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{{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]] {{c|quest only}}<br>[[Valley of the Kings]]<br>[[Lunar Battlegrounds]] {{c|Raid only}}
|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 beacon= N/A
}}
}}
{{Quote|A trillion timelines, and all at war. Like a thousand red flowers growing in a black garden.|[[Lakshmi-2]]}}
{{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 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>
The '''Black Garden''' is a mysterious realm located outside of space and time. Described as the birthplace of the [[Vex]], it once housed the [[Black Heart]], a failed replica of [[The Veil|the Veil]] that was used to weaken [[The Traveler|the Traveler]], and is tended and guarded by the Vex collective known as the [[Sol Divisive]]. It was also once used by the [[Ahamkara]] [[Taranis]] as his lair, and serves as his resting place after he sacrificed himself to scatter his and [[Riven]]'s clutch of eggs.


==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 Black Garden is a surreal place where "everything grows" and abstract patterns and ideas appear to bleed into physical reality.<ref name = "In the Garden"/><ref name="On the Hunt">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince|The Forsaken Prince]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#On the Hunt|On the Hunt]]''</ref> It is lush and heavily vegetated, with countless species of plants growing amidst Vex structures built by the Sol Divisive. Two notable species of plant are [[Asphodelia]], a red-blossomed flower which can be used to create a panacea,{{Citation needed}} and a large unnamed plant whose bulbs expand into broad, platform-like leaves when struck with force.<ref name="Starcrossed">'''Bungie (2023/11/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Wish]] - [[Starcrossed]]''</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 centre 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]], PlayStation 4, Activision Blizzard, [[Lore]]: [[Lore:The_Forsaken_Prince#In_the_Garden|In the Garden]]''</ref>
Within the Garden, ideas and concepts are carried on the wind as audible whispers, and introducing new ideas into the Garden's conceptual environment, such as through speech, causes those ideas to "take root" in the Garden; for example, when Uldren conversed with a [[Cabal]] [[Legionary]] in Ulurant, this led to the whispers taking on aspects of Ulurant grammar. The Sol Divisive Vex are particularly interested in the Black Garden because its effects on them ''"[grow] them toward what they want to be."'', and they have been observed to "sing" to ''"see how the Garden changes their song."''<ref name="After Part 2">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Forsaken]] - [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince|The Forsaken Prince]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#After the Heart .7C Part II|After the Heart | Part II]]''</ref><ref name="On the Hunt"/>  


The Black Garden is a sentient 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]], 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 ''"[growing] them toward what they want to be."''<ref name="After Part 2">'''Bungie (2018/9/4)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[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 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.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Undying]] - [[Lore:Aspect|Aspect]]: [[Lore:Aspect#Realis|Realis]]''</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, 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 its growth, whether it be shedding leaves that fertilize the 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 overgrown from the Garden covers Vex machinery and they would still function afterwards <ref>[https://www.ishtar-collective.net/entries/realis#book-aspect Realis]</ref>.
When it was initially accessed from a Vex portal on Mars, the sky of the Black Garden appeared as a thick green veil of mist, but after the destruction of the Black Heart, it became more clear and centered in what appeared to be a cavern within the Martian landscape.<ref name="Destiny">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]''</ref> When it was later accessed from the moon, the Black Garden also appeared with a misty sky, but with three suns along with a planet and its orbiting moon.<ref name="Shadowkeep">'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]]''</ref>
 
The sky of the Martian Black Garden appeared as a thick green veil and after the destruction of the Black Heart, it appeared more clear and centred in what appeared to be in a cave of the Martian landscape. The Lunar Black Garden appeared as a misty sky with three Suns along with a planet and its orbiting moon.  


===Accessibility===
===Accessibility===
The Black Garden exists on a separate plane that the Vex keeps locked in a void outside of time; the only known way to initially access the Garden was 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 an anchored 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.
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 was through the gate network, requiring the authority of a [[Gate Lord]].<ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[The Awoken]]''</ref> 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.{{Citation needed}} 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.<ref name="TT">'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - [[Tenebrous Tunnels]]''</ref> Eventually, the gate at the Valley was destroyed upon the [[Red Legion]]'s invasion of Mars.<ref name="NE-CST-4">'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Ghost scan]]s: [[Ghost_scan#Arcadian_Valley.2C_Nessus|NE-CST-4]]''</ref>


During the events of "''[[Shadowkeep]]''", a new Vex gate was uncovered hidden beneath the lunar battlegrounds on [[Luna]]. This gate is very likely the reason how [[Crota]] and his broods appeared on the moon after being thrown into the Vex gate network.
Many years later, a Vex gate was uncovered hidden beneath the [[Lunar Battlegrounds]] on [[Luna]].<ref name="Shadowkeep"/> This gate may be how [[Crota]] and his broods appeared on the moon after being thrown into the Vex gate network.


