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Destiny 2’s Hive Gods Fit an Interesting Pattern

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Destiny 2’s Hive Gods play a major role in the game’s evolving story. While longtime players likely remember the intense battle in the King’s Fall raid from the first Destiny, newer players might not be as familiar with Oryx or the deep lore that surrounds him and his two sisters. The Hive Goddesses have been getting a great amount of attention in Destiny 2 the last couple of years, though, and a noticeable pattern has come out that seems to affect both them and their brother.

The Witch Queen will likely build on this even more, but Destiny’s current season seems to be the temporary pinnacle of seeing it applied. As each of them has their core motives and drives that relate to their Worms, they also seem to have fallen into a pattern that relates to biblical theology, the seven deadly sins. These can be simplified and categorized into three types of evil thoughts: Lustful Appetite, Corruption of the Mind, and Wrath. Oryx, Savathun, and Xivu Arath each fit one of these pretty consistently when looking into Destiny’s lore.

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Oryx, the Taken King

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Oryx, the Taken King is the embodiment of Lustful Appetite. His ability to Take is a pretty notable example of his greed and gluttony. There was no power and no presence in the universe that he saw as above himself. This mindset led him on a campaign of destruction and death with a very clear goal: become the sharpest blade that the Sword Logic could produce. This meant evolving into an unstoppable immortal being of death that takes life on a whim, and to an extent, Oryx did achieve this goal.

After his death as a Destiny raid boss, Oryx’s transformation into Touch of Malice turned out to be the Taken King’s end game. It was what he saw as his ultimate transformation and lined up with his plans for the future. A part of him knew he was bound to fall, but he still saw it as another opportunity to take life. While his powers as the Taken King allowed him to eliminate the free will of others, his legacy as Touch of Malice still enables him to practice the Sword Logic, sharpening himself against countless enemies.

On top of his insatiable appetite to conquer and control growing portions of the universe, Oryx also has the largest bloodline of the three Hive Gods so far. While Savathun and Xivu Arath both have their own descendants, Oryx’s sons, daughters, and grandchildren were numerous. This plays into the ideas of lust while still supporting his goals of domination. It rounds out the concept of Oryx as the embodiment of the evil thought of Lustful Appetite, presenting a way in which his carnal desires also provide an avenue for the spread of his power and rule. This could continue after new dungeons and a remastered raid are added following Bungie's 30th anniversary celebration, as well as the new expansion in Year 5.

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Savathun, the Witch Queen

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Savathun’s role as the Witch Queen has placed her within the role of mind corruption pretty blatantly. She gains her power simply by other beings failing to understand her. Each lie, each convoluted plan, each misdirection only serves to strengthen her. This is an approach Savathun has taken for a long time and one she has used against allies, foes, and relatives.

She has already deceived countless people before. The Crown of Sorrow and the Vex invasion of Oryx’s throne world are examples. Having the Hidden Swarm eliminate the rest of Oryx’s bloodline by using the Scarlet Keep as a beacon to the Guardian is another example of the manipulative actions she has taken. Even now as she has aligns herself with humanity and fights other Hive, she continues to deceive her Worm. Having shed the disguise of Osiris after Season of the Splicer, Savathun finished one deception only to embark on an entirely new one.

Season of the Lost has her continue this pattern with her eyes set on the Guardian and the Reef. With a tense alliance established, she states her intentions are simply to exercise her Worm and fight back against Xivu Arath, but it is virtually guaranteed that this is only part of the truth. Many fans expect the Hive Goddess to turn on the Guardian and the Tower in the season’s finale, and it is likely what will spark the beginning of Destiny 2's next expansion.

While these lead-ups to her story in the Witch Queen's campaign are tense, they provide great examples of how she has filled the role for Corruption of the Mind. The Witch Queen even played a very prominent position in the literal corruption of Quria, a Vex mind, that Oryx took. Even though her focus has since changed from dabbling with the Vex and corrupting her brother’s Taken, she is still very much the same Savathun that fans have known.

As the two Queens Savathun and Mara Sov try to outplay each other, the former is still very focused on the corruption of the Light. She already has Osiris in her clutches, and Savathun might have taken other Guardians as well. Continuing to corrupt those with Light while employing the services of the Reef, Tower, and Vanguard is very in line with the deceitful nature of Corruption of the Mind.

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Xivu Arath, God of War

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Xivu Arath fits the evil thought of Wrath just as well as Savathun fits Corruption of the Mind. The Hive Goddess of War excels in combat and views herself as the strongest of her siblings. While this exact point may be debatable, the way in which she fully accepts war as a part of her being is almost as dangerous as the endless power that Savathun may generate from the mere concept of herself.

Xivu Arath chose not to develop her own court despite her siblings doing so; her court is “Everywhere War is found.” She thrives on conflicts, deadly battles, and is responsible for bringing the Cabal Empire to its knees. While Savathun corrupted the species leadership, it was Xivu Arath that waged a bloody and successful campaign against their military forces after Empress Caiatl slew Umun'arath, demanding overdue tribute for the way their culture celebrated military combat and rule.

The concept of her court and worship being tied to any conflict also means that she may feed off the efforts of her siblings as well. While each Hive Worm needs to be fed and satiated with tribute Xivu Arath could have the potential to take some of her siblings’ supply. As Oryx now takes life and is a part of war as a literal weapon and Savathun appears to be in open conflict with not only her sister but the Darkness itself, Xivu Arath may have more bounty than any of the other Ascendant Hive combined.

This could make her a threat beyond comprehension and should worry Guardians about the future. The Witch Queen expansion might be focused on Savathun, but whether Zavala wanted it or not the Vanguard have stepped into a war with the Hive. With only two of the three Gods having had a physical presence in the Sol so far, Xivu Arath will likely arrive come Lightfall.

Guardians have already faced off against her powerful Wrathborn subjects and should be prepared for even more. Her campaign isn’t dedicated to just Sol, as she has been cultivating the Wrathborn and generating an army for herself across the galaxy. While her ire is focused on her sister’s betrayal of the Darkness, their ultimate conflict will likely engulf the solar system in bloodshed. Since The Final Shape is the end of Destiny 2’s current storyline, it may very well be the stage where all of this happens.

Destiny 2 is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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