User:Arcmind-1/Sandbox

The Traveler is a mysterious spherical entity floating above Earth. Massive in scale, it hangs motionless in the skies above the Last City built in its shadow. The Traveler protects the remnants of humanity from the continuous onslaught of the Darkness bent on humanity's eradication by projecting a shield around the City, and gifts the Guardians with ancient and mysterious powers.

Throughout the events of Destiny the Traveler remained comatose despite the Guardians' efforts at reviving it. During the Age of Triumph it seemed to get stronger as Guardians were noted to be more powerful than before. Nonetheless it was captured at the start of Destiny 2 by the Cabal Red Legion and taken from humanity, weakening Guardians severely, only to reawaken after countless millennia to smite its leader Dominus Ghaul and putting an end to the Red War.

Overview
The Traveler's outer surface is made of Neutronium and "Electroweak matter", both hypothetical materials; the former is believed to make up Neutron Stars, and the latter is based on a fundamental force that hasn't existed since the dawn of time.

History
The origins or nature of the Traveler is not clear to anyone. However, some information can be gleaned from the poem known as Dreams of Alpha Lupi. Based on this work, it appears that the Traveler chose Earth and humanity for a reason; it detected a "face" emerging from the Sun, later hearing a roar that contained something that it described as "a lucid melody". The Traveler felt joy, as it felt "the first hope in ages transform [it]," and it resolved to become strong enough to fight the Darkness.

The Traveler exists to help other worlds, but has never wished to be worshiped as a God, nor made its presence known any more than necessary to cultivate a civilization. When its work was finished, it would simply leave without fanfare. It would seem then that its defense of humanity was an extraordinary act in extenuated circumstances.

Early History
Saint-14 suggested that the Traveler had previously visited other species before finding humanity. The Fallen civilization in particular once hosted the Traveler, which they named the Great Machine. However, it left their system around the time of the Whirlwind. Other than the likely involvement of the Hive, little is known about this event, though it is thought to be similar to humanity's Collapse. After the destruction of their homeworld, the Fallen went in search of the Great Machine, leading them to the Sol System. All of their previous conflicts with humanity have been attempts to claim the Traveler for themselves, in an effort to prevent the destruction of their race.

Other species the Traveler has also uplifted include the Ammonites and the Harmony. The Cabal are aware of the Traveler's existence and nature, with some indications that they knew of it from other species. Ghaul in particular wants to receive the same power as the Guardians, believing himself to be more worthy.

The Hive uniquely hold the Traveler in special contempt, as it embodies the antithesis of their culture and society. One of the objectives of their crusade is to hunt down and destroy the Traveler once and for all.

Events of Destiny
When the Traveler first arrived to the solar system, it first visited Jupiter, Mercury and Venus, drawing humanity's attention. By the time Ares One landed on Mars, the Traveler had brought the first rain to the desert planet. It helped humanity expand across the solar system, teaching humans new technologies, helping them terraform planets and leading humanity into a Golden Age.

Some time later, the Traveler's enemy, the Darkness, appeared in the solar system, leading to the destruction of almost all human civilization in an event known as the Collapse. For the first time, the Traveler decided to stand and fight the Darkness, as it abandoned its work on Io and raced to rescue its "children", humanity. At the end of the wars that terminated the Golden Age, the Traveler, in its sacrificial last gift to humanity, came to rest over a small area of the now wasted human planet. The Traveler lays dormant now, apparently stripped of its senses and "flesh" by the Darkness, made blind, deaf and mute to the outside world. As humanity struggled to rebuild itself from these events, the crippled object gifted its protection and powers to the recovering humans. Although the times after the war were difficult, humanity persevered and with the help of this celestial guardian, and the humans eventually began to re-explore their terrestrial and solar domain. In its last breath, the Traveler created the Ghosts, to seek out those who can wield its light as a weapon. The Ghosts revived fallen warriors as Guardians, protecting humanity when the Traveler no longer could.

The remnants of humanity built the City beneath the resting place of the Traveler, where they were safe from the continuous onslaught of various alien races such as the Cabal and the Fallen. This city rests in the shade of the great sphere, built under its protective aura as a last bastion of humanity. The Guardians are destined to protect this city and its inhabitants, and as such are gifted with some of the magnificent powers of the Traveler. Some believe that the Traveler chose Earth for a reason, and it is humanity's obligation to prove itself worthy of its light.

With the Darkness returning, humanity fears they will not be able to survive it this time. As a last ditch effort, the player is given the ultimate task of attempting to wake the Traveler before the Darkness arrives, in order to drive it back. The Guardians are able to help the Traveler slowly restore its light, first by stopping a Hive ritual in the Chamber of Night that is siphoning light from the Traveler, and then destroying the heart of the Black Garden.

Red War
Two years after the Taken War, the Cabal Empire's Red Legion launched a major invasion of Earth headed by the Red Legion commander, Dominus Ghaul. A devastating surprise attack on the Last City was launched, trapping the Traveler in a cage to siphon off its light while separating it from the Guardian forces. Though trapped, the Traveler sent visions to the now lightless Guardians to seek out one of its fragments in the European Dead Zone, whereby they could regain their powers. Dominus Ghaul attempted and failed to win the Traveler's approval and make him into a Guardian, and simply took the light by force. When he gloated in front of the Traveler, the Traveler suddenly broke its cage and destroyed Ghaul, as well as slowly healing itself by drawing fragments back into itself. With the invasion ended and the city retaken, the Traveler was declared no longer dead but living once more.

Status variations
The Traveler's emission of Light appears to undergo cyclical fluctuations. These fluctuations are tracked by the Tower and reported over loudspeaker in the Tower North. Traveler status announcements include:


 * "Traveler at 1 revolution per zenith."
 * "Traveler approaching zenith."
 * "Traveler entering zenith."
 * "Traveler intensity at zenith."
 * "Traveler exiting zenith."
 * "Traveler declining 1 revolution per zenith."
 * "Traveler entering declining phase."
 * "Traveler entering retrograde phase."
 * "Traveler entering equilibrium."
 * "Traveler approaching theta state."
 * "Traveler entering theta state."
 * "Traveler in theta state."
 * "Traveler exiting epicycle. Returning to main cycle."
 * "Traveler at minimum valence. The Light persists."

