Editing Red War

{{Battle infobox
|prev=[[SIVA Crisis]]<br>[[Battle of Kaga-Clipse]]
|next=[[Hunt for the Scorn]]
|image=[[File:TheLastCity.jpg|350px]]
|date= 
|place=*[[Fields of Glass]], [[Mercury]]
**[[The Almighty]]
*[[European Dead Zone]], [[Earth]]
*[[Hellas Basin]], [[Mars]]
*[[The Reef]]
*[[New Pacific Arcology]], [[Titan (moon)|Titan]]
*[[Echo Mesa]], [[Io]]
*[[Arcadian Valley]], [[Nessus]]
**[[The Leviathan]], Nessus Orbit
|result=
'''1ST PHASE:'''
*First true defeat of the Red Legion
**Death of [[Dominus Ghaul]] and [[The Consul]]
**Red Legion leadership weakened
**[[The Almighty]] main weapon rendered permanently inoperable
*Traveler reawakens
**Pulse of Light causes the gate to the Infinite Forest to reopen on Mercury
**Pulse of Light melts the ice of [[Hellas Basin]] on Mars, releasing [[Xol]] and the [[Grasp of Nokris]]
**[[Black Fleet|The Black Fleet]] reawakens, sensing the Traveler's reawakening
*Emperor Calus's Leviathan arrives in Sol and begins consuming Nessus
**Calus start recruiting Guardians and members of the Red Legion
*House of Dusk lose an Archon and two Prime Servitors
**House of Dusk is broken and split into syndicates and personal factions, notably the Kell's Scourge
*The Vex lose key structures like the Pyramidion on Io and the Black Garden gate on Mars
*Savathun's plans on Titan thwarted
*Last City remains heavily ruined by the conflict
**Original Tower destroyed and Vaults destroyed
-----
'''2ND PHASE:'''
*Death of [[Val Ca'uor]], acting [[Red Legion]] commander
**Red Legion attempts at replenishing resources on Mercury, Mars and Leviathan stopped
**Red Legion leadership, forces and morale degraded leading to mass desertions
**Calus keeps recruiting from the Red Legion and the Guardians
*[[Panoptes, Infinite Mind]] destroyed
**Vex are unable to find a future where they win over the [[Light]] and [[Darkness]] forces
**[[Dendron, Root Mind]] destroyed repeatedly
**Contacts re-established with [[Osiris]]
**[[Saint-14]] tomb found and [[Perfect Paradox]] recovered
*[[Argos, Planetary Core]] destroyed
**Vex conversion of Nessus slowed
*[[Xol, Will of the Thousands]] killed
**Xol voluntarily becomes a weapon to survive in the hands of the Guardians
*[[Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn|Nokris, Herald of Xol]] is killed repeatedly
**Nokris' [[Escalation Protocol|champions]] are killed
***Grasp of Nokris falls under Savathun's influence
*Contacts re-established with [[Anastasia Bray]]
**[[Rasputin]] is restored and begins to rearm
|side1='''Humanity'''
*[[The Last City]]
----
*The [[Reef]]
----
*[[The Sunbreakers]]
|side2='''Cabal'''
*[[Red Legion]]
|side3='''Other'''
*[[Loyalists]]
----
*[[Hive]]
*[[Taken]]
----
*[[Fallen]]
----
*[[Vex]]
----
*[[Nine]]
|side4=
|commanders1=
'''Last City:'''
*Commander [[Zavala]]
*[[Ikora Rey]]
*[[Cayde-6]]
*[[Suraya Hawthorne]]
-----
'''The Reef:'''
*Regent-Commander [[Petra Venj]]
-----
'''The Sunbreakers:'''
*[[Empyreal Magistrate]] [[Ouros]]

|commanders2=
'''Red Legion:'''

