Humanity’s Last Stand: The Mythic World of Destiny

Not much of mankind remains – on Earth or anywhere else – at the outset of Bungie’s epic role-playing game/first-person shooter Destiny. But it wasn’t always that way; before the events of the game, humanity was ensconced in a Golden Age. Great cities spanned the surfaces of the moon and Mars, and even the inhospitable Venus was terraformed and made into a biological wonderland.

But man’s success was not entirely his own accomplishment. An ineffable entity called the Traveler was responsible for the terraforming of the formerly lifeless planets, and for some of the technological progress that allowed humans to travel to and colonize them. The Traveler wasn’t well understood – and isn’t at the outset of Destiny, either. What humanity does know about the Traveler is that it was benevolent and helpful… but also had enemies.
Those enemies brought humanity’s Golden Age to a crashing halt sometime before Destiny begins, obliterating the entire populations of Mars, Venus, and even the moon. Then this hostile force, known to humans only as “the darkness,” descended on Earth, too. It ravaged the whole of the planetary surface. Nearly everyone was wiped out.
But the Traveler assisted humanity one final time. People believe that it used the last of its power to put a stop to the invasion, hovering low over the surface of Earth and providing a safe haven in one small area, while the rest of the surface was devastated. In this small area, the last remnants of mankind came together and built a settlement. This settlement eventually grew into the City – the last place on Earth where people could live in safety.
It’s in the City that Destiny’s story begins. You play a Guardian, one of the City’s protectors, but also an adventurer into the great wilderness that surrounds it. That wilderness is populated with all manner of unknown nasties – forces outside of human knowledge, and powerful enough to drive the Traveler into its current state. But you won’t just be carving out more land for mankind on Earth. Your missions will eventually take you to the stars, to humanity’s old strongholds on the moon, back to Mars, and even to Venus, where torrential rains caused flooding that swallowed up many of the great structures that people built there.
But it’s not all bad news: The Traveler lends the Guardians – you included – some of its power. Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks (the three core character classes of Destiny) each represent a different aspect of the Traveler’s power. You’ll be able to use this power, and some advanced technology, to pull off some amazing feats in combat. Most importantly, you’ll discover, through exploration and teamwork, what led to the collapse of the Golden Age… and who the enemy you’re facing really is.
Sound like a good time? Pick up Bungie’s Destiny – available now on Xbox One and Xbox 360 – and join humanity’s epic struggle!