The Final Shape’s Pale Heart destination taps into a new kind of Destiny nostalgia

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

During a visit to Bungie’s headquarters, I was able to explore The Pale Heart of The Traveler and learn 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 leader of Lot 2 extensions, and Ben Wommack, Lot 2‘s combat zone edge, are well aware of.

“The Pale Heart is specifically shaped by the memories of whoever is there,” says Macedo. This is why the beginning of The Pale Heart has a very ‘earthy’ feel to it, and why the original Destination‘s Tower plays such a big role in the safer half of space because it is influenced by the player character’s memories. At the same time, the other half of the destination is controlled by The Witness, inspiring a darker, creepier and more abstract environment.

After talking to Macedo and Wommack, I spent several hours wandering around The Pale Heart, absorbing it and playing with the new Prismatic subclass. And while I was initially concerned that it would be too similar to other places I’ve visited before in Destiny, it looks like Bungie has stuck the landing here – at least in everything I’ve seen so far. The Pale Heart strikes a promising balance between appealing to my heart 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 different or unusual before the familiar area had a chance to overstay its welcome. For example, there is the Tree of Silver Wings from Season of Arrivals in The Pale Heart, but this version has been merged with Hive architecture from The Witch Queen. When you combine that with the completely 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 touch of surrealism – one that continually impressed me during my time at the event. It’s a little hard to understand how effective this is if you just read it on the page or see it in a short gameplay video; I know I was skeptical before I experienced it myself. But the way Bungie has twisted its world here proves to be very effective.

Image: Bungie

The whole trip gave me a pretty positive feeling The final shape expansion as a whole, but The Pale Heart really surprised me in several places. When I looked up and saw The Speaker’s strange, mysterious machine covered in foliage next to two building-sized Ghosts, it forced me to stop and take in the scenery for a moment. And that’s not something I do a lot in games I’ve spent thousands of hours playing.

For old players like me, I felt a bit like a kid in a candy store, to use a very tired analogy. I kept stopping to say, “Oh wow, that’s this old location, but upside down!” or “I recognize this building, but how?” which was always followed by joy when I finally posted 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 sure there will be some Destiny players who will be outraged that Bungie reused so much old art to create The Pale Heart. But now that I’ve experienced it, I think that’s the wrong way to look at it. Sure, I’ve been to this junkyard in the Cosmodrome before—that’s where I first came back to life—but I don’t remember all the trees in the first century being shaped like hands. Destination. And that sounds so small, I know, but when you walk onto the deserted highway and see the handtrees growing up around the enormous fortress of The Witness, the comfort of nostalgia is just enough to keep you going further into the unknown.

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