<br>
'''1ST PHASE:'''
*[[The Consul]]
*[[Dominus Ghaul]]
*[[Thumos, the Unbroken]]
*[[Bracus Zahn]]
'''2ND PHASE:'''
*[[Val Ca'uor]]
*[[Valus Thuun]]
*[[Kargen, the Technocrat]]
|commanders3=
'''Loyalists:'''
*[[Emperor Calus]]
-----
'''Savathûn's Brood and Taken:'''
*[[Savathûn]]
**[[Savathûn's Song]]
**[[Quria, Blade Transform]]
***[[Ir Arok, Tongue of Quria]]
**[[Grask, the Consumed]]
----
'''Grasp of Nokris:'''
*[[Xol, Will of the Thousands]]
**[[Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn|Nokris, Herald of Xol]]
----
'''House of Dusk:'''
*[[Craask, Kell of Kings]] (indirectly)
*[[Brandaks Prime]]
*[[Serkuleks, the Fount]]
**[[Raksil, Archon Priest]]
*[[Thaviks, the Depraved]]
*[[Mithrax, Kell of Light|Mithrax, the Forsaken]]
----
'''Sol Collective:'''
*[[Panoptes, Infinite Mind]]
*[[Argos, Planetary Core]]
*[[Protheon, Modular Mind]]
*[[Brakion, Genesis Mind]]
'''Precursors:'''
*[[Dendron, Root Mind]]
|commanders4=
|forces1=
'''Last City:'''
*Thousands of [[Guardian]]s
*[[City Militia]]
*Underground resistance
----
'''The Reef:'''
*Thousands of [[Corsair]]s
----
'''The Sunbreakers:'''
*Dozens of Guardians
|forces2=
'''Red Legion:'''
*[[Red Legion]] and fleet
**[[The Immortal]]
**[[The Almighty]]
**[[Traveler Cage]]
*Countless Cabal
|forces3=
'''Loyalists:'''
*Countless [[Loyalists]]
**[[The Leviathan]]
----
'''Savathûn's Brood:'''
*Countless [[Savathûn's Brood]] Hive
*Countless Taken
----
'''Grasp of Nokris'''
*Countless [[Grasp of Nokris]] Hive
----
'''House of Dusk:'''
*Countless [[House of Dusk]] Fallen
----
'''Sol Collective'''
*Countless [[Sol Collective]] Vex
|forces4=
|casual1=
'''The Last City:'''
*Thousands of Guardians and some Guardian Orders
----
'''The Sunbreakers:'''
*Dozens of Guardians (entirety of the Order)
|casual2=
'''Red Legion:'''
*Most of Red Legion leadership
**Countless Cabal
|casual3=
*Hive leadership of Titan 
**Thousands of Hive
**Thousands of Taken
----
*Hive leadership of Mars
**Thousands of Hive
----
*Most of House of Dusk leadership
**Thousands of Fallen
----
*Most of Sol Collective Axis Minds
**Thousands of Vex platforms
|casual4=
|civilian= Hundreds of thousands of City civilians
}}
{{quote|Your journey ends... [[The Last City|here]].|[[Dominus Ghaul]]<ref name="Destiny 2 Gameplay Premiere Livestream (US)">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cABc0fmZQ6E '''YouTube''' - ''Destiny 2 – "Gameplay Premiere Livestream (US)"'']</ref>}}
The '''Red War''' was a major system-wide conflict fought between the [[Guardian]]s of the [[Last City]], [[Cabal]] [[Red Legion]], and other races of the Solar System. <ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/destiny-2-interview-breaking-bones-and-building-worlds-w499149 '''Rolling Stone''' - ''Bungie's Mark Noseworthy on Breaking Bones and Building Worlds for 'Destiny 2'']</ref>

After years of fighting against the proxy forces of the [[Darkness]] and emerging victorious, the Guardians found themselves outmatched when the Red Legion launched a surprise attack on the Last City, destroying the [[Tower]] and sealing away the [[Traveler]]'s [[Light]]. With their powers and arsenals lost and their home conquered, the Guardians [[Adieu|retreated]] to the outskirts of the [[European Dead Zone]] to a place known as [[The Farm]]. There, the Guardians recovered and planned a counterattack in order to save their home and legacy.

After much sacrifice and determination, the Guardians succeeded in liberating their home, driving the Red Legion away, and awaken the Traveler from its centuries of slumber, restoring their Light and destroying Ghaul forever. Despite this momentous victory, various figures of the Red Legion would attempt to carry on the Red War, either for their own purposes or to finish what Ghaul had started in destroying the Guardians. Despite these new foes, the Guardians maintained their strength and determination, while also contending with major threats besides the Red Legion.

==Events==
{{main|see=1|Story}}
===Prelude===
{{Quote|On my order, the [[Dead Orbit]] fleet is well clear of Saturn. We'll need them to defend the City, if it comes to that. They've picked up a high-gain signal from the Cabal beachhead on the Dreadnaught. The message is outward bound. Its target is far outside the solar system. We have to know what they're saying and who they're saying it to.|[[Commander Zavala]]}}
During the [[Taken War]], the [[Skyburners]] established a beachhead by ramming into the hull of the [[Dreadnaught]]. Their primary objectives were to assume full control of the Hive Dreadnaught and find a way to "eat" a Guardian's Light, of which the [[Hive]] are infamously known for. Unfortunately for the Cabal, the Taken and Hive decimated their forces, while the Guardians compounded their losses by eliminating any remaining commanding officers that had been stationed.<ref name="SBO">'''Bungie (2017/9/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - Item Description: [[Skyburner's Oath#Lore|Skyburner's Oath]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - [[Grimoire]]:[[Grimoire:Enemies|Enemies]]/[[Grimoire:Enemies/Cabal|Cabal]], [[Grimoire:Enemies/Cabal#Ghost Fragment: Cabal 4|Ghost Fragment: Cabal 4]]''</ref>