Trivia

 * The Traveler first appeared in another Bungie game, Halo 3: ODST, where a hidden poster made it appear innocuously like the Moon.
 * The Traveler's size has changed over the course of development. Early concept art depicts a Traveler the size of a small moon orbiting Earth, while its finalized appearance in the game shows it hovering much closer to Earth's surface, within the atmosphere, and roughly the size of the Last City. According to a reddit post made on /r/DestinytheGame, players were able to determine the Traveler's in-game size (as seen from the Tower and Bannerfall) as 1.2 kilometers in radius. Destiny 2 concept art (see gallery) revealed that the Traveler's diameter is seemingly fourteen kilometers.
 * According to Xûr, there is a dark mirror of the Traveler.
 * The terms "Retrograde", "Zenith", "Epicycle" "Theta State" and "Valence" are used in tracking the Traveler's Light output.
 * "Retrograde", "Zenith", "Epicycle" are astronomical terms. In astronomy, the zenith is the point at which something appears directly overhead relative to an object or observer. Epicycle is a former astronomical term which was once used to describe the motions of other planets, relative to Earth, but has since been disproven; however, it still finds use in astrology. It was based on the old "geocentric" belief that the heavens and all objects within it travelled around the Earth. Observers would often note that the planets seemed to slow and change their trajectories in the course of their passage across the night sky, appearing to trace loops in their orbits relative to the stars behind them. This led to the concept of an epicycle: or a smaller rotation of a planet around a barycenter in the course of its larger rotation around the Earth itself. The period in which a planet appeared to slow and descend into a loop, just prior to appearing to move backwards, was known as the declining or descending phase. The period during which the planet traced the bottom half of the loop, appearing to move in the opposite direction from its orbital path is known as the retrograde phase. "Equilibrium" denotes the point at which the planet ceases to move backwards and begins to ascend out of the loop and into its normal orbital path once again, denoting the end of that particular epicycle. This particular astronomical theory was eventually proven to be an optical illusion after Copernicus introduced the then-radical notion that the Earth was not the center of existence & that all planetary bodies within the solar system, including Earth, revolved around the Sun. Johannes Kepler later proved that the so-called "epicycles" were the result of the Earth's orbital position relative to that of the planet being observed.
 * The term "Theta State" refers to a Theta Rhythm, which is an oscillatory pattern of brainwave activity in electroencephalography (EEG). This rhythm occurs within the human brain's hippocampal and neocortical regions at between 4 Hz. and 7 Hz. In both regions, these signals have been associated with transitioning from a dream-state to wakefulness, as well as a state of deep meditation.
 * In chemistry, the "Valence" of an element is a measure of its ability to bond with other atoms when it forms chemical compounds or molecules.
 * These terms are drawn from three different fields of science and the exact manner in which they apply to the Traveler's Light output is unclear at this time, save that they are used to indicate a repeating pattern.
 * The Festival of the Lost features a mask of the Traveler that can be obtained by players, and which is worn by the Speaker for the duration of the event. The back of the mask is marked by the tricorn symbol worn by the Speaker and included in Destiny's logo.
 * According to Fenchurch Everis, the inside of the Traveler "smells faintly of vanilla".

List of appearances

 * Law of the Jungle
 * Destiny
 * House of Wolves
 * The Taken King
 * Destiny 2

The Collapse
"Something hit us. Killed our Golden Age. Nearly wiped us out. Only the Traveler saved us, and at a shattering cost."

- Grimoire description.

The only solid information on the Darkness comes from an ISR report from centuries ago. At that time, the Darkness appeared just beyond the edge of the Solar System in what was termed as a "TRANSIENT NEAR EXTRASOLAR EVENT", with the only means of determining that a transient event had even occurred was through the detection of a 0.3 second displacement of gravity waves, as well as anomalous interactions in the local Higgs field traced to sterile neutrino scattering.

An AI observing the event, the Warmind Rasputin, was able to derive some information, based solely on the phenomena that it could detect, but was unable to ascertain its mechanism. Rasputin conducted an "Omnibus analysis" of the event's effects on local spacetime, measuring a wide range of data points including direction, distance, range, speed and size as well as a comprehensive pattern analysis of the event itself. This last set of data showed, to a certainty of "9 Sigma", a definite and measurable pattern which had a complex, almost linguistic, structure that demonstrated both intelligence and intent.

In an attempt to better understand the phenomenon by recreating all of its known variables (also known as a "bootstrap simulation"), Rasputin reran the data through a series of iterations which included a number of randomized inputs, in a process known as a Monte Carlo analysis. Despite this, it was unable to derive any definitive information about the event or its source; however, it was able to determine that whatever was behind the event was clearly a complex structure, acting with clear purpose. Rasputin concluded that the source of the event not only failed to conform to any known phenomena in the Standard Model of particle physics (thus labeling it "acausal"), it was also directed, acting with anger, and almost certain to reach the solar system in a short amount of time. As a result, the previously issued Skyshock alert was upgraded to OCP:EXTINCTION, and a number of defensive protocols were added. The Darkness nonetheless swept through the Solar System, devastating human civilization in an event called the Collapse. Only due to the Traveler's intervention did humanity survive. Seven centuries later, the Darkness was set to return.

Events of Destiny


Centuries after the Collapse, a lone Guardian encountered the Exo Stranger on Venus, and was subsequently sent on a quest to find the Black Garden. After battling through the Sol Divisive Vex and reaching the center of the Garden, the Guardian discovered an entity, the Black Heart, that the Vex seemed to revere as an object of worship. The entity could not attack the Guardian directly, but attempted to defend itself by taking control of the Sol Progeny, three enormous Vex Minotaurs. After a protracted battle, the Black Heart was apparently destroyed along with its three Sol Progeny vessels. Upon the defeat of the Black Heart, the Black Garden was relocated to Mars from its prior location, and Light began to return to the dormant and damaged Traveler.

Following the battle in the Black Garden, Ikora Rey hypothesized that the Black Heart had been an aspect of the Darkness itself.

Events of Destiny 2
After the death of Dominus Ghaul and restoration of the Light, a fleet of pyramid ships activated in response, and started moving en masse toward the Milky Way. The shape of these ships bear a resemblance to the black tetrahedrons featured in the vision the Guardian experienced upon losing their Light, as well as the triangular shadow used to represent the Darkness in the opening cinematic.

Curse of Osiris
In the Simulant Future, Osiris encountered a massive shadow-like entity on Mercury.