==History==
==History==
===Origins===
===Origins===
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 [[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 nature, origin and purpose of the Black Garden remain shrouded in mystery. According to the [[Warlock]] [[Pujari]], who experienced visions of the Black Garden, the Garden is in some way a product or reflection of the [[The Traveler|Traveler]]'s actions in terraforming [[Mars]]; however, he was careful to state that this was "''not the beginning but it is the reason.''"<ref name = "Pujari"/> The mesa-like structure in the center of the Garden strongly resembles the [[Cradle]]s left behind by the Traveler on [[Mars]] and [[Io]], which were also seemingly a product of the Traveler's terraforming activities.{{Citation needed}}
 
The Black Garden bears many similarities to an allegorical description of the primordial state of reality referenced in several Lore entries, itself described as a "[[Garden]]", in which the entities known as the Winnower and the Gardener existed before the universe began. It is unclear whether the two locations are the same; [[Eris Morn]] writes of a [[Tree of Silver Wings]] that was felled in the Black Garden, but this could refer to either the primordial "tree" that predated the universe or the more literal tree whose massive stump was discovered in the Black Garden by the Guardians as they fought the Sol Inherent Minds.


===City Age===
At some point, the Vex collective known as the Sol Divisive came to reside within the Black Garden, and 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:The Forsaken Prince|The Forsaken Prince]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#In the Garden|In the Garden]]''</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===
Following the apparent loss of the [[The Veil|Veil]] during the [[Collapse]], the [[The Witness|Witness]] visited the Black Garden and left behind a "seed" that would be used by the [[Conceptual Mind]] to construct the [[Black Heart]], which was intended as a replacement for the Veil. However, the Black Heart was ultimately a failed copy, serving only to weaken the Traveler rather than forge the connection needed to open a portal into the Traveler's [[The Pale Heart|Pale Heart]].<ref name="WR">'''Bungie (2023/2/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Lightfall]] - [[What Remains]]''</ref> The Sol Divisive, inherently unable to comprehend the paracausal entity which they had created, nonetheless saw fit to worship the Black Heart as a deity,<ref>'''Bungie (02/28/2023)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Lightfall]] - [[Lore:Inspiral|Inspiral]]: [[Lore:Inspiral#Brass Gardeners|Brass Gardeners]]''</ref> and created three [[Axis Mind]]s known as the [[Sol Progeny]] that the Black Heart could use to extend its influence.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[Grimoire:Enemies/Vex Axis Minds|Vex Axis Minds]]: [[Grimoire:Enemies/Vex Axis Minds#Sol Progeny|Sol Progeny]]''</ref> Two additional Axis Minds, the [[Sanctified Mind, Sol Inherent|Sanctified Mind]] and [[Consecrated Mind, Sol Inherent|Consecrated Mind]], appear to have become physically warped by the influence of a [[Pyramid Scale]] and veiled statue left behind by the Witness following its visit to the Garden.<ref name="GOS">'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - [[Garden of Salvation]]''</ref>


===Uldren and Jolyon===
===City Age===
{{quote|Everything grows here. Look at your nails.|Jolyon}}
Long before anyone from the Last City set foot in the Garden, tales of its existence were told throughout the Sol System. The [[Warlock]] Pujari had a vision of the Garden when he drowned himself in the waters of the [[Shores of Time]]. 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">'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[Grimoire:Allies/Legends & Mysteries|Legends & Mysteries]]: [[Grimoire:Allies/Legends & Mysteries#Legend: The Black Garden|Legend: The Black Garden]]''</ref> 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 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]], 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"/>
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]] - Item Description: [[Deterministic Chaos#Lore|Deterministic Chaos]]''</ref>


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]], 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"/>
Sometime 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:The Forsaken Prince|The Forsaken Prince]]: [[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 battle between the Vex and the Cabal, 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:The Forsaken Prince|The Forsaken Prince]]: [[Lore:The Forsaken Prince#After the Heart .7C Part I|After the Heart | Part I]]''</ref><ref name="After Part 2"/>


