Malok, Pride of Oryx

Malok, Pride of Oryx
Biographical information
Other name(s):	Taken Prince Prince Malok
Species:	Hive (formerly) Taken
Faction:	Savathûn's Brood (formerly) Blood of Oryx
Rank:	Prince Ultra
Class:	Taken Knight
Gender:	Male
Combat information
Mission:	Pretender to the Throne The Blighted Chalice
Weapon(s):	Boomer
Abilities:	Fist of Darkness High Durability Rapid Movement Summon Taken Summon Blights Shadow Touched Burn Projectiles Axion Darts

"Malok! Listen — I took you from your mother, my sister / Your shape is new / This shape is poison — the shape of secrets / I name you Malok, which means My Poison / A prize to taunt sister Savathûn / Steal now for me."

— Oryx, the Taken King

Malok, Pride of Oryx is a Taken Prince and a son of Savathûn, the Witch-Queen who rose to power in the aftermath of the defeat of Oryx, the Taken King, becoming a prime candidate to seize Oryx's vacant throne and become the new Taken King. He is first encountered in the Story Mission Pretender to the Throne, where the Guardian tries to stop Malok from occupying the throne. He is met again in the Blighted Chalice Strike, where he plans to roost a nest of Taken within the Shrine of Oryx and lead them on a full-scale assault on the Last City.

Biography

"Malok has lived with his power for many, many years, His hideous skin is a sign of his age, his cruelty."

— Eris Morn

Originally an unnamed Thrall, Malok was begat by his mother to turn against the Taken King himself by tithing upon his tribute to fuel hers under the cloak of deceit and cunning. Her ploy failed as he selfishly took Oryx's tribute for himself instead and grew in strength till he became a Knight and eventually a Prince. Unfortunately, Malok's thievery would be noticed by Oryx, who Took the Prince and name him Malok (meaning My Poison in the Hive tongue) in mockery of Savathûn's failed machination. Malok was sworn into servitude to his uncle, albeit retaining some of his will until the latter's demise by the Guardians.

Unlike most Taken, which exude blights wherever they go, Malok was able to control the Taken Blights at his disposal; empowering them at his command and becoming formidable enough to take claim of the Osmium Throne. However, before he could perfect his work with the blights, Variks summoned the Guardians to capture Malok for his Prison but Eris Morn pressed that Malok had to be killed to prevent anyone from claiming Oryx's throne. Malok was driven out of the Dreadnaught and into the Hellmouth, to the Shrine of Oryx. There he was cornered and killed by the Guardians, which put an end to all possible contenders for the vacant Osmium throne.

Legacy

"Malok was one of the only Taken to retain their will. They were a unique being, now reduce to an — albeit powerful — artifact."

— Eris Morn

Many years after Malok's death, it would be revealed his mother had taken possession of his head and kept it in her Throne World. She attempted to use it to excise the Echo of Navigation from the High Heresy and trap it in her own court. Eris Morn and the Guardian put a stop to this plan and stole Malok's head, prompting an outburst from the Witch Queen. Upon securing the artifact, Eris wondered whether they could use it to procure a panacea for Sloane's Taken affliction.

Gameplay

Pretender to the Throne

Malok is encountered twice in the April Update. He is first met in the mission Pretender to the Throne on the Dreadnaught, where he plans to threaten the Guardian upon their arrival. To show his might, he sends forth a wave of Taken to fend off the Guardian. The Guardian succeeds, but Malok teleports to the Shrine of Oryx to secure his power.

Blighted Chalice

The Guardian confronts him again in the Blighted Chalice strike, and he has some deadly tricks up his sleeve. His mere presence covers the floor in a dark mist that disables recovery and agility, and throughout the fight, he will continue to summon Taken Blights. These blights will bring forth waves of Taken minions that should be disposed of quickly. Destroying the blights will also clear up space for Guardians to gain a foothold on the battlefield.

Like most Knights, Malok is armed with a Boomer that rapidly fires fast-traveling Arc Bolts that deal high explosive damage, so he can constantly siege and overtake your position even when you're hiding in cover, and if a Guardian gets too close, he will pound the ground with his fist to create a gigantic shockwave that will instantly kill them. He is capable of moving blindingly fast as well, making it tricky for the player to keep their reticle on target. However, after sustaining enough damage (approximately 75% of his health), Malok drops his Boomer, thus signifying a change in his tactics.

His first attack is an ability typical of Taken Knights: sending forth a barrage of Solar projectiles that linger on the ground, creating a fiery trap that rapidly drains the health of Guardians who step in them. He uses this attack very often; it has a very long reach, and the "Shadow Touched" debuff he casts on the floor makes it all the more difficult to avoid. The best defense from this attack is to find adequate cover.

After reaching a certain health threshold (approximately 45% to 50%), Malok will begin sending out Axion Darts like those of Taken Centurions. They are quickly and constantly fired in different directions and can unpredictably bounce off of and move around corners to track their targets, and should they all manage to home in on your fireteam, they will quickly cause a team wipe considering that Malok sends them in clusters of four. These darts must be destroyed to reduce or, better yet, eliminate the chances of dying from homing, long-ranged attacks. This change in tactics makes Malok a very dangerous foe and therefore should be engaged with caution, as he doesn't even need to get close to score a kill.

Family

Hive Pantheon

Gen 1	Gen 2	Gen 3	Gen 4	Gen 5
Osmium King	Oryx	Crota (Omnigul)	Hashladûn
			Besurith
			Voshyr	Yishra
				Ayriax
			Kinox	Ulg'Urin
		Nokris
		Ir Halak Ir Anûk
		Alak-Hul (fostered) (Verok)
	Savathûn	Balwûr
		Malok
		Dûl Incaru
	Xivu Arath

Other potential members of the Pantheon include Urrox, Mysik, Zyrak, Thyshik, Xavan, Tir Balok, An Ragaar and Scoroboth. However, their names may be honorary titles, as there is no further mention of their relationship to the Pantheon.

Trivia

• Malok is one of the few Taken who possess independent thought and the first the player fights.
• Malok was first identified by two items added to Destiny's database by The Taken King: the Pulse Rifle Grasp of Malok, which drops from the Will of Crota Strike, and the Strike-exclusive Hunter Helmet Hood of Malok.
• The killcam shows that Malok belongs to the Hive sect Blood of Oryx even though he is Taken. This may be a developer oversight.
  • But since he is a son of Savathûn, he also used to belong to the Savathûn's Brood before he was Taken.
• After losing his Boomer and being dealt enough critical damage, Malok's gel-like head will swell and eventually burst.
• Malok is the second Strike boss in the Destiny universe to have changing tactics in-game, the first being S.A.B.E.R.-2.
• Malok underwent two changes in Episode: Heresy. Firstly, the pronunciation of his name, which Eris pronounces more like 'Moh-lock' instead of the 'Mah-lock' she and Variks pronounce his name as in Destiny. The other is his appearance, where his head is similar to that of Kelgorath, Taken from Bones and his Disciples, in which they use shrunken Barrier Knight horns on the sides.
• In Episode: Heresy, Eris refers to Malok by they/them pronouns.
  • Though oddly, during a single sentence, she calls Malok by "him", saying "he was partially Taken." After this sentence she'd go back to calling Malok by they.

Gallery

• 

  Malok readies his Boomer to face his assassins

• 

  Malok unarmed

• 

  Malok performing a Fist of Darkness

• 

  Malok's head as seen in Episode: Heresy

List of appearances

• Destiny: The Taken King (First mentioned)
  • April Update (First appearance)
• Destiny 2: Episode: Heresy