Known Darkness Entities

 * Worm Gods
 * Black Heart

The Nature of the Darkness
Because so few survived the Collapse, the exact nature of the Darkness is unclear. Several theories as to what it is have been proposed by various scholars among the Guardians and other people of the City.

Minor positions

 * Pujari claimed that the Darkness is both a physical and moral presence, evil made tangible. It was a storm of corruption emerging from the Golden Age.


 * Saint-14 argued that the Darkness was an invading armada of aliens. Some suggest that these aliens had been previously rejected by the Traveler for their sins.


 * Ulan-Tan suggests that the Darkness is the necessary symmetry to the Traveler as part of a cosmic balance.


 * The Monists believe the Darkness is a technologically superior force, to the point of post-singularity, and that the universe is just a simulation. Such an advanced intelligence could mimic acausality by bending the rules of the universe's programming.


 * The Acataleptic Clause, and the Praxic Warlocks, believe that not only is the Darkness unknowable, but that people shouldn't bother trying to understand it and instead simply fight it.


 * A heretical position from the Binary Star Cult states that the Traveler itself triggered the collapse, and used humanity as a sacrifice/proxy army in its war against the Darkness.

Toland's understanding
Toland, the Shattered understands the Darkness as the natural evolutionary endpoint of the entire universe. Since the beginning of time, everything has been in competition with everything else for no reason, other than that is the way of the universe: the law of the jungle. As atoms came into being, they defeated the "primordial broth" that preceded it. From atoms came stars, from stars came galaxies, worlds were created, and finally life arose, all due to the eternal competition.

Toland envisions a future where three archetypal "nations" compete with other: the first represents the perfect rule of law, the second represents knowledge made paramount, and the third represents sheer, total conquest. The third nation will succeed, inevitably, and in time will lead to a greater conflict between other nations which all represent the desire to conquer and dominate. The universe thus becomes a place where only the most ruthless entities succeed, to the point where they actively hunt and exterminate other life long before it can ever be a true threat. Finally, at the end of time there will be only one entity that rules the universe so absolutely that nothing will ever exist except by its consent, so it will rule forever. In essence, Toland asserts that this incontestable supremacy is the goal or driving force of the Darkness.

An alternative way of life, where law and knowledge and might worked together rather than competed, as in the case of humanity and the City, is little more than "the dream of small minds", and is unlikely to succeed against an entity of pure conquest.

Dreams of Alpha Lupi
The Dreams of Alpha Lupi poem contains a verse related to the Darkness, and possibly representative of the Darkness's own perspective. The verse explains that the universe, despite its vastness, is beholden to simple, enduring laws that shape it and give one the impression that it is inexhaustible and eternal. Life is an affront to the universe because it refuses to accept the limitations imposed on it by the natural order.

Darkness itself
Ghost Fragment: Darkness 4 contains an excerpt of unknown origin, addressing an unknown recipient.

Its opening line: "''This war is all there is for you." is also a line of dialog, spoken by Future War Cult representative Lakshmi-2, in which she asks the player what they would do if, "on some dreadful night, the Darkness were to come creeping up" and whisper the aforementioned statement to them. This would suggest that the excerpt in Ghost Fragment: Darkness 4 is the full text of that opening statement, indicating that the Darkness is addressing a Guardian, attempting to entice them into turning away from the Light, or at least plant the seeds of doubt.

The Books of Sorrow
"Out in the world we ask a simple, true question. A question like, can I kill you, can I rip your world apart? Tell me the truth. For if I don’t ask, someone will ask it of me. And they call us evil. Evil! Evil means ‘socially maladaptive.’ We are adaptiveness itself."

- The Darkness

Following the arrival of Oryx, the Taken King in the Sol System, records were discovered aboard Oryx's Dreadnaught that provide new insight into the Darkness' history and nature. These records suggest that the Darkness is a manifestation or embodiment of the universal struggle for existence: whereas the Traveler seeks to nurture civilization by encouraging peace and mutual cooperation, the Darkness is dedicated to the annihilation of all beings and civilizations who do not possess the strength to survive in the face of conquest. Its eventual goal is to bring about a universe inhabited solely by those entities who have survived by defeating all opposition. To this end, it has destroyed countless planets and civilizations, either through direct action or through its disciples, such as the Hive.

Guardians
There are a handful of Guardians who fell into the darkness, notably Dredgen Yor. Yor came to desire taking innocent lives and sowing despair, claiming he had developed a hunger for it. Toland, the Shattered claimed to be able to communicate with the Darkness, whereas Eris Morn was able to survive and escape the Hellmouth wielding the very power she fought against. Eris had one time even used the power of Darkness to rescue the Guardian from being trapped in the Oversoul Throne. As noted above, it would appear that the Darkness attempts to turn Guardians away from the Light. One example is when Pujari had his vision of the Black Garden; the vision made him doubt the righteousness of the Guardians when the vision told him, "You are a dead thing made by a dead power in the shape of the dead. All you will ever do is kill. You do not belong here. This is a place of life." This hearkens back to Ghost Fragment: Darkness 4, where the Darkness calls Guardians "a dead husk" animated by "an ancient corpse," referring to the "dead" Traveler.

Fallen
According to Fallen Lore, their civilization was destroyed when the Great Machine left them and the Whirlwind tore the sky. The Great Machine and Whirlwind are the Traveler and Darkness respectively, making the Fallen one of the races to survive the Darkness's devastation, and confirming Saint-14's hypothesis as partially true. A reclaimed (though corrupted) Fallen story mentions that the Fallen respect what they cannot steal from, which is "why the dark is worthy of love beyond all other love that astonishing ability to evade being robbed". When The Consul refers to the Traveler as "this great machine", this provides confirmation that the Fallen were indeed referencing the Traveler, as the Consul notes "I believe other civilizations would be more precise in their naming", perhaps a deliberate reference to the Fallen.

Hive
The Hive clearly derive their power from the Darkness, and feed on and hate the Light. The Hive religion, based around the 'Sword-Logic', closely matches Toland's theory above. The Hive made a pact with their highest gods, the Worms, who grant the powers of Darkness to the Hive. They worship the Darkness as a force of destruction, and their worship has taken the form of chronicling every planet they have seen the Darkness destroy, a massive archive known as "the World's Grave" found deep within the Hellmouth. The Hive religion has a pantheon of other gods, but one in particular, Oryx, is of significant importance. Oryx commands both the Hive and his own personal army, the Taken, by using the power of the Darkness (see below). This power he stole from his patron deity, the worm Akka, so that he could access the Darkness directly like the Worms could. Osiris prophesied that should the Spawn of Crota succeed in snuffing out the worlds of Light, Oryx's coming would be unfettered, reminiscent of the Darkness's predicted arrival.

