Who Is The Witness in Destiny 2?

Destiny 2 The Witch Queen expansion reveals details on who the real enemy born from the Darkness really is.

By Jarren Navarreteon
Who Is The Witness Featured

The Witness in Destiny 2 is a peculiar character in the game that has caught the interest of many players interested in the lore. This enigmatic figure vaguely resembling a humanoid being has been a persistent figure throughout much of the game’s background. Thanks to the Witch Queen expansion, we have learned new details regarding this figure. We’ll talk more about The Witness and their role in Destiny 2 so be wary of spoilers.

Who Is The Witness in Destiny 2?

The Witness is a powerful and ancient entity in Destiny 2 who is responsible for all the actions of the Darkness which are the sworn enemies of the Guardians. This figure is powerful enough to move planets between different realities putting them under their complete control. They are arguably the most powerful entity in the game.

The Witness is sometimes referred to as the Entity or the Voice in the Darkness. However it always possesses a tall, pale appearance whose many features are hidden by its dark robes. Their face is completely white with a white smoke rising from the top of their heads resembling indistinguishable humanoid faces. Every time it moves its hands, it leaves behind after images.

There are conflicting stories as to where The Witness came from. With tales from Savathûn offering different interpretations as to their origins, nobody truly knows where and when The Witness came from. However the Savathûn does have an tale that makes sense in which they claim The Witness is born from the Darkness to act as its agent.

The Witness Manipulating The Krill

The Witness seeks to spread the influence of Darkness and has been consistently been working in the background unseen in order to further its plans. They aren’t above manipulating others to be corrupted by the Darkness to carry out their goals.

The Witness once visited the planet of Lubrae billions of years before the events of Destiny to corrupt a warrior named Rhulk, who was betrayed by his species, to take revenge and destroy his entire civilization. After which the Witness took Rhulk under their wing to become their disciple in the Pyramid. They then spread their influence further by sending Rhulk to corrupt the Worm Gods to the influence of the Darkness.

The corruption of the Worm Gods has led to the downfall of the Krill planet, turning its inhabitants into the Hive. After learning of the Traveler’s plans to bless their homeworld, the Witness whispered deceitful plans into the ears of Sathona of Osmium Court. By telling her that the Traveler’s appearance will create tidal waves that would destroy the Fundament, the Witness convinced Sathona and her sisters to hide inside the Fundament’s oceans for survival.

This eventually lead to the creation of the Hive. After reaching deep into the Fundament, the sisters encountered the Leviathan, a servant of the Traveler, who urged them to turn back. However Sathona’s Worm familiar convinced her to instead take the larvae within themselves in return for immortality. The sisters agreed taking the larvae inside them and turning them into the tools in service of the Darkness. Now the Hive seek to destroy galactic civilizations who won’t be subjugated to its influence.

The Witness Vs Humanity

The Witness is responsible for orchestrating the Collapse ending the Golden Age of humanity that the Traveler bestowed. This event nearly destroyed humanity and stopped our attempts of space travel. This has made the Witness the sworn enemy of humanity as a whole.

After the defeat of the Savathûn in the ending of the Witch Queen expansion, The Witness reveals its physical form to the Guardians. This is the first time the Witness has been seen in the Destiny games. With its appearance, the Witness has declared that it will grant death to any the Traveler has enlightened. The Witness has come for our Solar System, telling the Traveler that through a weird tar like device that it has run out of pieces to play. The tar then evaporates to reveal the Black Fleet in front of The Witness.

There is a strong indication that The Witness will be the primary antagonist of the Lightfall expansion. They are seemingly done from operating out of sight and have taken an active part in seeing to the destruction of the Sol System and those who guard it.

We hope this answered your question of who is the Witness in Destiny 2. Check out our other Destiny 2 guides which will help you prepare for the upcoming Lightfall expansion coming this February 28, 2023.

The Witness in Destiny 2 makes a menacing appearance after you finish The Witch Queen expansion. This Youtube video from Super, Destiny Enthusiast shows us their first appearance.