===Destruction of the Black Heart===
===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. Queen [[Mara Sov]] and Prince [[Uldren Sov]] 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>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[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>'''Bungie (2014/9/9)''', ''[[Destiny]] - [[The Black Garden]]''</ref> The Guardian defeated the Progeny, which in turn destroyed 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 [[The Undying Mind|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.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/12/9)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Dark Below]] - [[The Undying Mind (strike)|The Undying Mind]]''</ref>


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.<ref name="TT"/>


The Garden is also where the famed [[Nightstalker]] [[Tevis Larsen]] died after being trapped without his ghost.
When the Guardian was working with Cayde on finding the missing [[Nightstalker]] [[Tevis Larsen]], they tracked him to the Black Garden. However, Tevis would meet his final death after the Vex destroyed his Ghost and the Guardian would take his remaining Void Light so they could become a Nightstalker themself while Tevis' consciousness would continue to persist within the Garden.<ref>'''Bungie (2015/9/15)''', ''[[Destiny]]: [[The Taken King]] - [[A Ranger Found]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Undying]] - [[Lore:Aspect|Aspect]]: [[Lore:Aspect#Atelic|Atelic]]''</ref>


===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}}


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.<ref name="NE-CST-4"/> On Nessus, an access point reports 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>'''Bungie (2017/8/9)''', ''[[Destiny 2]] - [[Ghost scan]]s: [[Ghost_scan#Arcadian_Valley.2C_Nessus|NE-TAN-5]]''</ref>


===Kentarch-3===  
===The 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 trio of Guardians known as the [[Kentarch 3]], consisting of the Titan [[Yardarm-4]], the Hunter [[Lisbon-13]], and 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 Sol Divisive.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/5)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - Item Description: [[Divinity#Lore|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 which granted them strange powers and eventually caused Lisbon-13 to turn on Rekkana and Yardarm-4.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - Item Description: [[Kentarch 3 Suit (Hunter)]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - Item Description: [[Kentarch 3 Suit (Titan)]]''</ref><ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - Item Description: [[Kentarch 3 Suit (Warlock)]]''</ref> Lisbon won the fight, and was subsequently offered "salvation" by the presence in the Darkness, which offered to remove his memory of what he had done. Lisbon agreed and found himself outside the Garden with his Ghost [[Piri]], who had been rendered unable to speak by the same Dark presence.<ref>'''Bungie (2023/2/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Lightfall]] - [[Lore:Inspiral|Inspiral]]: [[Lore:Inspiral#Dark Glass|Dark Glass]]''</ref> The bodies of the other two fireteam members were never found by a Vanguard scouting team.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - Item Description: [[Never Live It Down#Lore|Never Live It Down]]''</ref>


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|"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===
[[File:GOS1.jpg|360px|thumb|The Garden revisited in the Raid.]]
When the Guardian ventured  into the [[The Lunar Pyramid|Lunar Pyramid]], the Witness possessed their [[The Ghost|Ghost]] and led them to a chamber where they received the [[Unknown Artifact]]. Upon interacting with the artifact, the Guardian was subjected to a vision of the Black Garden, wherein the Witness, appearing as a doppelganger of the Guardian, spoke to them directly. The Witness stated that they had "heard [their] cries for help" and would soon answer, and identified itself a neither a friend nor an enemy, but rather their "salvation".<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - [[Beyond (mission)|Beyond]]''</ref>


===Shadowkeep===
After bringing the artifact back to [[Eris Morn]], it began transmitting a signal which led to the Black Garden. A fireteam of Guardians subsequently entered the Garden via a newly-discovered Vex portal on the moon, and faced two powerful Vex Minds, the [[Consecrated Mind, Sol Inherent|Consecrated Mind]] and [[Sanctified Mind, Sol Inherent|Sanctified Mind]]. After defeating the Sanctified Mind, a [[Pyramid Scale]] rose from the ground nearby and revealed a passageway, through which the fireteam traced the artifact's signal to a hidden [[Precursors (Species)|Precursor]] statue; identical to the one within the Lunar Pyramid.<ref name="GOS"/> Afterwards, Eris began receiving a missive of messages from the artifact, seemingly from an entity which claimed to be the [[Darkness]] itself.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - [[Eris Morn]]: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzZRZz6su8U Post-Raid Dialogue]''</ref>
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.
 
