Editing Exo

|othernames= Exominds

|homeworld= [[Europa]] {{c|formerly}} <br> [[Earth]]<ref name="Treasure Island Book">'''[[Cayde's Treasure Island Book]]'''</ref><ref name="SoA and Beyond Light reveal">'''YouTube''': ''[https://youtu.be/x8K6L1wr7fs Destiny 2 Reveal - 6/9 @ 9am Pacific]''</ref>

|focalworld(s)= [[Europa]]

|goals= Attain immortality for humanity {{c|formerly}} <br> Create a lasting legacy for [[Clovis Bray I]] {{c|formerly}} <br> Revive the [[Traveler]] <br> Reclaim the [[Solar System]] <br> Rebuild civilization

|war= [[Cabal]] <br> [[Fallen]] <br> [[Hive]] <br> [[Taken]] <br> [[Vex]] <br> [[The Witness]]

|distinctions= Self-aware humanoid machines  

|notable-group= [[Clovis Bray (corporation)|Clovis Bray]] <br> [[Guardian]]s <br> [[Iron Lords]] <br> [[Ishtar Collective]] <br> [[House of Salvation]]

|notable-person= [[Cayde-6]] <br> [[Saint-14]] <br> [[Elisabeth Bray|Exo Stranger]] <br> [[Lord Felwinter]] <br> [[Ada-1]] <br> [[Shiro-4]] <br> [[Atraks-1, Fallen Exo|Atraks-1]] <br> [[Banshee-44]] <br> [[Eriana-3]] <br> [[Maya Sundaresh|The Conductor]]  

 

'''Exominds''' <ref name="Ghost Scan: Core Terminus, Mars">'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/ghost-scan-core-terminus-mars|Ghost Scan: Core Terminus, Mars]''</ref> (or simply '''Exos''' as they are more commonly known) are a race of self-aware humanoid machines built by [[humanity]] in the [[Golden Age]]. <ref name="Exo">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian/Races#Exo|Exo]]''</ref> Unlike mass-produced robotic [[frame]]s, Exos are human minds uploaded in artificial bodies; with the notable exceptions of [[Felwinter]], [[Rasputin]], and [[Atraks-1, Fallen Exo|Atraks-1]], each and every Exo used to be a human being. Mind uploading technology was developed by the [[Clovis Bray (corporation)|Clovis Bray corporation]] during the Golden Age; many Exos come from the mysterious [[Deep Stone Crypt]] on [[Europa]]. Exo names typically include the number of memory-wiping "reboots" of their brain, e.g. [[Cayde-6]] or [[Saint-14]]. While not being biologically "alive", Exos retain many human qualities and habits; just like any living being, they have [[Light]] of their own. They can die and be revived by a [[Ghost]].

 

The Exos were the brainchildren of [[Clovis Bray I]], <ref name="Ghost Scan: Core Terminus, Mars"/> who originally developed them as a means for humans to attain immortality. During the [[Collapse]], the Exos' memories were shattered <ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Places/The City#Ghost Fragment: The Dark Age|Ghost Fragment: The Dark Age]]''</ref> and nearly all knowledge of their origins was lost. In the [[Dark Age]] that followed, the Exos helped build the [[Last City]] alongside their organic brethren, with many going on to become [[Guardian]]s. <ref name="Exo"/>

 

 

 

The Exos were designed and built during humanity's Golden Age by the [[Clovis Bray (corporation)|Clovis Bray corporation]]. The original intent of the project was to develop a durable, synthetic housing for an uploaded human consciousness (an "exomind"), which would effectively render humans immortal.<ref>'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "ENTRY 2", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#-07-|-07-]]''</ref> However, early exominds inevitably fell victim to a degenerative process termed the "loop/billboard/crash" cycle, characterized by cognitive and motor stereotypy (abnormal, repetitive behaviors), athetosis (slow, involuntary writhing movements of the limbs and extremities), and gradual loss of sapience. While degenerating exominds would still pass the Turing test for a time, they were [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_zombie philosophical zombies], and would ultimately enter a state analogous to brain death. This problem eventually claimed the life of [[Clovis Bray II]], after he was uploaded into an exomind format. Crashed exominds could be restored from backup, but the process termed "billboarding" would simply begin again.<ref>'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "NOTE—WHY EXOMINDS FAIL", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#-020-|-020-]]''</ref>

 

