A Bungie artist has shared never-before-seen Destiny 2 concept art dating back to 2017–2018, showing the studio’s early ideas for the Pyramid ships, Cloud Striders, and more.
Destiny 2 has come a long way since it first launched in 2017. And if you’ve been around for the journey, you know how long the mystery of the Pyramids has lingered. From their first appearance in The Red War’s ending cutscene to their full arrival in Lightfall and The Final Shape, these have been a constant presence throughout the entire Light and Darkness saga.
Bungie’s art direction has always been one of the series’ strongest traits. We’ve seen it across Europa, the Tangled Shore, Mars, the Dreaming City, Neomuna, the Pale Heart, and now Kepler in The Edge of Fate expansion, each with its own distinct identity.
Today, we know what the Pyramids are and where they come from, thanks to years’ worth of lore, and more specifically, that Witness origin cutscene released during Season of the Deep. But they didn’t always look or feel this way. Now, one of Bungie’s concept artists has pulled back the curtain on where it all started.
Bungie Artist Shares Unseen Destiny 2 Concept Art
Earlier today, Dima Goryainov, lead concept artist at Bungie, shared three full collections of never-before-seen Destiny 2 concept art on ArtStation, some dating all the way back to 2017 when the game was first released. The sets explore early visual ideas for the Pyramids, Cloud Striders, and an experimental world concept that would eventually shape the Pyramid ships and architecture seen in Destiny 2 today.
Along with the concept art, Goryainov also shared short notes for each set, explaining the ideas and thought process behind them. Check them out below.
Pyramid Exploration (The Witch Queen and 2018)
“Some more concepts focusing on Pyramid palette development. First image was created for the Witch Queen expansion. A Guardian stumbles upon sinking ruins somewhere deep in the swamps of Savathun’s Throne World. The other two images were done around 2018 as some of the earlier explorations for the interior and exterior Pyramid visual language.”
Cloud Strider Exploration (Lightfall)
“Some early exploration for Cloud Striders, created a few years back for the Lightfall expansion.“
Exploratory Concepts (2017–2018)
This set might be the most fascinating. It includes images of colossal armored figures holding jagged crystal lances, grand black halls illuminated by faint blue light, and a planet being devoured by the void.
“These concepts were done sometime around 2017-2018 as an exploration for what eventually evolved into the Pyramid palette. I was pitching a world that was also visited by the Traveler. However, an anomalous void was left upon its departure and was now gradually consuming the entire planet. Desperate to get it back in order to save their own home, the Pyramids would then track the Traveler to its current location, Earth.”
Goryainov made it clear that this wasn’t an official storyline from Bungie, but rather a loose idea he used to guide the art direction. “To be clear, this was never the official story, just a vague narrative structure in my head that helped drive the visuals,” they said.
What do you think of these early looks at Destiny 2 concepts? Which one stuck with you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
