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{{Quote|A trillion timelines, and all at war. Like a thousand red flowers growing in a black garden.|[[Lakshmi-2]]}}
{{about|the location|the mission|The Black Garden}}
{{Location infobox
{{Location infobox
|image           = [[File:Garden desktop.jpg|360px]]
|image= [[File:Carousel MAPS Generic.jpg|350px]]
|planet          = Unknown, Out of Time<br>[[Mars]] {{c|Portal at [[Valley of the Kings]]; destroyed by [[Red Legion]]}}<br>[[Moon]] {{c|Portal under the [[Lunar Battlegrounds]]}}
|factions= [[Sol Divisive]] <br> [[Sol Progeny]] <br> [[Precursors]] {{c|Temporary}} <br> [[Descendants]] {{c|Temporary}} <br> [[Virgo Prohibition]] {{c|Temporary}} <br> [[Taken]]
|factions        = [[Taken]]<br>[[Vex]]
|connecting areas= [[Tharsis Junction]] <small>(quest only)</small><br>[[Valley of the Kings]]<br>[[Lunar Battlegrounds]] <small>(Raid only)</small>
|connecting areas = [[Tharsis Junction]] <small>(quest only)</small><br>[[Valley of the Kings]]<br>[[Lunar Battlegrounds]] <small>(Raid only)</small>
|area type= Arena
|area type       = Arena
|public events    = Vex Offensive <small>(formerly)</small>
|patrol beacons  = N/A
}}
}}
The '''Black Garden''' is a realm isolated from space and time and often described as the birthplace of the [[Vex]]. It houses the [[Black Heart]], an entity that is intrinsically linked to the [[Darkness]], and is tended and guarded by the [[Sol Divisive]] collective.<ref name = "Destiny">'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard''</ref>
{{Quote|A trillion timelines, and all at war. Like a thousand red flowers growing in a black garden.|[[Lakshmi-2]]}}
 
The '''Black Garden''' is a mysterious realm located outside of space and time. Described as the birthplace of the [[Vex]], It houses the [[Black Heart]], a failed replica of [[The Veil|the Veil]] that is used to weaken [[The Traveler|the Traveler]], and is tended and guarded by the Vex collective known as the [[Sol Divisive]], led by 3 frames collectively called the [[Sol Progeny]].<ref name = "Destiny">'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''[[Destiny]]''</ref>. It was also the lair once used by [[Taranis]] to make his nest before making his final wish to scatter his and [[Riven]]'s clutch.


==Overview==
==Overview==
The nature and purpose of the Black Garden is one of the longest-running mysteries known to the scholars of the Tower.  
The nature, origin and purpose of the Black Garden remains shrouded in mystery. According to [[Pujari]], the Garden is a reflection of the Traveler's actions: when it terraformed [[Mars]], the Garden either came to be or changed in response. The mesa-like structure in the center of the Garden strongly resembles the [[Cradle]] left behind by the Traveler on [[Io]], which was also seemingly a product of the Traveler's terraforming activities. However, it was not created by the Traveler.<ref name = "Pujari"/> When the Sol Divisive Vex arrived, they attempted to control it and impose their own changes through rigorous engineering and earth-moving.<ref name="In the Garden">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#In the Garden|In the Garden]]''</ref>


According to Pujari, the Black Garden is a reflection of the Traveler's actions: when it terraformed the "iron world," the Garden either came to be or changed to match. The mesa-like structure in the center of the Garden strongly resembles the [[Cradle]] left behind by the Traveler on [[Io]], which was also seemingly a product of the Traveler's terraforming activities. However, it was not created by the Traveler.<ref name = "Pujari"/> When the Vex arrived, they attempted to control it and impose their own changes through rigorous engineering and earth-moving.<ref name="In the Garden">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken (expansion)|Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Forsaken_Prince#In_the_Garden|In the Garden]]''</ref>
The Black Garden is a place where ''"everything grows"''  and where ''"abstract patterns war for survival, fighting to propagate themselves by preying on each other."''<ref name = "In the Garden"/><ref name="On the Hunt">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#On the Hunt|On the Hunt]]''</ref> Thoughts such as ideas and concepts are carried on the wind in the form of whispers, ''"sentences with just the beginnings of syntax"''. Introducing new ideas into its conceptual environment, such as through speech, causes those ideas to "take root" in the Garden. Uldren conversing to a [[Cabal]] [[Legionary]] in Ulurant led to the whispers taking on aspects of Ulurant grammar. Even the Vex there sing (''"faint, wraithlike notes of inhuman clarity"'') to ''"see how the Garden changes their song."''<ref name="On the Hunt"/> The Sol Divisive Vex are particularly interested in the Black Garden because its effects on them ''"[grow] them toward what they want to be."''<ref name="After Part 2">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#After the Heart | Part II|After the Heart | Part II]]''</ref>


The Black Garden is a place where ''"everything grows"'' and where ''"abstract patterns war for survival, fighting to propagate themselves by preying on each other."''<ref name = "In the Garden"/><ref name="On the Hunt">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken (expansion)|Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Forsaken_Prince#On_the_Hunt|On the Hunt]]''</ref> Thoughts such as ideas and concepts are carried on the wind in the form of whispers, ''"sentences with just the beginnings of syntax"''. Introducing new ideas into its conceptual environment, such as through speech, causes those ideas to "take root" in the Black Garden, changing the concepts present. Uldren conversing to a [[Cabal]] [[Legionary]]  in Ulurant led to the whispers taking on aspects of Ulurant grammar. The Vex there sing (''"faint, wraithlike notes of inhuman clarity"'') to ''"see how the Garden changes their song."''<ref name="On the Hunt"/> The Vex are particularly interested in the Black Garden because its effects on them ''"[grow] them toward what they want to be."''<ref name="After Part 2">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken (expansion)|Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Forsaken_Prince#After_the_Heart_.7C_Part_II|After the Heart Part II]]''</ref>
Prolonged exposure to the Black Garden's environment can be dangerous. The concepts being whispered there are potentially a contagious "brainstain" hazard. The Legionary who Uldren spoke to had been exposed to the Garden for an unknown length of time, and ended up having its "secrets" grown into him in the form of thousands of tiny seeds pockmarking his skull, imparting him with knowledge of the Vex.<ref name="On the Hunt"/> It is even stated that everything that dwells in the Garden becomes symbiotic with it as an extension of its growth, whether it be shedding leaves that fertilize the soil, or the bones or unspoken thoughts of individuals.  


Prolonged exposure to the Black Garden's environment can be dangerous. The concepts being whispered there are potentially a contagious brainstain hazard. The Legionary who Uldren spoke to, who had been exposed to the Garden for an unknown length of time, ended up having its "secrets" grown into him in the form of thousands of tiny seeds pockmarking his skull, incidentally imparting him with some knowledge of the Vex.<ref name="On the Hunt"/> It is even stated that everything that is in the Garden becomes of the Garden as in it becomes an extension of it's growth, whether it be shedding leaves that fertilize soil, or the bones or unspoken thoughts of individuals. It is described that the structures of the Vex such as the pathways are the only straight lines in the Garden, the Vex weave themselves into the Garden and it does the same. Even somewhere in the Garden, despite having lost the Black Heart, the event even though it happened in the past, is still happening somewhere in the garden, this would mean past events would happen currently or events that will happen is happening now. even over grown from the Garden covers Vex machinery and they would still function afterward <ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/realis#book-aspect Realis]</ref>.
The sky of the Martian Black Garden initially appeared as a thick green veil of mist but after the destruction of the Black Heart, it appeared more clear and centered in what appeared to be in a cavern within the Martian landscape. The Lunar Black Garden also appeared with a misty sky, but with three Suns along with a planet and its orbiting moon.  


