Editing Guardian

{{about|the defenders of [[Earth]]|the character|The Guardian}}
{{Race infobox
|name= Guardians

|image= [[File:Guardiansrise.png|355px]]
|variant=
|focalworld(s)= [[Solar System]]
|goals= Protect the [[Sol System|Solar System]] from threats at all cost, both alien and Solar System-born alike <br> Restore peace and order <br> Defend [[the Traveler]] and [[Last City|The City]] 
|war= [[Ahamkara]] <br> Most [[Cabal]] Legions <br> Most [[Fallen]] Houses <br> [[Hive]] <br> [[Taken]] <br> [[Vex]] <br> [[Scorn]] <br> [[The Dread]] <br> [[The Witness]] {{C|[[Pyramid]]s}} <br> [[Worm]]s <br> [[Psion]]s
|ally= [[Reef|The Reef]] <br> [[House of Light]] <br> [[House of Spider]] <br> [[Imperial Cabal]] <br> [[Cloud Strider]]s
|height=
|weight= 
|distinctions= Light-empowerment <br> Immortality
|lifespan= Immortal 
|notable-group= [[Vanguard]] <br> [[Iron Lords]] <br> [[The Hidden]] <br> [[Titan (class)|Titan]]s <br> [[Hunter]]s <br> [[Warlock]]s
|notable-person= [[The Guardian]] <br> [[Saint-14]] <br> [[Osiris]] <br> [[Commander Zavala]] <br> [[Ikora Rey]] <br> [[Cayde-6]] <br> [[Shaxx|Lord Shaxx]] <br> [[Anastasia Bray]] <br> [[Radegast|Lord Radegast]] <br> [[Felwinter|Lord Felwinter]] <br> [[Saladin Forge|Lord Saladin Forge]] <br> [[Timur|Lord Timur]] <br> [[Shiro-4]] <br> [[Uldren Sov|The Crow]] <br>
|othernames= "Traveler-spawn" <br> "THEM" <ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Allies/Rasputin#Ghost_Fragment:_Rasputin_4|Ghost Fragment: Rasputin 4]]''</ref> <br> "Those who wield that which we cannot simulate" <ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/lost-crew?highlight=simulate Lost Crew]</ref> <br> "Machine-spawn" <br> "Pawns" <br> "Young Wol(ves)" <br> "Smallmen" <br> "The Given" <br> "Sol’s Protectors" <br> "Dead Thing"
}}
{{Quote|We take our first breath, with no memory of who we were before, yet we are inexorably drawn to the [[Light]]. We fight, we die, and we live again.|[[Zavala|Commander Zavala]].}}
'''Guardians''' are [[Lightbearer]]s who serve the [[Vanguard]] as protectors tasked with defending the [[Last City]] and [[Sol System|Solar System]] against the forces of the [[Darkness]], such as the [[Pyramid]]s, [[Fallen]], [[Hive]], [[Vex]], [[Cabal]], [[Taken]], and various other threats.

==Overview==
{{Quote|Legends are carved across history by the brave.|Grimoire Description.}}
As [[Lightbearer]]s, Guardians cannot recall their past lives, and the deliberate pursuit of information on their past life was forbidden. The Guardians have defended the [[City]] for centuries, however, that defense cannot hold out forever.<ref>'''Bungie (2014-6-12)''', ''Destiny: Alpha PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Guardian#Guardians|Guardians]]''</ref> Guardians are charged with the protection of humanity's survivors, but many have splintered off into other groups with their own agendas. For example, it is commonplace for Guardians to align with one of the City's several [[Factions]] for support. Some, however, leave the City altogether, such as those aligned with the [[Concordat]] or the Cult of [[Osiris]]. Few have turned their back on the Light and humanity altogether, such as the villainous [[Dredgen Yor]], the original wielder of [[Thorn]].