However, the Vex would not take this incursion into the Black Garden lightly. The destruction of the Sol Inherent minds prompted the Vex 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.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Undying]]''</ref>
 
After defeating the Inherent Minds, 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 heading back into the Black Garden, the Guardian took the Divinity with them, providing closure to the story of the Kentarch-3.<ref>'''Bungie (2019/10/1)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Shadowkeep]] - [[Divine Fragmentation]]''</ref>
 
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.{{Citation needed}} 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]].<ref>'''Bungie (2019/12/10)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of Dawn]]''</ref>
 
===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, forcing the Witness to 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 would discover 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]].<ref name="WR"/>


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.<ref>'''Bungie (2023/11/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Wish]] - [[Wishing All the Best#Step 28|Wishing All the Best: Step 28]]''</ref> 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.<ref>'''Bungie (2023/11/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Wish]] - [[Apophasis]]''</ref> 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 a mysterious platform to access a portal above the corpse. Once all the celestial 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.<ref name ="Starcrossed"/>


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, 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.<ref>'''Bungie (2023/11/28)''', ''[[Destiny 2]]: [[Season of the Wish]] - [[Closer to the Heart]]''</ref>


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==
'''Story Missions:'''
'''Story Missions:'''
*[[The Black Garden]]
*[[The Black Garden]]
*[[A Ranger Found]] (Quest only)
*[[A Ranger Found]] {{c|Quest only}}
*[[Tenebrous Tunnels]] (Quest only)
*[[Tenebrous Tunnels]] {{c|Quest only}}
*[[What Remains]] {{c|Exotic Mission}}
*[[Starcrossed]] {{c|Exotic Mission}}
*[[Closer to the Heart]]


'''Strikes:'''
'''Strikes:'''
*[[The Undying Mind (strike)]]
*[[The Undying Mind (strike)|The Undying Mind]]


'''Crucible:'''
'''Crucible:'''
Line 93: Line 115:
==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*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.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbbrxHpblCA '''YouTube''' - ''Ride Along - Mars]'']</ref> The original entrance made a return in ''The Taken King'', however, and is seen during the Story mission [[Tenebrous Tunnels]].
*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.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbbrxHpblCA '''YouTube''' - ''Ride Along - Mars]'']</ref> 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 [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>
**An article back in 2015 regarding a Bungie ride-along video on Mars talks about a NASA Scientist who studies Geology and 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 [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.
*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==
{{Linkbox|gallery=yes|gallerypage=Images of the Black Garden}}
<gallery perrow=4>
<gallery perrow=4>
Black Garden ingame.jpg|The Black Garden in ''Destiny''.
File:Garden desktop.jpg|Concept art of the Black Garden.
The Black Garden D1 overview.jpg
The Black Heart.jpg|The Garden's Heart.
File:Blackheartconcept.jpg|Concept art of the Black Heart.
File:Blackheartconcept.jpg|Concept art of the Black Heart.
 
Upper Black Garden.jpg|Concept art of the "Upper Black Garden".
Upper Black Garden.jpg|Concept art of the "Upper Black Garden"
File:The Black Garden D1 overview.jpg
File:Carousel MAPS Generic.jpg
Destiny 2 Black Garden.png|thumb|Black Garden in the Garden of Salvation raid.
Destiny 2 Black Garden.png|thumb|Black Garden in the Garden of Salvation raid.
GOS Veil.jpg|The veiled statue seen in the raid.
GOS Veil.jpg|The veiled statue seen in the raid.
 
2Black Garden d2.jpg
GOS1.jpg
GoS skybox2.jpg|Skybox in the raid.
1Black Garden d2.jpg
GOS2.jpg
GOS2.jpg
GOS3.jpg
GOS3.jpg
GOS4.jpg
GOS4.jpg
 
Black Garden Citadel.jpg|Taranis's lair within the Black Garden
GoS skybox1.jpg|Skybox in the raid.
GoS skybox2.jpg
GoS skybox3.jpg
GoS skybox4.jpg
</gallery>
</gallery>


Line 128: Line 145:
**''[[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}}
*''[[Destiny Grimoire Anthology, Volume IV]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Entelechy]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Destiny Grimoire Anthology, Volume VII]]'' {{Mo}}


==References==
==References==
Line 133: Line 163:


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


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

Latest revision as of 13:21, December 18, 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 once housed the Black Heart, a failed replica of the Veil that was used to weaken the Traveler, and is tended and guarded by the Vex collective known as the Sol Divisive. It was also once used by the Ahamkara Taranis as his lair, and serves as his resting place after he sacrificed himself to scatter his and Riven's clutch of eggs.