The sky of the Garden has shifted from one covered in a thick, green veil, to one containing three suns and a planet with an orbiting moon.
===Accessibility===
The Black Garden initially existed on a separate plane that the Vex kept locked outside of time; the only known way to access the Garden is through the gate network, requiring the authority of a [[Gate Lord]]. After the Black Heart was destroyed, however, the Garden became a part of contemporary time and space, accessible from a gateway at the [[Valley of the Kings]] on Mars. During the Taken War, an [[Echo of Oryx]] and a coven of [[Taken]] broke into the Garden by burrowing a new gate from [[Tharsis Junction]], creating a new separate entrance that was closed sometime afterwards. Eventually, the gate at the Valley was destroyed upon the [[Red Legion]]'s invasion of Mars.


===Accessibility===
Many years later, a Vex gate was uncovered hidden beneath the [[Lunar Battlegrounds]] on [[Luna]]. This gate may be the means by which [[Crota]] and his broods appeared on the moon after being thrown into the Vex gate network.
Initially, the only known way to access the Black Garden was through a Vex portal that required Gate Lord authority in the [[Valley of the Kings]] on Mars; the Garden existed on a separate plane, and the Vex had locked it out of time to protect it. After the Black Heart was destroyed, however, the Garden was anchored to the surface of Mars, becoming a part of contemporary time and space. During the Taken War, an [[Echo of Oryx]] and a coven of [[Taken]] broke into the Garden by burrowing to it from [[Tharsis Junction]], creating a new entrance. The gate was destroyed upon the [[Red Legion]]s invasion of Mars. During the events of Shadowkeep, a new Vex gate was discovered hidden beneath the lunar battlegrounds on [[Luna]]. This gate is very likely the reason as to how [[Crota]] and his broods appeared on the moon after being thrown into the vex gate system.


==History==
==History==
===Origins===
===Origins===
The origins of the Black Garden are unknown. However, the Garden bears many similarities to an allegorical description of the primordial state of reality, itself described as a "[[garden]]", in which the [[Darkness]] and [[Light]] existed before the universe began. It is unclear whether the two locations are in fact the same; however, [[Eris Morn]] writes of a [[Tree of Silver Wings]] that was felled in the Black Garden, which would seem to suggest that she believes the Black Garden to indeed be the same as the primordial garden that gave rise to the universe.
The origins of the Black Garden are largely unknown; however, it bears many similarities to an allegorical description of the primordial state of reality, itself described as a "[[garden]]", in which the Winnower and the Gardener existed before the universe began. It is unclear whether the two locations are the same; however, [[Eris Morn]] writes of a [[Tree of Silver Wings]] that was felled in the Black Garden, which would seem to suggest that she believes the Black Garden to indeed be the same as the primordial garden that gave rise to the universe.


===City Age===
At some point, the Vex collective known as the Sol Divisive came to reside within the Black Garden, transforming it with their architecture and machinery where the [[Conceptual Mind]] would construct the Black Heart from a seed that had been planted in the Black Garden by the [[The Witness|Witness]].<ref>'''Bungie (02/28/2023)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Lightfall]], [[Lore:Inspiral]]: [[Lore:Inspiral#Brass Gardeners|Brass Gardeners]]''</ref>
Long before any living being set foot in the Garden, tales of its existence were told throughout the system. The [[Warlock]] [[Pujari]] had a vision of the Garden when he drowned in the waters of the [[Shores of Time]].<ref name = "Pujari">'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''Destiny, PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Allies#Legend:_The_Black_Garden|Legend: The Black Garden]]''</ref>


Pujari's vision mentions that the Black Garden's existence is related to the Traveler's coming to Mars. However, he is careful to point out that "This is not the beginning but it is the reason." The Traveler did not create the Garden, Pujari claims, but its actions may have allowed the Garden to come into existence, because "In these things there is always symmetry." Pujari adds, "The Garden grows in both directions. It grows into tomorrow and yesterday. The red flowers bloom forever. There are gardeners now. They came into the garden in vessels of bronze and they move through the groves in rivers of thought."<ref name = "Pujari"/> The "gardeners" in question are most likely the Vex; Pujari's vision suggests that the Vex did not always inhabit the Black Garden, but came to existence after the [[Darkness|life]] within the Garden called out a question, to which the Vex are the answer.
===Post-Collapse and City Age===
Long before anyone from the Last City set foot in the Garden, tales of its existence were told throughout the system. The [[Warlock]] Pujari had a vision of the Garden when he drowned himself in the waters of the [[Shores of Time]].<ref name = "Pujari">'''Bungie (2014-9-9)''', ''Destiny, [[Grimoire]]: [[Grimoire:Allies#Legend: The Black Garden|Legend: The Black Garden]]''</ref> Pujari's vision mentions that the Black Garden's existence is related to the Traveler's coming to Mars; the Traveler did not create the Garden, Pujari claims, but its actions may have allowed the Garden to come into existence. Pujari also stated that "The Garden grows in both directions. It grows into tomorrow and yesterday. The red flowers bloom forever. There are gardeners now. They came into the garden in vessels of bronze and they move through the groves in rivers of thought."<ref name = "Pujari"/> The "gardeners" in question are most likely the Vex; Pujari's vision suggests that the Vex did not always inhabit the Black Garden, but came to existence after the life within the Garden called out a question, to which the Vex reached out as the answer.


===Uldren and Jolyon===
The [[Cloud Strider]] [[Rohan]] of [[Neomuna]] stumbled upon the Black Garden early in his career, after being tasked with guarding the [[CloudArk]]-[[Nexus]] border by his mentor [[Tramontane]]. While trying to find a way out of the Garden, he witnessed the creation of the Black Heart by the [[Conceptual Mind]], and deduced that it was an attempt by the Sol Divisive to replicate the Veil. He also overheard the voice of one of [[Maya Sundaresh]]'s many Vex-simulated copies, presumably as she conversed with her fellow simulated [[Ishtar Collective]] members.<ref>'''Bungie (02/20/2023)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Lightfall]], [[Deterministic Chaos]] lore tab''</ref>
{{quote|Everything grows here. Look at your nails.|Jolyon}}
The first known human expedition into the Black Garden was a pair of [[Awoken]] from the [[Reef]], [[Uldren Sov]] and [[Jolyon Till]]. By then, the location of the Vex gate leading to it was common knowledge, as well as the fact that it could only be entered by tricking the Vex into opening it for them. To enter it, Uldren and Jolyon provoked a Cabal attack on the gate, forcing it to activate and produce a Gate Lord to defend it, and then slipped in while it was distracted.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken (expansion)|Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Forsaken_Prince#Through_the_Gate|Through the Gate]]''</ref>


