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Destiny 2 Why Did The Traveler Leave?

Destiny 2 Why Did The Traveler Leave?

With its deep lore and expansive universe, Destiny 2 has always left players with countless questions. One of the biggest mysteries of the game that you might be wondering about is related to the Traveler. In this article, we’ll discuss why the Traveler left in Destiny 2.

The Traveler tried to leave Earth in Destiny 2 to avoid the Darkness. According to the Witness, however, it’s surprising that the Traveler couldn’t leave Earth, unlike how it has left other planets before.

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Keep reading if you wish to learn more about why the Traveler wanted to leave Earth. We’ll also discuss the implications of the discovery made by the Witness and its impact on the lore of Destiny 2!

The Last Cinematic: A New Piece of the Puzzle

Traveler attempting to leave Earth - Destiny 2

It is important to note that this section will discuss spoilers. This is our spoiler warning if you haven’t reached the end of the Lightfall campaign and have not seen the Last Cinematic. With that said, let’s dive into the significance of the last cinematic from Lightfall.

The final cinematic of Destiny’s Year 5 revealed some crucial new information that you might have been speculating for a long time. It showed the Traveler attempting to escape Earth. This is very similar to the Traveler’s past actions, on other planets, as it similarly escaped those other civilizations.

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The cinematic is wonderful because it also pays homage to the sacrifice that Ana Bray and the Guardians had to make to save the Traveler from destruction. But this cinematic raised many questions. Chief among them being, why did the Traveler attempt to flee Earth in the first place?

What did we Discover?

The Witness - Destiny 2

Our conversation with the Witness sheds a lot of light on the matter of the Traveler. It seems that the Traveler, as previously known, has traveled from one planet to the next. Upon each visit, the Traveler sought refuge and granted power to the inhabitants of those planets.

While this provided the individuals of those planets the ability to fight, it also drew in the Darkness. The Darkness has been chasing the Traveler through space and has visited each planet the Traveler visited. Whenever this would happen, the Traveler would abandon that world and flee to another, trying to escape destruction.

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It can thus be surmised that the Traveler’s intention while attempting to leave Earth was to escape the Darkness. The Traveler fears its destruction and thus has attempted to leave the planet in hopes of being spared once more, and travel to a distant star.

Why Did the Traveler Not Escape Earth?

Why Did the Traveler Not Escape Earth? in Destiny 2

There are numerous theories regarding this particular issue. Many Guardians, like Zavala, believe that the Traveler wanted to help Earth fight and thus has stopped running. However, you might already know that the Traveler holds no affection for anyone or anything.

This is why it is likely that the Traveler might simply be biding time. Hoping that the Darkness will face off against everyone else and that it may be able to escape, leaving everyone else behind.


The question of why the Traveler tried to flee Earth in Destiny 2 remains unanswered. With so much speculation and little to no answers, you are left to wonder and form your own theories. With the Destiny universe ever-expanding, only time will tell what secrets will be uncovered.