Vex
The Vex worship the Black Heart, described by Ikora Rey as part of a greater power, presumably the Darkness. The Monist's theory about the Darkness matches the Vex's goal of programming themselves into the fabric of the universe. Osiris theorized that some Vex technology is tuned to react to the presence of the Darkness.

Cabal
The Cabal do not appear to worship the Darkness like the other races, but according to a dead Ghost, they are secretly running away from a terrible power following them.

Evocate-General Umun'arath, Primus of All Legions, once said in reference to Cabal civilization and culture that "The war is all there is. All this is just logistical support." This echoes the above-mentioned phrase used by the Darkness and Future War Cult.

During his exile, the former emperor Calus sought the means to defeat his usurper Ghaul by exploring the secret places of the galaxy and pushing the limits of reason. He eventually crossed paths with a perfect void, most likely the Darkness itself, and resolved to become its herald. He would watch it consume the light of the universe, and all among the last of the living would know his greatness. Calus also knows of the pact that Oryx made with the Worms, comparing it to Ghaul's takeover of the legions. Calus' strange powers and his claims of "knowing the truth" about the galaxy and his mockery of the Guardians' "feeble light" implies that he may have some knowledge of the inner workings of the Darkness.

Awoken & Jovians
The Awoken were once humans, but were transformed during the collapse upon reaching the edge of the asteroid belt. Beyond the belt, "the edge of the Deep Black", the system is totally immersed in Darkness. They are otherwise still part of the Light, as Awoken can become Guardians.

Likewise, the Jovians, particularly people such as Xûr, were once humans, but were more heavily transformed than the Awoken by the Collapse. Legends do not offer a concrete explanation but imply that they were shaped by the Darkness. ; its safe to assume the same happened to the Awoken, but to a lesser extent, due to their proximity. Though they are willing to aid humanity through Xûr, the Light is a foreign concept to Jovians and causes them pain.

Taken
Through Oryx, the Darkness can take direct possession of the other races, thus creating the Taken. When a being is Taken, they are sent to another plane of existence, where they are robbed of their free will and brainwashed by the Darkness into abandoning their former selves. They are convinced that being Taken has "liberated" them from their fears and grants them new powers. The ability to create Taken was derived from the Worm God Akka, but Oryx killed him and stole as much knowledge as he could. Reports from the Ecumene fighting Taken described them of having abilities that are "physically illegal," meaning their very existence broke all known laws of physics.

Trivia

 * The Darkness bears resemblance to the Armies of the Dark and its leader in Bungie's Myth series&mdash;a resurgent dark force that is the antithesis to the (forces of) Light.


 * The idea of the Darkness arising from a primordial universe bears resemblance to the origins of the W'rkncacnter from Bungie's Marathon series.


 * In the Standard Deviation model of statistical analysis, a value of 8σ represents a probability of approximately 99.999999999999%, which means that a 9σ value represents a certainty so close to absolute (100%) as to be statistically insignificant from it.


 * The Darkness being flagged as Acausal indicates that it has no cause-effect relationship. The simplest explanation is that the event heralding its arrival had no known mechanism from which to derive said cause and effect. It is also possible that it may be acting on an effect-then-cause relationship, or that it is being directed by future inputs. The Taken are likewise described as Acausal.


 * Sterile neutrinos are hypothetical particles (leptons) which do not interact via any of the Standard Model interactions (strong force, weak force, etc.) except for gravity. They are believed to be responsible for a number of unexplained astrophysical phenomena, including dark matter and dark radiation, neither of which are currently detectable through any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, except for gravity.


 * Gravity waves are generated when an object or event interacts with the curvature of spacetime in such a manner as to create changes in that curvature, which then ripple outward away from the event at the speed of light (or 186,000 miles per second) in a wave-like manner. In reference to the ISR report, the event which triggered the SKYSHOCK alert lasted 0.3 seconds, which suggests that whatever displaced local spacetime during the event measures some 55,800 miles in diameter (assuming a spherical shape), making it almost twice the size of the planet Uranus (31,518 miles) and a little over three-fourths the size of Saturn (72,367 miles).

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Taken King
 * Destiny 2
 * Curse of Osiris

Overview
"Legends are carved across history by the brave."

- Grimoire Description.

Guardians of the present are chosen from the ranks of ancient dead by the Ghosts of the Traveler, deemed worthy of resurrection by their past lives and compatibility with their Ghosts, and have defended the City for centuries. However, that defense cannot hold out forever. Guardians are charged with the protection of humanity's survivors, but many have splintered off into other groups with their own agendas. For example, it is commonplace for Guardians to align with one of the City's several Factions for support. Some, however, leave the City altogether, such as those aligned with Concordat or the Cult of Osiris. Few have turned their back on the Light and humanity all-together, such as the villainous Dredgen Yor, the original wielder of Thorn.

Guardians are equipped with an advanced arsenal of weaponry and vehicles, as well as the ability to channel the Traveler's power (referred to by some as "magic"). It is said that Guardians rarely speak.

Thanks to their Ghosts, Guardians are effectively immortal in most situations. They take advantage of this fact in a number of ways, whether its the live-fire training exercises of the Crucible and Lord Shaxx, or by making new discoveries via visions as Thanatonauts. However, Guardians can be permanently killed if their light is drained by a powerful enemy, such as powerful figures of the Darkness or if their Ghost is destroyed.

History
The Guardians' origins are rooted in the very origins of the Last City itself, in the Dark Age that followed the Collapse. In the earliest days, when the survivors of the Collapse were gathering beneath the Traveler and groups like Takanome's Rangers were all that separated refugees elsewhere from certain death, the Guardians were known as The Risen. Having been granted the power to wield the Light by their Ghosts, The Risen lacked a common, unifying purpose, and took up roles as enforcers and bodyguards for the first Factions of what would become the Last City. As the Factions feuded over their competing ideologies and competed for influence among the residents of the fledgling city under the Traveler, some of The Risen became disillusioned and abandoned their Factions, seeking a higher purpose. With tensions between the Factions already near the boiling point, this triggered the Faction Wars, a violent conflict that only ended when The Risen ceased fighting each other in order to unite against a new enemy that threatened them all: the Fallen. In the end, the Fallen were repelled, the Factions' iron grip was broken, the city under the Traveler became the Last City with massive walls erected to protect it, and The Risen became known as the Guardians.

