The last act of Destiny 2: Heresy wrapped up recently, and unless Bungie reveals some surprises in the near future, it will be the last significant story update before Frontiers. The past year has been a strange one for the game, with the release of its acclaimed The Final Shape expansion being followed by three episodes that received mixed reception.
Things were always going to be difficult for Bungie after concluding the Light and Darkness saga with 2024’s expansion, and there are a lot of questions surrounding Destiny 2’s next steps. There are plenty of options on the table for getting players engaged with a fresh new story, and beginning the next long arc, and the studio has the perfect character to spearhead this new direction, one who has had very little to do recently.
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Destiny 2 Frontiers Shouldn’t Miss the Chance to Pull This Character Off the Bench
When going into the far-off unknown beyond the solar system, there are few characters more prepared than The Drifter. He’s been to some of the strangest parts of Destiny’s universe, and this has always made him something of an outsider. Perhaps because of this, Drifter hasn’t had too much time to shine, coming and going for a few seasons, and it is uncommon for him to reveal much about himself.
It’s this enigmatic streak in The Drifter that has spawned so much speculation about the character. From his happy-go-lucky persona to his strange, red-eyed Ghost, he is a character in disguise on so many levels. Bungie’s writers have taken steps to highlight the separation between The Drifter and the Vanguard, which has helped leave the door open for more storytelling opportunities in the long run. Only recently was The Drifter and Eris Morn’s relationship confirmed by Bungie, a major step for their story arcs.
The Drifter Could Play a Huge Role in Destiny 2 Frontiers
Players could see more of The Drifter in Frontiers, where his experience in deep space would be invaluable. One of the most well-known snippets of lore about The Drifter is that he visited an ice planet inhabited by strange, dark creatures that could snuff out the light of Ghosts, and he was the only survivor of his crew. Supposedly, the thing he stores onboard the Derelict is one of the creatures from that planet, and it is instrumental in running Gambit.
The Drifter’s character has so many directions it could go in Frontiers, too. He is the only member of the Vanguard without a fleshed-out backstory, with Crow and Zavala's histories getting significant attention over many seasons. Maybe there is something out there in the frontiers of space that the Drifter has been running from, something that he thought he would never have to face again. That could provide a fascinating jumping off point for the mysterious new expansion, as that "something" would have to be very big indeed to scare the Drifter.
Gambit May Have Been the Reason for the Drifter’s Absence
It isn’t a secret among Destiny players that Gambit is a controversial mode. Its debut introduced The Drifter to the story, and while it hit a peak for a short period of time, the game mode has steadily fallen off over the years, despite attempted revivals by Bungie. Since then, the studio has clearly tried to make Drifter more than just the Gambit vendor, tying his story to the more esoteric sides of the lore, but it seems that his association with the mode may have hurt his relevance to the larger plot.
This is where Frontiers could change it all for Drifter. It is a fresh start in many regards, and it would be the ideal ground to grow Drifter into a central character in Destiny, like Mara Sov or Eris Morn are. The man with all the secrets, and all that unspoken baggage, is perfect for a narrative about exploring the unknown and examining what it does to a person.
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