Riven's Lair (activity)

This article is about the Season of the Wish seasonal mode. For the location in the Dreaming City, see Riven's Lair.

Riven's Lair
Game:	Destiny 2
Campaign:	Season of the Wish
Player(s):	1-3
Recommended Power Level:	1600
Location:	Riven's Lair, Dreaming City
Objective(s):	Fight your way through one of the pathways in Riven's Lair and slay the trespassers that seek to claim it.
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Riven's Lair is an activity that was introduced in Season of the Wish.

Overview

This section needs expansion. You can help Destinypedia by expanding it.

Transcript

"And my vanquisher will read that book, seeking the weapon, and they will come to understand me, where I have been and where I was going."The following is a verbatim transcription of an official document for archival reasons. As the original content is transcribed word-for-word, any possible discrepancies and/or errors are included.

Introduction

• Riven: Welcome, O wardens mine.

Or

• Riven: How long it has been...

Or

• Riven: What have you come to claim, dear Guardians?

Or

• Riven: My lair crawls with vermin. Present company excluded, of course.

The Crossing

• Riven: We made exquisite partners, you and I. Even if our partnership had its violent disagreements. You had so many dreams, and I knew how to weave them into the weapons you craved. Let's rekindle that little arrangement, shall we? I'm already here, after all. Slay my enemies. Protect my children. Give me peace, and I will forge a small measure of your brutality and greed into tools of death. I ask for nothing in return... but your dedication to our cause, and the pleasure of each broken enemy. Go, now. Your prey await.

Or

• Osiris: This is an interesting facsimile of the wider city. Not unlike a simulation — equally impervious to the demands of physical space.

• Riven: You would see it that way.

• Osiris: Is it the work of a nostalgic heart, or that of a favored listless pet, tunneling into the walls?

• Riven: Simply, indulging the creative spark, O mortal mine.

Or

• Osiris: Once again into the Confluence. Our enemies await you. Bring them fire.

• The Crow: We'll keep your exit into the overworld clear for when you're ready.

• Osiris: I wonder, if Mara did not cast Riven's eggs into... wherever this is, and Riven did not either... who did?

• The Crow: Maybe it was how Savathûn exploited Riven originally. Although... I don't remember her needing much motivation.

• Osiris: Doubtful. Riven would be aware of such an arrangement.

• The Crow: Yeah, and she'd NEVER lie to us about that.

Or

• Petra Venj: How is it that every time we work with the Vanguard, you find a way to get involved, Crow?

• The Crow: You could say I'm a little invested.

• Mara Sov: Any assistance the Vanguard is willing to provide is a boon to us, Petra.

• The Crow: It's all right, Mara. She's still warming up to me.

• Petra Venj: You're a bit dim, so it's taking a while.

• The Crow: [chuckles] Relax, Venj. You already shot me once.

Or

• The Crow: How does it work, anyway? Raising a ghost — I mean — a spirit?

• Mara Sov: Ahamkara are an anomaly unto themselves. A warp in the fabric of reality. In death their stamp lingers upon the world. It is a matter of drawing the essence of what remains into a... coalescence of her original form. Powerful, but still diminished.

• Riven: And perfectly harmless.

Post-Apophasis

• Mara Sov: Riven's Lair provides us with a foothold from which to seek the remainder of the clutch. Losing ground here will make our task all the more difficult.

• The Crow: So, take out every hostile we see and try not to fall onto any spikes. Easy.

• Mara Sov: [sighs] Be careful.

Or

• Petra Venj: These halls are getting a little crowded. Let's go hunting, fireteam.

• The Crow: I thought I knew all of the hidden routes to the Dreaming City, but I never found Riven's little corner.

• Petra Venj: It was my first time seeing this place as well. I've used the Confluence many times, but our queen keeps her secrets close.

• The Crow: Life in the Distributary taught her the value of information. Seems like she's relaxing a bit, though. Don't you think?

• Petra Venj: We're both learning that not every offer is followed by a knife. That we have with us more than allies of convenience.

Or

• Petra Venj: Into the fray, fireteam. Our odds are improving. Maybe when this is over, the Corsairs can see an end to war.

• Riven: You try so hard, Petra. But I'm afraid the curse your soldiers find themselves caught in will never fade away.

• Petra Venj: I know! I used to think I could save the City, if only we fought hard enough. Long enough. I let my hate for you drive me. But I'm not interested in preserving sacred halls anymore. I'm interested in preserving our people. If I can't break your curse, I can pull those affected from it.

• Riven: Interesting plan. Let me know if you need… help with that.