Outside the Last City, various Guardians also set themselves up as petty kings across Earth. Known as Warlords, they forced villages to accept their "protection" in return for tribute and warred with each other for territory. Eventually, four warriors who fought against the Warlords' tyranny, Radegast, Jolder, Perun, and Saladin, joined together to form a force for good modeled after the knightly orders of old. They became the first Iron Lords. Over the years, the Iron Lords' numbers swelled into the hundreds as they defeated Warlord after Warlord and destroyed their Ghosts to ensure their executions were permanent. A number of Warlords, such as Felwinter, even decided to join the Iron Lords' cause. When the Warlords were vanquished, the Iron Lords set about rebuilding human civilization, but this unfortunately led to their downfall. Hoping to harness the Golden Age technology known as SIVA, they breached Site 6 and awoke the Warmind Rasputin, who activated SIVA as a defense mechanism. In the ensuing conflict, all of the Iron Lords perished but two: Saladin, who took it upon himself to guard what remained of the Iron Lord's legacy, and Efrideet, who fled the destruction and hid far from civilization. Saladin sealed the Iron Temple as a monument to his fallen friends, and took up managing the Iron Banner tournament at the Tower.

The Guardian ranks would be thrown into discord after the destruction of The Last City by Dominus Ghaul, commander of the Red Legion, one year after the SIVA Crisis and two years after the Taken War, after the Skyburner's distress signal reached Dominus Ghaul.

Guardian forces were left powerless after the Light had been sealed by the Traveler Cage, and were hunted en masse by Red Legion forces, with many being executed. Though trapped, the Traveler sent visions to the now lightless Guardians to seek out one of its fragments in the European Dead Zone, whereby they could regain their powers. Dominus Ghaul attempted and failed to win the Traveler's approval and make him into a Guardian, and simply took the light by force. When he gloated in front of the Traveler, the Traveler suddenly broke its cage and destroyed Ghaul, as well as slowly healing itself by drawing fragments back into itself. With the invasion ended and the city retaken, the Traveler was declared no longer dead but living once more, thus bringing back the light to the guardians all over again.

Gameplay
There are three classes of Guardian: Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans. Hunters utilize swiftness, precision, and stealth to efficiently slay their enemies. Warlocks have the least amount of armor but the fastest regeneration, and utilize a variety of projectile attacks in their abilities. Titans are able to both take and deal massive amounts of damage, prioritizing either one depending on their subclass. Titans emphasize armor and raw power, while warlocks emphasize the use of their magical abilities and agility. Hunters fall in between both classes. The Guardians include members of the human, Awoken and Exo races, and can be either male or female.

While the choice of race is mostly aesthetic, the choice of class will have more impact. Note that all three classes have access to the same weapons, and are not "locked in" to any particular role. However, each class can specialize in a particular direction depending on which subclass the player is using. Choice of subclass will determine what Super the player can use, as well as what bonuses and other lesser abilities they'll have access to. Subclasses can be leveled up and switched on the fly, allowing a single character a degree of flexibility for different combat scenarios.

Guardians have three base stats determined by their choice of subclass: Armor (shield strength), Agility (movement speed and jump height), and Recovery (shield regeneration speed). Each class emphasizes each of these stats differently, but can be modified slightly. Choice of armor can boost any of the three cooldown stats: Strength (melee cooldown), Discipline (grenade cooldown), and Intellect (Super cooldown).

While players gain levels with experience, these levels are mainly for determining what gear and missions are unlocked. The player's actual strength is determined by Light levels. Light represents the average attack and defense values of the player's currently equipped weapons and armor; every mission has a recommended light level, so players who meet that recommendation are more likely to succeed said mission. Generally speaking, items with more rarity have a higher light level than others.

Tower Leadership

 * Vanguard
 * Crucible

Orders

 * Firebreak Order
 * First Pillar Order
 * Pilgrim Guard
 * Praxic Warlocks
 * Stoneborn Order
 * Sun Legion
 * Thanatonauts
 * The Sunbreakers
 * Chain Order

Fireteams

 * Dead End Cure
 * Eris' Fireteam
 * Kabr's Fireteam
 * Fireteam "The Bad Guys Don't Care What We Call Ourselves Do They?"
 * Fireteam Tuyet
 * Six Coyotes
 * Holborn's Host
 * Jagi's Host
 * Radegast's Host

Other groups

 * Iron Lords
 * Iron Wolves
 * The Hidden
 * Warlords

Trivia

 * Over the course of the series, the Guardians have received various titles and names for their efforts and adventures. Among them are Hivebane, Wolf-slayer, Killer of Wolves, Warrior of Light, Oryx-slayer or Slayer of Oryx, and recently Young Wolf and Lord Guardian.
 * A Sunbreaker Titan is the only subclass of Guardian that cannot be killed with a single high-impact sniper headshot in full armor.

List of appearances

 * The Law Of The Jungle
 * Destiny
 * Destiny 2

Overview
"Strive for honor. Stand for hope."

- Grimoire description

They are equipped with suits of powered armor that boost their strength and endurance. Titans utilize their strength and skill with firearms to kill their enemies.

Titans have long honed the power of the Traveler, passing these skills to each new generation of warrior. Their strength gave birth to the City, and they have taken a blood oath to ensure it will always stand strong. The Wall surrounding the City was built by the first Titans, who also perished defending it. Steadfast and suresighted, Titans face any challenge head-on, serving as living, blunt force instruments of the Traveler’s will.

Class Description
"The first Titans built the Wall, and gave their lives to defend it. Now, you stand in the same high place, steadfast and sure, protecting all who shelter in your shadow. You hail from a long line of heroes, forged from strength and sacrifice. Our enemies may be deadly and merciless, but so are you."

- Class Description

Gameplay
All Guardians have certain abilities, some of which are granted by the Traveler. All Guardians have a vertical movement ability and a "grenade-type" ability whose effects vary by class. All these abilities with the exception of the double jump can be upgraded over time and can be used in competitive PvP.

