Ikora Rey

"The Light is your greatest weapon, Guardian."

- Ikora Rey

Ikora Rey is a human and the Vanguard for the Warlock class. Rey's extensive knowledge of her field has earned her respect "among all Orders." Ikora Rey sells Warlock armor and emblems, but will also sometimes assist in some exotic weapon bounties such as A Dubious Task. Following the Red War, Ikora began allowing Guardians to use her meditation device to relive past missions.

Time in the Wild
She started her career as an iconoclastic Guardian, with a reputation for being outspoken and impatient with the dogma of her peers. She had a very colorful life on the battlefield, whether fighting in the Crucible or doing solo missions and getting shot down repeatedly, surviving against all odds. Her experience gave her a wealth of knowledge and newfound respect among her fellow Warlocks. Even so, she apparently has a reputation for being scary, including a rumor that she can turn people into frogs.

Disciple of Osiris
Eventually, Ikora became a student of the Warlock Vanguard Osiris, arguably his greatest one. However, after her mentor's arrogance and obsession with the Vex grew out of control, she was forced to secretly take over many of his duties as Vanguard. Eventually, his focus on the Vex caused the Last City's other leaders to convene a meeting of the Consensus without Osiris present. The Speaker asked Ikora to take over officially as Warlock Vanguard, which she accepted. The Speaker then announced that he was exiling Osiris for his failure to serve the Last City and putting Guardians lives at risk chasing after Vex secrets. With no objections, Osiris was officially exiled and his post as Vanguard Commander was taken over by Zavala.

Ikora then went to confront her old mentor in the Underwatch of the Tower and inform him of the Consensus' decision. She demanded that they needed to talk, but Osiris did not turn around and simply commented that he was surprised that she came alone and asked if she had learned confidence. Angered by his arrogance, Ikora claimed that she had, but not from him. Osiris claimed he knew why she was there, proclaiming that their confrontation and his banishment had been prophesied. Ikora noted that he had plenty of warning then, causing Osiris' Ghost, Sagira, to lash out at Ikora, proclaiming that she and the rest of the Last City stood no chance against the Darkness without Osiris. He claimed that Ikora knew that was true but would not admit it, but Ikora denied this and stated that winning under his terms was no victory. She then bid her former mentor farwell and turned to leave, but was stopped by Sagira, who demanded to know if Ikora was really just going to let the Vanguard exile Osiris after all he had done for her and teaching her everything she knew. Ikora angrily retorted that he had only taught her all he knew, causing Sagira to claim she would still be wasting time in the Crucible with Shaxx without Osiris. Ikora warned her not to insult the Crucible, as it had once been her home in the Last City. Sagira claimed that Ikora had wasted her talent there and that she owed Osiris loyalty on his quest against the Vex for making her more than a champion, causing Ikora to end the conversation and walk away.

As Osiris prepared to leave the Last City for Mercury, Ikora met her former mentor one last time in the Tower's hanger as he readied the Sails of Osiris for launch. She suggested that he allow Shipmaster Cesar Hiponia to inspect the ship before Osiris left, causing the older Warlock to smile and note that she was always thinking ahead, which made her a fine leader. Ikora told him that was why she had to stay and lead as he once did, but he argued that the Infinite Forest on Mercury could be the key to simulating a path to their victory and understanding the Darkness. Ikora interrupted him, noting that while she wished him well in his quest, she feared his obsession would be his undoing, and that she would choose to stay and fight for what was real.

Contact With Rasputin
Ikora welcomed a newly risen Warlock from the Cosmodrome in Old Russia to the Tower and provided them wish basic supplies and Glimmer. She also directed them to speak with Banshee-44 to get a upgrade for their weapon. This new Warlock eventually discovered evidence in the Cosmodrome that the Warmind Rasputin was still alive and active in Old Russia. Ikora was elated by this discovery and declared that nothing in the Cosmodrome mattered more than the Warmind. Ikora met with the new Guardian again and asked them to investigate the Warmind network's communication arrays in the Cosmodrome. She warned them that Dead Orbit had sent scouts there to investigate but that they had never returned, and she wished to know their fate as well as what Rasputin might be planning. The Guardian succeeded in reactivating the arrays, but the three Dead Orbit Guardians were found dead and Rasputin took control of the array and locked the Vanguard out. Ikora was fascinated that the Guardian had made contact with the Warmind, and directed them to report back to Zavala, who had another mission for them.

