Destiny 2's Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon
The Destiny 2 Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon takes players to the dramatic Titan locale to get up close and personal with Deputy Commander Sloane and the Hive God of War, Xivu Arath. Players learn more about Sloane’s chilling past as a member of the Lost Nation, and dive into her character a bit more. But perhaps most importantly, the Destiny 2 Sweat of the Deep adds plenty of new Xivu Arath lore and more details about her history with The Witness and her brother, Oryx the Taken King.
Destiny 2’s Season of the Deep
Destiny 2’s Season of the Deep started back in March, but Ghosts of the Deep marks the first time players have directly encountered Xivu Arath in the game. After the events of Season of the Deep, Xivu took control of the Red Fleet and took its members to Saturn, turning the planet and its moons into a Hive stronghold.
The Deputy Commander and Guardian teams have come to Titan in search of Xivu Arath, though Guardians only hear her voice. Sloane, who has returned alongside Titan’s disappearance, is also partially Taken, indicating that, despite her efforts to hide it, she is actively resisting the will of Xivu Arath.
Destiny 2’s soundtrack, which was heavily discussed prior to the Taken King DLC’s launch, has always been amazing, but Ghosts of the Deep takes it to another level as Xivu Arath themes, Taken King music, and haunting Guardians 2 score tracks give players an incredibly strong sense of being there. In fact, one of the all-time personal favorites on this soundtrack is a track titled 'A Broken Ritual,' which plays as players defeat Xivu Arath and watch The Deposer fall.
Xivu Arath’s Ghost Fragments and The Deposer lore
Destiny 2’s newest Dungeon is absolutely packed with lore content, and there’s more to digest here than the Taken King reveal. The final room of the Dungeon features the corpse of Oryx, and a Wizard attempts to resurrect the Taken King. While the resurrection does not appear to be successful, it does add some intrigue as to where Bungie plans to take this story arc in the future.
As mentioned earlier, Destiny 2’s Ghosts of the Deep adds ample Xivu Arath lore content to the game, with Ghost Fragment intros to each part of the Dungeon highlighting the twisted and fascinating relationship between The Deposer and The Taken King. The Fragments mark a significant shift in the focus of Bungie’s efforts to tell the story of Xivu Arath, as she has been a recurring character throughout Destiny lore but has been featured in only a single season (Season of the Hunt) thus far.
Other Ghost Fragment intros include a proto-Worm named Ahsa who was a friend/partner of The Witness and flew through the Quantum Sea with her, and Savathun, another Hive character. Ikora’s Hidden discovered concentrations of Taken energy within Oryx’s cellular structure, and she asks whether The Taken King has discovered the key to moving worlds — a power she suspects he learned the theory to during his battle with the Techeuns on Polaris, prior to his defeat.
A significant takeaway from Destiny 2’s Ghosts of the Deep is the introduction of Xivu Arath’s relationship with her brother Oryx. While the war between the siblings is well-documented, the following Fragment — and in-Game audio for the corresponding room — is especially compelling and provides a much more loving and genuine twist to their complex relationship.
“Why did you save me?” Xivu Arath asks her brother. “I was broken. Should have left me there.” “I’m sorry,” Oryx replies. “I love you.”
