Destiny 2’s The Pale Heart location leans into strangeness and wouldn’t look out of place in Warframe
Destiny 2’s The Pale Heart Location: A Surreal and Strange World
The upcoming expansion for Destiny 2, The Final Shape, promises to deliver a unique and unsettling experience for players. One of the most intriguing aspects of this new content is the location known as The Pale Heart, which has been designed to be strange and surreal. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at The Pale Heart and how it leans into strangeness in a way that wouldn’t look out of place in Warframe.
The Vision for The Pale Heart
According to Gabriel Garza, the Lead Concept Artist for The Final Shape, the vision for The Pale Heart was to create a world that feels surreal. In an interview with Destructoid, Garza explained that the team achieved this by using ordinary objects and placing them in unexpected places. This approach has resulted in a location that is both familiar and unsettling, making it the strangest place in the franchise.
The Pale Heart’s Design
One of the most striking features of The Pale Heart is its use of hands and faces in unexpected places. Pillars with hand and face details can be found throughout the location, giving it a strange and unsettling feel. This design element is reminiscent of Han Solo’s body frozen in Carbonite, with faces strained in pain and appearing to try to burst out of the hardened shell.
Another notable aspect of The Pale Heart’s design is the house with The Witness’s ever-trailing headdress coming out of the chimney. This image is reminiscent of a house in Returnal, a game that features a similar blend of organic and inorganic elements. The use of The Witness’s headdress in this context gives the location an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.
A third design element that stands out in The Pale Heart is the large Ghost stuck in a rocky outcrop. This image juxtaposes the giant humanoid in Warframe’s Whispers in the Walls questline, creating a sense of unease and discomfort. The dead Ghost is no less unnerving because it’s more a part of the scenery, struggling to reconcile its role as a helpful machine and a lush, vibrant world.
The Concept Art of a Giant Hellish Ghost
One of the most unsettling images from The Pale Heart is the concept art of a giant, hellish Ghost on the horizon. This image details Russia, the first point in Destiny where every player begins their journey, leading into the distance up to this demonic Ghost. The image gives the impression that everything we know can be twisted to work against us, reflecting the influence of The Witness.
Tree Hands and Body Horror
Another creepy element in The Pale Heart is the tree hands that can be found throughout the landscape. While Warframe isn’t a horror game, the use of body horror elements such as faces on machines or places you don’t expect them creates a sense of unease. The tree hands in The Pale Heart are no exception, adding to the overall unsettling atmosphere of the location.
Embracing Strangeness
Destiny 2 has always felt sleek and futuristic, with a beautiful blend of organic and inorganic elements. However, The Pale Heart marks the first time that Bungie has truly embraced strangeness in their design. The use of unsettling environments and creepy secrets creates a sense of dread that maintains the sense of unease players feel when exploring the location.
Conclusion
The Pale Heart location in Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion promises to deliver a unique and unsettling experience for players. With its surreal and strange design elements, it leans into strangeness in a way that wouldn’t look out of place in Warframe. Whether you’re a fan of Destiny 2 or Warframe, The Pale Heart is sure to provide an exciting and creepy adventure.
