Taken

"The process is simple: an aperture opens, like a jaw, and swallows a living thing. It passes into — another place. Later, it returns. What returns is... I try to use the word ‘shadow’ but Eris hisses at me [...] insists that these Taken are more real, somehow. She uses words like inhabited, exalted, rendered final... [...] My Hidden tell me that the Taken shine with seething, negative light. As if the universe is curling up around them. As if they radiate some pathology that decays into our world as nothingness... The Taken serve Oryx. But I think those jaws lead elsewhere."

- Ikora Rey

The Taken are the personal army of Oryx, the Taken King. The Taken are formed from the ranks of the other enemy races in the game; they are ripped out of our dimension and then sent back, wholly possessed by the Darkness and have been twisted and corrupted, mind and body, by Oryx's power.

Overview
"IMPERATIVE CORRUPTED. SEEK LIGHT. DESTROY LIGHT. OBEY THE COLLECTIVE MIND, OBEY THE #$422*! ORYX. OBEY ORYX."

- Recovered from Simulation Core of Corrupted Minotaur

Taken are unwaveringly loyal to Oryx, and will turn on their former allies without hesitation. Even powerful enemies such as Vex Axis Minds or Cabal commanders are incapable of resisting this change; furthermore, the Taken are viral enough that Praedyth directly states to the Guardian that in one timeline (presumably one where Oryx's presence on Venus was not removed), they were able to overrun the Vex and drive them to extermination or perhaps even nigh-extinction, an outcome once thought to be impossible. More frightening is that although only Oryx can produce new Taken and they are tied to his power, any existing Taken will not simply dissipate with Oryx's defeat; according to Eris Morn, the Taken stagnate and decay without a master, but will linger indefinitely until they are thoroughly exterminated.

Taken versions of enemies have radically different behaviors from their standard counterparts, including new abilities designed to counter Guardian abilities. Groups of Taken can be mixed with members of different species, and can appear on Earth, Venus, and Mars in most activities; on the Moon, in select Story missions and certain Patrol activites.

While all Taken are completely enslaved to Oryx's will, more powerful Taken retain a degree of independent thought and initiative. After Oryx's defeat, the Taken Knight Malok, Pride of Oryx, attempted to seize the vacant throne for himself. Other Taken, such as Noru'usk, Servant of Oryx, have aspirations to ascend while many, like Keksis, the Betrayed, are lost and leaderless.

The process of Taking has been described by some as a blight or open aperture ripping the individual out of this realm, and returning them infused with the power of the Darkness, and in effect transforming the victim into an animate vessel of the wielder's power.

History
"Oryx wields this power. But Oryx did not make it. We face the same flower we met in the Black Garden."

- Ikora Rey

The power to create the Taken is an ability granted by the Darkness and wielded only by Oryx, the most powerful of the Hive pantheon.

He first gained the ability to Take when he was still Auryx. Seeking for a power that would help him defeat the Ecumene, he killed his two sisters to gain an audience with Akka the Worm god of Secrets. After slaying it, Auryx stole the secrets from its flesh and wrote them upon a set of tablets he named the Tablets of Ruin. After speaking to the Deep directly, he returned, mantled as Oryx, the Taken King.

With this new power Oryx waged war upon the Ecumene and defeated them utterly over a period of one thousand, one hundred and forty years, in the process conjuring back his two sisters in the same way he had killed them.

During the Golden Amputation Oryx Took the Emperor Raven and assured the defeat of the Taishibethi When the Vex invaded his Ascendant Realm Oryx Took and turned them against one another, eventually expelling the cybernetic machines from his domain. Later, aboard the Nicha Thought-ship Oryx encountered and Took Quria, Blade Transform, the Vex mind which had orchestrated the organized invasion of his Throne, and later gifted it to his sister Savathûn as a present.

Oryx was previously assumed to be the only known entity to date to have possessed the power to Take, but following the Taken War Malok possessed the ability to manipulate the blight, and later during the events of The Red War, two years after his death, a Red Legion commander was somehow Taken, disproving this theory.

Taken Enemies
"Once Taken, they are already dead. Their bodies just don't know it, yet. You are doing them a favor."