In the Black Garden, they witnessed many bizarre sights: plants with roots of circuitry, vines with thorns shaped like letters, beetles that wrestled with each other despite being only hollow exoskeletons.<ref name= "In the Garden"/> They came across the site of a Cabal-Vex battle and interrogated one of the surviving [[Legionary|legionaries]], who claimed that he had been kidnapped by the Vex. They discovered that the Garden had been slowly assimilating him in the form of seeds growing into his flesh.<ref name="On the Hunt"/>
Some time later, a pair of [[Awoken]] from the [[Reef]], [[Uldren Sov]] and [[Jolyon Till]], explored the Black Garden. By then, the location of the Vex gate leading to it was common knowledge, as well as the fact that it could only be entered by tricking the Vex into opening it for them. To enter it, Uldren and Jolyon provoked a Cabal attack on the gate, forcing it to activate and produce a Gate Lord to defend it, and then slipped in while it was distracted.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#Through the Gate|Through the Gate]]''</ref> While in the Garden, they witnessed many bizarre sights: plants with roots of circuitry, vines with thorns shaped like letters, beetles that wrestled with each other despite being only hollow exoskeletons.<ref name= "In the Garden"/> They came across the site of a Cabal-Vex battle and interrogated one of the surviving legionaries, who claimed that he had been kidnapped by the Vex. They discovered that the Garden had been slowly assimilating him in the form of seeds growing into his flesh.<ref name="On the Hunt"/> After that point, Uldren's recollections grew surreal and dreamlike. His memories included a persistent heartbeat, fleeing through a thorny grove among fruits shaped like [[Ghost]]s, hiding with Jolyon from arguing voices, and putting his [[Crow (device)|Crows]] through a dryer in an apartment block with a perfectly round hole in his hand. Uldren and Jolyon somehow found their way out, bringing some of the native [[Asphodelia|red flowers]] back to the Reef.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]], [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#After the Heart | Part I|After the Heart | Part I]]''</ref><ref name="After Part 2"/>


After that point, Uldren's recollections grew surreal and dreamlike. His memories included a persistent heartbeat, fleeing through a thorny grove among fruits shaped like [[Ghost]]s, hiding with Jolyon from arguing voices, and putting his [[Crow (device)|Crows]] through a dryer in an apartment block with a perfectly round hole in his hand. Uldren and Jolyon somehow found their way out, bringing some of the native [[Asphodelia|red flowers]] back to the Reef.<ref>'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken (expansion)|Forsaken]], Playstation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Forsaken_Prince#After_the_Heart_.7C_Part_I|After the Heart Part I]]''</ref><ref name="After Part 2"/>
The Garden is also where the famed [[Nightstalker]] [[Tevis Larsen]] died after being trapped without his Ghost.


===Recent events===
===Destruction of the Black Heart===
After learning of the Black Garden's existence from the [[Exo Stranger]], the [[Guardian]] travels to the [[Reef]] to inquire the Garden's location. [[Mara Sov|Queen Mara Sov]] and [[Uldren Sov|Prince Uldren]] reveal that a [[Vex]] portal on [[Mars]] leads to the Garden, but requires the [[Zydron, Gate Lord|Eye of a Vex Gate Lord]] to access. After obtaining the Eye, the Guardian activates the Vex spire controlling the portal and then enters the portal itself.<ref>[http://www.destinydb.com/activities/3467097080-the-gardens-spire '''Destinydb''': ''The Garden's Spire'']</ref> Deep in the Garden, the Guardian discovers the Black Heart, a malevolent entity guarded by the [[Sol Progeny]] that is feeding off of the [[Traveler]]'s [[Light]], keeping it dormant.<ref>[http://www.destinydb.com/activities/1577957526-the-black-garden '''Destinydb''': ''The Black Garden'']</ref> Once the Heart is destroyed, Light returns to the Traveler and it begins to heal. The Garden's dimension ceases to drift and becomes part of Mars, making it accessible to the rest of the Guardians.<ref name = "Destiny"/>
[[File:The Black Heart.jpg|360px|thumb|The Black Heart.]]
After learning of the Black Garden's existence from the [[Elisabeth Bray|Exo Stranger]], [[the Guardian]] traveled to the Reef to get information about the Garden's location. Queen [[Mara Sov]] and Prince Uldren Sov revealed that a Vex portal on Mars led to the Garden, but required the eye of a [[Zydron, Gate Lord|Gate Lord]] to access. After obtaining the Eye, the Guardian activated the Vex spire controlling the portal and then passed through the portal.<ref>[http://www.destinydb.com/activities/3467097080-the-gardens-spire '''Destinydb''': ''The Garden's Spire'']</ref> Deep in the Garden, the Guardian discovered the Black Heart, guarded by the [[Sol Progeny]] as it drained the Traveler's [[Light]] and kept it dormant.<ref>[http://www.destinydb.com/activities/1577957526-the-black-garden '''Destinydb''': ''The Black Garden'']</ref> The Guardian defeated the Progeny, which in turn caused the destruction of the Heart. As a result, Light returned to the Traveler and it began to heal. The Garden also ceased to drift between dimensions and was relocated to Mars, making it accessible to the rest of the Guardians.<ref name = "Destiny"/>


Later, a powerful Vex Axis Mind called [[The Undying Mind]] arrives in the Garden and attempts to revive the Black Heart with assistance from the [[Sol Primeval]]. The Mind also attempts to separate the Garden from our timeline, but it is destroyed before it can do either.  
Later, [[The Undying Mind]] arrived in the Garden and attempted to revive the Black Heart with assistance from the [[Sol Primeval]]. The Mind also attempted to separate the Garden from our timeline, but it was destroyed before it could do either.  


During the [[Taken War]], [[Oryx, the Taken King]] sent an expeditionary force of Taken into the garden to investigate and possibly restore the Black Heart. An [[Echo of Oryx]] and its [[Taken]] coven invaded the Garden through secret tunnels under [[Freehold]]. The [[Sol Divisive]] were overwhelmed by the Taken as the Garden became a war zone. Only through [[Guardian]] intervention were the Taken expelled.
During the [[Taken War]], [[Oryx, the Taken King]] sent an expeditionary force of Taken into the garden to investigate and possibly restore the Black Heart. An Echo of Oryx and its Taken coven invaded the Garden through secret tunnels under [[Freehold]]. The [[Sol Divisive]] were overwhelmed by the Taken as the Garden became a war zone. Only through [[Guardian]] intervention were the Taken expelled.