In light of the catastrophic losses to both the Guardians of the Last City and [[Oryx, the Taken King]], the remaining Cabal forces transmitted a detailed distress signal directed to the incumbent head of the Cabal Empire, [[Dominus Ghaul]], to inform him of their casualties and findings. Although the transmission was intercepted by the Guardians, it was nonetheless received by the Cabal Empire.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - [[Outbound Signal]]''</ref> Two years later, their answer would arrive.

===Surprise Attack===
[[File:TheRedWar.jpg|340px|thumb|The [[Red Legion]] engages the [[Tower]].]]
{{Quote|no=two|Ikora|q1=No, I mean they're not there. There are '''no''' satellites!|Cayde-6|q2= And, that's… not good?|Homecoming}}
Psion Operatives of the Legion had managed to compromise the outer sensors, defenses, and outposts; as well as suppress the Satellite's communication systems of the City and Reef and conceal their presence.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/3/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Drifter]] - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:Dust|Dust]], [[Lore#Dust#The Stacks|The Stacks]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2019/3/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Drifter]] - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:Stolen Intelligence|Stolen Intelligence]], [[Lore:Stolen Intelligence#Ringer|Ringer]]''</ref> In anticipation of the coming attack, one of the [[Nine]], highly implied to be [[Mercury]], directly sought to use Ghaul's efforts to understand how to manipulate the Light to forge a body for themselves. To achieve this, they even managed to blind the Guardian's precognition and prophetic abilities in order to enable Ghaul's surprise attack to be 100% effective.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/3/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Drifter]] - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:Dust|Dust]], [[Lore#Dust#The Witch|The Witch]]''</ref>

On the anniversary of the [[Battle of Six Fronts]],{{Citation needed}} the [[Vanguard]] discovered that all of their outer defenses, satellites, and outposts went dark in the cover of a storm. In a sudden bombardment, the Red Legion severely devastated the Tower, but the Vanguard survived in Zavala's [[Ward of Dawn]], and mobilized against the invasion. As the Legion's fleet assaulted the City, a massive aircraft latched onto the Traveler. During the chaos, the [[Speaker]] was swiftly captured by the Red Legion, leaving the City and its Guardians questioning his whereabouts. Civilians were successfully evacuated, but the Vanguard was quickly overwhelmed.<ref name="Homecoming">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Homecoming]]''</ref>

[[The Guardian]] returns from a faraway mission just as the Red Legion's attack overwhelms the city, and joins the fight to defend their home from the Cabal invaders.<ref name="Homecoming"/>

===Conquest of the Light===
{{Quote|no=two|Ghost|q1=How do we come back from this?|Ghaul|q2=You don't.|Homecoming}}
The Guardian attempted to disrupt the enemy by disabling the Cabal command ship. Though they succeeded in infiltrating the ship and destroying its shield generators, no reinforcements could arrive. At the outer deck, they were confronted by [[Dominus Ghaul]] himself. There, the Cabal Emperor activated the Light-restraining device upon the Traveler, encasing it in a force field that crippled the Guardians' connection to the Traveler's Light. This immediately weakened the Guardian, allowing Ghaul to simply kick them off his ship.<ref name="Homecoming"/>

Two days later, barely surviving the fall, the Guardian and their Ghost are reunited with each other. The Legion was in firm control of the area, and any Lightless Guardians who were unable to evacuate were hunted and killed on sight. The ones that did escape were already evacuating the planet. With no other options, the Guardian absconds the city on foot.<ref name="Adieu">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Adieu]]''</ref>

After crossing the outer reaches of Twilight Gap, the Guardian falls off a cliff after chasing a mysterious falcon. [[Suraya Hawthorne]] arrives and brings them to their feet, and rallies them and other survivors to [[The Farm]] for sanctuary. Hawthorne welcomed [[the Young Wolf]] to their new home, but the Guardian was more interested in the [[Shard of the Traveler]] that sat in the distance, which she warned was dangerous to explore.<ref name="Adieu"/>

===Red Legion Occupation===
{{Quote|I am Ghaul, and your Light… is mine.|Dominus Ghaul}}
[[File:Face Off.jpg|340px|thumb|Ghaul interrogates The Speaker.]]
With the city secured, Ghaul sent his forces across the system to secure even more planets.

