Savathûn's Brood

Savathûn's Brood was a Hive sect formerly found within the New Pacific Arcology on Titan and in the Tangled Shore in Reef, but continue to exist within the Dreaming City. At some point following the Taken War and before the Red War, this sect arrived in the Solar System and infested Titan's long-abandoned Golden Age cities. This infestation came as an unwelcome surprise to the Lightless Guardians who evacuated the Last City in the aftermath of the Red Legion's invasion and fled to Titan with Commander Zavala to regroup.

They originally directly serve and worship Savathûn, the Witch-Queen, however, after the events of the Season of Arrivals, Savathûn went into hiding without the members of her court knowing. This led to many of the Brood's members to defect to Xivu Arath, however those in the Dreaming City continued to fight in her name. Those who remained loyal to the Witch Queen would join her Lucent Brood. Savathûn's Hive appear to sport new weapons and morphologies, with its members appearing more muscular and organic, compared to the other sects.

Savathûn Sings
"You all talk about this 'Savathûn' a lot. I don't think anyone's ever seen her, though. Are you all sure you've got your facts straight?"

- Eva Levante

During a mission to stabilize the New Pacific Arcology's foundation on Titan, the Guardians discover multiple Hive rituals with the purpose of sinking the Arcology. Sloane receives intel of a center point for these rituals deep beneath the Arcology and sends in fireteams to investigate, however all seemingly disappear. Worried, she recruits the Guardians to look for the lost teams and find out what the Hive are up to. Breaching through the Hive defenses, the Guardians make radio contact with a Guardian named Taeko-3, the last surviving member of the previous fireteams, and learn that the Hive are forcibly extracting Void Light from Guardians to create the crystals to power a large Shrieker, Savathun's Song. Taeko-3 sacrifices her life to create a crystal the Guardians can use to access the Shrieker. They were successful in destroying Savathun's Song, avenging the fallen Guardians and preventing another Hive attempt to sink the Arcology.

On Io, the Guardian are ambushed by the Taken which surprises Ikora of their return. Ikora is quick to hypothesize that the Taken are following the direction of new hidden entity. Evidence suggest that the new Hive broods found on Titan and Io swore allegiance to Savathûn, the Witch-Queen.

The Curse Loop
"Is my cyclical death not the very engine which brings you here, again and again, in hope of answers? Thus I do own the portion of your mind which you devote to truth's pursuit."

- Dûl Incaru

As the Taken Curse blighted the Dreaming City, Savathûn entrusted her daughter, Dûl Incaru, the Eternal Return, to take advantage of the curse to plunder the city of its secrets and more importantly, further her mother's scheme of invading the Distributary to reach new bounds of godly strength. By using Eleusinia as a staging ground and aided with the Taken and Hive sent from her aunt Xivu Arath, Dûl Incaru waged an unending battle against the Awoken. Queen Mara Sov called upon her allies in the Guardians to fight back against the Taken curse. After two weeks of fighting the Taken and Hive, a rift to Eleusinia was opened beneath the Blind Well that gave the Guardians an opportunity to battle the Witch-Queen's daughter. Despite the protection of her Fatesmiths, Dûl Incaru was killed by the Guardians.

However, this seeming failure was all part of Savathûn's greater plans for the Dreaming City. After Dûl Incaru's death at the hands of the Guardians, the Dreaming City reverted to the state it had been in upon first being unsealed by the Guardian, progressing again through the same process of becoming corrupted by the Taken and culminating in another battle between Dûl Incaru and the Guardians. This apparent time-loop, spun by Quria, both furthers Savathûn's long-term goal of amassing tribute for herself through her subordinates committing violence within spaces with looped or dilated time, and also presents the Guardians with a dilemma: they can either repeatedly strike down Dûl Incaru and relive the same series of events, or they can refuse to do so and allow Dûl Incaru to complete her mission.

Taken Queen Interferes
"Nokris? Oryx's foundling and exiled brother to Crota. He is now bound to Savathûn as a catalyst for her interference."

- Eris Morn

On Io, Eris Morn heeds the call of a Pyramid to learn what she can. Her attempts to hear the Darkness are disrupted by Savathûn, who jams the Pyramid's broadcasts and sends Hive and Taken to intervene. She is slowly overwhelmed but the Guardian, who was following her on Zavala's orders, is able to save Eris from the Witch-Queen's servants. Though injured, Eris manages to overcome the Witch Queen's power as she finds a tree of Silver Wings, with a seed of dark power at its base. After returning to the Last City, the Vanguard Commander pleads with her not to go any further but Eris leaves anyway, determined to figure out what Savathûn and the Darkness want. She returns to Io, only to find it swarmed with Savathûn's forces. Eris calls on the Guardians to take back the tree, and when they succeed, she uses the Seed of Silver Wings to receive and interpret the Pyramid's broadcasts.