Or

• Riven: In life, I strode these halls in countless forms. Flew, mite-small. Lurched about on two legs.

• Mara Sov: You shaped these halls to your liking. Did you truly find the City so distasteful?

• Riven: Oh, no. I found it very comfortable.

• Mara Sov: And I grew too comfortable in your presence.

• Riven: You will recall that you died, O majesty mine. You let down your defenses.

• Mara Sov: And you were Taken.

Or

• The Crow: Osiris, were you around for the Great Hunt?

• Osiris: I was Vanguard Commander at the time. But I was… preoccupied with my research.

• The Crow: Wait… seriously?

• Osiris: It was the Consensus that determined the Great Hunt's necessity. I do remember instructing the Warlocks to preserve some bones for study. Ikora proved the fearsome hunter. The experience changed her.

• The Crow: She… regretted it?

• Osiris: No, I mean it quite literally changed her.

Post-Chiasmus

• Petra Venj: Fireteam, this is a search and destroy mission. Locate enemy leadership, and take them out.

• Osiris: With any luck, severing the head will leave the rest without coordination or focus. It will make any remaining forces easier to engage, and slow the tide of reinforcements.

• Petra Venj: We only need to buy you and the queen a little more time, right? [inhales] Always a little more...

• Osiris: It has, and will make all the difference.

Or

• Mara Sov: Vex, Taken, Scorn — all of them attempt to wear down our resolve.

• Petra Venj: Just another war on the home front.

• Mara Sov: But not, I think, an eternal one.

• Petra Venj: No, my queen. This one has an ending.

Or

• Mara Sov: Our bargain with Riven is complete, but the Confluence remains vulnerable while we await passage to meet Crow.

• Petra Venj: Corsairs stand guard at every entrance leading into the Dreaming City. We won't lose another inch.

• Mara Sov: Neither will the Guardian. Let them shoulder this burden today. Keep your soldiers back from the fighting, Petra. They have seen enough of war.

Or

• Osiris: Once the Confluence has been cleared of opposition, and our link to Crow established, do you plan to keep it open, Mara?

• Mara Sov: No, it presents too much of a constant threat. Without a staple of Guardian warriors, my Corsairs and Paladins would be overwhelmed.

• Osiris: I'm not so sure Petra would agree. She seems quite capable, and intent on remaining so.

• Mara Sov: Yes, but she grows tired. There is a limit to all things, even those without end.

Arc Charges objective

• Osiris: You'll need Sol Divisive signatures to pick those locks.

Light the Torches objective

• Mara Sov: Their corruption may reshape these halls. Deal with them, before the path collapses around us.

Or

• Petra Venj: These braziers stabilize the pathways of the Confluence, much like Ascendant beacons in the Ley Lines.

Astral Cloister

• Osiris: Scorn reinforcements descend upon you. Prepare yourself for battle.

Objective complete

• Petra Venj: The Scorn moving through the Confluence have a rare level of organization. They're normally more of a brute force. Not prone to executing ambushes or tactical maneuvers.

• The Crow: Unless they're following orders from someone. Keep an eye on their leaders.

Or

• Mara Sov: If the Techeuns were not occupied, we might arrange alternate passage.

• Riven: What timid adventurers we find these days. You want reward without danger.

• Mara Sov: Unnecessary risk is folly.

• Riven: It is... entertainment.

Or

• Osiris: Every time we encounter the Sol Divisive in these pathways, their code burrows into everything they touch.

• The Crow: Maybe something they picked up from the Black Garden? Everything in there has a tendency to get under your skin.

• Osiris: That would be a nefarious development, and given the engrained Darkness we've been detecting in their radiolaria...

• The Crow: I'll let the Techeuns know after we clear this wing. We can help them sweep for any assimilating stowaways.

Post-Apophasis

• Osiris: The Sol Divisive we fought seemed to be cataloguing these halls, predicting where we'll be with alarming accuracy.

• The Crow: I brought the Techeuns the samples you gave me. What were those — uh, Oracles?

• Osiris: Sentient calculations, able to manipulate time. But these were different than those I've read about. Their structure mimics that of Pyramid energy. They're… modeling themselves in the shape of it.

Or

• Riven: It was a brave thing you did, Crow. To be vulnerable, a vessel again… I'm surprised.

• The Crow: What can I say? I'm a sucker for a good love story.

• Riven: I delighted to submerge myself in his words again.

• The Crow: OK, now you're just making it weird.

• Riven: Consider it the drawback of a wish fulfilled. Now, I suppose Mara will expect an apology.

