Destiny 2: The Final Shape’s Pale Heart destination twists reality

The Pale Heart — the new location in Destiny 2: The Final Shape, which is located inside The Traveler — is more like a Destiny-themed funhouse than a completely new destination. And while that might sound like a boring or even disappointing way to end the first Destiny saga, it’s actually one of the most striking and engaging destinations in the franchise’s 10-year history.

On a visit to Bungie HQ, I was able to explore The Pale Heart of The Traveler and learn about how exactly the studio is using Destiny nostalgia to fuel the end of the Light and Darkness saga. It’s a risky move to lean so heavily on the past, a fact that Bungie’s Catarina Macedo, project lead for Destiny 2 expansions, and Ben Wommack, Destiny 2’s combat area lead, are well aware of.

“The Pale Heart specifically is shaped by the memories of whoever is there,” said Macedo. This is why there is a very “Earthy” feel to the start of The Pale Heart, and why the original Destiny’s Tower plays such a big role in the safer half of the space, since it’s influenced by the player character’s memories. At the same time, the other half of the destination is controlled by The Witness, which inspires a darker, creepier, and more abstract environment.

Image: Bungie

After speaking to Macedo and Wommack, I spent several hours just roaming through The Pale Heart, soaking it in, and playing with the new Prismatic subclass. And while I was initially worried about it feeling too much like other places I’ve visited before in Destiny, Bungie appears to have stuck the landing here — at least in everything I’ve seen so far. The Pale Heart strikes a very promising balance between pulling on my heartstrings as a longtime Destiny player and giving me a regular dose of something new.

Every time I walked through a space I recognized, the environment shifted to something slightly different or off before the familiar area had a chance to overstay its welcome. For example, there’s the Tree of Silver Wings from Season of Arrivals inside The Pale Heart, but this version has been smashed together with Hive architecture from The Witch Queen. When you pair that together with the entirely unique environment around the tree, the area feels both new and familiar.

It’s an effective trick — giving the brain a dose of “I recognize that” dopamine with a chaser of surrealism — one that I was constantly impressed by during my time at the event. It’s a bit hard to grasp how effective this is when you just read it on the page or see it in a quick gameplay video; I know I was skeptical before experiencing it myself. But the way Bungie has twisted its world here ends up being very effective.

Image: Bungie

The entire trip left me feeling quite positive about The Final Shape expansion as a whole, but The Pale Heart genuinely wowed me in several places. Looking up to see The Speaker’s weird, mysterious machine covered in foliage next to two building-sized Ghosts forced me to stop and just take in the scenery for a moment. And that’s not something I do much in games that I’ve already spent thousands of hours in.

For longtime players like myself, it made me feel a bit like a kid in a candy store, to use a very tired simile. I was constantly stopping to go, “Oh wow, that’s this old location, but upside down!” or “I recognize this building, but how?” which was always followed by delight when I finally placed the memory. But the more I explored, the more the nostalgia became less important to the overall experience, and I found myself appreciating the whole package even more.

I’m certain there will be some Destiny players out there who will be furious that Bungie reused so much old art to create The Pale Heart. But having experienced it, I think that’s the wrong way to look at it. Sure, I’ve been to this junkyard in the Cosmodrome before — it’s where I was first resurrected — but I don’t recall all the trees being shaped like hands back in the first Destiny. And that sounds so small, I know, but when you walk onto the abandoned highway and you see the hand trees growing up around The Witness’ massive fortress, the comfort of nostalgia is just enough to keep you pushing further into the unknown.

Disclosure: This article is based on a Destiny 2: The Final Shape preview event held at Bungie’s headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, from May 14–17. Bungie provided Polygon’s travel and accommodations for the event. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.