Guardians are equipped with an advanced arsenal of weaponry and vehicles, as well as the ability to channel the Traveler's [[Light|power]] (referred to by some as "magic").<ref>[http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/02/17/bungies-destiny-a-land-of-hope-and-dreams?page=1 '''IGN''' ''Bungie's Destiny: A Land of Hope and Dreams]</ref> It is said that some Guardians rarely speak.<ref name="FWCReddit">[http://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/2a08mn/tower_npcs_breakdown_the_jovians_osiris_the_great/ '''Tower NPCs Breakdown''': ''The Jovians, Osiris, The Great Pyramid, Sun Legion, Ragnarök, etc.'' (Part 2)]</ref>

Thanks to their Ghosts, Guardians are effectively immortal in most situations. They take advantage of this fact in a number of ways, whether it's through the live-fire training exercises of the [[Crucible]] and [[Shaxx|Lord Shaxx]], or by making new discoveries via visions as [[Thanatonaut]]s. However, Guardians can be permanently killed if their Light is drained by a powerful enemy, such as powerful figures of the [[Darkness]], or if their [[Ghost]] is destroyed. According to [[Emperor Calus]], it is possible to permanently kill Guardians without having to drain their light first, but the method of how to do this has been forgotten by the [[Red Legion]].<ref>'''Bungie (2018/8/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]] PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, Lore tab: [[Turris_Shade#Turris_Shade_Gauntlets|Turris Shade Gauntlets]]''</ref>

Guardians can also be killed permanently by destroying their Ghost first, removing their ability to resurrect, and then killing the Guardian. <ref>Cayde-6's Death, Forsaken</ref> A Guardian can still live on after their Ghost is destroyed, living their "last life" as some have said, but are cut off from their abilities with the Light, being referred to as Lightless. However, a Lightless Guardian can still have access to Darkness-aligned abilities, such as [[Stasis]] and [[Strand]], thereby making them not completely powerless.

==History==
During the Golden Age, the average lifespan for Humanity increased by three, but as the Collapse started and the Golden Age came to an end, the Traveler in its last breath released the Ghosts and they resurrected the first Lightbearers.
===Dark Age===
{{Quote | No one knew what had happened to the Traveler. No one understood what had happened to the world. But they heard the whispered call.| Ghost Fragment: The Dark Age}}

The Guardians' origins are rooted in the very origins of the Last City itself, in the [[Dark Age]] that followed the [[Collapse]].<ref>[http://www.destinythegame.com/au/en/game/story '''Bungie''' ''Destiny Story'']</ref> In the earliest days, when the survivors of the Collapse were gathering beneath the [[Traveler]] and groups like [[Takanome's Rangers]] were all that separated refugees elsewhere from certain death, the Guardians were known as The Risen. Having been granted the power to wield the [[Light]] by their [[Ghost]]s, The Risen lacked a common, unifying purpose, and took up roles as enforcers and bodyguards for the first [[Faction]]s of what would become the Last City. As the Factions feuded over their competing ideologies and competed for influence among the residents of the fledgling city under the Traveler, some of The Risen became disillusioned and abandoned their Factions, seeking a higher purpose. With tensions between the Factions already near the boiling point, this triggered the [[Faction Wars]], a violent conflict that only ended when The Risen ceased fighting each other in order to unite against a new enemy that threatened them all: the [[Fallen]]. In the end, the Fallen were repelled, the Factions' iron grip was broken, the city under the Traveler became the Last City with massive walls erected to protect it, and the Risen became known as the Guardians.<ref name="RA">'''Bungie (2014-12-10)''', ''Destiny: The Taken King, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Allies/Legends & Mysteries#Rezyl Azzir - Before These Walls|Rezyl Azzir - Before These Walls]]''</ref>

===Destiny===
Centuries after the Collapse, a stray [[Ghost]] wanders through the ruins outside the [[Cosmodrome]], searching for a new Guardian. It finds someone long deceased among the ancient remains and revives them. Ghost leads the new recruit out of the Cosmodrome and back to [[The Last City]] after finding a [[ship]], and introduces them to the people of the [[Tower]]. The recruit returns to the Cosmodrome to explore; after slaying an [[Archon]] of the [[House of Devils]], the recruit gains an audience with the [[Speaker]], who confides in them that the Darkness is returning and that the recruit must help protect the City any way they can.