On [[Mars]], the Red Legion reinforced the beleaguered Cabal legions battling the Vex, which turns the tide after centuries of conflict. The Legion managed to cripple the Vex on Mars by destroying the Gate to the [[Black Garden]], breaking the Vex's hold over [[Meridian Bay]].<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Ghost scan]]s: [[Ghost scan#Nessus, Arcadian Valley|NE-CST-4]]''</ref> On [[Io]], they began to drill into the planet to access the latent Traveler energies within the moon, investigating the possibility of harvesting and controlling the Light. However, their actions attracted the remnants of the Taken, catching the Cabal off-guard with a great many of them becoming Taken themselves.<ref name="Sacrilege">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Sacrilege]]''</ref>

The Dominus established a massive ship orbiting the sun, [[The Almighty]], which projects a beam of energy directly into the sun to slowly destabilize it. With this, in the event the system continued to resist or when the Cabal were finished, the ''Almighty'' would cause the sun to go Supernova for system-wide annihilation.<ref name="Utopia">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Utopia]]''</ref> The Almighty would be stationed over [[Mercury]] and began disassembling it for fuel,<ref name="1AU">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[1AU]]''</ref> while the Red Legion would destroy the now-Lightless [[Titan (class)|Titan]] [[The Sunbreakers|Sunbreakers]].<ref>'''Bungie (2017/9/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - Item Description: [[Hallowfire Heart#Lore|Hallowfire Heart]]''</ref> They had even assaulted the [[Reef]] after having imposed the [[Broken Legion]] led by [[Valus Trau'ug]] as a trojan horse.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore]]:[[Lore:The Forsaken Prince|The Forsaken Prince]], [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#Fanatic_.7C_Part_I|Fanatic | Part I]]''</ref>

===Vanguard Resistance===
{{Quote|If we wait, we die. But if we attack together, we can take back our home, our Light… our hope. Or we die trying.|Commander Zavala}}
Despite the loss of the City, the Vanguard sought to regroup what was left of their forces and launch a counterattack against the Red Legion to take back the Last City and free the Traveler. They planned to regroup on the moon of [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], but found that a new breed of Hive had already infested much of the planet, losing many Lightless Guardians in a failed attempt to drive out the Hive.<ref name="Hope">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Hope]]''</ref> This weakened Vanguard morale and their leadership splinters off into different areas of the system.{{Citation needed}}

The Guardian at the Farm, following visions, journeyed to the Traveler Shard deep in a dangerously corrupted forest. After fighting through soldiers of a new [[Fallen]] House, the [[House of Dusk]], the Guardian was able to reach the shard and tap into its Light to regain their abilities. With their powers restored, the Guardian traveled to Titan to aid Commander Zavala and Deputy Commander [[Sloane]] in establishing a new base to prepare a resistance against Ghaul.<ref name="Hope"/> In gaining the equipment needed to decrypt vital Cabal transmissions, they learn about the Almighty and its purpose. Despite Zavala's guilt in failing to protect the City and the danger of the Almighty's threat, his resolve and determination were restored thanks to the Guardian's efforts. To ensure their resistance is successful, Zavala needs his old fireteam: [[Cayde-6]] and [[Ikora Rey]].<ref name="Utopia"/>

Tasking the Guardian to find them, they follow a lost transmission of Cayde's that leads them to [[Nessus]]. There, they receive the aid of a damaged [[Golden Age]] AI, [[Failsafe]], who gives them directions to find Cayde. Soon enough, they find that Cayde is trapped in a Vex time-loop after attempting to steal a Vex teleporter to reach Ghaul.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Looped]]''</ref> After fighting the Vex and the Mind controlling the loop, the Guardian was able to free Cayde and convince him to return to Zavala to form a resistance. Before departing, Cayde advises the Guardian to travel to Io, as he believes that Ikora would travel there to seek answers during trying times.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Six]]''</ref>

Traveling to Io, the Guardian was quickly able to find Ikora, but she was unsure if resistance was possible due to the loss of her Light. During this, the Cabal Red Legion succeeded in mining for the Traveler's energies within the moon. Investigating the Cabal base, they find it eerily quiet and are soon ambushed by the Taken which surprises Ikora and the Guardian at their return. Despite this, the Guardian was successful in preventing the Taken from corrupting the Light's energy and forming a bridge to their dimension. Ikora was quick to hypothesize that the Taken are following the direction of a new hidden entity.<ref name="Sacrilege"/>

To further understand the Almighty, the Guardian travels into a breached [[Warmind]] Vault to process the necessary data. Using the processing power within the Vault, Ikora and a recently awakened [[Asher Mir]] learn that they cannot outright destroy the Almighty without destroying the sun in the process, but they can permanently disable it. With this, Ikora's faith and resolve are restored and she travels to the farm to meet with Zavala and Cayde.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Fury]]''</ref>