- Commander Zavala

Fallen

 * Taken Vandal—summons a spherical shield similar to Ward of Dawn. This shield heals enemies inside and allows them to shoot out but not in. They armed with Solar Wire Rifles and Arc Shrapnel Launchers.
 * Consumed Vandal
 * Devoured Vandal
 * Taken Captain—sends out moving balls of Darkness to blind Guardians and are armed with Arc-damage Shrapnel Launcher or Arc Blades are used and Solar-shielded.
 * Tortured Captain

Hive

 * Taken Thrall—ability to teleport short distances in an instant, and do Solar-damage with their melee.
 * Consumed Thrall
 * Devoured Thrall
 * Shadow Thrall—a shadowy imitation of a Thrall summoned by Taken Wizards, and do Solar-damage with their melee.
 * Devoured Shadow Thrall
 * Taken Acolyte—deploys Acolyte's Eye turrets and are armed with Arc Shredders.
 * Devoured Acolyte
 * Taken Wizard—can summon Shadow Thralls. They fire Solar Darkness Blasts, and are Void-shielded. In certain cases they can use "Necromantic Gaze", firing three Solar projectiles much faster than their usual Darkness blasts
 * Tortured Wizard
 * Taken Knight—fires explosive, lingering Solar jets in a wave for area denial, teleports short distances to evade attacks. They are armed with Void Boomers, which fire bolts with higher velocity and do not suffer gravitational drop.
 * Tortured Knight
 * Taken Ogre—does Arc-damage with both its Eye Blast and Ground Slam.
 * Light-Eater Ogre—King's Fall Normal & Hard mode

Vex

 * Taken Goblin—when in close proximity to an ally, they can generate an invincible shield for it. Armed with either a Void Slap Rifle or a Solar Torch Hammer.
 * Consumed Goblin
 * Tortured Goblin
 * Taken Hobgoblin—fires a fast-moving, Shrieker-like projectile when struck in self-defense. Equipped with a Void Line Rifle.
 * Devoured Hobgoblin
 * Tortured Hobgoblin
 * Taken Minotaur—always cloaked unless shot at enough. Equipped with a Solar Torch Hammer.
 * Tortured Minotaur
 * Taken Hydra—keeps its Void Aeon Maul but loses ordinary Hydras' semicircular shields. If a Guardian gets too close it will detonate, much like The Undying Mind.

Cabal

 * Taken Psion—has the ability to multiply itself, splitting and creating another Taken Psion with full health and wield an Arc Slug Rifle. Taken Psions fire their Slug Rifles very rapidly.
 * Consumed Psion
 * Taken Phalanx—Can fire Arc blasts from their shield that can push Guardians, much like the physical shields themselves, and are armed with an Arc Slug Rifle.
 * Devoured Phalanx
 * Taken Centurion—has an Arc-shield, can teleport short distances, and is armed with a Void Projection Rifle. Fires slower moving Axion Darts, much like the Voidwalker's Axion bolt, that tracks targets and deals Void-damage—these can reach enemies around corners easily and can be shot and detonated to avoid damage.
 * Tortured Centurion

Unique

 * Taken Blight—a sphere of Darkness that can appear procedurally in the world. The Blight can summon Taken ambushes, which can include named characters that drop runes.
 * Acolyte's Eye—a stationary unit deployed by Taken Acolytes. It is an orb of Darkness energy that fires Arc energy at enemies, and detonates in an Arc blast when destroyed. They survive the death of their summoner.
 * Taken Polyp—items dropped from Taken Wizards in Summoner's Circle Story mission.

Named Taken
"[T]hat dying Thrall was no monster. It was in ecstasy. I felt the power as my knife bit home. I heard their song, for just a moment. I will hear it again. Oryx is the Truth. And I will have it."

- Unknown Hunter


 * '''Taken Prince
 * Malok, Pride of Oryx—Taken Knight: Pretender to the Throne mission and Blighted Chalice Strike
 * Taken Lieutenants in Patrol encounters
 * Agonarch Rune Taken
 * Aarta—Taken Knight: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
 * Dakkadi—Taken Knight: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
 * Gornith—Taken Knight: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
 * Gurroth—Taken Knight: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
 * Purtra, the False Tongue—Taken Wizard: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
 * Surnon, Darksong—Taken Wizard: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
 * Dumuzod—Taken Knight: summoned with a Charged Agonarch Rune at The Founts, Dreadnaught
 * Relic Chest Taken
 * Disrok—Taken Wizard: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
 * Dumuz-Nuna—Taken Knight: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
 * Kilulu—Taken Knight: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
 * Mishkara—Taken Knight: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
 * Taken Zealots
 * Bracus Dru'urng—Taken Centurion: The Legion's Keep, Mars
 * Bracus Tra'aull—Taken Centurion: sometimes in The Undying Mind Strike (Heroic)
 * Blighted Chord—Taken Minotaur: Endless Steps, Venus
 * Blighted Descendant—Taken Minotaur: The Hollows, Mars
 * Darnu, Horn of Oryx—Taken Knight: The Divide, Earth
 * Grayris, Baroness—Taken Captain: The Shattered Coast, Venus
 * Falsek, Lost to Oryx—Taken Captain: Dock 13, Earth
 * Irxori, Lost to Oryx—Taken Captain: Skywatch, Earth
 * Lhoks, Exile Baron—Taken Captain: The Cinders, Venus
 * Krathoor—Taken Knight: Shrine of Oryx, Moon
 * Sho'oulth, Horror of Oryx—Taken Centurion: The Barrens, Mars
 * Stirok, Banner of Oryx—Taken Knight: Rocketyard, Earth
 * Taken Lieutenants in Court of Oryx (Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught)
 * Bracus Horu'usk—Taken Centurion
 * Mengoor—Taken Knight
 * Kagoor—Taken Wizard