The recruit (now dubbed '[[The Guardian]]') makes two important discoveries while in the Cosmodrome; the first is that the [[Hive]], who had slain countless Guardians after they were beaten back to the [[Moon]], have returned to Earth to prepare for an invasion. The second is that [[Rasputin]], one of the legendary [[warmind]]s, has survived the collapse, and has restored contact with the rest of the solar system. The Guardian travels to the Moon to investigate the Hive threat; they receive an urgent message that the Hive are attempting to drain the Traveler of its light and that they must be stopped at all costs. However, they also run into a mysterious [[Exo Stranger|stranger]], who tells them to meet her on [[Venus]] to stop another rising threat.

After stopping the Hive ritual, The Guardian travels to Venus and discovers the [[Vex]], a machine race bent on dominating reality itself. The Stranger tells The Guardian that the only way to stop the Vex and save the Traveler is to enter the [[Black Garden]] and destroy its [[Black Heart|heart]]. The Guardian seeks counsel with the [[Awoken]] of the [[Reef]]; [[Queen]] [[Mara Sov]] tells them that the only way into the Garden is to retrieve the eye of a Vex [[Zydron, Gate Lord|Gate Lord]]. They assume it to be a suicide mission, but The Guardian returns with the eye. The Queen tells The Guardian that they now owe her a favor in return for her information.

The entrance to the Black Garden, located on [[Mars]], lies behind thick [[Cabal]] defenses. After successfully restoring the Gate Lord's eye using dormant Vex technology, The Guardian enters the Black Garden, a strange Vex realm outside of normal spacetime. At its center is the Black Heart, an abomination that the Vex worship and seek to use to bend reality to their will. The Guardian kills its protectors, the [[Sol Progeny]], destroying the Heart and freeing the Black Garden from Vex control. Light begins returning to the Traveler. But to finish off the Vex threat, The Guardian must enter the [[Vault of Glass (location)|Vault of Glass]], the source of the Vex's reality-altering powers, and kill its leader, [[Atheon]].

===The Dark Below===
{{main|The Dark Below}}
[[Eris Morn]], the last survivor of a fireteam to stop the Hive god [[Crota]], is looking for Guardians to help her. The Hive's return to Earth is but a prelude to the return of Crota, whom his followers are attempting to awaken. Eris sends The Guardian into the Cosmodrome to stop the invaders, especially after they attempt to kill Rasputin. She then sends The Guardian to stop the Hive's awakening ritual on the Moon. After eliminating Crota's generals, The Guardian finishes off Crota himself in his netherworld, the [[Oversoul Throne]], deep within the Hellmouth.

===House of Wolves===
{{main|House of Wolves (expansion)}}
The Reef is embroiled in civil war as the [[House of Wolves]], a Fallen house that Queen Mara Sov had conquered, is now in open rebellion. Their leader, [[Skolas]], has declared himself the Kell of Kells and wishes to unite the Fallen under his banner. The Queen has summoned the Guardians to aid her in ending the rebellion, in return for the Reef's treasures. The Guardian is aided by [[Petra Venj]] and [[Variks, The Loyal]], with whom they search for Skolas and put a stop to his plans. After failing to seize control of the House of Devils and [[House of Kings]], Skolas instead attempts to seize control of the Vault of Glass and the Vex technology within. The Guardian finally captures him atop the Citadel, stopping him from summoning his entire House through the Vex's time portals. Skolas is sent back to the [[Prison of Elders]], where he's finished off once and for all.

