Destiny 2’s Season of the Splicer cutscene makes villain out of famous Guardian

Destiny 2’s Season of the Splicer has already had some highs and lows, with a new Transmog system that players despise and a beautiful new social space to explore. Like Season of the Chosen, Splicer is upping Destiny 2’s storytelling game with intriguing character developments and stylish cutscenes.

One unreleased cutscene coming later this season offers some new perspective on the legacy of a famous Guardian, giving their heroics more of a villainous twist when seen from the Fallen perspective. Thanks to Destiny 2’s dedicated data-mining community, this cutscene is already out in the YouTube wilds, and it’s one of the series best movies yet.

The Eliksni — better known to Guardians as the Fallen — have taken refuge in the Last City during Season of the Splicer. Mithrax, friend to the Guardians and Kell (leader) of the House of Light, is players’ primary ally through the new Override activity. But in an upcoming cutscene, Mithrax will reframe the heroism of one of the Guardians’ most beloved allies: Saint-14.

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Saint-14 is one of the oldest Guardians in Destiny. Before players rescued him from a doomed timeline back in Season of the Dawn, Saint was a legend for players, first beloved because of his Exotic helmet in the original Destiny: the Helm of Saint-14. In the original Destiny, Saint-14’s helmet has a massive dent on the side. This came from Saint-14 headbutting a Fallen Kell so hard that the Kell died.

As Guardians, players view Saint as a protector. Saint-14 is the original Defender Titan, and he’s well known for his ability to protect those around him and make a safer world for humanity.

The video above doesn’t necessarily give players any new information on Saint-14. Guardians knew that he’d broken several major Fallen houses — like with the headbutting incident — to keep the city safe. But this clip gives a different, more critical perspective on Saint.

The cutscene is in a similar style to Zavala’s walk through the Tower Garden in Season of the Chosen, and it depicts some of Saint’s softer features as monstrous. One lore page from Season of Dawn revealed that the purple ribbons Saint-14 wears on his armor are accolades from those he’s saved — he’s their protector. But in the clip, these ribbons appear more as tendrils. It plays with perspective, making our hero their villain.

Destiny 2 Season of the Splicer ward

The Fallen’s hatred for Saint-14 is clear. He is their boogeyman, the same thing some of Destiny’s greatest villains, like Oryx, have been for players. In the Fallen refugee camp, players can even see a symbol on the wall, used to try and ward off Guardians. The video makes it clear that Saint-14’s iconic helmet inspired the ward — the Fallen using their biggest fear as a scarecrow for other Light-wielders.

But the clip previews some upcoming story beats, ending on the prospect of peace, rather than hatred. Mithrax mentions that, now that the House of Light is in the city, they see “The Saint” every day. But Mithrax and his people are willing to live alongside their monsters, as long as humans are willing to live alongside them.

https://youtu.be/8LEAI44Cn_8

The details of Season of the Splicer’s storyline are out there for those that want to see how the Fallen and their host humans get along, but we’ll leave that for players to discover. We’re not sure when this cutscene will appear in game, but it’s clear that the Fallen are willing to cooperate to save the City. Guardians and their allies may not be as willing.

The cutscene is now accessible in Destiny 2. On the weekly reset for June 1, the fourth weekly quest for Season of the Splicer unlocked the Saint-14 cutscene for all players. The official release has also given us some context about how it fits into the wider narrative.

The cutscene unfolds after some Ether tanks — which are, more or less, food for the Fallen — get sabotaged in the Fallen encampment in the Last City. Mithrax complains about the sabotage to the Guardian, Lakshmi-2 (leader of the Future War Cult and known Fallen hater) and Saint-14.

Players don’t get to see Saint-14’s reaction after the cutscene, and we’ll likely learn how he feels about the comparison later in the season. Mithrax has already started to find common ground with “The Saint” during Season of the Splicer, so the cutscene will likely make an impact on the way Saint views the Fallen people.