Overview[edit]

The Black Garden is a surreal place where "everything grows" and abstract patterns and ideas appear to bleed into physical reality.[1][2] It is lush and heavily vegetated, with countless species of plants growing amidst Vex structures built by the Sol Divisive. Two notable species of plant are Asphodelia, a red-blossomed flower which can be used to create a panacea,[citation needed] and a large unnamed plant whose bulbs expand into broad, platform-like leaves when struck with force.[3]

Within the Garden, ideas and concepts are carried on the wind as audible whispers, and introducing new ideas into the Garden's conceptual environment, such as through speech, causes those ideas to "take root" in the Garden; for example, when Uldren conversed with a Cabal Legionary in Ulurant, this led to the whispers taking on aspects of Ulurant grammar. The Sol Divisive Vex are particularly interested in the Black Garden because its effects on them "[grow] them toward what they want to be.", and they have been observed to "sing" to "see how the Garden changes their song."[4][2]

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.[2] It is 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.[5]

When it was initially accessed from a Vex portal on Mars, the sky of the Black Garden appeared as a thick green veil of mist, but after the destruction of the Black Heart, it became more clear and centered in what appeared to be a cavern within the Martian landscape.[6] When it was later accessed from the moon, the Black Garden also appeared with a misty sky, but with three suns along with a planet and its orbiting moon.[7]

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 was through the gate network, requiring the authority of a Gate Lord.[8] 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.[citation needed] 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.[9] Eventually, the gate at the Valley was destroyed upon the Red Legion's invasion of Mars.[10]

Many years later, a Vex gate was uncovered hidden beneath the Lunar Battlegrounds on Luna.[7] This gate may be how Crota and his broods appeared on the moon after being thrown into the Vex gate network.

History[edit]

Origins[edit]

The nature, origin and purpose of the Black Garden remain shrouded in mystery. According to the Warlock Pujari, who experienced visions of the Black Garden, the Garden is in some way a product or reflection of the Traveler's actions in terraforming Mars; however, he was careful to state that this was "not the beginning but it is the reason."[11] The mesa-like structure in the center of the Garden strongly resembles the Cradles left behind by the Traveler on Mars and Io, which were also seemingly a product of the Traveler's terraforming activities.[citation needed]

The Black Garden bears many similarities to an allegorical description of the primordial state of reality referenced in several Lore entries, itself described as a "Garden", in which the entities known as the Winnower and the Gardener existed before the universe began. It is unclear whether the two locations are the same; Eris Morn writes of a Tree of Silver Wings that was felled in the Black Garden, but this could refer to either the primordial "tree" that predated the universe or the more literal tree whose massive stump was discovered in the Black Garden by the Guardians as they fought the Sol Inherent Minds.

At some point, the Vex collective known as the Sol Divisive came to reside within the Black Garden, and attempted to control it and impose their own changes through rigorous engineering and earth-moving.[1]

Post-Collapse[edit]

Following the apparent loss of the Veil during the Collapse, the Witness visited the Black Garden and left behind a "seed" that would be used by the Conceptual Mind to construct the Black Heart, which was intended as a replacement for the Veil. However, the Black Heart was ultimately a failed copy, serving only to weaken the Traveler rather than forge the connection needed to open a portal into the Traveler's Pale Heart.[12] The Sol Divisive, inherently unable to comprehend the paracausal entity which they had created, nonetheless saw fit to worship the Black Heart as a deity,[13] and created three Axis Minds known as the Sol Progeny that the Black Heart could use to extend its influence.[14] Two additional Axis Minds, the Sanctified Mind and Consecrated Mind, appear to have become physically warped by the influence of a Pyramid Scale and veiled statue left behind by the Witness following its visit to the Garden.[15]

City Age[edit]

Long before anyone from the Last City set foot in the Garden, tales of its existence were told throughout the Sol System. The Warlock Pujari had a vision of the Garden when he drowned himself in the waters of the Shores of Time. 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."[11] 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.[16]

Sometime 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.[17] 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.[1] They came across the site of a battle between the Vex and the Cabal, 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.[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 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.[18][4]

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.[19] 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.[20] The Guardian defeated the Progeny, which in turn destroyed 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.[6]

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.[21]

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.[9]