===The Taken King===
{{main|The Taken King}}
[[Oryx]], the father of Crota, has sent his Hive fleet to avenge his dead son. Using his terrible power, Oryx creates a new army called the [[Taken]] and lays siege to the entire solar system. The [[Awoken]] fleet attempts to stop him before he can enter the Inner System, but they are utterly destroyed. He then starts Taking the Cabal stationed on [[Phobos]], which catches the Vanguard's attention. Responding to a distress signal, The Guardian is sent to investigate. Upon seeing the devastation, The Guardian is confronted by a vision of Oryx, who tells The Guardian that he is there to pay back humanity for his son's death. Realizing the threat that laid before them, [[Cayde-6]] crafts a plan with The Guardian to sneak aboard Oryx's [[Dreadnaught]]. Though they are successful, they cannot enter Oryx's inner sanctum until The Guardian becomes [[Ascendant Hive|Ascendant]]; Eris helps The Guardian recover the last fragments of Crota's Soul, allowing entry into Oryx's chambers, where they duel. 

Though Oryx's physical form was defeated, he retreated even further into the ship, recovering his strength. Meanwhile, the Guardians work towards [[Taken War|pushing the Taken out of the system]]. Once Oryx's lieutenants, the [[Court of Oryx]], have been defeated the Guardians push deeper into the Dreadnaught to seek out Oryx within his [[Ascendant Realm]]. There, he confronted the Guardians with his full might, even pulling them into a Darkness dimension. But in the end, using Light [[Warpriest|stolen]] [[Golgoroth|from]] [[Light-Eater Ogre|his]] [[Light-Eater Knight|pawns]], Oryx was slain permanently.

===Rise of Iron===
{{main|Rise of Iron}}
The Fallen [[House of Devils]], while looting ancient tombs from the [[Golden Age]], accidentally unearth a self-replicating nano-technology plague known as [[SIVA]] within the depths of the Old Cosmodrome. This plague mutates the Devils into powerful machine gods which collapsed [[The Wall]] in Old Russia, prompting [[Lord Saladin]], the last of the [[Iron Lords]], to personally lead the Guardians in a final stand against the plague, raising a new generation of Iron Lords to guard the [[Last City]] once more. The Guardian successfully ends the SIVA threat and is made an Iron Lord, with the title of 'Young Wolf'.

===Red War===
The Guardian ranks would be thrown into discord after the destruction of The Last City by [[Dominus Ghaul]], commander of the Red Legion, one year after the [[SIVA Crisis]] and two years after the [[Taken War]], after the Skyburner's distress signal reached [[Dominus Ghaul]].<ref name="Last Call">[http://www.polygon.com/2017/3/28/15095770/destiny-2-first-teaser-trailer-video-bungie-cayde-6  '''Polygon''' - ''Watch the first teaser for Destiny 2'']</ref><ref name="Rally the Troops">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJLAJVmggt0 '''YouTube''' - ''Destiny 2 – "Rally the Troops" Worldwide Reveal Trailer'']</ref>

Guardian forces were left powerless after the [[Light]] had been sealed by the [[Traveler Cage]] and were hunted en masse by [[Red Legion]] forces, with many being executed. Though trapped, the Traveler sent visions to the now lightless Guardians to seek out one of its fragments in the [[European Dead Zone]], whereby they could regain their powers. [[Dominus Ghaul]] attempted and failed to win the Traveler's approval and make him into a Guardian, and simply took the light by force. When he gloated in front of the Traveler, the Traveler suddenly broke its cage and destroyed Ghaul, as well as slowly healing itself by drawing fragments back into itself. With the invasion ended and the city retaken, the Traveler was declared no longer dead but living once more, thus bringing back the light to the guardians all over again.

===Forsaken===
In a prison break at the [[Prison of Elders]], [[Cayde-6]] was permanently killed by [[Uldren Sov]], resulting in decreased morale among the Guardians. The Vanguard ordered every available Guardian to track down and eliminate or capture every escapee from the Prison, but it still wasn't enough to prevent them from terrorizing the Solar system. [[The Guardian|One Guardian]] journeyed to the [[Reef]] and hunted down Cayde's killers, Uldren and the [[Scorn]] [[Baron]]s.