Post-Synchysis

• Riven: Osiris, I've been meaning to thank you for protecting me from Mara's outburst. How can I return the favor?

• Osiris: My concern was not for you, and I do not want anything from you.

• Riven: You wouldn't want to rely on me, of course. After all, your life is going so well.

Post-Chiasmus

• Mara Sov: I walked the Confluence before your fireteam arrived. I found A lone Taken, and ordered it to stop.

• Osiris: You are testing dangerous waters… but that is familiar territory for you.

• Mara Sov: Imagine… to wield the Taken. To never order Petra to send another Corsair. It is the lesser evil, by a great, wide margin.

Or

• Osiris: I see it now, Guardian — what the Sol Divisive have been trying to achieve through tapping into the Darkness. The Vex have always wanted to calculate and predict paracausality. They've always failed. So, instead, they appear to be attempting to merge their Collective with the Darkness. With the Witness. It would seem they have not achieved it. I doubt they ever could, but they are trying…

Or

• Petra Venj: Crow is right about the Scorn here, but the Witness’ Scorn aren't developing. Fikrul is sending in agents to misdirect them.

• Mara Sov: This is a growing power we should not ignore. He will have to be dealt with soon. Find him. See if he'll hear reason and fight the Witness. If not… so be it.

Boss fight

Post-Apophasis

• Riven: Will you let them claim what is rightfully yours? Think what good it could do in your hands.

Or

• Riven: There is a part of you that always hungers for the fight.

Or

• Riven: You have rivals here, but no equals.

Or

• Riven: Shall I grant you strength to mortify this foe, Guardian? Or do you wish to revel in a fair fight?

Complete

• Mara Sov (Riven): The Queen's Wrath. Always coming up short. To think all your righteous vengeance amounted to this.

• Petra Venj: Is that all you have for me, Riven? I've told myself worse for years.

• Riven: Your loyalty will doom you, Petra. Free yourself.

Or

• Riven: Do you still watch over your Corsairs, Petra? They all make the same wish, week after week: to escape.

• Petra Venj: I don't know why I thought you'd be above twisting the knife.

• Riven: Perhaps, like your queen, I enjoy seeing dangerous creatures trapped in a cage.

Or

• Petra Venj: The chamber is clear. The Techeuns will alert us when they've found the next egg.

• Riven: You know, I respect you quite a bit. I honestly thought you'd have given up by now.

• Petra Venj: You first.

• Riven: You're a victim as much as I am. She's ruined us both, you know. Why not you in her place?

• Petra Venj: Each offer is less tempting than the last. You must be hungry.

Or

• Riven: Isn't it unfortunate your City hunted down all of my kind, Osiris? You might have wished for Saint-14's return from the Forest.

• Osiris: And have him trade the Vex's torment for yours?

• Riven: Perhaps you simply didn't want him back badly enough to pay the price.

• Osiris: Save the bait for someone naïve enough to take it.

Or

• Riven: Alliances are fragile things. What happens when the threat of extinction is past? Take care you do not end up a pawn of greater powers. Remember, O Guardian mine: none of us are to be trusted.

Or

• The Crow: Every time we go up against the Scorn, I think about how they're cursed too. Reanimated and doomed to an existence of pain, all because... I wished it.

• Petra Venj: That's not on you. Riven, as usual, twisted your desire to help someone in need.

• The Crow: Yeah. A lot of help I was, huh.

Or

• Riven: You still wear your desires on your sleeve. Friends. Forgiveness. It could all have been so easy.

• The Crow: It's not supposed to be easy.

• Riven: For you, it never will be.

Or

• The Crow: No Taken incursions, no Dark Ether pollutants... time looks normal. I think that's a wrap, Guardian.

• Riven: Is it? I think, there's more you want out of this. It's on the tip of my tongues.

• The Crow: I'm not interested in anything you're selling.

• Riven: I don't sell, I grant. I give, graciously and fully. I'm your chaperone to happiness. But what wouldn't you give to have her back?

• The Crow: You know me... which means you know I'm prone to emotional outbursts. You wanna keep pushing this?

• Riven: [chortles] I'm sorry. That was rude of me.

Or

• Riven: I remember each wing's construction. I rendered architecture from reality, and shaped something beautiful. I seeded the arboretum, laid crystal and dust where your witches designed your tightly bound demands.

• Mara Sov: We conjured the first steps. Watched together as the realm formed out beyond our sight. You chose to be my enemy.

• Riven: Captive. Enemy. Captive. These things come in rhythms.