Raids on the Hive
After the Guardian raided The World's Grave in the Hive's tunnels beneath the Moon, Ikora was pleased to finally have a chance to learn the greatest secrets and goals of the Hive. She worked alongside the Cryptarchy to decode the stolen information. The Guardian soon disrupted a Hive ritual that was using a fragment of the Traveler to drain its Light, which restored the fragment and helped restore some Light to the sleeping entity. Ikora was deeply interested in the implications of the ritual, noting that they seemingly confirmed the controversial Warlock Ulan-Tan's theory that all Light was connected, but she also worried that the servants of the Darkness could use that connection against them. Ikora later sensed a Hive abomination being raised within the Hellmouth, and ordered the Guardian to take a strike team down into the Hive's Summoning Pits and destroy it. The strike team succeeded in destroying the Ogre Phogoth, the Untamed, and while Ikora was pleased by its end, she wondered how many more abominations the Hive were creating throughout the universe.

Investigating the Vex
"We must assume the abomination was part of something greater. And we cannot flinch from the terrible, obvious comparison: just as the Traveler acts through us, this power was able to act through its own servants."

- Ikora, in her report on the Black Garden to Zavala

Ikroa ordered the Guardian to carry out another strike on Venus in the Vex tunnels beneath the Ishtar Academy. She briefed the team on their target, a Vex Axis Mind known as Sekrion, Nexus Mind, which was a world-eating machine that was charged with the transformation of Venus into a Vex world. Once the Nexus Mind was destroyed, Ikora noted that this did not halt the conversion of Venus, as the Vex still had other minds throughout the world that the Guardians could not reach, and that they must continue to pursue their enemy into the depths of the world.

The Guardian later came to Ikora for aiding in finding a way to wake the Eye of a Vex Gate Lord in order to gain access to the Black Garden and destroy the Darkness at its heart. She informed them that her Hidden agents had found a way to attune the eye to the gate of the Black Garden by using a Vex Spire on Mars. However, the only one that Ikora knew of that was above ground was also in the middle of a Cabal war camp. The Guardian soon returned with the wakened Eye, and Ikora complimented their Ghost on a job well done. However, she cautioned the Guardian that while they could now open the gate to the Black Garden, they must ensure their will was ready for such a task. The Guardian's will proved true and they destroyed the Black Heart at the center of the Garden, bringing it back into reality on Mars. Following this victory, Ikora gathered with Zavala, Cayde, and dozens of other Guardians in the Tower plaza to hear the Speaker's address on this great victory.

Despite this victory, Ikora was ordered by Zavala to go over the reports of the Guardian's mission into the Black Garden and give him an assessment of possible remaining threats. Amused by her friend's constant worry, Ikora nevertheless compiled her report. In it, she theorized that the Vex had discovered the Black Heart and its power but were unable to understand it, and thus turned to worship as a way of receiving empowerment. Ikora also believed that the Sol Progeny had been constructed solely to be vessels of power and will for the abomination, and that if it had been left unattended it could have unleashed horrors upon the galaxy. She also noted that there was great hope in the fact that the Black Heart could only activate one of the Sol Progeny at a time, and that it was threatened by the Light of a single Guardian. Lastly, Ikora concluded that the Black Heart was but a piece of the Darkness and that it acted through the Sol Progeny much as the Traveler did through its Guardians. She speculated that there could be more pieces of the Darkness out there acting through similar vessels.

