Captain

Captain
Biographical information
Species:	Fallen
House:	Devil Splicers ; House of Devils ; House of Dusk ; House of Exile ; House of Kings ; House of Light ; House of Rain ; House of Salvation ; House of Winter ; House of Wolves ; Kell's Scourge
Purpose:	Leader
Combat information
Weapon(s):	Molten Welder (uncommon) ; Scorch Cannon (very rare) ; Shock Blades (uncommon) ; Shock Rifle (uncommon) ; Shrapnel Launcher (common) ; Crystalline Quatrain (rare) ; Tangle Launcher (rare) ; Wire Rifle (certain variants)
Abilities:	High Durability ; Rapid Movement ; Teleportation ; Absorption Shield ; Fallen Melee

"Fallen run in packs, led by an individual Captain. There is no denying a Captain's might; they are the fiercest of the Fallen. There is this sense of tattered nobility to them. You can see it in the way they carry themselves. They think they're better than us. They believe that Earth belongs to them."

— Bungie.net description.^[1]

The Captain is a class of Fallen. They are the leaders of Fallen crews, carrying themselves with an air of superiority and nobility, and are the final stage of an Eliksni growth cycle before the Whirlwind occurred on Riis. They have been shown to wield most Fallen weapons, and are almost always enshrouded within an Absorption Shield.^[1]^[2] They are also equipped with gear that allows them to teleport short distances.

Gameplay[edit]

"Waves of them smashed against our walls, hissing and wailing. But it was the one who stood beyond them, silent and scenting the air, that froze the blood in our veins."

— Grimoire description.

Captains assume the role of Squad-Leaders for their fellow Crew, having access to much better technology and armor than their lower-ranked Fallen Brethren. They are the fiercest rank of Fallen on the battlefield and lead with their superior combat prowess.

If a sufficient amount of their squad is still alive or their assigned area has an evaluation giving them the high ground over their enemy or if an area possesses sufficient cover, they will slowly strut from side to side or if facing their enemy directly, even stand still to lay down suppressive fire with their crew. If there are no allied units in the assigned squad, their numbers slowly depleting, the Captain will stand alone, is caught off-guard or too far away, it will push towards its target very aggressively while firing its ranged-weapon of choice. If their assigned area is large enough they may even run large distances to the nearest cover that can obstruct their body from their attacker while accompanying their allies.

Captains are able to carry many different variety of weapons, their most common being the Shrapnel Launcher and Shock Rifle, which will determine their behavior in battle. If they are wielding a Shrapnel Launcher, they may fire four to six round-bursts, usually closing in on the enemy to hit them with as many of the four Solar projectiles the weapon disperses as possible. They will also use it as a means of laying down suppressive fire even at longer ranges due to the projectile being able to travel quite far before it disperses. Though their lack of accuracy at long ranges and the projectiles' slow travel-time makes dodging them quite easy the farther away a Guardian is. Jumping high, to the side or simply walking in the opposite direction of the shots can make them miss completely. If they happen to wield Shock Rifles, the Captain usually stays at medium range and fire a burst of between four to ten Arc bolts (depending on difficulty, level and the wielder) that fly slowly in a straight line, curve around and home-in on the target. They are very difficult to avoid despite their slow travel-time and can only be avoided by moving into cover or strafing to the right or left but only just right before a bullet or salvo hits requiring observation and an understanding of the bullets' speed.

At any time in battle, a Captain may teleport. The teleport happens almost instantaneously with the Captain twirling its cloak forward and traveling a short distance of usually up to five or ten meters. The teleport's blue flow of residue indicates its direction. This can happen during engagements where a Captain has to dodge weapons or abilities with a low travel-time, high-explosives or alternatively to reach cover or the destination of their push faster.

If an enemy comes into melee range, they will grab their currently equipped ranged weapon with their left, upper arm and swing their right hand forward in an arc to damage the target. A Captain can also sometimes be seen wielding a pair of Shock Blades, which they will use them to charge into the fray to cut their targets to bits. Due to their shield and ability to teleport, they often charge forward with more care, seeking cover if their target moves to a higher ground or out of range of their blades. In rare instances, they may even wait behind cover until the enemy comes close enough to trigger a push.

However, a Captain is most deadly when armed with a Scorch Cannon. This particular configuration allows them to deal consistent AOE-Damage in two to three cannon-shots at a time with a weapon that possesses a very fast travel-time, which they use to devastating effect. They are able to almost instantly kill Guardians at any distance. They behave like a normal captain for the most part but show heightened levels of aggression, mostly staying out of cover, strutting into sight-range of their target or push forward while shooting. It's best to stay mobile, have the high ground with sufficient space to jump or occasionally peeking behind ample cover where their weapons AOE explosion is unable to hit the guardian.