===Red War===
===Red War===
{{quote|The Vex there are having a heck of a time with the Red Legion, it seems like. ''Garden Gate gone. Bay lost. Bastion fallen.'' Huh.|Ghost, Conflux by Well of Flame}}
{{quote|The Vex there are having a heck of a time with the Red Legion, it seems like. ''Garden Gate gone. Bay lost. Bastion fallen.'' Huh.|Ghost, Conflux by Well of Flame}}


During the Red War, the [[Red Legion]] invaded Mars and broke the Vex stalemate with the [[Cabal]] invasion. In addition to occupying Mars, the Red Legion apparently destroyed the main gate used to access the Black Garden, irrevocably sealing the Garden for the Vex. On Nessus, an access point reports of more than one gardens similar to the Black Garden, it is unclear as to how many are being built or are destroyed, even the foliage on the access even outside the garden is somehow enhancing Vex firewall systems while still being organic and something else <ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/ghost-scan-the-tangle-nessus-3?highlight=garden Ghost Scan]</ref>.
During the [[Red War]], the Red Legion invaded Mars and broke the Vex stalemate with the Cabal invasion. In addition to occupying Mars, the Red Legion destroyed the main gate used to access the Black Garden, irrevocably sealing the Garden for the Vex. On Nessus, an access point reports of more than one garden similar to the Black Garden, it is unclear as to how many are being built or are destroyed, even the foliage on the access outside of the garden is somehow enhancing Vex firewall systems while still being organic and something else <ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/transcripts/ghost-scan-the-tangle-nessus-3?highlight=garden Ghost Scan]</ref>.


===Kentarch-3===  
===Kentarch-3===  
At some point before the death of [[Cayde-6]], a trio of Guardians composed of the Titan [[Yardarm-4]], the Hunter [[Lisbon-13]], and led by the Warlock [[Rekkana]], ventured into the Black Garden to find secrets about its origin. There they plundered an ancient [[Divinity|relic]] long revered by the Vex of the garden.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]], [[Divinity]]''</ref>  However, after repelling significant Vex resistance, the three Guardians lost their Light after hearing whispers that their [[Ghost|Ghosts]] could not detect. Afterwards, they made a deal with an unknown force, granting them strange powers, and eventually causing Lisbon-13 to turn on Rekkana and Yardarm-4. However, the outcome of these events is unknown, as their bodies were never found by a Vanguard scouting team.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]], [[Never Live It Down]]''</ref>
At some point before the death of [[Cayde-6]], a [[Kentarch 3|trio of Guardians]] composed of the Titan [[Yardarm-4]], the Hunter [[Lisbon-13]], and led by the Warlock [[Rekkana]], ventured into the Black Garden to find secrets about its origin. There they plundered an ancient [[Divinity|relic]] long revered by the Vex of the garden.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]], [[Divinity]]''</ref>  However, after repelling significant Vex resistance, the three Guardians lost their Light after hearing whispers that their [[Ghost]]s could not detect. Afterwards, they made a deal with an unknown force, granting them strange powers, and eventually causing Lisbon-13 to turn on Rekkana and Yardarm-4. However, the outcome of these events is unknown, as their bodies were never found by a Vanguard scouting team.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]], [[Never Live It Down]]''</ref>


Years later, a Vex Minotaur named [[Zeteon, Redemptive Mind]] was spotted attempting to enter the [[Moon]] from the Black Garden. Upon its destruction, a Vex artifact containing a link to the aftermath of the Kentarch-3 incident and the [[Divinity|"divinity"]] they found in the Garden was discovered in its remains, a lead which [[The Guardian]] followed into the depths of the Garden in conjunction with the [[Unknown Artifact]]'s signal mentioned below. After the [[Sanctified Mind, Sol Inherent|Sanctified Mind]] was shut down, the Guardian took the Divinity with them, providing closure to the story of the Kentarch-3.
Years later, the Guardians encountered a Vex Minotaur named [[Zeteon, Redemptive Mind]] entering the [[Moon]] from the Black Garden. Upon its destruction, a Vex artifact containing a link to the aftermath of the Kentarch-3 incident and the "divinity" they found in the Garden was discovered in its remains, a lead which the Guardian followed into the depths of the Garden in conjunction with the [[Unknown Artifact]]'s signal mentioned below. After the [[Sanctified Mind, Sol Inherent|Sanctified Mind]] was shut down, the Guardian took the Divinity with them, providing closure to the story of the Kentarch-3.


===Shadowkeep===
===Shadowkeep===
When the [[Guardian]] ventures into the [[Pyramid]], an entity takes control of the Guardian's [[Ghost]] and leads the Guardian to a spherical, unknown artifact. Upon interacting with the artifact, the Young Wolf is subjected to a vision within the Black Garden, wherein a doppleganger of the Guardian, possibly being a manifestation of the [[Darkness]] speaks to them. The doppleganger states that they have "Heard your cries for help" and would soon answer. When questioned as to what the being was, the doppleganger stated that they were not the Guardian's friend nor enemy, but rather their Salvation.
[[File:GOS1.jpg|360px|thumb|The Garden revisited in the Raid.]]
When the Guardian ventures into [[The Lunar Pyramid|the Lunar Pyramid]], the Witness takes possession of their [[The Ghost|Ghost]] and leads them to a spherical, [[Unknown Artifact|unknown artifact]]. Upon interacting with the artifact, they are subjected to a vision within the Black Garden, wherein the Witness, taking the form of the Guardian's doppelganger, speaks to them directly. Stating that they have "heard [their] cries for help" and would soon answer, the Witness identified themselves not as the Guardian's friend nor enemy, but rather their "salvation".
 
After bringing the artifact back to [[Eris Morn]], it begins transmitting a signal that leads to the Black Garden. A fireteam of Guardians then enter the Black Garden via a newly-discovered portal on the moon, faced the [[Consecrated Mind, Sol Inherent|Consecrated Mind]] in a labyrinth, and defeated the Sanctified Mind after it was found communing with a [[Pyramid Scale]] sighted at the garden. At the end of their journey, the fireteam traced their signal to a veiled statue identical to the one aboard the Luna Pyramid, which unlocked direct communication with the [[Darkness]] through the artifact.
 
However, the Vex would not take this incursion into the Black Garden lightly. The destruction of the Sol Inherent minds prompt the Witness to reawaken the Undying Mind. In turn, the Undying Mind copied itself across thousands of timelines after learning from its previous encounters; causing the Sol Divisive to invade the Moon en masse to bar entry into the Black Garden.
 
After weeks of holding the Sol Divisive back, the Guardians follow Ikora's plan to use a beacon to pull one of the thousand copies of the Undying Mind from the timeways, allowing them to destroy the Axis Mind. The Guardian push forward against the latest Vex Offensive, breaching into the Black Garden once again and planting the beacon. As planned, the beacon draws a copy of the Undying Mind and after a perilous struggle, the Guardians succeed in destroying the Undying Mind. However, as thousands of copies of the Mind existed, the Guardians were forced to continually destroy the copies one by one using the same process. Eventually, every last copy of the Mind was destroyed. However, the destruction of the Undying Minds caused the [[Corridors of Time]] to fracture, which proved an opportunity for the Red Legion to split [[Mercury]] into alternate timelines with the hijacked [[Sundial]].
 
===Lightfall===
When the Guardian, [[Osiris]], and [[Nimbus]] learned about the Black Heart’s origins, they planned to enter the Garden to learn more. The Witness would order the Sol Divisive to destroy the Conceptual Mind due to the intel it held, but they would refuse. The Witness would send the Taken to destroy the Conceptual Mind instead, leading to the Vex and Taken engaging in conflict. The Guardian would enter the Garden, with Nimbus entering shortly after, both of them quickly discovering the Taken presence. After convincing Nimbus to return to [[Neomuna]] and to do their duty as a Cloud Strider, the Guardian would destroy the Conceptual Mind, receiving its memory core and the information it held. Osiris discovers the information the memory core held as their investigation of the Veil concludes, where the Black Heart was used to create a static in the flow of the Traveler's energy as opposed to the link the Witness desired so it could begin the [[Final Shape]].