• The Crow: Riven, we're not trying to trick you. I'm sure you can understand the hesitance coming from this side too.

• Riven: Yes, I'm brimming with empathy.

Or

• Mara Sov: You never saw the Dreaming City at its height, Guardian. Perhaps you've grown accustomed to the blights and Scorn. But it was peaceful once.

• Riven: [scoffs] What do Guardians care for peace? They want to slay dragons.

Or

• The Crow: I heard you're concerned about the new clutch of wish-dragons.

• Petra Venj: Just planning for the future.

• The Crow: As the Regent should... You're not alone. The Vanguard could help.

• Petra Venj: The Hunt was instigated by the Warlocks of the City, yes.

• The Crow: It's a different age. The Ahamkara aren't the only ones who deserve a second chance.

Or

• Petra Venj: The last time Ahamkara roamed free, they reshaped Venus. Unraveled reality itself.

• Riven: Reality didn't suit the Guardians of the past. They wished to shape it accordingly. We merely... obliged.

Or

• Riven: It was your City that called for the extinction of the Ahamkara. They believed the risks too great, the cost too high. But you understand the true value of power, O murderer mine.

Post-Synchysis

• The Crow: Taranis and Riven… Quite the love story. What do you think he saw in her?

• Petra Venj: I think… even wish dragons could make poor decisions.

Or

• The Crow: It was strange having Taranis’ voice in my head. Not much like Riven’s.

• Mara Sov: How did it feel?

• The Crow: Like I… was waking up to a beautiful surprise.

• Riven: Old fool.

• The Crow: I see why you miss him.

Or

• Mara Sov: I was… unaware of Taranis during the Great Hunt. Had I known then as I do now…

• Riven: Would you have played the game any differently?

• Mara Sov: I will never regret what was necessary.

• Riven: As I expected… O majesty mine.

Or

• Riven: I imagine the Hunt was a great convenience, Queen Mara. A pretense to lock your Ahamkara away at last.

• Mara Sov: What player moves her pieces for a single reason? You were safe, as were my people. That you didn't care to be so was not my concern.

• Riven: The stakes always feel higher when one's family is involved, don't you find?

Or

• The Crow: I think at some point, I started thinking of the eggs as… objects. Not seven new lives.

• Osiris: Until Taranis?

• The Crow: Not just him. Whatever else she is, Riven cares about her children.

• Osiris: Yes, I think it would be a shame for the, ah, whims to be judged for the actions of either parent.

• The Crow: You think we can teach them how to behave themselves?

• Osiris: They are young. What better time to try?

Or

• Petra Venj: Do you feel any kinship with the Witness? It also seeks to reshape reality to match its desires.

• Riven: What a tantalizingly direct question. What lies beneath it, I wonder?

• Petra Venj: Just wondering how we can trust you.

• Riven: Don't presume to know me, child. If there were bargains left to make, you can be sure I've already made them.

Or

• Petra Venj: I've told Zavala that every foe the Vanguard face goes through the Awoken to get to them. But you've dealt with Oryx as well, haven't you?

• Riven: For a time, I WAS Oryx, in all his terrible glory.

• Petra Venj: How do you feel about the prospect of your clutch born into a universe at the mercy of the Witness?

• Riven: Perhaps they shall hatch in time to meet the final shape. Perhaps not. If they had it all, I will have done all I can for tomorrow. The rest is up to them.

Or

• Mara Sov: The Taken are indeed fractured, my friends. Our strikes have found purchase.

• Osiris: Most still rally around Xivu’s Celebrants, extensions of her will.

• Mara Sov: But a great many wander aimless. That incremental separation of their masters making them lost, drawn by beings of focused intent. I am one such being.

• Osiris: Interesting. We should speak in person.

• Mara Sov: If you can contain yourself…

Or

• The Crow: Still no word on Fikrul’s whereabouts? Gotta wonder what he's up to with the Witness pulling the Scorn’s strings.

• Petra Venj: My Corsairs have been combing the Shore, but they haven't seen any trace of him.

• The Crow: You know… he used to call me “father”. As Uldren, it amused me. I found it useful. But now…

• Petra Venj: Now you think he's your responsibility.

• The Crow: Fikrul is still out there. The question is when I find him, do I try to offer help… or do I put him out of his misery?

Or

• Osiris: I've noticed your penchant for assertiveness recently, Crow. Your willingness to step forward is admirable. A mark of true leadership.

• The Crow: [sighs] That's enough, Riven.

• Osiris: What?

• The Crow: Oh. Oh! I, uh—Thanks, Osiris.