Subclasses

 * Striker—"At close quarters a fist is better than any gun." An Arc combat class with a heavy emphasis on armor and crowd control.
 * Super—Fist of Havoc: One of the powers of the Titans is an Arc Light area-of-effect ground punch.
 * Grenades—Flashbang Grenade, Pulse Grenade and Lightning Grenade
 * Melee—Storm Fist: A powerful melee attack which utilizes arc light to annihilate enemies.
 * Jump—Lift


 * Defender—"The wall against which the Darkness breaks." A defensive class used for both shielding and strengthening offense. Unlocked at level 15.
 * Super—Ward of Dawn: The Titan casts a small bubble shield of Void Light around itself and allies. Guardians who enter the shield receive a temporary boost to defense or offense when they wander back outside of it.
 * Grenades—Magnetic Grenade, Spike Grenade and Suppressor Grenade.
 * Melee—Disintegrate: Another powerful melee attack, which upon killing an enemy, creates a Force Barrier around you, absorbing incoming damage.
 * Jump—Lift


 * Sunbreaker—"Forge the fury of undying suns." A Solar artillery class focused on strong offense, recovery, and ability buffs. Available in The Taken King.
 * Super—Hammer of Sol: Summon a flaming hammer and wreak destruction down upon your enemies, whether up close and personal or at a distance.
 * Grenades—Thermite Grenade, Fusion Grenade, Incendiary Grenade.
 * Melee—Sunstrike: Ignite your enemies with a heavy solar strike.
 * Jump—Lift


 * Sentinel—"Valiant heart, unwavering resolve." A Void class that can be focused for offense or defense.
 * Super—Sentinel Shield: Summon a glowing shield and use it to destroy your enemies however you choose.
 * Grenades—Magnetic Grenade, Voidwall Grenade, Suppressor Grenade.
 * Melee—Void Fist: Disintegrate enemies with a Void-charged punch.
 * Jump—Lift

Titan Orders

 * Firebreak Order
 * First Pillar Order
 * Pilgrim Guard
 * Stoneborn Order
 * Sun Legion
 * The Sunbreakers

In-Game

 * Commander Zavala—Titan Vanguard representative. Closeted fan of crocheting.
 * Deputy Commander Sloane—Vanguard Scout assigned to oversee Vanguard interests on Titan.
 * Lord Saladin—former Iron Lord who survived SIVA. He guides players—The Guardian—through the Rise of Iron storyline.
 * Lord Shaxx—Crucible Handler who aides Guardian in PvP combat. Located in the Tower, next to Arcite-99, the Crucible quartermaster.
 * Ouros (voice only)—Last Magistrate of The Sunbreakers. Killed by the Red Legion alongside the rest of the Sunbreakers.

Mentioned

 * Bretomart—A member of the Iron Wolves and a student to Lady Jolder.
 * Callisto Yin—A member of the Firebreak Order who saved the Flame Victorious from the Last City when the Red Legion attacked.
 * Emonda Swale
 * Gunnvor, the Dawncaller
 * Holborn
 * Jagi
 * Lady Jolder—An Iron Lord and close friend to Lord Saladin. Jolder made the sacrifice to seal SIVA away, preventing it from going out of control.
 * Kabr, the Legionless—A titan who lead the first mission to breach the Vault of Glass and used the parts of Vex units as pieces of his armor. Unfortunately, the lingering Vex presence in his armor consumed Kabr's mind but in his final act, he poured all his light into the Aegis, a weapon capable of breaching the Templar's shields.
 * Kei-Ying
 * Liu Feng—A member of The Sunbreakers who forged the Sunbracers and Sunshot.
 * Luke Romagne
 * Lord Radegast—Founder and leader of the Iron Lords.
 * Rezyl Azzir—One of the very first Guardians revered for stabilizing the City; went missing but later revealed to be the dreaded villain, Dredgen Yor.
 * Saint-14—A legendary Guardian who was beloved by nearly everyone he met and who killed Solkis, Devil Kell. Went missing after going to Mercury searching for Osiris.
 * Lord Silimar—An Iron Lord who specialized in building defenses.
 * Thalor—A titan whom reigned undefeated in the Crucible before being murdered by Dredgen Yor.
 * Tubach—Second in command of the Holborn's Host.
 * Vell Tarlowe—One of the six members of Eris Morn's fireteam when they attempted to assassinate Crota, Son of Oryx. Killed by the Thrall spawn of Alak-Hul, the Darkblade.
 * Wei Ning—A legendary warrior who was a part of the attack to reclaim the Moon from the Hive. Tragically, Wei Ning was personally killed by Crota.

Trivia

 * Titan armor was inspired by Medieval armor layered over tight-fitting suits.
 * The armor worn by the Titans is similar in overall design to the MJOLNIR powered armor worn by Spartan supersoldiers in the Halo series. The SPARTAN-II program's creator, Dr. Catherine Halsey, considered calling the project "Titan" before settling on the final name.
 * The T-shaped visors of some Titan helmets are reminiscent of the Corinthian-style helmets used by the ancient Greeks. Such helmets are strongly associated with Spartan hoplites, both historically and in popular culture.
 * The Titan emblem represents the four Titan Orders which stood during Six Fronts.

List of appearances

 * The Law Of The Jungle
 * Destiny
 * Destiny 2

Overview
"Our old worlds have grown feral - rabid beasts with teeth of rust and ruin. But such beasts are meant to be tamed. Or broken."

- Grimoire Description.

Through manipulation of the Traveler's energies, Hunters learned how to survive in the wild, assassinate their prey, and reclaim lost secrets of the Golden Age. They are daring scouts and stealthy killers, experts with knives and precision weapons. Hunters blaze their own trails and write their own laws. Though some fear them as being dangerous, their bravery has saved many lives and led to many discoveries dating back to the Golden Age.

Class Description
"Hunters once prowled the wilderness and wastelands, taking big risks for even bigger rewards. You're no outlaw – at least not any more – but making your own luck has always meant bending the rules. Your unique brand of daring and ingenuity is needed now more than ever."

- Class description

Abilities
Hunters are focused on damage dealing from short and medium range.

All Guardians have certain abilities, some of which are granted by the Traveler, others which may appear more mundane in nature. All Guardians have a double jump ability and a grenade ability whose effects vary by class. All these abilities can be upgraded over time and can be used in competitive PvP.