Although the Black Garden was now settled into reality on Mars, Ikora worried that the Vex would attempt to pull it out of time once more. She met with Zavala and Cayde, and stated that she believed that The Undying Mind was attempting to undo the destruction of the Black Heart. Ikora was determined that the keep the Garden in reality where the Light could touch it so that they could continue mapping its pathways with the data files recovered from the Ishtar Collective. The others agreed, and Zavala authorized a strike to eliminate the Vex mind. Ikora ordered the Guardian to lead the strike and prevent the Black Garden from being resealed. The team destroyed the Undying Mind deep within the pathways of the Black Garden, and Ikora thanked them for ensuring its continued presence in reality. However, she worried that the Vex would never cease their efforts to take back the Black Garden and was determined to hold it in reality until the Vanguard had learned all of its secrets.

The Calm Before
Ikora was apprised of a group calling themselves the Shadows of Yor who were using copies of Thorn, the infamous weapon of the murderous Guardian known as Dredgen Yor. Concerned about their ruthless behavior in the Crucible after the results of a match on Blind Watch, Ikora approached Lord Shaxx and informed him of her worries that the Shadows could be following too closely in Yor's footsteps and that they should be watched. Shaxx agreed, but believed that Orsa Zyre, one of the leaders of the Shadows, had managed to contain the Darkness where Yor had failed. Ikora believed that a dangerous assumption and noted that the Thorn's presence in the Crucible was becoming ever more widespread. Ikora later met with Shin Malphur, Dredgen Yor's killer, after he saw footage of the Shadows of Yor in a match at Widow's Court. He was worried Ikora and the Vanguard were not taking the threat the Shadows represented seriously enough, and she attempted to reassure him that she shared his concerns and was monitoring the situation, but that given his past with Yor and all that he had lost to the killer and his Thorn, he might not be unbiased in how he viewed the Shadows' actions. Shin refuted that assertion and told Ikora that the Shadows were playing with death.

During the events of The Dawning, Ikora Rey tasked the Guardians in eliminating old foes that have returned, Taniks Perfected, Sekrion, Nexus Mind and Omnigul. During so, Cayde-6 "assists" though Ikora knew he was only helping because he was both bored and attempting to get out of coordinating a team of Hunters that didn't like him. Regardless, both aided the Guardians in eliminating their old foes.

Fall of the Last City
Ikora assists in fighting against the Red Legion invasion and after the Tower's civilians were evacuated, Ikora went in search of the Speaker only to find him missing. After the Traveler's Light was sealed away and the City became occupied by Dominus Ghaul, she later retreats to Io in an attempt to reestablish herself after the events of the invasion. Once the Guardian arrives and she learns of what has transpired in her absence, she returns to Earth to help her fireteam plan to retake the City.

Reclaiming the Last City
During the attack, Ikora leads a unit using sparrows to confound troops and create an opening for the other teams to enter the City. Once the attack begins, she regroups with Cayde and Zavala to teleport to Dominus Ghaul's location. Unfortunately, the Vanguard was too badly wounded to go themselves, and the Guardian is sent in their place. Once Ghaul is defeated and the Traveler reawakens, Ikora returns to work leading the guardians and watching over the recovering City.

A New Golden Age
"When the Red Legion attacked, it almost cost us everything. It took a miracle to save us… the awakening of the Traveler. This is our new beginning. The maps are blank. The rules are gone. All we know is we must become more than what we were. This small corner of the cosmos is the only place that is forever ours. And the universe watches us with envious eyes. We've proven we can fight threats from beyond the stars. But now there are things stirring beneath our feet… provoked by the Traveler's Light. Our war… is just beginning."

- Ikora, near the start of the new Golden Age As the City began to rebuild under the awakened Traveler, Ikora met with the other members of the Consensus to discuss the governing of the City. When Executor Hideo objected that they could not be called to order without a Speaker, Ikora prevented Cayde-6 from escaping the meeting and declared that they had to meet despite what the bylaws said. Lakshmi-2 asked if there was a protocol for choosing a new Speaker, and after Zavala revealed that there was not one, Ikora advocated amending the bylaws to create such a process. Zavala declared that until they had a new Speaker, they would all govern together and forge their own consensus without a Speaker's aid.