Back on Earth at the Farm, the reunited Vanguard discuss a strategy to disable the Almighty and liberate the City. Despite the impossibility of the task, they know it is worth it. Hawthorne would direct them to secret passages in the city walls and advise the Guardian to go to [[Legion's Anchor]] to steal Thumos, the Unbroken's personal ship to travel to the Almighty and disable it. On that cue, the Vanguard's forces would launch their attack. After getting close enough to the Traveler Suppressor Device, the Guardian would use the Vex teleporter to quickly travel to the device and free the Traveler.{{Citation needed}}

===Liberation of the Last City===
{{Quote|Fitting your Traveler would send you to face me once more.|Dominus Ghaul}}
[[File:Vanguard at the New Tower.PNG|340px|thumb|The Vanguard Victorious.]]
After succeeding in taking down Thumos and stealing his personal ship, the Guardian successfully infiltrates the Almighty. Despite fighting past elite defenders and dealing with the intense solar rays, the Guardian successfully disabled the Almighty's coolants, causing it to malfunction into an inoperable state.<ref name="1AU"/> The Vanguard then initiated their attack to liberate their home. Despite being Lightless, the Vanguard's forces manage to break through the Red Legion's defenses and set up the Vex device. The Guardian teleports into Ghaul's command ship, the Immortal, which is at the center of the Light-restraining device. Bypassing the ship's forces, the Guardian reached the top of the ship and encountered Ghaul once more. This time, however, Ghaul had forcibly taken a portion of the Traveler's Light to battle with the Guardian with abilities similar to theirs.<ref name="Chosen">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Chosen]]''</ref>

Despite his power, Ghaul is killed by the Guardian but suddenly reincarnates as a massive ethereal being and speaks to the Traveler directly. This awakens the ancient entity after centuries of slumber, shattering the restrains and expunging Ghaul once and for all. In a massive flash, the Light is restored to all Guardians. With their powers restored, the Vanguard and Guardians push forward and drive the Red Legion out of their home.<ref name="Chosen"/>

For the first time in all history, the Red Legion have been defeated and the entirety of the Cabal have been left leaderless and demoralized at the loss of their recently crowned Dominus.

===Guardian Adventures===
[[File:Brakion Battle.jpg|thumb|340px|Guardians battle Brakion, Genesis Mind.]]
With victory in reclaiming the Last City, there was still much work to do in dealing with what was left of the Red Legion while also handling other threats and mysteries present in the system.

Such adventures lead the Guardians to disrupt Fallen raids, Cabal operations, Hive rituals and Vex efforts across the system while gathering supplies and intel from their enemies. The Guardians were able to also remove dangerous entities that would pose a threat to the system.

On Nessus, the Red Legion had been drilling into the [[The Inverted Spire (location)|Inverted Spire]], hoping to study and utilize [[Protheon, Modular Mind]] as a weapon, but the Vex responded violently, causing a warzone to break out near the drilling sites. The Vanguard learned of the legion's efforts and sent in the Guardians to destroy Protheon before the Red Legion could capture the Vex Mind. After battling past Vex and Cabal forces, the Guardians descend into the Inverted Spire and face off against the Vex entity. Despite its firepower and altering the battlefield, the Guardians succeeded in destroying Protheon, depriving the Vex of an Axis Mind and the Cabal of a potential new weapon.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[The Inverted Spire]]''</ref>
[[File:Savathun's Song Battle.jpg|thumb|340px|Savathûn's Song calling its Master.]]
On Io, the Vanguard pin-point the Vex's machine conversion of the moon at [[The Pyramidion]], centered by [[Brakion, Genesis Mind]]. Not only did the Vanguard want to put a stop to the Vex's plans to turn Io into another [[machine world]], but also prevent any lingering Taken from corrupting the Genesis Mind into a powerful Taken entity. Storming the Pyramidion, the Guardians, guided by Asher Mir, evade Vex traps, Vex defenders and Taken enemies before entering a pit that housed the Genesis Mind. Despite the Genesis Mind's power, the Guardians successfully destroyed Brakion, hindering the Vex's efforts to convert Io and granting Asher Mir a sense of vengeance, as it was Brakion who nearly converted him into a Vex machine.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[The Pyramidion]]''</ref>

