further solidify some of the more defined aspects of its sci-fi/fantasy genre. The Hive are one of the best avenues to do this, and could marry the fantastic elements of Destiny 2 with horror fairly well. This is something that’s been explored with previous Hive-related content, but implementing it as one of the main undertones in The Witch Queen could reinforce how different some of Destiny 2’s plans for 2022 are.
It’s clear that the game is changing, and players are going to encounter more threats that can match them in power. Whether this means battling characters like Xivu Arath, the Hive God of War, or finally having to grapple with other champions of the Darkness. It’s becoming obvious that the powers which wield the strength of the Vanguard and its Guardians have just begun to shape up.
Using horror to show how powerless Guardians may be in their universe would lean into humanity having to face more terrifying threats. The Nightmares in Shadowkeep have touched on this in the past, serving as reminders that despite the Guardians’ abilities to slay enemies like Crota, Oryx, and Taniks, evil may never truly die. The Witch Queen expansion could do more. Highlighting the Darkness and its inevitability through Lost Sectors and Savathun’s past could show players why the Hive Gods have been so devout despite fear of the Darkness. It would be a small start, but offering glimpses into the future by pulling on the past could be what Destiny 2 needs to demonstrate how terrifying the game’s true enemies will be.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.