-This post consists of two parts- Part Two: https://www.bungie.net/de/Forum/Post/251188276/0/0 Listen, I know that the new lore in Joker‘s Wild, which is just around the corner, can easily debunk everything I’m going to say right now, but maybe it’ll confirm it. Who knows? Anyways, I wanted to make this post for a while now, so now is the time. This post is a pseudo-follow-up and “finale” to some of my previous posts. You don’t [i]need[/i] to read them before this, but I strongly suggest you do, it will help you understand my thoughts on this subject. I’m continuing and expanding the ideas and suggestions I brought up in these posts: The Drifter’s Endgame (3 Parts): https://www.bungie.net/de/Forums/Post/249337950?sort=0&page=0 Ulan-Tan and the symmetry of light and dark: https://www.bungie.net/de/Forum/Post/249657629/0/0 _________________________________________________________ In this post, I want to explain why I think we should look into using the Darkness and why the Drifter is so important to our survival in the future. _________________________________________________________ We all know that the Darkness is coming. There is nothing we can do about that. It’s on it’s way, no matter how many Hive gods we slay in the meantime. The Darkness is our endgame. Humanity will be wiped out. The Light might survive, the Traveler might flee again, but humanity will kick the bucket. How so? Well, we might be incredibly OP warriors of Light, but what if that Light was useless? In the lore tabs of the Gambit Warlock armor, the Drifter describes his time on an icy planet outside our solar system. He encounters creatures, they are described like this: Lore Tab, Ancient Apocalypse Boots: [quote] Anyway, this thing—the creature—looked like it shared common bioenergetics with the Hive, but there were no records then or since that I've ever seen of humanity's encounters with them. And the creature had a property the Hive did not have. It produced a field that repressed Light—like a Darkness Zone but contained to a gooey, vacuous form with no head. The anti-Light fields we had detected from orbit that spread across the planet? It was these things. Our ship's scanners indicated thousands of them were on this planet with us.[/quote] Whatever these creatures are, thy are Darkness related. This could have been our first look at the actual Darkness [i]race[/i](?) since the collapse. It’s unconfirmed if they actually are the ones behind the pyramid ships, but they are definitely close to each other. The important bit is the Light suppression field. If the Darkness comes again and can just repress our light, we are screwed. Combine this with the weapons they already have, like enormous gravity waves and you can see that there is no chance for us. This where the Drifter and the Shadows of Yor come into play... _________________________________________________________ [b][u]Drifter and the Shadows of Yor:[/u][/b] The following excerpts come from the journal of Teben Gray, aka. Dredgen Bane, who writes about the Shadows of Yor and Dredgen Yor: Grimoire Card, The Shadows of Yor: [quote] To tempt the Darkness. To allow one’s Light to be tainted. Few could walk that ledge and not fall completely into despair. And while theories exist to support or contradict the purity of the gift we wield, Yor’s life offers a glimpse into unexplored possibility.[...] He also believes, as I do, that there is a manner in which we may be able to replicate Yor’s damnation while avoiding the same heavy toll. We will surely be judged for what it is we are about to achieve. And there will surely come a time when the lone gunman will want words — or worse. [/quote] And now an excerpt from the Lore Tab for Malfeasance: [quote]Long time ago I set out to find a replacement for a weapon called Thorn. This will never be that, but to me, it's better. We built it together.[/quote] We recently got final confirmation that the Drifter was at one point part of the Shadows of Yor, even a Dredgen. The Shadows of Yor always wanted to recreate Thorn, a weapon thar cast its wielder into madness. Their Thorns did the same and they became just as muderous as the man they revered. Teben’s journal offers the other side to the story. At least someone Shadows didn’t want to end up the way they did. The wanted the same power as Yor, while also avoiding the repercussions. Drifter’s Malfeasance is exactly that. It’s a Thorn clone that doesn’t make you crazy. He succeeded where his brothers and sisters failed. The Drifter has seen what the Darkness is capable of. He knows that we can’t win with only out Light. He knows it, the Shadows knew it, maybe Yor knew it too. They all wanted more power to fight what’s coming for us. And only the Drifter has succeeded. Granted, the Malfeasance is only a small step in that direction, but it’s a start. ______________________________________________________ Now to adress some concerns: I know that the lore tab for Malfeasance [i]heavily[/i] implies its use against Shin Malphur. But there’s a perfectly good explanation for that: [quote] We will surely be judged for what it is we are about to achieve. And there will surely come a time when the lone gunman will want words — or worse. [/quote] As far as the Drifter knows, everyone who tempts the Darkness for their own gain is on the radar of Shin. He even met Shin (they sort of made a deal with Gambit, but I’m going to skip that). He should expect that if he went further on his path, Shin would intervene at one point. The Malfeasance is for self-defense, should that ever happen. Drifter doesn’t care if a hero of the Light dies, as long as his plan is continued. But to set things clear, that’s the old Shin. In the lore we get from the quest for the Last Word, we learn that Shin has changed... _________________________________________________________ [b][u]Shin Malphur:[/u][/b] Here are a few quotes from the lore book “Letters from a Renegade”: [quote] My drive has long been clear—seek the shadow and your future is forfeit, seek the dark and I will end you. [...] Not anymore. Them chapters are old. We're writing a new one—you and I—a final act for me, an unexpected beginning for you.[/quote] Now I will show you why even Shin Malphur believes in using the Darkness, to an extent. Shin’s letters are directed at us, the guardian. We played at lot of Gambit, built a Thorn clone with the Drifter and even took part in a dark Hive ritual on the hunt for a Weapon of Sorrow. And this is Shin’s reaction: [quote][..]Here we are. You, a Guardian worthy of legend, dancing ever closer to the edge of an abyss. And I, one who stands against those who would tempt such a fate. Yet I, for the first time, haven't moved to stop the music. This is something new. That you and I could share these words is something new—there's something in you, something about you. [...]Somewhere in there—in the merging of courage and might and curiosity—I see something worthy of a risk. So go forth. Fight for the Light, and challenge the dark. I will be watching with a hopeful heart. But know, should you overreach [...] I will be there to end it. And you. But you already knew I was going to say that. Understand, this is not a threat, it's just the way of things.[/quote] What this means, is that he’s ok with us tempting the dark and testing our limits, because he sees something in us: [quote] My life has always been about absolutes. There is Light and there is dark, and I made my purpose to defend against the whispered corruption of the shadow's calling. I've seen no middle ground, though maybe I've always known it exists. I've also seen many "heroes" tempt that sinister fate and the dire consequences born of their ignorance, pride, selfishness. I've put many down. More than anyone knows. More than I'll ever confess. Seeing you. Watching you. I don't feel I was wrong in my actions. But I now know I was wrong in my core assumption—my core belief. To me, there was only ever white and black—good and evil. In you, I see blinding Light. I see a hero among heroes. I see the hope you inspire shining through. But I also see, for the first time—maybe, just maybe—a little bit of gray.[/quote] Gray. Middle ground. Hmm, that reminds me of something... Continued in part 2: https://www.bungie.net/de/Forum/Post/251188276/0/0