Subclasses

 * Gunslinger—"A lone wolf who lives for the perfect shot." A medium to long distance Solar class suited for engaging single targets with precision shooting.
 * Super—Golden Gun: Summon a flaming pistol which disintegrates enemies with Solar Light
 * Grenades—Incendiary Grenade, Tripmine Grenade, Swarm Grenade
 * Melee—Throwing knife: Throw a knife from a distance.
 * Jump—Double Jump; Triple Jump


 * Bladedancer—"(Destiny 1) Beautiful lethality, relentless style." An Arc-powered class suited for close-range crowd control. Unlocked at level 15.
 * Super—Arc Blade: Charge your blade with Arc Light and consume your foes with lightning.
 * Grenades—Flux Grenade, Skip Grenade, Arcbolt Grenade
 * Melee—Blink Strike: A powerful melee attack with extended range.
 * Jump—Double Jump; Blink


 * Nightstalker—"Draw from the Void. Light the way." A Void-based support class suited for weakening enemies while strengthening Fireteams. First made available in The Taken King.
 * Super—Shadowshot: Tether foes to a Void Anchor, slowing, weakening and suppressing them for you and your allies.
 * Grenades—Spike Grenade, Voidwall Grenade, Vortex Grenade
 * Melee—Smoke: Throw Smoke to slow and disorient those within its cloud. There is an option within that column to alter smoke and make both disorient and damage enemies over time whils they are in your smoke cloud. Using a smoke and grenade at the same time is often referred to as a "wambo combo".
 * Jump—Double Jump; Triple Jump


 * Arcstrider—"Flow like lightning. Strike like thunder." An Arc-based subclass suited for close-combat and dodging. First made available in Destiny 2.
 * Super—Arc Staff: Charge your staff with Arc Light and consume your foes with lightning.
 * Grenades—Skip Grenade, Flux Grenade, Arcbolt Grenade
 * Melee—Pressure-Point Punch: Deliver a precise, Arc-charged punch to enemies.
 * Jump—High Jump; Strafe Jump; Triple Jump

Hunter groups

 * Dead End Cure (D.E.C.)
 * Icarus Drifters
 * Shadowjacks
 * Shadowsmiths

In-Game

 * Cayde-6—Hunter Vanguard representative.
 * Eris Morn—Resident expert on Hive lore and aid for Guardians in the battle with the Hive and the Taken.
 * Lady Efrideet—former Iron Lord who disappeared after the group's initial attempt to claim SIVA. Currently resides in a hidden location among a faction of pacifistic Guardians.
 * Shiro-4—scout, trusted friend, and advisor to Lord Saladin.
 * Tevis Larsen (voice only)—deceased Nghtstalker and close friend to Cayde-6.

Mentioned

 * Ain Suhu-ässä
 * Ana Bray - A descendant of House Bray who fought at the Battle of Twilight Gap,
 * Andal Brask - Former Hunter Vanguard who was murdered by Taniks, the Scarred and was succeeded by his friend Cayde-6.
 * Anahera-3 - A Hunter who thought they might fall in love with their gun if it got smarter.
 * Anna Law - Mentioned by Cayde-6 on the Tower P.A speakers in the Plaza, said to be missing in the Manhattan Nuclear Zone.
 * Chalco Yong - A member of The Hidden and a friend of Ikora Rey.
 * Dredgen Vale - Member of the infamous Shadows of Yor group.
 * Lord Gheleon - An Iron Lord known for his selflessness, analytical skills, eccentricity, and pessimism. Also known to craft the bones of his foes into armor.
 * Himura Shinobu - A citizen of Coyote who became a Hunter after they died and were brought by a Ghost.
 * Jaren Ward - The original owner of The Last Word. Adoptive father to its second wielder, Shin Malphur.
 * Kit Ali Ameir - A Hunter known for somehow drawing images of Cabal a century before Guardians had first contact with them.
 * Marcus Ren - One of the stars of the SRL and creator of St0mp-EE5.
 * Nadiya - A member of the Six Coyotes.
 * Omar Agah - Member of Eriana-3's fireteam to assassinate Crota. Felled in the attempt by the Heart of Crota.
 * Pahanin - A hunter who was the only survivor of Kabr's raid on the Vault of Glass and creator of the Super Good Advice Machine Gun.
 * Lady Perun - Field Commander of the Iron Lords. Famous for her talent in anticipating enemy actions.
 * Quantis Rhee - A Nightstalker who explored Nessus.
 * Sai Mota - Member of Eriana-3's fireteam to assassinate Crota and almost escaped with Eris but was killed by Omnigul.
 * Shin Malphur - Second wielder of The Last Word who ended the rampage of Dredgen Yor. Adoptive son and protege of Jaren Ward.
 * Tallulah Fairwind - The first Hunter Vanguard.
 * Uzoma Vale - One of the creators of the Zen Meteor sniper rifle.

Trivia

 * Destiny marks the third time a group of entities in a Bungie game has been named "Hunters", the other two being Marathon and Halo. It also marks the first time that Hunters are not an enemy class.
 * The Hunter's outfit is shown to have a 50:50 fabric to armor ratio. Its visual design is meant to look like they scavenge the wilderness for gear, with torn capes and gear based on HAZMAT material.
 * So far, Hunters are the only Guardians that do not have any orders within the Last City, unlike the Titans and Warlocks. It is possible that due to the "lone wolf" mindset of the Hunters and their desire to explore, the Hunters do not tend to have orders bound to the city.
 * However, some Hunter's organize themselves into Groups, mostly for exploring and assassination missions.

List of appearances

 * The Law Of The Jungle
 * Destiny
 * Destiny 2

Overview
"Warlocks may be thinkers, but most I know can hold their own."

- Lord Shaxx

Warlocks were the first to tap the power of the Traveler, wielding its light as they ventured beyond the safety of the Wall. They know each discovery offers new possibilities, and they have devoted themselves to understanding the Traveler, its power, and how to better channel that power. A Warlock mind is an arsenal of deadly secrets, balanced between godhood and madness. On the battlefield, those secrets can shatter reality itself. They search the frontier to find a means to defeat the Darkness once and for all.

Warlocks are known for pushing the boundaries of knowledge, even into dangerous territory. At least two warlocks, Toland, the Shattered and Osiris, were exiled for studying the Hive and Vex too closely. There also exists an order of warlocks called the Thanatonauts, who take advantage of Guardians ability to resurrect themselves to receive visions every time they die.

