The Destiny 2 Witness and Winnower: Debunking the Lore Controversy
The Destiny 2 Witness and Winnower are at the center of a long-standing debate within the Destiny 2 lore community. The Witness, revealed as the major antagonist of The Witch Queen campaign, threw a wrench into the established lore based on a single line of dialogue. The question at the center of the debate is whether the Witness and the Winnower introduced in the Shadowkeep expansion are the same entity. If they are, it would mean that much of the expansion’s lore is false.
The ongoing conflict was sparked by a single line in the Unveiling lore book, which introduced the Gardener and the Winnower. These cosmic forces played a game that led to the creation of the universe. Many believe that the Witness is the Winnower based on the information in Unveiling, but there is evidence that suggests otherwise. Bungie recently revealed a new cutscene that gives more context to the nature of the Witness. This context directly contradicts Unveiling, which raises the question of whether the entire expansion is based on false information.
Is the Witness the Winnower?
The Witness is, according to its own words, an amalgamation of the first species that the Traveler uplifted. This revelation closes the case for some, but the debate continues due to other factors. The first is that Unveiling was seemingly written by the Witness itself. This raises the question of whether its narrative is reliable.
Another question arises: if the Witness isn’t the Winnower, does the Winnower even exist? Some argue that there is another entity behind the Witness that is the true Winnower. Others believe that the Witness is creating its own fanfic about its place in the universe. Some even claim that Bungie has retconned the entire story and the origin of the Witness.
Thankfully, Bungie recently held a roundtable Q&A that addressed this confusion. “There are a lot of contradictions in the story right now,” senior writer Andrew Liptak admits in one of the videos. “We’re aware of them, and we’re trying to figure out how to handle that as we move forward.”
While this may seem like an admission of fault, Liptak explains that these kinds of contradictions can exist in any work of fiction. “[There are] lots of different interpretations of historical events,” he compares. “Literally every religious text and mythology is open to interpretation.”
Players initially took Unveiling as literal truth, but it’s becoming clear that the ideas presented may be less concrete. If a single line is enough to discredit the entirety of Shadowkeep’s lore, then there are other conflicts that deserve scrutiny as well.
For instance, the War of Shadows lore book describes a battle between the Darkness and the Traveler that led to the collapse of humanity’s Golden Age. This lore was later revised in Forsaken, where we learned that the Darkness was actually a weapon created by the Vex. The Darkness was never a separate force that battled the Traveler. The idea of two cosmic forces that created the universe is also questionable.
Regardless of whether or not you believe the Witness is the Winnower, the fact that this explanation was revealed by the Witness itself makes it suspect. “You can’t fully trust anything the Witness says,” senior narrative designer Robert Brookes emphasizes.
The contradictory nature of the expansion’s lore is intentional, and we will likely learn more about these conflicts in The Final Shape. “There are some really cool, really big answers about the Witness’s nature that are coming in The Final Shape,” Brookes promises.