After avenging Cayde, the Guardian discovered the [[Dreaming City]], and [[Mara Sov]] ordered [[Petra Venj]] to allow Guardians into the city to combat the [[Taken]] corruption that was spreading through the city. This culminated in a [[Last Wish|Raid]] into the center of the Dreaming City by a fireteam of Guardians, where they successfully freed [[Kalli]] and [[Shuro Chi]] from being Taken, then killed [[Riven|Riven, of a Thousand Voices]]. However, in death, Riven granted one last wish to an entity Riven only referred to as "[[Savathûn, the Witch Queen|She]]".

===Black Armory===
Following the events of [[Forsaken]], [[Uldren Sov]] was revived by a [[Ghost]] as a Guardian of the [[Light]] at his resting place in the [[Dreaming City]].

===Shadowkeep===
The unearthing of the [[Lunar Pyramid]] brought forth [[Nightmare]]s born of the traumatic memories of many Guardians, forced once again to confront their past enemies and shames.

===Beyond Light===
When news of the power hidden on [[Europa]] spread, many Guardians came to the moon to harness the [[Darkness]]-born power of [[Stasis]]. This created fractures within the [[Vanguard]], with many arguing that there was no problem in wielding the Darkness as if it was Light, while others denounced this as foolishness. In the end, Darkness wielders among the Vanguard still exists, though many continue to hold that it is a corrupting power.

===The Witch Queen===
Guardians were forced to confront their beliefs once more, when the [[Hive]] [[Lightbearer]]s of the [[Lucent Brood]], risen by Ghosts like Humanity, came from [[Savathûn's Throne World]] to harvest the Light of the City's protectors. Many Guardians died their final deaths against these new Lightbearers, but so did the [[Vanguard]] strike back, with the help of the [[Imperial Cabal]]'s light-suppressing technology. While the Lucent offensive was halted, their Lightbears continue to roam the Throne World, a reminder that Humanity may no longer be the chosen protectors of the [[Traveler]].

==Gameplay==
There are three classes of Guardian: [[Hunter]]s, [[Warlock]]s, and [[Titan (class)|Titan]]s. Hunters utilize swiftness, precision, and stealth to efficiently slay their enemies. Warlocks have the least amount of armor but the fastest regeneration and utilize a variety of projectile attacks in their abilities. Titans are able to both take and deal massive amounts of damage, prioritizing either one depending on their subclass. <ref>[http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelvenables/2013/02/17/bungies-destiny-unveiled '''Forbes.com''' ''Bungie's Destiny Unveiled'']</ref> Titans emphasize armor and raw power, while warlocks emphasize the use of their magical abilities and agility. Hunters fall in between both classes.<ref>[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2013/12/11/jason-jones-the-destiny-interview.aspx?PostPageIndex=2 '''Gameinformer''': ''Jason Jones - The Destiny Interview'']</ref> The Guardians include members of the [[human]], [[Awoken]] and [[Exo]] races, and can be either male or female.

While the choice of race is mostly aesthetic, the choice of class will have more impact. Note that all three classes have access to almost all the same weapons, and are not "locked in" to any particular role. However, each class can specialize in a particular direction depending on which subclass the player is using. Choices of subclass will determine what [[Super]] the player can use, as well as what bonuses and other lesser abilities they'll have access to. Subclasses can be leveled up and switched on the fly, allowing a single character a degree of flexibility for different combat scenarios.

Guardians have three base stats determined by their choice of subclass: Resilience (shield strength), Mobility (movement speed and jump height), and Recovery (shield regeneration speed). Each class benefits more from one stat but can still emphasize others. Choice of armor can boost any of the three cooldown stats: Strength (melee cooldown), Discipline (grenade cooldown), and Intellect (Super cooldown).

While players gain levels with experience, these levels are mainly for determining what gear and missions are unlocked. The player's actual strength is determined by [[Light]] levels. Light represents the average attack and defense values of the player's currently equipped weapons and armor; every mission has a recommended light level, so players who meet that recommendation are more likely to succeed said mission.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/3hgllk/the_taken_king_reveal_teaser_destiny_year_two/ '''Reddit''': The Taken King Reveal Teaser - Destiny Year 2]</ref> Generally speaking, items with more [[rarity]] have a higher light level than others.