Class Description
"Warlocks have long studied the Traveler, mastering some of its arcane energies. Its true purpose remains a great mystery, but discovering truth has always driven you into the unknown. Now, our enemies are the only thing that stands between you and the lost wonders of our Golden Age."

- Class description

Abilities
All Guardians have certain abilities, some of which are granted by the Traveler, others which may appear more mundane in nature. All Guardians have a double jump ability and a "grenade-type" ability whose effects vary by class. All these abilities with the exception of the double jump can be upgraded over time and can be used in competitive PvP.

Subclasses

 * Voidwalker—"From the smallest atoms bloom the greatest explosions." A heavy-damage Void subclass with an emphasis on recovering health and ability energy.
 * Super—Nova Bomb: Channel some of the Traveler’s mysterious forces and unleash them in an explosive, large area-of-effect attack. When used, the user jumps and releases a large Void Light blast from one of their hands.
 * Grenades—Vortex Grenade, Scatter Grenade, Axion Bolt
 * Melee—Energy Drain: A powerful melee attack which drains energy from enemies and uses it to reduce the cooldown of your grenade.
 * Jump—Glide; Blink


 * Sunsinger—"There are flames that even the Darkness cannot extinguish." A support-focused Solar subclass for buffing yourself and your fireteam. Unlocked at level 15 .''
 * Super—Radiance: Fill yourself with Solar Light, dramatically increasing the effectiveness of all your abilities. This Super ability will create an aura around the player, charging their grenade and melee attacks much faster, and can be upgrade to either share the effect to allies in your aura, reduce incoming damage, or create a phoenix-like effect where it can be used whilst dead, bringing you back to life while shortening the overall usage time.
 * Grenades—Solar Grenade, Firebolt Grenade, Fusion Grenade
 * Melee—Scorch: A powerful melee that ignites enemies, causing damage over time.
 * Jump—Glide


 * Stormcaller—"Harmony within, hurricane without." A crowd-control subclass fueled by Arc Light. Available in The Taken King and Destiny 2.
 * Super—Stormtrance: Chain Arc Lightning from your hands.
 * Grenades—Pulse Grenade, Storm Grenade, Arcbolt Grenade
 * Melee—Thunderstrike: Deliver an electrocuting Arc melee strike at extended range.
 * Jump—Glide


 * Dawnblade—"Spread your wings and set the sky ablaze." A Solar-powered aerial offensive subclass with an emphasis on mobility and damage-dealing. Available exclusively in Destiny 2.
 * Super—Daybreak: Charge a sword with Solar Light and fly into the air using wings of pure fire. The sword can be used to project blasts of flame at enemies.
 * Grenades—Solar Grenade, Firebolt Grenade, Fusion Grenade
 * Melee—Energy Palm: Deliver a scorching Solar strike to opponents.
 * Jump—Glide

Warlock Orders

 * Praxic Warlocks
 * Thanatonauts
 * Gensym Scribes

In-Game

 * Asher Mir—Member of the Genysm Scribes and a friend to Eris Morn. Forcibly modified by the Vex during an expedition on Io.
 * Ikora Rey—Warlock Vanguard representative. Prides herself on being extremely diligent in her constant pursuit of knowledge. Leader of the spy network known as the Hidden.
 * Praedyth—Warlock who got lost in time during the earliest known raid on the Vault of Glass. No one knows for how long he was gone or when he died.
 * The Speaker—Voice of the Traveler, De facto leader of the Guardians and the Last City and former teacher to Osiris.
 * Taeko-3—A member of the Praxic Warlocks who helped make the Zen Meteor. She later sacrificed her life to help destroy Savathûn's Song.
 * Brother Vance—Zealous follower of the exiled Warlock Osiris. Originally resided in the Vestian Outpost, granting access to the Trials of Osiris weekly tournament. Currently supports Guardians efforts on Mercury from The Lighthouse.
 * Osiris—Veteran of the Battle of Six Fronts, Twilight Gap, former Vanguard Commander, and former apprentice of the Speaker. Osiris was exiled from the city for his misuse of resources and obsessions with the Vex. Nowadays, Osiris is a vigilante against threats from the Vex, working alongside the Guardian.

Mentioned

 * Albios
 * Colovance—A member of the Iron Wolves and a student to Lord Timur.
 * Eriana-3—Member of the Praxic Order, survivor of the Great Disaster and leader of the fireteam meant to assassinate Crota.
 * Lord Felwinter—Voidwalker and former Warlord who defected to the Iron Lords.
 * Fenchurch Everis—Renowned collector, explorer and "uncle" to Tess Everis who assisted her in founding Eververse.
 * Lyssa, the Lighthearted—A member of the Holborn's Host known for her cheerful disposition.
 * Gallida Tuyet—Leading weapon's scholar, leader of a fireteam named after her and creator of the Pocket Infinity.
 * Pujari—A Thanatonaut who had visions of the Black Garden.
 * Satomi—A Warlock who dabbled in thanatonautics and is the Architect of the Mask of the Quiet One.
 * Lady Skorri—Sunsinger member of the Iron Lords who wrote songs of her compatriots' accomplishments and feats.
 * The Stoic—One of the creators of the Zen Meteor Sniper Rifle.
 * Lord Timur—A member of the Iron Lords and Stormcaller who was obsessed with the works of Clovis Bray, particularly SIVA.
 * Toland, the Shattered—Warlock who was obsessed with the Hive, causing him to be exiled out of fear. Joined Eris Morn's fireteam when they attempted to assassinate Crota, Son of Oryx. Currently explores Hive nether-realms after the destruction of his physical body. Toland's obsessively detailed journal later aided Guardians in their quests to kill both Crota and Oryx.
 * Ulan-Tan—Controversial theorist on the Darkness and the founder of the Symmetry Faction and its beliefs.

Trivia

 * The visual design for Warlocks was drawn from a range of sources, including wizards and World War I soldiers.


 * During the E3 2013 Destiny reveal the spokesmen for Bungie's design team said that the Warlock's powers was based around The Matrix's protagonist Neo's abilities.


 * Additional Warlock abilities were hinted at, both in concept art (such as shields and flame generation), and in interviews (such as team rez and buff abilities).

List of appearances

 * The Law Of The Jungle
 * Destiny
 * Destiny 2