After bringing the artifact back to [[Eris Morn]], it begins transmitting a signal that leads to the Black Garden. A fireteam of Guardians then enter the Black Garden via a newly-discovered portal on the moon, faced the [[Consecrated Mind, Sol Inherent|Consecrated Mind]] in a labyrinth, and defeated the [[Sanctified Mind, Sol Inherent|Sanctified Mind]] after it was found communing with a [[Pyramid Scale]] sighted at the garden. At the end of their journey, the fireteam traced their signal to a veiled statue identical to the one aboard the Luna Pyramid, which unlocked direct communication with the [[Darkness]] through the artifact.  
===Season of the Wish===
Several moments after the Conceptual Mind was defeated, the Sol Divisive would create an Axis Mind capable of harnessing [[Ahamkara]] energies and simulating the [[Techeun]]s to stop them from recovering Riven's eggs. As the Guardian arrived too late to recover one of the eggs, the Sol Divisive would transport the egg into the Black Garden, near Taranis's corpse. Crow would track the egg and allow the Guardian to pursue them into the Garden by using Riven's accessway. They would use the sparks left behind to approach the structure resembling [[The Citadel]] from [[Venus]], unlock the paracausal locks, navigate the mist otherwise hazardous to them, defeat [[Akardon, Pitiless Mind]], and recover both Riven's egg and [[Wish-Keeper]], a gift given to them by Taranis to honor his wish to protect his and Riven's unborn whims. Riven reveals that the Black Garden was used as a lair by Taranis, just like the [[Dreaming City]] was used as a lair by her. Taranis and Riven would spend time in the Black Garden until the [[Great Ahamkara Hunt]] was commenced by [[Lightbearer]]s of the [[Last City]], when they were separated. Taranis would make a noble sacrifice at the cost of his death: he would grant his own wish to scatter the clutch. Riven would begin sending messages by having the Guardian use Wish-Keeper to form constellations around both the Black Garden and the Dreaming City, then having them visit Taranis's corpse to deliver it. As they do so, they would also build mysterious platform to access a portal above the corpse. Once all the celestal anomalies are found inside the Dreaming City and the Black Garden, the Guardian finally discovers what lies behind the portal: a symbol of the Ishtar Collective built with Vex architecture.


However, the Vex would not take this incursion into the Black Garden lightly. The destruction of the Sol Inherent minds prompt the [[Pyramids]] to reawaken the [[The Undying Mind|Undying Mind]]. In turn, the Undying Mind copied itself across thousands of timelines after learning from its precious encounters; causing the Sol Divisive Vex to invade the Moon en masse in effort to bar entry into the Black Garden.  
After some time, the Witness would instruct the Sol Divisive to recreate the Black Heart as its final attempt to keep the Guardians out of the [[The Pale Heart|Pale Heart]], with the intent to interfere in the connection between the Traveler and the Veil. It would use the Temporal Progeny, which are successors to the Sol Progeny composed of the [[Established Mind]], [[Inevitable Mind]], and [[Synchronal Mind]], to guard the Black Heart. Osiris instructed the Guardian to return to the Black Garden and remove the interference disrupting Crow's entry into the Pale Heart. They explore the Black Garden in search of its recreated Heart and after defeating the Withdrawn Mind, would return to the site where they found the Black Heart on Elsie's instruction to destroy it and allow the Traveler to heal from the fight during the Collapse. They were successful in destroying the Black Heart again by defeating the Temporal Progeny, allowing Crow to finally enter the Pale Heart.


After weeks of holding the Sol Divisive back, the Guardians follow Ikora's plan to use a beacon to pull one of the thousand copies of the Undying Mind from the timeways, giving them an opportunity to destroy the Axis Mind. The Guardian push forward against the latest Vex Offensive, breaching into the Black Garden once again and planting the beacon. As planned, the beacon draws a copy of the Undying Mind and after a perilous struggle, the Guardians succeed in destroying the Undying Mind. However, as thousands of copies of the Mind existed, the Guardians were forced to continually destroy the copies one-by-one using the same process. Eventually, every last copy of the Mind was destroyed. However the destruction of the Undying Minds caused the [[Corridors of Time]] to fracture, which proved an opportunity for the Red Legion to split [[Mercury]] into alternate timelines with the hijacked [[Sundial]].
==Locations==
*[[Pantheon]] {{c|[[Crucible]] map}}
*[[Looking Glass]]
**[[Embrace]]
**[[Undergrowth]]
***[[Boundless Horizon]]
*[[Aperture]] {{c|[[Vex Offensive]]}}
*[[Overland]]
**[[Roost]]
**[[Gateway Crossroads]]
***[[Garden's Heart]]


==Activities==
==Activities==
Line 73: Line 92:
*[[A Ranger Found]] (Quest only)
*[[A Ranger Found]] (Quest only)
*[[Tenebrous Tunnels]] (Quest only)
*[[Tenebrous Tunnels]] (Quest only)
*[[What Remains]] (Exotic Mission)
*[[Starcrossed]] (Exotic Mission)
*[[Closer to the Heart]]


'''Strikes:'''
'''Strikes:'''
Line 90: Line 112:
**In an article back in 2015 regarding a Bungie ride along video on Mars, it talks about a NASA Scientist Who studies Geology that found the rock formations of the Black Garden on Mars familiar, The person theorizes that the location of the Black Garden is somewhere in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons Olympus Mons], which makes sense as the Tenebrous Tunnels connects all around the planet.<ref>[https://www.gamespresso.com/2015/02/nasa-scientist-thinks-that-destinys-black-garden-may-still-be-on-mars/ NASA Scientist talks about Black Garden in Mars]</ref>
**In an article back in 2015 regarding a Bungie ride along video on Mars, it talks about a NASA Scientist Who studies Geology that found the rock formations of the Black Garden on Mars familiar, The person theorizes that the location of the Black Garden is somewhere in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons Olympus Mons], which makes sense as the Tenebrous Tunnels connects all around the planet.<ref>[https://www.gamespresso.com/2015/02/nasa-scientist-thinks-that-destinys-black-garden-may-still-be-on-mars/ NASA Scientist talks about Black Garden in Mars]</ref>
*Prior to ''Destiny's'' release, there was speculation that the Black Garden was located on [[Earth]] or elsewhere. Bungie clarified the Garden was found on Mars.<ref>[https://twitter.com/UrkMcGurk/status/412102902186905601 ''''Twitter''': ''Nope, Mars. ;)'']</ref>
*Prior to ''Destiny's'' release, there was speculation that the Black Garden was located on [[Earth]] or elsewhere. Bungie clarified the Garden was found on Mars.<ref>[https://twitter.com/UrkMcGurk/status/412102902186905601 ''''Twitter''': ''Nope, Mars. ;)'']</ref>
*In the Lore Book "Unveiling," the state of existence which gave rise to the universe is described allegorically as a [[garden]] filled with flowers. The flowers in this metaphorical garden are the basis of a game analogous to [[Conway's Game of Life]], which the Darkness seeks to win by bringing about an end-state dominated by a single self-perpetuating pattern that subsumes all others. This description of the primordial state of reality bears many parallels to the Black Garden; however, the significance of these parallels is yet unknown.
*In the Lore Book "[[Lore:Unveiling|Unveiling]]," the state of existence which gave rise to the universe is described allegorically as a garden filled with flowers. The flowers in this metaphorical garden are the basis of a game analogous to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_Game_of_Life Conway's Game of Life], which the Darkness seeks to win by bringing about an end-state dominated by a single self-perpetuating pattern that subsumes all others. This description of the primordial state of reality bears many parallels to the Black Garden; however, the significance of these parallels is yet unknown.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes|gallerypage=Images of the Black Garden}}
File:Carousel MAPS Generic.jpg
<gallery perrow=4>
Black Garden ingame.jpg|The Black Garden in-game.
File:Garden desktop.jpg|Concept art of the Black Garden.
Destiny 2 Black Garden.png|thumb|Black Garden in the Garden of Salvation Raid
File:Blackheartconcept.jpg|Concept art of the Black Heart.
Upper Black Garden.jpg|Concept art of the "Upper Black Garden".
File:The Black Garden D1 overview.jpg
Destiny 2 Black Garden.png|thumb|Black Garden in the Garden of Salvation raid.
GOS Veil.jpg|The veiled statue seen in the raid.
2Black Garden d2.jpg
GoS skybox2.jpg|Skybox in the raid.
1Black Garden d2.jpg
GOS2.jpg
GOS3.jpg
GOS4.jpg
Black Garden Citadel.jpg|Taranis's lair within the Black Garden
</gallery>
</gallery>