 * Taken Lieutenants in Story missions
 * Baxx, Hand of Oryx—Taken Ogre: Regicide mission
 * Bracus Sho'ogurn—Taken Centurion: Tenebrous Tunnels mission
 * Bracus—Taken Centurion: appears in The Promethean Code mission (Heroic)
 * Driviks, the Chosen—Taken Captain: Lost to Light mission (Heroic Daily Story version only)
 * Morphon, Blighted Mind—Taken Hydra: Paradox mission
 * Mar-Zik, the Blightcaller—Taken Wizard: Fear's Embrace mission (Heroic)
 * Mysik, Daughter of Oryx—Taken Wizard: Blighted Coven mission
 * Sarkoor—Taken Wizard: Lost to Light mission
 * Syrok, Word of Oryx —Taken Knight: The Coming War mission
 * Ta'aun, Hand of Oryx—Taken Colossus: Regicide mission
 * Thyshik, Matron of Oryx—Taken Wizard: Blighted Coven mission
 * Tsugoth, Gauntlet of Oryx—Taken Knight: Kings of Decay mission
 * Vro'ourn, Fist of Oryx—Taken Centurion: Outbound Signal mission
 * Xarthra—Taken Knight: sometimes in the Fallen S.A.B.E.R. Strike (Nightfall)
 * Zyrak, Daughter of Oryx—Taken Wizard: Blighted Coven mission


 * Taken Lieutenants in Quests
 * Balvog, Shield of Oryx—Taken Knight: Dread Patrol Quest


 * Taken Lieutenants in Strikes
 * Adleg, Warden of Oryx—Taken Knight: encountered in the Epic version of The Sunless Cell Strike
 * Agrax, the Rotted—Taken Knight: sometimes in The Sunless Cell Strike
 * Bracus Mu'urrn—Taken Centurion: sometimes in The Cerberus Vae III Strike
 * Drarok, the Watching—Taken Wizard: sometimes in The Sunless Cell Strike
 * Gamoth, the Consumed—Taken Wizard: sometimes in The Sunless Cell Strike
 * Hephone, Corruption Mind—Taken Hydra: sometimes in the Cerberus Vae III Strike (Nightfall or Vanguard Heroic Strikes playlist versions)
 * Kiphoris, Devil Captain—Taken Captain: sometimes in the Fallen S.A.B.E.R. Strike
 * Kophoris—Taken Captain: sometimes in the Fallen S.A.B.E.R. Strike
 * Morgath, Lore-Keeper—Taken Knight: sometimes in The Undying Mind Strike (Heroic)
 * Nixis, Hunger of Oryx—Taken Captain: Winter's Run (Taken version) Strike
 * Nolthok, the Withering—Taken Wizard: sometimes in the The Sunless Cell Strike
 * Sekrion, Subverted Mind—Taken Hydra: The Nexus: Revisited Strike
 * Taken Phalanx Boss—Taken Phalanx Lake of Shadows Strike
 * Urlot, the Trampler—Taken Knight: The Sunless Cell Strike
 * Kalboh, the Unclaimed—Taken Knight: The Sunless Cell Strike
 * Khendis, World Corruptor—Taken Wizard: sometimes encountered in The Undying Mind Strike


 * Taken Lieutenants in Arenas
 * Keksis, the Betrayed—Taken Captain: Prison of Elders arena
 * Noru'usk, Servant of Oryx—Taken Centurion: Prison of Elders arena
 * Seditious Mind—Taken Hydra: Prison of Elders arena
 * Sylok, the Defiled—Taken Knight: Prison of Elders arena

Trivia

 * Based on Grimoire analysis it can be assumed that the victim willingly chooses to be enslaved, with those that resist presumably obliterated.
 * This power is described by the Ecumene as an "ontopathogenic" weapon, infecting and subverting soldiers and giving them "physically illegal" abilities, not unlike the Superpower Wiki's description of "infect[ing] the very nature of the subject's existence". Moreover, in the same article, Ontopathogenesis is described as also infecting the metaphysical reality of a creature, matching the language of The Taken Grimoire cards.

List of appearances

 * Destiny
 * The Taken King
 * Rise of Iron
 * The Dawning
 * Destiny 2