Summary
Destinyhas centuries of lore that dedicated fans and lore scribes can seek through. Whether it’s from Grimoire cards or lore tabs from items inDestinyorDestiny2, players have a bout of knowledge at their fingertips if they are ready to listen and read. After all,Destinydoes not start with the player’s resurrection at the hands of their Ghost, the series has existed in a lived-in world that makes things feel more immersive when the newest Guardian joins the fight.
RELATED:Destiny 2: Strongest Raid Bosses, Ranked In Terms of Lore
As a result, there have been some truly disastrous events inDestinythat deserve recognition. For players old and new, it’s best to learn of the key events in theDestinylore timeline to better understand what happened to humanity, and why the Guardians are locked into an eternal battle for the Traveler and the Light.
8The Collapse
One of the first major events to occur in theDestinyseries was that of The Collapse. The Collapse began once the Black Fleet, led by The Witness, came to the Sol system to destroy everything the Traveler and humanity had built together. The Pyramid ships, The Witness’ Disciples, and Savaathun sought to bring the Sol system into darkness and usher in an age of silence.
Within The Collapse, humanity would see its centuries of prosperity crumble before them. Nightmares were unleashed and made real, and the cities they had built on Earth and the other planets and moons of the solar system were abandoned and destroyed. The Collapse ended with the Traveler’s dying breath and thebirth of the Ghosts.
7Humanity’s Dark Age
After The Collapse, Humanity entered the Dark Age. The prosperity seen from the Golden Age of humanity was no more, and the destruction of what was known was finalized. Humanity was left scattered across Earth, with communications from other planets left discarded and shattered. This forced humanity to attempt to rebuild what they could.
Humanity was not just trying to start from scratch, but they had toworry about other alien life, like the Fallen. To make matters worse, the emergence of Lightbearers meant that humanity had a new demigod ally, or, an oppressor with unimaginable power, especially when the Dark Age brought about the Cabal and Fallen forces to the Sol system.
6Ironsbane
After the Dark Age, the City Age come about. Things were starting to look up for humanity’s new beginning, as the Last City was being constructed thanks to the help of the Iron Lords, which helped bring about the end of the oppressive Lightbearer Warlords. However, another disaster struck once these Iron Lordsdiscovered SIVA, a technology of nanites that could infect and devour organic life and machine.
RELATED:Destiny 2: Best Female Characters, Ranked
What was called Ironsbane, SIVA ravished through the Iron Lords, and thanks to the Warmind Rasputin, a slaughter would ravish through the Iron Lords, leaving but one survivor: Lord Saladin. The death of the Iron Lords would take a heavy toll on the Last City, as these protectors were now serving just one, mournful leader.
5The Great Disaster
For too long, humanity had suffered without its Moon. The Hive had taken the Moon thanks to the weakened state of humanity, but the influx of new Lightbearers, now known to humanity as Guardians, would allow them to courageously attempt to retake the Moon. However, this was an event known as The Great Disaster, and ended in the death of hundreds, if not thousands of Guardians.
The Guardians that ventured to the Moon were met with death, all for the feeding of Crota, the Son of Oryx, a practical Hive God that cut down their forces, leaving many Guardians dead. The Guardians that survived were forced to retreat back to the Last City, leaving behind countless dead.
4The Battle Of Twilight Gap
War is inevitable in theDestinyuniverse. With so many alien species and factions seeking to claim ownership over territory and power, humanity’s limited number of Guardians and weapons make them a prime target. One such event that challenged the Last City was The Battle of Twilight Gap, which saw theunion of the Fallen houses: Kings, Devils, and Winter, to lead a battle against the Last City.
It was in this battle that many Guardians fell in their efforts to protect humanity and the Last City. The Fallen were perhaps at their strongest when united like this, and the Battle of Twilight Gap saw the recognition of Guardians like Lord Shaxx who helped push back the Fallen from the Last City, even if that came at the cost of many of their own.
3The Taken War
One of the disastrous events that someDestinyveterans might have been involved in was the Taken War. After the death of Crota, his father, Oryx, came to the Sol System for revenge. Oryx was the Taken King and used the power of the Darkness to take. This ancient power meant that Oryx could manipulate organic life,creating powerful zombie-like monstersthat would bend to his will, and act as a new force of evil for Guardians to battle.
RELATED:Best Destiny Villains, Ranked
Oryx essentially wiped out the Awoken people, and their queen, all in one swoop. The event known as the Taken War saw the planets and moons of the Sol System ravished by Oryx’s power until a brave Fireteam of Guardians managed to put a stop to his evils for good. However, the Sol System continues to have a growing threat of Taken enemies and their blights, even with their king defeated.
2The Red War
The next event someDestinyveterans might rememberis The Red War. For too long, the Cabal was quiet on all fronts. That was, until Dominus Ghaul and the Red Legion attacked the Last City, encased the Traveler in a cage to imprison it, and cut all Guardians off from the Light, rendering them powerless, fearing death, and mortal.
The Red War was a conquest by the Cabal to take over and then destroy the Sol System. Countless Guardians would die during the events of the Red War, and humanity, the civilization that was finally ready to flourish again, was brought to its knees. The Red War did end on a positive note, as the Cabal failed, and the Traveler woke up.
1Losing The Traveler
For a few years after the Red War, the Guardians faced a few violent battles and threats, but nothing as major as what occurred during Lightfall. Despite the loss of some iconic Guardians like Cayde-6, and the death of Rasputin, it was losing the Traveler that affected humanity and the Guardians the most, an event that wouldsee the Guardians lose, and The Witness finally claim victory.
The Witness was able to connect a Ghost to the Veil on Neomuna, which allowed the Witness to create a gateway into the surface of the Traveler, entering inside to parts unknown. All attempts to enter this portal have ended in death, and the Traveler’s heart is no longer beating. It remains to be seen what disastrous effect the loss of the Traveler will have on humanity and the Guardians, as The Final Shape approaches.