Line 102: Line 135:
*''[[Destiny]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Destiny]]'' {{1st}}
**''[[The Dark Below]]''
**''[[The Dark Below]]''
**''[[House of Wolves (expansion)]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[House of Wolves (expansion)|House of Wolves]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Taken King]]''
**''[[The Taken King]]''
*''[[Destiny 2]]''
*''[[Destiny 2]]''
**''[[Forsaken]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Forsaken]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Shadowkeep]]''
**''[[Shadowkeep]]''
***''[[Season of the Undying]]''
***''[[Season of the Worthy]]'' {{Mo}}
***''[[Season of Arrivals]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Beyond Light]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Witch Queen]]'' {{Mo}}
***''[[Season of the Seraph]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Lightfall]]''
***''[[Season of the Witch]]'' {{Mo}}
***''[[Season of the Wish]]''
**''[[The Final Shape]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Entelechy]]'' {{Mo}}


==References==
==References==
Line 112: Line 156:


{{Vex}}
{{Vex}}
{{Sol System}}


[[Category:Black Garden|*]]
[[Category:Realms]]
[[Category:Vex]]
[[Category:Vex]]
[[Category:Places]]

Latest revision as of 12:22, October 31, 2024

This article is about the location. For the mission, see The Black Garden.
Black Garden
Carousel MAPS Generic.jpg
Overview

Enemy factions:

Sol Divisive
Sol Progeny
Precursors (Temporary)
Descendants (Temporary)
Virgo Prohibition (Temporary)
Taken

Connecting areas:

Tharsis Junction (quest only)
Valley of the Kings
Lunar Battlegrounds (Raid only)

Gameplay

Area type:

Arena

 

"A trillion timelines, and all at war. Like a thousand red flowers growing in a black garden."
— Lakshmi-2

The Black Garden is a mysterious realm located outside of space and time. Described as the birthplace of the Vex, It houses the Black Heart, a failed replica of the Veil that is used to weaken the Traveler, and is tended and guarded by the Vex collective known as the Sol Divisive, led by 3 frames collectively called the Sol Progeny.[1]. It was also the lair once used by Taranis to make his nest before making his final wish to scatter his and Riven's clutch.

Overview[edit]

The nature, origin and purpose of the Black Garden remains shrouded in mystery. According to Pujari, the Garden is a reflection of the Traveler's actions: when it terraformed Mars, the Garden either came to be or changed in response. The mesa-like structure in the center of the Garden strongly resembles the Cradle left behind by the Traveler on Io, which was also seemingly a product of the Traveler's terraforming activities. However, it was not created by the Traveler.[2] When the Sol Divisive Vex arrived, they attempted to control it and impose their own changes through rigorous engineering and earth-moving.[3]

The Black Garden is a place where "everything grows" and where "abstract patterns war for survival, fighting to propagate themselves by preying on each other."[3][4] Thoughts such as ideas and concepts are carried on the wind in the form of whispers, "sentences with just the beginnings of syntax". Introducing new ideas into its conceptual environment, such as through speech, causes those ideas to "take root" in the Garden. Uldren conversing to a Cabal Legionary in Ulurant led to the whispers taking on aspects of Ulurant grammar. Even the Vex there sing ("faint, wraithlike notes of inhuman clarity") to "see how the Garden changes their song."[4] The Sol Divisive Vex are particularly interested in the Black Garden because its effects on them "[grow] them toward what they want to be."[5]

Prolonged exposure to the Black Garden's environment can be dangerous. The concepts being whispered there are potentially a contagious "brainstain" hazard. The Legionary who Uldren spoke to had been exposed to the Garden for an unknown length of time, and ended up having its "secrets" grown into him in the form of thousands of tiny seeds pockmarking his skull, imparting him with knowledge of the Vex.[4] It is even stated that everything that dwells in the Garden becomes symbiotic with it as an extension of its growth, whether it be shedding leaves that fertilize the soil, or the bones or unspoken thoughts of individuals.

The sky of the Martian Black Garden initially appeared as a thick green veil of mist but after the destruction of the Black Heart, it appeared more clear and centered in what appeared to be in a cavern within the Martian landscape. The Lunar Black Garden also appeared with a misty sky, but with three Suns along with a planet and its orbiting moon.

Accessibility[edit]

The Black Garden initially existed on a separate plane that the Vex kept locked outside of time; the only known way to access the Garden is through the gate network, requiring the authority of a Gate Lord. After the Black Heart was destroyed, however, the Garden became a part of contemporary time and space, accessible from a gateway at the Valley of the Kings on Mars. During the Taken War, an Echo of Oryx and a coven of Taken broke into the Garden by burrowing a new gate from Tharsis Junction, creating a new separate entrance that was closed sometime afterwards. Eventually, the gate at the Valley was destroyed upon the Red Legion's invasion of Mars.

Many years later, a Vex gate was uncovered hidden beneath the Lunar Battlegrounds on Luna. This gate may be the means by which Crota and his broods appeared on the moon after being thrown into the Vex gate network.

History[edit]

Origins[edit]

The origins of the Black Garden are largely unknown; however, it bears many similarities to an allegorical description of the primordial state of reality, itself described as a "garden", in which the Winnower and the Gardener existed before the universe began. It is unclear whether the two locations are the same; however, Eris Morn writes of a Tree of Silver Wings that was felled in the Black Garden, which would seem to suggest that she believes the Black Garden to indeed be the same as the primordial garden that gave rise to the universe.