The awakening of the Traveler caused Ikora to reexamine all of her old research, particularly her twelve volume series "On Circles". Foregoing field work, Ikora spent long periods studying in her hidden private library. One day, Chalco Yong, a member of Ikora's Hidden, snuck into the library to see what Ikora was doing. Without stopping her research, Ikora acknowledged her friend and noted that she had to completely rewrite all twelve books in the series due to the Traveler awakening and changing their understanding of physics. Chalco was skeptical that the Traveler would so radically change their understanding of circles, causing Ikora to finally look at her and state that especially their conception of circles had changed.

The Curse of Osiris
When rumors of strange activity on Mercury started to surface from the Cult of Osiris, Ikora ignored it, dismissing them as mere conspiracy theories. However, one of her Hidden then brought her Sagira, who was found badly damaged and deactivated at the same time Vex activity surged dramatically. Ikora summoned the Young Wolf and asked them to investigate these developments in secret from the rest of the Vanguard due to the potential involvement of her former mentor Osiris. As the Young Wolf traveled to Mercury, Ikora explained to them that the Vex had replaced the core of the planet with a machine known as the Infinite Forest, which could calculate infinite realities. She was displeased when Brother Vance made contact with them, dismissing him as Osiris' "greatest fan". Vance claimed that his faith in Osiris had led them to him, causing Ikora to mock him for having faith in a man who questioned everything. After the Young Wolf investigated the Vex activity around the entrance to the Infinite Forest, Vance suggested that they take Sagira to a Cult of Osiris outpost on Earth that could help heal her.

With the new revelations about the nature of the Vex, Ikora began furthering her research of them. She was disappointed that the Young Wolf's presence at the beginning of the Infinite Forest did not reveal an understanding of the Vex. As she pondered the nature of the radiolarian fluid and dismissed it as being the Vex's consciousness, Ikora wondered if she had discounted Lakshmi-2 and the Future War Cult's device too quickly since the key to understanding the Vex might be exploring their ability to predict and simulate timelines. She turned to her Ghost, Ophiuchus, and asked their opinion, catching her companion off guard as they had not spoken in more than sixty-one years. Ikora noted that they were friends once, and that she was ready to hear Ophiuchus' opinion again.

Personality and Traits
"Ikora looks at me with one of those looks that—you know sometimes you talk to Ikora and you just think, wow, you are not even using a fraction of your brain on me, are you? One of those looks."

- Cayde-6

Before becoming Osiris' disciple, Ikora was one of the fiercest competitors in the Crucible. Lord Shaxx believed that Ikora's true home was the Crucible, though she would never admit it.

As a young student to Osiris, she was very close to her teacher and is considered his greatest student. They conducted many experiments together and Osiris taught Ikora what it meant to be a Warlock. However, Osiris' growing obsession with the Vex, his disillusionment with the Speaker and the Traveler began to divide them. While her teacher neglected his Vanguard duties in favor of his research, Ikora showed initiative in leading the Warlocks in his place and did her best to defend her teacher when others began to call Osiris a heretic for his views. Ultimately, however, seeing his arrogance and dangerous obsessions with the Vex, she felt that if Osiris continued to operate in the City then he would ultimately tear apart the City. Even after countless years apart, Ikora called Osiris the most notorious Guardian who ever lived. Despite this, she was nonetheless pleased to see her mentor again and changed for the better after the conflict with the Vex on Mercury.

