Art Director Chris Barrett:

"Ancient swords with cool names; stuff that's really fun to create."

Another appearance of the "space tiger" that game Destiny its code name.

Castles in the clouds; tents and horses.

An early concept image from Destiny, back when it was a pure fantasy game.

Pillars of Destiny's World

Hopeful and inviting
Idealized reality
Filled with mystery and adventure
Where you can become a legend

Joe Staten and Christopher Barrett refer to each Halo game as similar to an Alaskan pipeline: a narrow slice through a large world, where art and other assets are used one time only, in linear sequence, with no reason to return.

Destiny, by contrast, will promote exploration, multiple visits, and change over time.