Following the discovery of the [[Anomaly (artifact)|K1 artifact]] and the paracausal force [[Clovis Bray I]] called "[[Darkness|Clarity]]", Clovis I mounted an expedition to [[Europa]] to find the secret of immortality promised to him by "Clarity". There, under the instructions of a mysterious entity he called "[[Clarity Control]]", Clovis I stole a [[Vex]] from the [[Ishtar Collective]] and used it to build a gate to a Vex megastructure, the [[Forge Star]].<ref>'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "ENTRY 6 AMENDMENT", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#-029-|-029-]]''</ref><ref>'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "ENTRY 7", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#ENTRY 7|ENTRY 7]]''</ref> Upon studying samples of Vex [[radiolaria|radiolarian fluid]] recovered from the Forge Star and observing its synergy with "Clarity", Clovis I discovered that introducing "Clarity"-altered radiolarian fluid, deemed "[[Alkahest]]", to an exomind's hardware miraculously solved the "loop/billboard/crash" problem.<ref>'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "ENTRY 8", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#-40-|-40-]]''</ref> However, even this solution was not permanent, as the new generation of Exos fell victim to Dissociative Exomind Rejection.<ref>'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "NOTE—D.E.R.", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#-45-|-45-]]''</ref>

Clovis I discovered that DER could be staved off by two methods. The first was the "reboot", which involved wiping the mind's memories post-transfer so that it would not remember its old body, and so better accept the new one. Despite the term "reboot", also referred to as "resets" or "memory wipes", the process did not actually remove memories, and only blocked off associative access to them. This was done because memory engrams were stored in many areas of the brain, causing them to be difficult to locate and delete.<ref name = "e10">'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "ENTRY 10", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#ENTRY 10|ENTRY 10]]''</ref> While effective, it was not a cure, and the reboot procedure would often be repeated several times over the Exo's life. It would also be used for functional purposes, such as restoring Exos whose minds had become "compromised," such as by Vex infection.<ref>'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "ENTRY 11", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#ENTRY 11|ENTRY 11]]''</ref> Successive reboots cumulatively eroded an Exo's mind and their ability to retain any memories at all, with excessive numbers of reboots causing insanity.<ref name="SoWLegacyPt2">'''Bungie (2020/3/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Worthy]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Weblore]]: [[Weblore#Legacy_Pt_2|Legacy Pt 2]]''</ref> The Clovis Bray corporation estimated that the maximum number of times an Exo could be safely rebooted was around 20.<ref name="Ghost Scan: Core Terminus, Mars"/> As reboots did not technically remove any memories, Exos sometimes remembered traces of them. This was especially the case for Guardians, and some could gain access to these buried memories by purposefully dying. By default, Exos had a number appended to their names that signified the number of reboots they had experienced, with the original human used as the zero-index. This was inspired by the number scheme used by AI trainers to denote successive iterations of an AI, such as with [[Aivanti-3]]. Hence, to use Clovis I's example, the human Mohammed would be followed by the Exo Mohammed-1, Mohammed-2 after one reset, etc. This number was stored in the Exo's memory as hardware, and so could not be forgotten.<ref>'''[[Mysterious Logbook]]''', "ENTRY 13", ''[[Mysterious_Logbook#ENTRY 13|ENTRY 13]]''</ref>

The second method Clovis Bray used to prevent DER was to introduce familiar organic conceits into the Exo's mechanical body, such as the drive to eat or reproduce. While these "humanisms" were not functionally necessary, they nevertheless reduced the chances of DER developing, as without routine feedback from bodily processes the Exo would become convinced those processes had failed and develop severe [[wikipedia:Cotard delusion|Cotard delusion]].<ref name = "e10"/> The "humanisms" may extend to certain sensations of discomfort, such as nausea or physical exertion, as Cayde-6 has demonstrated on occasion, though he is not a reliable source.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Looped]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Exodus Crash]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Never Live It Down]]''</ref> It is not possible for an Exo to become intoxicated by alcohol, however.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Man_They_Call_Cayde#Turn|The Man They Call Cayde]]''</ref>

During the development of the Exo creation process, Clovis Bray founded the Europan colony of [[Eventide]] to house clients awaiting uploading, and the resulting Exos.

During the Collapse, a number of Exos were present on the colony ship ''Exodus Indigo'', which carried a group of surviving [[Ishtar Collective]] researchers to Neptune in an attempt to evade the Black Fleet. After arriving on the terraformed surface of the gas giant, the colonists discovered a paracausal entity known as the Veil, which had previously been hidden away on the planet by the Hive God Savathûn. The Veil emitted electromagnetic signals that produced psychological disturbances in the Exos present, causing them to hallucinate and in some cases enter a state of "billboarding" similar to that reported by Clovis Bray I during the initial development of the Exos. Most, if not all, of the Exos present on the mission eventually succumbed to the Veil's influence, entering a state of brain death.