==Guardian organizations==
===Tower leadership===
*[[Vanguard]]
*[[Crucible]]

===Orders===
*[[Firebreak Order]]
*[[First Pillar Order]]
*[[Gensym Scribes]]
*[[Pilgrim Guard]]
*[[Praxic Warlocks]]
*[[Stoneborn Order]]
*[[Sun Legion]]
*[[Thanatonaut]]s
*[[The Sunbreakers]]
*[[Chain Order]]

===Fireteams===
*[[Dead End Cure]]
*[[Eris' Fireteam]]
*[[Kabr's Fireteam]]
*Fireteam "The Bad Guys Don't Care What We Call Ourselves Do They?"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExQzhWWLC08 '''YouTube''': Destiny - Zavala Gives Up on the PA]</ref>
*[[Fireteam Tuyet]]
*[[Six Coyotes]]
*[[Holborn's Host]]
*[[Jagi's Host]]
*[[Radegast's Host]]
*[[Kentarch 3]]
*[[Death Dealers]]

===Other groups===
*[[Iron Lords]]
*[[Iron Wolves]]
*[[The Hidden]]

==Trivia==
*Over the course of the series, the Guardians have received various titles and names for their efforts and adventures. Among them are Hivebane, Wolf-slayer, Killer of Wolves, Warrior of Light, Oryx-slayer or Slayer of Oryx, and recently Young Wolf and Lord Guardian. In ''Destiny 2'', Emperor Calus called the Guardians Light-borne and Traveler-spawn.
*Guardians are the first faction of undead beings seen in the ''Destiny'' series, the second being the [[Grasp of Nokris]] and the third being the [[Scorn]].
*[[The Spider]] fallen mob boss calls the Guardians Lightmongers.
*On December 18, 2020, real-world United States Vice President Mike Pence announced that the official name of servicemen in the US Space Force would be "Guardian."
*The theme that is often associated with the Guardians contains seven notes.

==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
<gallery>
File:Destiny 35.jpg
File:Destiny E3 2013 Demo, Warlock with Viper P3.jpeg
File:Destiny 42.jpg
File:Titan desktop.jpg
File:Guardians Gjallarhorn.jpg
File:PS3-PS4 exclusive content.jpg
File:Human Guardian.jpg|Screenshot of a Human Warlock in the Beta build
File:Three Guardians 01.png
</gallery>
 
===Development===
<gallery>
File:Warlock Single.png
File:Hunter Single.png
File:Titan Single.png
Destiny Character 1.png
Destiny Character 2.png
Destiny Character 3.png
Destiny Character 4.png
Destiny Character 5.png
Guardians desktop.jpg| Three known classes: Hunter, Warlock and Titan.
File:GDC Guardians.png
Destiny First Person 2.png| A trio of Guardians on a mission.
File:GuardiansUnited.jpg|Guardians standing tall.
File:Guardian!.jpg|The Guardians of ''[[Destiny 2]]''.
</gallery>

===Promotional===
<gallery>
E3 guardians desktop.jpg|Official wallpaper depicting the three Guardian classes.
File:The_Strength_Of_The_Wolf_Is_the_Pack.png|The Guardians as they appear in [[The Law Of The Jungle]] live action trailer.
File:Guardians in action.png|Guardians holding their ground on [[Mars]]
</gallery>
 
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes|gallerypage=Images of Guardians}}
 
{{clear}}
 
==List of appearances==
*''[[The Law Of The Jungle]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Destiny]]''
*''[[Destiny 2]]''
*''[[Destiny: Fall of Osiris]]''
*''[[Destiny: Warmind (comic)]]''
*''[[Destiny: Cayde's Six]]''
*''[[Hidden Dossier]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Bitter]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Entelechy]]'' {{Mo}}

==References==
<references/>

{{Classes}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Guardians]]
[[Category:Paracausal entities]]
[[Category:Lightbearers]]