At some point, the Vex collective known as the Sol Divisive came to reside within the Black Garden, transforming it with their architecture and machinery where the Conceptual Mind would construct the Black Heart from a seed that had been planted in the Black Garden by the Witness.[6]

Post-Collapse and City Age[edit]

Long before anyone from the Last City set foot in the Garden, tales of its existence were told throughout the system. The Warlock Pujari had a vision of the Garden when he drowned himself in the waters of the Shores of Time.[2] Pujari's vision mentions that the Black Garden's existence is related to the Traveler's coming to Mars; the Traveler did not create the Garden, Pujari claims, but its actions may have allowed the Garden to come into existence. Pujari also stated that "The Garden grows in both directions. It grows into tomorrow and yesterday. The red flowers bloom forever. There are gardeners now. They came into the garden in vessels of bronze and they move through the groves in rivers of thought."[2] The "gardeners" in question are most likely the Vex; Pujari's vision suggests that the Vex did not always inhabit the Black Garden, but came to existence after the life within the Garden called out a question, to which the Vex reached out as the answer.

The Cloud Strider Rohan of Neomuna stumbled upon the Black Garden early in his career, after being tasked with guarding the CloudArk-Nexus border by his mentor Tramontane. While trying to find a way out of the Garden, he witnessed the creation of the Black Heart by the Conceptual Mind, and deduced that it was an attempt by the Sol Divisive to replicate the Veil. He also overheard the voice of one of Maya Sundaresh's many Vex-simulated copies, presumably as she conversed with her fellow simulated Ishtar Collective members.[7]

Some time later, a pair of Awoken from the Reef, Uldren Sov and Jolyon Till, explored the Black Garden. By then, the location of the Vex gate leading to it was common knowledge, as well as the fact that it could only be entered by tricking the Vex into opening it for them. To enter it, Uldren and Jolyon provoked a Cabal attack on the gate, forcing it to activate and produce a Gate Lord to defend it, and then slipped in while it was distracted.[8] While in the Garden, they witnessed many bizarre sights: plants with roots of circuitry, vines with thorns shaped like letters, beetles that wrestled with each other despite being only hollow exoskeletons.[3] They came across the site of a Cabal-Vex battle and interrogated one of the surviving legionaries, who claimed that he had been kidnapped by the Vex. They discovered that the Garden had been slowly assimilating him in the form of seeds growing into his flesh.[4] After that point, Uldren's recollections grew surreal and dreamlike. His memories included a persistent heartbeat, fleeing through a thorny grove among fruits shaped like Ghosts, hiding with Jolyon from arguing voices, and putting his Crows through a dryer in an apartment block with a perfectly round hole in his hand. Uldren and Jolyon somehow found their way out, bringing some of the native red flowers back to the Reef.[9][5]

The Garden is also where the famed Nightstalker Tevis Larsen died after being trapped without his Ghost.

Destruction of the Black Heart[edit]

The Black Heart.

After learning of the Black Garden's existence from the Exo Stranger, the Guardian traveled to the Reef to get information about the Garden's location. Queen Mara Sov and Prince Uldren Sov revealed that a Vex portal on Mars led to the Garden, but required the eye of a Gate Lord to access. After obtaining the Eye, the Guardian activated the Vex spire controlling the portal and then passed through the portal.[10] Deep in the Garden, the Guardian discovered the Black Heart, guarded by the Sol Progeny as it drained the Traveler's Light and kept it dormant.[11] The Guardian defeated the Progeny, which in turn caused the destruction of the Heart. As a result, Light returned to the Traveler and it began to heal. The Garden also ceased to drift between dimensions and was relocated to Mars, making it accessible to the rest of the Guardians.[1]

Later, The Undying Mind arrived in the Garden and attempted to revive the Black Heart with assistance from the Sol Primeval. The Mind also attempted to separate the Garden from our timeline, but it was destroyed before it could do either.

During the Taken War, Oryx, the Taken King sent an expeditionary force of Taken into the garden to investigate and possibly restore the Black Heart. An Echo of Oryx and its Taken coven invaded the Garden through secret tunnels under Freehold. The Sol Divisive were overwhelmed by the Taken as the Garden became a war zone. Only through Guardian intervention were the Taken expelled.

Red War[edit]

"The Vex there are having a heck of a time with the Red Legion, it seems like. Garden Gate gone. Bay lost. Bastion fallen. Huh."
— Ghost, Conflux by Well of Flame

During the Red War, the Red Legion invaded Mars and broke the Vex stalemate with the Cabal invasion. In addition to occupying Mars, the Red Legion destroyed the main gate used to access the Black Garden, irrevocably sealing the Garden for the Vex. On Nessus, an access point reports of more than one garden similar to the Black Garden, it is unclear as to how many are being built or are destroyed, even the foliage on the access outside of the garden is somehow enhancing Vex firewall systems while still being organic and something else [12].

Kentarch-3[edit]

At some point before the death of Cayde-6, a trio of Guardians composed of the Titan Yardarm-4, the Hunter Lisbon-13, and led by the Warlock Rekkana, ventured into the Black Garden to find secrets about its origin. There they plundered an ancient relic long revered by the Vex of the garden.[13] However, after repelling significant Vex resistance, the three Guardians lost their Light after hearing whispers that their Ghosts could not detect. Afterwards, they made a deal with an unknown force, granting them strange powers, and eventually causing Lisbon-13 to turn on Rekkana and Yardarm-4. However, the outcome of these events is unknown, as their bodies were never found by a Vanguard scouting team.[14]

Years later, the Guardians encountered a Vex Minotaur named Zeteon, Redemptive Mind entering the Moon from the Black Garden. Upon its destruction, a Vex artifact containing a link to the aftermath of the Kentarch-3 incident and the "divinity" they found in the Garden was discovered in its remains, a lead which the Guardian followed into the depths of the Garden in conjunction with the Unknown Artifact's signal mentioned below. After the Sanctified Mind was shut down, the Guardian took the Divinity with them, providing closure to the story of the Kentarch-3.

Shadowkeep[edit]

The Garden revisited in the Raid.

When the Guardian ventures into the Lunar Pyramid, the Witness takes possession of their Ghost and leads them to a spherical, unknown artifact. Upon interacting with the artifact, they are subjected to a vision within the Black Garden, wherein the Witness, taking the form of the Guardian's doppelganger, speaks to them directly. Stating that they have "heard [their] cries for help" and would soon answer, the Witness identified themselves not as the Guardian's friend nor enemy, but rather their "salvation".

After bringing the artifact back to Eris Morn, it begins transmitting a signal that leads to the Black Garden. A fireteam of Guardians then enter the Black Garden via a newly-discovered portal on the moon, faced the Consecrated Mind in a labyrinth, and defeated the Sanctified Mind after it was found communing with a Pyramid Scale sighted at the garden. At the end of their journey, the fireteam traced their signal to a veiled statue identical to the one aboard the Luna Pyramid, which unlocked direct communication with the Darkness through the artifact.

However, the Vex would not take this incursion into the Black Garden lightly. The destruction of the Sol Inherent minds prompt the Witness to reawaken the Undying Mind. In turn, the Undying Mind copied itself across thousands of timelines after learning from its previous encounters; causing the Sol Divisive to invade the Moon en masse to bar entry into the Black Garden.