 

Later on, [[Maya Sundaresh]] would use some of these brain-dead Exos in an experiment involving a prototype Veil interface, in which the Veil's psychic emanations were channeled through an assembly of catatonic Exos and funneled into a central recipient, along with a mental imprint provided by Maya herself. The central Exo subject in this case was Lakshmi-2, who Maya had known prior to coming to Neptune. Lakshmi regained consciousness following this experiment, but her mind appeared to have become a total or partial copy of Maya's, sharing some of her memories and speaking in Maya's voice.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woNYh2TPILA</ref>

 

At some point, Lakshmi left Neptune and returned to Earth, where she lived through the Dark Age before eventually being recruited by the Future War Cult and moving to the Last City. None of the other Exos brought to Neptune by the ''Exodus Indigo'' are known to have survived after exposure to the Veil, with the people of [[Neomuna]] centuries later believing the Exos to have gone "extinct."

 

After the Collapse, many Exos survived and would go on to participate in the founding of the Last City. Many would also be resurrected by the Ghosts to become Guardians. Even among non-Guardian Exos, virtually all memories of their origins and the Collapse appear to have been lost over the course of multiple memory wipes; an exception is [[Ada-1]], whose memory has never been wiped.

*[[Cayde-6]] - The former Hunter Vanguard who was killed by [[Uldren Sov]].

*[[Echo (Exo)|Echo]] - A candidate for Clovis Bray's [[ECHO Project]] who was subject to at least 2625 resets, in the process developing a hatred for [[Ana Bray]].<ref name="SoWLegacyPt2"/>

*[[Eriana-3]] - A [[Warlock]] who was a part of [[Eris Morn]]'s ill-fated [[First Crota Fireteam|fireteam]] organized to kill [[Crota, Son of Oryx]]. She was killed by [[Ir Yût, the Deathsinger]].

*[[Elisabeth Bray|Exo Stranger]] - A mysterious female Exo known for observing Guardians. She is not a Guardian herself and lacks a Ghost. Revealed during Beyond Light to be an alternate version of Elisabeth "Elsie" Bray.

*[[Lakshmi-2]] - A female Exo who formerly represented the interests of the Future War Cult in the Tower.

*[[Lisbon-13]] - A Hunter and a member of the [[Kentarch 3]], a fireteam of Guardians who entered the [[Black Garden]]. He killed the two other members of the Kenatarch 3, the Warlock [[Rekkana]] and the Titan [[Yardarm-4]] after they fell to the [[Darkness]].

*[[Micah-10]] - A female Exo Hunter, member of the Six Coyotes and protector of Ghosts.

*[[Saint-14]] - A Titan known for his valiant feats who was beloved by virtually everyone he met. Initially killed by the [[Vex]] in the [[Infinite Forest]], but was saved by [[The Guardian]] after they used [[The Sundial]] to travel back in time and spared him from his fate.

*During their presentation at the 2013 Game Developers Conference, Joseph Staten and Christopher Barrett revealed the Exos as a playable race and described them as "sinister, powerful, and tireless war machines";<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfqFiyIhrb4 '''YouTube''': ''"Destiny" - News GDC Panel'']</ref> Exos were further described as "emotionless" in a preview.<ref>[http://gamelynch.com/previews/destiny-preview/ '''Gamelynch''': ''Destiny Preview'']</ref> These statements are no longer accurate as of the game's release;<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard.''</ref> in fact, some Lore material released around ''[[Season of the Worthy]]'' implies that showing little emotion is uncommon for Exos.<ref>'''Bungie (2020/3/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Worthy]] Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Liar#THE_IRON_LORD|The Liar]]''</ref><ref name="RemembranceWeblore">'''Bungie, (3/10/2020), [[Weblore]]:''' ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/48809 Remembrance]''</ref>

File:E3 2014 Exo hunter.jpg|[[Cayde-6]], Exo [[Hunter]] and former Hunter [[Vanguard]].

File:Exo warlock.jpg|An Exo [[Warlock]] on [[The Last City]].

*''[[Cayde's Treasure Island Book]]'' {{Mo}}

*''[[Destiny: Fall of Osiris]]''

*''[[Destiny: Cayde's Six]]''

*''[[Mysterious Logbook]]'' {{Mo}}

*''[[Bitter]]'' {{Mo}}

*''[[Entelechy]]'' {{Mo}}