On Titan, the Guardians worked with Sloane in stabilizing the New Pacific Arcology's foundation to prevent it from sinking into the sea while also aiding in missions to power the ancient facilities and drive off Fallen and Hive.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Siren Song]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Enemy Of My Enemy]]''</ref> Sloane discovered a center point for these rituals deep beneath the Arcology and sent in fireteams to investigate; all went dark and none returned. Worried, Sloane sends the Guardian to look for the lost teams and find out what the Hive are up to. Breaching Hive defenses, the Guardians discovered strange crystals emanating Void Light which they found strange as only Guardians can generate Void Light. Traveling further, the Guardians make radio contact with a Guardian named [[Taeko-3]], the last surviving member of the previous fireteams, and learn that the Hive were forcibly extracting Void Light from Guardians to create the crystals to power a large [[Shrieker]], [[Savathun's Song]]. Taeko-3 would sacrifice her life to create a crystal the Guardians can use to access the Shrieker, allowing them to destroy Savathun's Song, avenging the fallen Guardians and preventing another Hive attempt to sink the Arcology.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Savathûn's Song (strike)|Savathûn's Song]]''</ref>
[[File:Bracus Zahn.jpg|thumb|340px|Bracus Zahn with his clients.]]
Despite the demoralizing loss of their Dominus and the Consul, the Red Legion continued to be a threat to the Last City, but the Guardians maintained their vigilance against them, primarily in the EDZ. Guardians succeeded in numerous efforts against the Red Legion, from sabotaging their defenses, supplies and vehicles, destroying any Mining Landers and Infiltrator bases encountered and taking out field commanders and high-profile leaders when found. In desperation, the Red Legion made contact with [[Bracus Zahn]] and his disgraced group to supply them with dangerous weapons needed to combat the Guardians. Hawthorne and Cayde intercepted their meeting with the Bracus and sent in the Guardians to take down Zahn. Breaching [[Firebase Hades]], the Guardians hunted Zahn and his company throughout the Cabal Cruiser before cornering him at the airfields. Against Zahn's arsenal, the Guardians succeeded in taking down the Bracus, depriving the Red Legion of the much-needed weapons.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[The Arms Dealer]]''</ref>

===Fallen Insurgency===
[[File:Thaviks, The Depraved.jpg|340px|thumb|Thaviks, The Depraved at Exodus Black.]]
Though the Guardians and the Vanguard became aware of the newly emerged [[House of Dusk]] since the Red Legion's arrival, they know very little about them, such as their goals, motives or even their leaders. Regardless, the Guardians battled the Fallen whenever and wherever they could, preventing them from stealing supplies for the Farm and City, taking out high-profile targets when encountered and thwarting Glimmer extraction crews.

One major Fallen offense took place on Nessus, at the Exodus Black crash site, where the Fallen sought to tear apart the Golden Age vessel for anything of value. Failsafe called the Guardians for aid to protect itself. The Fallen breached the interior of the ship just as the Guardians arrived to help Failsafe. Battling the Fallen to the Aft end of the ship, the Guardians encounter the cloaked [[Thaviks, the Depraved]]. Despite his cloaking and overcharged shanks, Thaviks was killed and the Fallen were driven off as the Vanguard sent more teams to secure the crash site, saving Failsafe.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Exodus Crash]]''</ref>

Another Fallen plot was discovered in the EDZ where Guardians heard reports of "glowing Fallen". Investigating, the Guardians encountered the strange Fallen but discovered they were more enhanced versions of the Fallen than previously encountered. Further investigations into the plot discovered that the Fallen are using stolen Cabal technology to create enhanced ether to create stronger soldiers. The Guardians scoured the Dead Zone and found numerous empty caches before finding the main supply cache, destroying it. Doing so, drew out the mastermind of the plot, [[Raksil, Archon Priest]], the first Dusk Archon encountered. The Guardians battled with the Archon before cornering him in the Salt Mines, and despite his enhanced defenders, Raksil was defeated. However, knowing that Raksil couldn't have created the enhanced ether without a Servitor, the Guardians used the Archon's death to bring the servitor responsible for the production out of hiding. Their predictions proved true as [[Serkuleks, the Fount]] was forced into the open, allowing the Guardians to engage the Prime Servitor. Despite Serkulek's defenses and constant fleeing across the Dead Zone, the Guardians destroyed the Servitor, completely depriving the Dusk Fallen of the means to produce more enhanced ether.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Enhance!]]''</ref>

===Taken Resurgence===
{{Quote|We believed only Oryx, the Taken King, had the power to take his enemies and transform them. I fear we may have been wrong.|Ikora Rey}}
[[File:TitanHunter vs TakenCabal.jpg|340px|thumb|Grask Battling the Guardians.]]
In addition to Io, a remnant faction of [[Taken]] continued to operate within the [[European Dead Zone]], primarily near the Dark Forest, battling whatever Fallen, Cabal or Guardian force that gets near. A contingent of the Red Legion began to use Psions to siphon Taken energy to empower themselves which caused the notice of the Vanguard. Fighting the Cabal through the Dark Forest in the Deadzone, the Guardians corner the Colossus in command of their activities, [[Prusk, the Unequaled Maul]], and destroy him.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Dark Alliance]]''</ref> A larger Taken force gathered in the Deadzone under the command of a Taken Phalanx, [[Grask, the Consumed]]. The Taken, under clear directions, were tasked to corrupt the natural landscape and water supply within the Deadzone using Taken energy. Should they succeed, then the entire Deadzone would be rendered inhospitable, threatening the Farm. After destroying each of the Taken's stronger forces and removing the Blight's causing the infestations, the Guardians were successful in defeating Grask, weakening the Taken in the Deadzone but the Vanguard continued to question who was creating new Taken and directing them in Oryx's absence. This led the Vanguard to develop investigations into Oryx, specifically [[Xivu Arath|his]] [[Savathûn|sisters]] mentioned in the [[Books of Sorrow]].<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Lake of Shadows]]''</ref>

Back on Io, Ikora Rey's Hidden agents discovered Vex units interacting with the Taken, causing her to worry if the Taken are preparing for something. She sends the Guardians to investigate, and find that the Taken are kidnapping Vex units all over the region using Blights. Tracking down the Taken through a cave system to an abandoned Cabal base, the Guardians face off against [[Ir Arok, Tongue of Quria]] and other entities directing the Taken's efforts. The Guardians chase discovered that the Taken are preparing to build a new Taken army to replenish their ranks lost in the Taken War using the Vex. Though Ir Arok escapes again, the Guardians track the Taken Knight down to an area in the Pyramidion. Cornering the Knight, the Guardians succeed in defeating him but find that some of the Taken Vex traveled through a Blight portal, increasing the Taken's numbers but the Taken's efforts to build a new army have been temporarily stopped.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Dynasty]]''</ref>

===Return of the Emperor===
{{Quote|If you desire true power, power beyond your Traveler's feeble Light, seek me out. I will show you how to grow fat from strength.|Emperor Calus}}
[[File:Guardians at The Leviathan.jpg|340px|thumb|Guardians accept Emperor Calus's Invitation.]]
After the Guardians succeeded in killing the head of the Cabal, Dominus Ghaul's predecessor, [[Emperor Calus]], returned to reclaim control of his empire. Traveling to the Solar System aboard his massive ship, the [[Leviathan (Ship)|Leviathan]], Calus immediately set to work on reclaiming the Cabal empire and gave elements of the now leaderless Red Legion the chance to "join the loyalist regime", sending them on missions to collect geological data on Nessus as Calus intended to convert the soil of the planet into "Royal Wine". These messages would be decrypted by the Guardian.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Invitation from the Emperor]]''</ref>

Calus was also aware of the Guardians and their efforts in slaying Ghaul. Offering them an audience with him, the Guardians travel to his palace on board The Leviathan and accept the exiled Emperor's challenge. Passing each of the challenges and defeating scores of Loyalist forces, the Guardians face Calus in his throne room. After a long battle, the Guardians damaged Calus but revealed a machine in the emperor's place. Regardless, the Guardians succeed in destroying the duplicate and before its destruction, Calus boasts about his power, offering them a place at his side and knowledge of the "real truth" about the universe and the purpose of the Traveler.<ref name="Leviathan">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Invitation from the Emperor]]''</ref>

Months later, the Leviathan consumed a chunk of Nessus that contained a powerful Vex Mind, [[Argos, Planetary Core]], the entity responsible for converting Nessus into a machine world, which then caused the world-eater to clog up and malfunction. Emperor Calus immediately called upon the aid of the Guardians to destroy the Vex intrusion, where they succeeded and repaired the Leviathan. However, as they destroyed the Axis Mind, the barrier protecting itself was removed, thereby threatening the Guardians to be consumed by the fiery inferno of the Leviathan. Calus then saved the Guardians from being sucked into the Leviathan afterwards, where he rewarded and congratulated them for their efforts.<ref name="Leviathan"/>

==Aftermath==
Unbeknownst to Guardians and the other inhabitants of the Solar System, at the moment of the Traveler's reawakening, that pulse of Light continued spreading well beyond Earth. Eventually, it passed through extragalactic space beyond the bounds of the Milky Way, rousing an [[Blac Fleet|unknown alien fleet]] from dormancy. The fleet turned towards the source of the Light and began traveling toward the Solar System.<ref name="Chosen"/>

In addition, the pulse also reopened the gate to the [[Infinite Forest]] in [[Mercury]]. The Vex then began to unite on Mercury after the gate reopened, forcing the former Vanguard [[Osiris]] to emerge from exile to prevent the Vex from merging with time itself. With the exiled Warlock and the Guardians working together, they managed to destroy the powerful Axis Mind, [[Panoptes, Infinite Mind]], sending the Vex into disarray.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/12/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Curse of Osiris]]''</ref>