Incredibly rarely, Captains may wield Wire Rifles, which enables them to fight from far longer ranges. The Wire Rifle needs to be charged and subsequently shoots a Arc bolt with a very visible trail. The weapon charging cannot be interrupted but, unlike the Vandal, the Captain will almost never remain stationary or be assigned to a certain area or high ground and can fire accurately while strutting or on the move while charging unless the enemy gets very close. If so, they can fire their weapon even when a target is very close while approaching them. The weapon itself makes a very loud and recognizable sound while charging and firing, making it easy to spot the shooter. The bolt can be dodged by moving to the sides.

Running is not a solution as they can accurately hit moving targets as well. The shooter needs to be observed directly and the incoming projectile dodged at the moment of the shot as its projectile possesses an incredibly quick travel-time.

For improved durability, their armor possesses an embedded Arc shield identifiable by the blue shine around his body and secondary white health bar upon aiming at the unit. Captains usually strut around arrogantly or charge fearlessly in battle, but immediately start seeking cover if their shields are broken. If possible and no obstruction is present, they may even evade or use a teleport. It is recommended to use Arc elemental damage to break the shield of a standard captain but sufficient damage will cause it to collapse as well. Their armour without its Arc shield is not sufficient enough to survive in a prolonged engagement which forces them to rely on their mobility and large enough cover nearby to stay alive.

In Destiny 2, Captains exhibit the same fighting behavior as in Destiny 1, though while they have their Arc shield enabled may employ a slightly different ability. If the target or Captain comes too close or their shield sustains minor damage they will initiate a teleport-strafe. They will teleport to the left or right side depending on there being an obstruction, stand in a slightly bent pose while holding their rifle in the right, upper arm one-handed and fire their weapon in a semi-accurate three to four round burst before teleporting in the opposite direction repeating the process. This kind of hit-and-run teleportation tactic makes them very hard to hit and lets them shoot very quickly. An attempt to break this engagement with heavy fire or by breaking their shield with the corresponding Arc elemental damage to trigger an AOE explosion or staggering them with concentrated fire to the head, arms or legs is recommended. They may also duck to make themselves harder to hit before backtracking to the nearest cover once their shield is broken or a target can no longer be reached with their available weaponry.

The new Molten Welder siege cannon is most commonly seen in the hands of Captains, who tend to stay at range and use its mortaring capabilities to pin and suppress opponents even behind cover. They are not as aggressive as Scorch Cannon wielders, though they can be extremely deadly if they use it as part of their teleport attacks which heightens their fire rate and due to the reduced accuracy but higher AOE are able to suppress their targets rather efficiently. They also sport a slightly thinner, more streamlined look.

Notable Captains[edit]

House of Devils Captains

House of Kings Captains

Ultra Captain

House of Exile Captains

House of Wolves Captains

House of Dusk Captains

Kell's Scourge Captains

House of Salvation Captains

Pikers Captains

Houseless Captains

Proxy Captains

Nightmare Captains

Wrathborn Captains

Variants[edit]

Ranks^{[Note 1]}

Kell – Political leaders of a Fallen House, commands flagship Ketch
Archon – Prime Servitor's caretakers and High Priests of the Fallen
Baron – Highest nobility of Captains and Lieutenants who commands a Skiff

Notable Variants

Captain, Kell's Scourge — Kell's Scourge Captain
Piker Captain - Captain of the Pikers
Splicer Captain — Devil Splicers Captain
Stealth Captain — Captain outfitted with invisibility tech
Scorch Captain — Captain that wields (and drops) a Scorch Cannon
Wrathborn Captain — Captain turned into Wrathborn
Disciple of Kridis, Technocrat's Assistant and Warrior's Enforcer — Salvation Captains with the power of Stasis

Common Variants

Elder Captain — Heroic Difficulty
Engineer Captain — Major Piker Captain
Noble Captain — Epic Difficulty
Overload Captain — Champion
Reaver Captain — Major Captain (Destiny)
Resilient Captain — Elite Captain
Resilient Captain, Kell's Scourge — Elite Captain of the Kell's Scourge
Resolute Captain — Major Captain (Destiny 2)
Trusted Captain — Elite Piker Captain

Specific Variants

Trivia[edit]

Bungie created a physical Fallen Captain model for Gamescom 2013.^[4]
During cutscenes early in the game, Captains were seen wielding Wire Rifles. Ironically, Wire Rifles are never seen in the hands of a Captain in gameplay.
- On the release of Beyond Light, several Captains such as Archon Aspirants and Technocrat's Assistants wield Wire Rifles.
Each major variant of the Fallen Captain uses a different elemental shield.
- The regular Captain uses an Arc elemental shield.
- The Taken Captain uses a Solar elemental shield.
- The Splicer Captain uses a Void elemental shield.
In Destiny 2, normal Captains have a grey pelt lining their body and purple cloth while Major and Ultra rank Captains have brown fur and gold cloth.
Several Ultra-sized Captains can have their head blown off upon being killed akin to their smaller counterparts. Some notable examples include Elyksul, Assault Leader and Raksil, Archon Priest.