When the Guardian was working with Cayde on finding the missing Nightstalker Tevis Larsen, they tracked him to the Black Garden. However, Tevis would meet his final death after the Vex destroyed his Ghost and the Guardian would take his remaining Void Light so they could become a Nightstalker themself while Tevis' consciousness would continue to persist within the Garden.[22][23]

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

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.[10] On Nessus, an access point reports 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.[24]

The Kentarch 3[edit]

At some point before the death of Cayde-6, a trio of Guardians known as the Kentarch 3, consisting of the Titan Yardarm-4, the Hunter Lisbon-13, and the Warlock Rekkana, ventured into the Black Garden to find secrets about its origin. There they plundered an ancient relic long revered by the Sol Divisive.[25] 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 which granted them strange powers and eventually caused Lisbon-13 to turn on Rekkana and Yardarm-4.[26][27][28] Lisbon won the fight, and was subsequently offered "salvation" by the presence in the Darkness, which offered to remove his memory of what he had done. Lisbon agreed and found himself outside the Garden with his Ghost Piri, who had been rendered unable to speak by the same Dark presence.[29] The bodies of the other two fireteam members were never found by a Vanguard scouting team.[30]

Shadowkeep[edit]

The Garden revisited in the Raid.

When the Guardian ventured into the Lunar Pyramid, the Witness possessed their Ghost and led them to a chamber where they received the Unknown Artifact. Upon interacting with the artifact, the Guardian was subjected to a vision of the Black Garden, wherein the Witness, appearing as a doppelganger of the Guardian, spoke to them directly. The Witness stated that they had "heard [their] cries for help" and would soon answer, and identified itself a neither a friend nor an enemy, but rather their "salvation".[31]

After bringing the artifact back to Eris Morn, it began transmitting a signal which led to the Black Garden. A fireteam of Guardians subsequently entered the Garden via a newly-discovered Vex portal on the moon, and faced two powerful Vex Minds, the Consecrated Mind and Sanctified Mind. After defeating the Sanctified Mind, a Pyramid Scale rose from the ground nearby and revealed a passageway, through which the fireteam traced the artifact's signal to a hidden Precursor statue; identical to the one within the Lunar Pyramid.[15] Afterwards, Eris began receiving a missive of messages from the artifact, seemingly from an entity which claimed to be the Darkness itself.[32]

However, the Vex would not take this incursion into the Black Garden lightly. The destruction of the Sol Inherent minds prompted the Vex 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.[33]

After defeating the Inherent Minds, 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 heading back into the Black Garden, the Guardian took the Divinity with them, providing closure to the story of the Kentarch-3.[34]

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.[citation needed] 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.[35]

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, forcing the Witness to 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 would discover 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.[12]

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.[36] 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.[37] 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 a mysterious platform to access a portal above the corpse. Once all the celestial 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.[3]

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, 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.[38]

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.[39] The original entrance made a return in The Taken King, however, and is seen during the Story mission Tenebrous Tunnels.
    • An article back in 2015 regarding a Bungie ride-along video on Mars talks about a NASA Scientist who studies Geology and 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.[40]
  • 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.[41]
  • 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 c Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken - The Forsaken Prince: In the Garden
  2. ^ a b c d Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken - The Forsaken Prince: On the Hunt
  3. ^ a b Bungie (2023/11/28), Destiny 2: Season of the Wish - Starcrossed
  4. ^ a b Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken - The Forsaken Prince: After the Heart | Part II
  5. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Season of the Undying - Aspect: Realis
  6. ^ a b Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny
  7. ^ a b Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
  8. ^ Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - The Awoken
  9. ^ a b Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King - Tenebrous Tunnels
  10. ^ a b Bungie (2017/8/9), Destiny 2 - Ghost scans: NE-CST-4
  11. ^ a b Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - Legends & Mysteries: Legend: The Black Garden
  12. ^ a b Bungie (2023/2/28), Destiny 2: Lightfall - What Remains
  13. ^ Bungie (02/28/2023), Destiny 2: Lightfall - Inspiral: Brass Gardeners
  14. ^ Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - Vex Axis Minds: Sol Progeny
  15. ^ a b Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Garden of Salvation
  16. ^ Bungie (02/20/2023), Destiny 2: Lightfall - Item Description: Deterministic Chaos
  17. ^ Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken - The Forsaken Prince: Through the Gate
  18. ^ Bungie (2018/9/4), Destiny 2: Forsaken - The Forsaken Prince: After the Heart | