Destiny 2 Lightfall ending explained: What happens at the end of Lightfall’s campaign?

With Lightfall now upon us and Destiny 2 entering its penultimate stage in the Light and Darkness saga ahead of the Final Shape, here’s how the new campaign ends and what it means for the future of the series.

After months of anticipation, light has finally fallen on Destiny 2. The highly anticipated expansion is now in focus as Guardians around the globe venture through the latest campaign and unravel Bungie’s newest secrets.

While there’s obviously plenty to discuss throughout, it’s often the final revelations in the closing moments of any given campaign that lead to the most intrigue. Thus, Lightfall is sure to be no different with its head-scratching conclusion.

So without further ado, here’s a full rundown on what happens at the end of the Lightfall campaign in Destiny 2.

Spoiler warning: We’re obviously discussing Lightfall’s ending below so do not continue reading if you wish to experience the story unspoiled!

What happens at the end of Lightfall? Campaign ending explained

Throughout the eighth and final campaign mission, Desperate Measures, Guardians are rushing to reach The Veil, a mysterious source of power buried deep in the heart of Neomuna. Timing isn’t quite on our side, however, as Calus has already managed to find his way ahead of us.

Naturally, it all culminates in one final battle with the Cabal giant, which, shocker, you win. At long last, it appears Calus is now defeated once and for all (for what feels like the fifth time). But before celebrations can commence, your Ghost is drawn to a force from The Veil.

Osiris yells in warning, demanding you get your Ghost away from the power, but it’s too late. “Finality takes shape,” your Ghost says as it floats upward and ‘creates a link’ between The Veil and The Traveler. Guardians fail to shoot it down at Caiatl’s command, using what appears to be a Khvostov no less.

While it’s unclear exactly what happens in this moment, it appears your Ghost serves as a key that unlocks the true power of The Veil as it casts out an enormous beam of energy to The Traveller.

Soaring through the sky to grab the Ghost and return it to us, a Cloud Strider crashes back to the ground, but their effort was seemingly for naught. “We just lost,” Caiatl states ominously, having witnessed the trigger for our potential doom.

In a follow up sequence shortly after, we see The Witness enacting his ultimate plan. With The Veil having cast its energy at The Traveller, it’s now able to be liberated, in a sense, as The Witness puts it.

Their aim is seemingly to ‘free The Traveller’ from the “fate” of being both “victim and perpetrator,” which we can perhaps interpret as being bound to the confines of Light and Dark.

With the flick of the wrist, a pyramid shape is carved out of The Traveller, though with new, incomprehensible visuals we’ve yet to see before in Destiny. As this process continues, it appears The Traveller is all but removed from our plane of existence. While it may not be gone entirely, we have no way of knowing where The Witness moved it to.

“The Traveller is seemingly gone,” Ikora Rey says shortly after the climactic moment. “The Witness has transformed The Traveller and gone somewhere we can’t.”

So for now, it’s a waiting game as we speculate on exactly what The Witness has in store, and why their scheme involves relocating The Traveller out of our realm of consciousness. Some answers may be teased in the upcoming Root of Nightmares Raid, while others will likely be drip-fed over the coming months in new seasonal updates.

We’ll just have to wait and see how things play out in the lead-up to The Final Shape and with it, the conclusion of the Light and Darkness saga in Destiny 2.