After the plot with the Vex had been thwarted, another threat arose in the frozen tundra of [[Hellas Basin]] on [[Mars]]: the mysterious Hive faction, the [[Grasp of Nokris]]. Led by the Worm God, [[Xol]], and his herald [[Nokris]], the Hive sought to destroy the core of the [[Warmind]] [[Rasputin]], leading the Guardians to team up with renegade Hunter, [[Ana Bray]] and eventually forge a shaky alliance with Rasputin.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]]''</ref>

On both fronts, the Guardians encountered battered remnants of the Red Legion, gathering fuel and materials for their forces. The Guardians battled these forces while handling the more pressing dangers on Mercury and Mars but it was clear to them that the Red Legion troops were acting under a new commander.<ref>'''Bungie (2017/12/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Curse of Osiris]] - [[Tree of Probibilities]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]] - [[Incursion]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]] - Item Description: [[Last of the Legion#Lore|Last of the Legion]]''</ref>

===War's End===
[[File:Red Legion Leviathan Invasion.jpg|350px|thumb|The Red Legion Invades the Leviathan.]]
{{Quote|Light-borne, your return to my Leviathan is most timely. I have guests who are… misbehaving.|Emperor Calus.}}
Following the events of the Red War, [[Val Ca'uor]] established himself as the new leader of the [[Red Legion]], where he ordered a massive assault upon the Leviathan. The acting leader aimed to assume control over the massive spacecraft for the Red Legion's purposes,<ref>'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]] - Item Description: [[The Emperor's Envy#Lore|The Emperor's Envy]]''</ref> likely to rebuild their power and strength following the loss of Ghaul and so many other crippling losses at the hands of the Guardians. Thus, Val Ca'uor led a large Red Legion fleet to pry the Leviathan from the former Cabal Emperor.<ref name="Spire">'''Bungie (2018/5/8)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]] - [[Leviathan, Spire of Stars]]''</ref>

Following Val Ca'uor's invasion, Emperor Calus ordered a Guardian response team to repel the Red Legion, offering further riches and rewards upon their success. The Guardians heeded the exiled emperor's call and ascended the Leviathan's spire, just as the acting commander destroyed one of Calus's robotic proxies. Upon confronting Ca'uor, the Guardians engaged the Red Legion's elite forces to prevent them from taking control of the Leviathan. Using the Leviathan's own formidable weapons, the Guardians managed to decimate the Red Legion fleet blockading the Spire and killing the acting commander in a climactic battle. In the wake of losing the majority of their fleet, their ground forces and leader, the Red Legion were forced to withdraw in disgrace. Ca'uor's death would officially mark the effective end of the Red War.<ref name="Spire"/>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Destiny 2]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[Curse of Osiris]]''
**''[[Warmind (expansion)|Warmind]]''
**''[[Forsaken]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of the Drifter]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of Opulence]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Shadowkeep]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of Dawn]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of the Worthy]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of Arrivals]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Witch Queen]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of the Haunted]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Lightfall]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of Defiance]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Season of the Deep]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Into the Light]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[10th Anniversary]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Episode: Revenant]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Destiny: Warmind (comic)|Destiny: Warmind]]''
*''[[Destiny: Cayde's Six]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Hidden Dossier]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Destiny Grimoire Anthology, Volume V]]'' {{Mo}}

==Trivia==

The Red War storyline became the center of a lawsuit against [[Bungie]] in October, 2024, when sci-fi author Kelsey Martineau alleged that Bungie copied elements of their story (written in 2013/'14) for the narrative. The main point of the lawsuit claims that both Martineau's story and ''Destiny 2'' feature a faction called the Red Legion as the main antagonists in their respective stories. In Martineau's story, the Red Legion is an alien army led by Overlord Yinnerah, a warlord that seeks to conquer Earth and claim Tononob Station, a massive floating habitat in low orbit. As of October 10, 2024, Bungie has not responded to the lawsuit.<ref>[https://gamerant.com/sci-fi-author-lawsuit-against-bungie/ '''Game Rant''' - ''Sci-Fi Author Files Lawsuit Against Bungie'']</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Wars]]
[[Category:Cabal]]
[[Category:Hive]]
[[Category:Taken]]
[[Category:Fallen]]
[[Category:Vex]]
[[Category:Guardians]]
[[Category:Warmind]]
[[Category:Worms]]
Description	What you type	What you get
Italic	''Italic text''	Italic text
Bold	'''Bold text'''	Bold text
Bold & italic	'''''Bold & italic text'''''	*Bold & italic text*