In short, it might be that no one knows what the Final Shape expansion is for Destiny 2. While the Final Shape's working title was revealed alongside Savathun during the showcase for the Witch Queen expansion in August it didn’t do much besides generating questions from fans. With the current Light and Darkness saga having a planned conclusion what other big baddies could still lurk beyond Lightfall? This question has led to fan theories about what the Finals Shape will be when it finally arrives.
While the Final Shape is full of mystery and intrigue the expansion’s title has already been discussed somewhat within Destiny 2. The short stories and narratives provided by lore entries can be used to get an idea of what the Final Shape may be. Specific characters in Destiny 2 have also alluded to the Final Shape throughout the game’s history. Some see it as the final state of the universe, while others see it, in the simplest terms, as the Darkness succeeding in its goals.
Either way, the Final Shape will be major for Destiny’s future. As the conclusion to the current Light and Darkness saga, it is likely that some of the most important and mysterious characters in Destiny 2 will play a role in the Final Shape. Fans may want to see favorites like Osiris return for its story but characters like the Drifter, Eris Morn, and Elisabeth Bray might be who Guardians rely on when the Final Shape expansion arrives.
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The Ahamkara and the Worm Gods
The ebb and flow of which characters are the most significant to Destiny’s story have allowed for flexible narratives in the past. The evolving nature of the game has complemented the story well, and while enemies like Savathun’s Hive are major problems for the immediate future, they could be far less threatening than some of the other entities that reside in the universe. Beings like the Worm Gods and Ahamkara may be older and more powerful than Destiny 2 has let on, and the mysterious nature of other characters like Elsie Bray also leaves questions.
While it has been hinted at that like the Light and the Darkness, the Ahamkara predate the universe, it is yet to be confirmed. Similarly, the Worm Gods and Ahamkara are believed by some fans to be related to one another. As shapeshifting and wish-granting paracausal entities they each possess the kinds of power that have made them both a threat and a form of salvation for those that seek their assistance, such as Mara and Uldren Sov.
The Worm Gods of Fundament are responsible for the Hive Gods and their species’ expansion and consumption of the cosmos. The Ahamkara were revered for their abilities to grant wishes and appear before Guardians but were ultimately rebuked and hunted by not only Guardians but the Awoken and the Nine as well. While they may be two sides of the same coin their true nature is where Destiny 2’s future conflict may come in.
Seemingly unrestricted by the physical laws of the universe the Ahamkara and Worm Gods could be an unmatched threat. While hunted in the past and defeated even recently in the Last Wish raid, the Ahamkara of Sol seem to be immature. This could mean that the powerful lifeforms that players are used to from their encounters with Riven and lore entries are little more than children compared to others.
The ancient Worm Gods of Fundament could then be an older iteration of the Ahamkara. Deeply connected to the Darkness they offer their own forms of power. They’ve provided a life everlasting for the Ascendant Hive and helped Oryx become the powerful enemy he was in the King's Fall raid. While just as mortal as the Ahamkara, like the wish-granters of Sol, the Worm Gods have proven themselves capable of subverting death and taking new shapes.
Unveiling: The Final Shape
With the knowledge that the shape of the Worm Gods and the Ahamkara can be altered it isn’t beyond reason that the Final Shape could be related to either of them. As beings of immense power, they have proven to be difficult to kill unless their death is in line with their plans for the future. With this in mind the possibility that either group, the Ahamkara or the Worm Gods, could predate the universe similar to Light and Darkness is also worth discussing more. Even their forms now might just be physical manifestations similar to the Traveler and the Pyramids.
While their immense strength and paracausal powers are worrisome the root of what they are is what players should contemplate. ‘The Final Shape' lore entry from the book Unveiling recognizes the Light and Darkness as the Gardener and Winnower, respectively. Rooted in the other pages of the book are references to the worms that wriggle around their garden.
While the Gardener and Winnower are engaged in a game of sorts, they continuously find that it ends the same. All the while the worms eat away at the plants and live in the garden that the Gardener and Winnower created for their game. If each subject in this story correlates to a character within Destiny that fans already know then it may be that the worms are the Ahamkara or the Worm Gods. While a bit on the nose, this would be fitting given the immense power that each species has to offer.
It would also fit seeing as neither the Worm Gods nor the Ahamkara have much to gain if either the Darkness or the Light is truly successful in the end. A distorted balance, that maintains continuous and never-ending conflict, benefits both. So long as the Light exists the followers of Darkness will have something to seek from the Worm Gods, and as long as the Darkness continues to suffocate Lightbearers there will be those like Mara Sov that yearn to wish upon an Ahamkara. This means that as long as the Gardener and Winnower continue to struggle in their cosmic game the worms can feed off of their conflict.
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Destiny 2 Ending
The Final Shape could also allude to the end of Destiny 2 as players know it. There are already major changes on the way like the huge Void subclass changes coming in Year 5. This might be hard to imagine but there are plenty of reasons to suspect it. Destiny is a live service game that allows it to maintain its constantly evolving nature.
At its core, Destiny is a franchise that seems to be built on these ideas of evolution. Destiny 2 has changed a lot since the original, and that’s a good thing. Lore-wise, a few key characters, including Toland and even the Darkness itself, have expressed views on the Final Shape as an end to life. A static universe that mimics the outcome of the original game played by the Gardener and the Winnower.
Such an outcome would lend space to a new iteration of Destiny and a fresh story. It might be difficult to pull off but with years of preparation, it’s achievable. There’s already a precedent for alternate realities and timelines in Destiny 2. Using the Final Shape to end the current storyline and start a new one seems like it could be a fitting conclusion to the current Light and Darkness saga that players have enjoyed.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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