During their trek into the Court of Savathûn, the Guardian learns that Oryx's disowned son, Nokris, has returned and is now in service to his aunt and her goals. It is soon discovered that the former Herald of Xol was abandoned by his god and, looking for a new purpose, used trickery to enter the Ascendant Realm, encountering the Witch Queen doing so. Both wishing to be free from the Darkness, Nokris agreed to a bargain with his scheming aunt. In exchange for teaching his aunt the secrets of Necromancy and interfering with the Pyramid's attempts to communicate with the Guardians, Nokris would take part in Savathûn's plans and learn the power to Take from the "Dreaming Mind".

After the Arrivals
Following the failure of Nokris to negate the Guardians communicating with the Black Fleet, Savathûn would quickly go into hiding as the Black Fleet would brand her as a traitor and had her sister, Xivu Arath, hunt her down in retaliation. Now with the Witch Queen nowhere in sight for her court to know, many members of the Brood would decide to defect and join Xivu's Hive. While those who remained loyal to the Witch Queen joined her Lucent Brood.

Hive Pantheon

 * Savathûn, the Witch Queen
 * Balwûr — Daughter
 * Dûl Incaru, the Eternal Return — Daughter
 * Malok, Pride of Oryx — Son
 * Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn — Nephew

Savathûn's Champions

 * Alak-Tor, Fatesmith of Incaru
 * Ba-Kuur, Fatesmith of Incaru
 * Cragur, Plague of the Well
 * Gahlran, the Sorrow-Bearer (temporary)
 * Gaurog, Fatesmith of Incaru
 * Savathûn's Song
 * Ubara, Hive Prince

Savathûn's Envoys

 * Dek-thra, Who Sows and Tills
 * Exhara, Ambassador of Savathûn
 * Kefonres, Rapacity of Savathûn
 * Kudazad, Binder of Savathûn
 * Naktal, Fury of Savathûn
 * Pryn-rid, Treasurer of Savathûn
 * Ul-Heru, Envoy of Savathûn
 * Vanbaluk, Trusted of Savathûn
 * Zhum'boh, Voracity of Savathûn

Savathûn's Brood

 * Arunak, Beloved by Calus
 * Azyrax, Exalted Conjurer
 * Belhor, Herald of the Plague
 * Drachna, Favored by Incaru
 * Garmurg
 * Golmuut
 * Gravetide Summoner
 * Golthor, the Subtle
 * Mholoch, Herald of the Plague
 * Karugul
 * Posthüm of the Deep
 * Shrieker, Bound to Sedia
 * Takul-Dar, the Unbreakable
 * Teraph, Herald of the Plague
 * Thaan'Hul
 * Yächaar, Bound to Sedia
 * Yulog of the Deep

Unique forces

 * Thrall variants
 * Arunak's Attendant
 * Blessed Thrall
 * Gravetide Thrall
 * Revenant Thrall


 * Cursed Thrall variants
 * Blessed Thrall
 * Revenant Cursed Thrall


 * Acolyte variants
 * Blessed Acolyte
 * Revenant Acolyte
 * Servant of the Plague
 * The Anathema


 * Knight variants
 * Assault Leader
 * Barrier Knight
 * Blessed Knight Splinter
 * Cherished Darkblade
 * Envoy of Savathûn
 * Fissure Knight
 * Lamplighter Knight
 * Prince of Yul
 * Revenant Knight
 * Servant of the Plague
 * The Anathema
 * Treasured Knight
 * Ugul Gar Knight
 * Unhallowed Vanquisher
 * Uprooted Knight
 * Wealthy Knight
 * Xûr's Wellkeeper


 * Darkblade variants
 * Abyssal Champion
 * Shifting Blade
 * Treasured Knight


 * Wizard variants
 * Abyssal Sorcerer
 * Conjurer
 * Drenched Sorceress
 * Envoy of Savathûn
 * Lamplighter Wizard
 * Necromantis
 * Null Conjurer
 * Ritual Hierarch
 * Ritual Witch
 * Sky-Eater Wizard


 * Ogre variants
 * Blessed Ogre
 * Envoy of Savathûn
 * Gahlran's Retainer
 * Gravetide Ogre
 * Hungering Ogre
 * Infernal Ogre
 * Lamplighter Ogre
 * Revenant Ogre
 * Treasured Ogre
 * Unstoppable Ogre
 * Uprooted Ogre


 * Shrieker variants
 * Revenant Shrieker
 * Savathûn's Witness

Trivia

 * Many of this Hive faction's units have "Revenant" as a rank title; this suggests that these individuals have returned from death, either by virtue of being Ascendant or through the heretical practice of necromancy (as employed by Nokris, Herald of Xol).
 * The latter theory is unlikely, since as of Season of Arrivals it is revealed that Savathûn wishes to learn necromancy from Nokris.
 * Savathun's brood appears drastically different than her Lucent Brood.
 * This would be due to the fact that the Lucent Brood were reborn through the Light rather than the Darkness.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Taken King
 * Destiny 2
 * Curse of Osiris
 * Forsaken
 * Shadowkeep
 * Season of Arrivals
 * Beyond Light