As the Warlock Vanguard, Ikora serves as a balancing force between the steadfast yet rigid Zavala and the unorthodox yet reckless Cayde-6, offering the most logical course of action and whatever wisdom she had to spare. It is her duty to gather whatever intelligence on the City's enemies and defeat them before they become a threat. As such, she formed the Hidden, a network of agents that spy on enemy forces. Her leadership, resolve and bold initiatives makes her well respected in the Vanguard, amongst her fellow Warlocks and with the City factions. The only time she questioned herself was during the Red War after losing the Light but thanks to the Guardian's efforts, she regained her sense of spirit.

Ikora has proven to be accepting of more questionable sources than she is willingly to admit but does so cautiously. She was the only member of the Vangaurd who took Eris Morn seriously, listened to her warnings and treated her like a friend. In addition, while she tended to ignore them, she did listen to some of the messages of the Cult of Osiris when they actually lead to something but she nonetheless has a low opinion of them. In fact, the only person she is ever irritated and exasperated with is the Gensym Scribe, Asher Mir, but even she couldn't deny his expertise on the Vex.

Despite her calm and focused nature, Ikora does have a sense of humor, more so than Zavala but less than Cayde. While Cayde is wise-cracking and rarely serious, Ikora tends to be witty and sarcastic when dealing with the Hunter Vanguard.

Destiny 2
Ikora serves as the head of Vanguard Research. Upon completion of the Red War campaign, players are able to complete three Meditations per week which act as replays of the story campaign. Completing each meditation grants three Vanguard Research Tokens (though these can also be earned on days where Ikora challenges Guardians to complete five Challenges). These can be turned into Ikora to earn faction armor: specifically, legendary versions of the armor worn by players during the Homecoming story mission.

Faction armor

 * Titan - Noble Constant Type 2 set
 * Hunter - Frumious set
 * Warlock - Ego Talon IV set

Quotes

 * "Prepare the feed. Mars, near Freehold."
 * "Do you hear that? The voices? Sounds like, chanting."
 * "Hmm, do you sense it too?"
 * "Osiris knew things he couldn't back. Must've driven him mad."
 * "Tell me this: What is Oryx?"
 * "Come back safe."
 * "Do I scare you Guardian?"
 * "For your crusades."
 * "I assure you, the things they say about me aren't... all true."
 * "I can make you speak, if I wanted to."
 * "If this is some kind of game, I don't have time."
 * "I'm nothing to be frightened of, Guardian."
 * "I've got good feeling about you, Guardian."
 * "I've got my eye on you."
 * "Hmm, it's merely bent. It's yet to break."
 * "Oh, come on! I don't turn people into frogs, or whatever you heard."
 * "Oh, that's tempting... that's so tempting."
 * "Something pushing back, a consciousness. Not human."
 * "Speak, Guardian. I'm not that scary."
 * "Speak, if you think you sense something. Don't be shy!"
 * "The Dark is relentless, Guardian."
 * "The Light is your greatest weapon, Guardian."
 * "We can help you, Guardian."
 * "We expect great things of you."
 * "Wield the Light."
 * "Tell Cayde, I'm not falling for it again."
 * "It's like the time I had that stare-off with Brask.... Did I say that out loud?"
 * "Tired of punching everything?" - to Titans

Trivia

 * Ikora Rey is voiced by Gina Torres who also portrayed Zoe Washburne in the TV series Firefly.
 * Ikora possess her own collection of books and tomes of rare quality. She has such a collection that she has few books that she doesn't own. As such, she was impressed and grateful with Eva Levante's Dawning gift of books.
 * Ikora was the first Guardian to have a 25 match winning streak in the Crucible.
 * Despite the Destiny 2 teaser trailer had showed Ikora being a Stormcaller, the gameplay reveal trailer showed Ikora Ray in action as a Voidwalker.
 * In Destiny 2, her Warlock bond's holograph is moved from her shoulder-plate to the more traditional Warlock bond under it.

List of appearances

 * Destiny: Fall of Osiris
 * Destiny: Warmind (comic)
 * Destiny
 * The Dark Below
 * The Taken King
 * Rise of Iron
 * Age of Triumph
 * Destiny 2
 * Curse of Osiris
 * Warmind