After weeks of holding the Sol Divisive back, the Guardians follow Ikora's plan to use a beacon to pull one of the thousand copies of the Undying Mind from the timeways, allowing them to destroy the Axis Mind. The Guardian push forward against the latest Vex Offensive, breaching into the Black Garden once again and planting the beacon. As planned, the beacon draws a copy of the Undying Mind and after a perilous struggle, the Guardians succeed in destroying the Undying Mind. However, as thousands of copies of the Mind existed, the Guardians were forced to continually destroy the copies one by one using the same process. Eventually, every last copy of the Mind was destroyed. However, the destruction of the Undying Minds caused the Corridors of Time to fracture, which proved an opportunity for the Red Legion to split Mercury into alternate timelines with the hijacked Sundial.

Lightfall[edit]

When the Guardian, Osiris, and Nimbus learned about the Black Heart’s origins, they planned to enter the Garden to learn more. The Witness would order the Sol Divisive to destroy the Conceptual Mind due to the intel it held, but they would refuse. The Witness would send the Taken to destroy the Conceptual Mind instead, leading to the Vex and Taken engaging in conflict. The Guardian would enter the Garden, with Nimbus entering shortly after, both of them quickly discovering the Taken presence. After convincing Nimbus to return to Neomuna and to do their duty as a Cloud Strider, the Guardian would destroy the Conceptual Mind, receiving its memory core and the information it held. Osiris discovers the information the memory core held as their investigation of the Veil concludes, where the Black Heart was used to create a static in the flow of the Traveler's energy as opposed to the link the Witness desired so it could begin the Final Shape.

Season of the Wish[edit]

Several moments after the Conceptual Mind was defeated, the Sol Divisive would create an Axis Mind capable of harnessing Ahamkara energies and simulating the Techeuns to stop them from recovering Riven's eggs. As the Guardian arrived too late to recover one of the eggs, the Sol Divisive would transport the egg into the Black Garden, near Taranis's corpse. Crow would track the egg and allow the Guardian to pursue them into the Garden by using Riven's accessway. They would use the sparks left behind to approach the structure resembling The Citadel from Venus, unlock the paracausal locks, navigate the mist otherwise hazardous to them, defeat Akardon, Pitiless Mind, and recover both Riven's egg and Wish-Keeper, a gift given to them by Taranis to honor his wish to protect his and Riven's unborn whims. Riven reveals that the Black Garden was used as a lair by Taranis, just like the Dreaming City was used as a lair by her. Taranis and Riven would spend time in the Black Garden until the Great Ahamkara Hunt was commenced by Lightbearers of the Last City, when they were separated. Taranis would make a noble sacrifice at the cost of his death: he would grant his own wish to scatter the clutch. Riven would begin sending messages by having the Guardian use Wish-Keeper to form constellations around both the Black Garden and the Dreaming City, then having them visit Taranis's corpse to deliver it. As they do so, they would also build mysterious platform to access a portal above the corpse. Once all the celestal anomalies are found inside the Dreaming City and the Black Garden, the Guardian finally discovers what lies behind the portal: a symbol of the Ishtar Collective built with Vex architecture.

After some time, the Witness would instruct the Sol Divisive to recreate the Black Heart as its final attempt to keep the Guardians out of the Pale Heart, with the intent to interfere in the connection between the Traveler and the Veil. It would use the Temporal Progeny, which are successors to the Sol Progeny composed of the Established Mind, Inevitable Mind, and Synchronal Mind, to guard the Black Heart. Osiris instructed the Guardian to return to the Black Garden and remove the interference disrupting Crow's entry into the Pale Heart. They explore the Black Garden in search of its recreated Heart and after defeating the Withdrawn Mind, would return to the site where they found the Black Heart on Elsie's instruction to destroy it and allow the Traveler to heal from the fight during the Collapse. They were successful in destroying the Black Heart again by defeating the Temporal Progeny, allowing Crow to finally enter the Pale Heart.

Locations[edit]

Activities[edit]

Story Missions:

Strikes:

Crucible:

Raid:

Arena:

Trivia[edit]

  • Originally, Bungie planned the entrance of the Black Garden to be a hole in the wall of the subway tunnels below Freehold, but this was scrapped for being unimpressive. The entrance became a large Vex portal in the Valley of the Kings instead.[15] The original entrance made a return in The Taken King, however, and is seen during the Story mission Tenebrous Tunnels.
    • In an article back in 2015 regarding a Bungie ride along video on Mars, it talks about a NASA Scientist Who studies Geology that found the rock formations of the Black Garden on Mars familiar, The person theorizes that the location of the Black Garden is somewhere in Olympus Mons, which makes sense as the Tenebrous Tunnels connects all around the planet.[16]
  • Prior to Destiny's release, there was speculation that the Black Garden was located on Earth or elsewhere. Bungie clarified the Garden was found on Mars.[17]
  • In the Lore Book "Unveiling," the state of existence which gave rise to the universe is described allegorically as a garden filled with flowers. The flowers in this metaphorical garden are the basis of a game analogous to Conway's Game of Life, which the Darkness seeks to win by bringing about an end-state dominated by a single self-perpetuating pattern that subsumes all others. This description of the primordial state of reality bears many parallels to the Black Garden; however, the significance of these parallels is yet unknown.

Gallery[edit]

Destiny-symbol-black.png Browse more images on this article's gallery page.
  • Concept art of the Black Garden.

    Concept art of the Black Garden.

  • Concept art of the Black Heart.

    Concept art of the Black Heart.

  • Concept art of the "Upper Black Garden".

    Concept art of the "Upper Black Garden".

  • The Black Garden D1 overview.jpg
  • Black Garden in the Garden of Salvation raid.

    Black Garden in the Garden of Salvation raid.

  • The veiled statue seen in the raid.

    The veiled statue seen in the raid.

  • 2Black Garden d2.jpg
  • Skybox in the raid.

    Skybox in the raid.

  • 1Black Garden d2.jpg
  • GOS2.jpg
  • GOS3.jpg
  • GOS4.jpg
  • Taranis's lair within the Black Garden

    Taranis's lair within the Black Garden

List of appearances[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Bungie (2014-9-9), Destiny
  2. ^ a b c Bungie (2014-9-9), Destiny, Grimoire: Legend: The Black Garden
  3. ^ a b c Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken, Lore: In the Garden
  4. ^ a b c d Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken, Lore: On the Hunt
  5. ^ a b Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken, Lore: Part II|After the Heart | Part II
  6. ^ Bungie (02/28/2023), Destiny 2: Lightfall, Lore:Inspiral: Brass Gardeners
  7. ^ Bungie (02/20/2023), Destiny 2: Lightfall, Deterministic Chaos lore tab
  8. ^ Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken, Lore: Through the Gate
  9. ^ Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken, Lore: Part I|After the Heart | Part I
  10. ^ Destinydb: The Garden's Spire
  11. ^ Destinydb: The Black Garden
  12. ^ Ghost Scan
  13. ^ Bungie (2019/10/5), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Divinity
  14. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Never Live It Down
  15. ^ YouTube - Ride Along - Mars]
  16. ^ NASA Scientist talks about Black Garden in Mars
  17. ^ 'Twitter: Nope, Mars. ;)

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Vex
Infantry
Cyclops • Goblin • Hobgoblin • Harpy • Minotaur • Hydra • Wyvern • Fanatic
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The Sol System
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