Or

• Riven: Your desires have so often come second to your duty, Guardian. What would you wish for? Wealth? Freedom? An escape from your troubles? What would you sacrifice to have it?

Post-Chiasmus

• Osiris: I've heard Ahamkara bones whisper to me from across the Tower. How is it that Riven is silent?

• Mara Sov: Projecting her spirit was akin to lighting a flame; the wick only burns for so long.

• Osiris: So she is truly gone?

• Mara Sov: Yes, as Taranis before her, she gave herself to wish prosperity for her kind.

• Osiris: That… could be a very dangerous wish.

• Mara Sov: We don't have to make an enemy out of fear. Let us see what they become.

Or

• Petra Venj: So, Riven's really gone?

• Mara Sov: Yes. Her power may linger, but not her spirit. I will safeguard her children. Whatever comes of that, I will answer for.

Or

• Petra Venj: A new clutch of Ahamkara.

• Osiris: A temptation for future Guardians, to be sure. But then, why do any of this, if not to give later generations the chance to make their own mistakes?

• Petra Venj: Best of luck to the Vanguard.

Or

• Petra Venj: My queen, if I could speak candidly?

• Mara Sov: Should I be concerned?

• Petra Venj: We've helped the Guardians secure the future of the Ahamkara, and made amends if there were any to be made. But what's to stop the new clutch from repeating the disaster on Venus?

• Mara Sov: The Guardian, I would hope. Us, if we're able. But without cause, I won't condemn the next generation to their ancestor’s fate.

Or

• Mara Sov: I saw you speaking with Crow before he departed. You're on good terms.

• Petra Venj: He was giving me a message for you, actually. A dream — or a memory. He wasn't sure. He said he'd made a wish to undo all that pain he had caused… and that's why Glint found him.

• Mara Sov: Noble, if not reckless. How perfect for him. Obviously, he made no such wish… or it must never have been granted.

Or

• Osiris: Queen Mara. Any news of your brother?

• Mara Sov: I can still feel Crow's presence. Distant… but unmistakable. There is a labyrinth between us. But I will chart a course in time.

Or

• Osiris: I have been giving much thought to these halls and the Vex Network. Perhaps they have more in common than we'd expect.

• Mara Sov: An intriguing thought. Go on.

• Osiris: What is a simulation if not a machine's wish? A projection of what might be, were certain parameters to be altered.

• Mara Sov: And you posit that by imposing those simulations upon us, the Vex seek to reshape reality as if they were Ahamkara.

• Osiris: Admittedly, it's a bit of a stretch. But imagine what the Vex could achieve, if they could only wish as we do.

Or

• Mara Sov: Do you truly mean to return to your Techeun training?

• Petra Venj: I do. I was never the best student, but… I've learned to be patient.

• Mara Sov: I have faith in you, Petra. Your stubbornness will see you through.

• Petra Venj: [chuckles] Yes, my queen.

Or

• Osiris: Petra, the recursions in the Dreaming City's curse — are they absolute?

• Petra Venj: Researching it, are you? [sighs] Nothing breaks the loop. Those who remain here are doomed to repeat it.

• Osiris: Then why remain? Why not evacuate the city and reclaim it another day?

• Petra Venj: Osiris… how long were you in the Infinite Forest? How many timelines did you brave in search of Saint?

• Osiris: I… I see what you mean. My apologies.

• Petra Venj: None required. We love this city. And we will fight for it until the bitter end.

Or

• Petra Venj: It was Riven's magic that built the Dreaming City. Maybe we should have known it was a gift she was always going to take back eventually. Next time around, we'll just have to build a home for ourselves.

Or

• Petra Venj: I wonder what else is out there… hidden away from us. Protected from us, maybe.

• Osiris: In time, we'll be able to focus on more than survival. I believe that.

Gameplay

This section needs expansion. You can help Destinypedia by expanding it.

Unique Enemies

• Deathless Aspirant
• Frenzied Specter
• Mephitic Host
• Plaguewielder
• Warden of the Witness
• Wardweaver
• Well Protector

Bosses

Mini Bosses

• Flamequeller Centurion
• Raging Ogre

Final Bosses

• Aspirational Construct
• Centroidal Mind
• Elikaa, the Pale Rot
• Locus of Subjugation
• Roln'gur, Blade-bound to the Terrace
• Ungoloth, Wayward Beast

Rewards

This section needs expansion. You can help Destinypedia by expanding it.

List of appearances

• Destiny 2
  • Season of the Wish (First appearance)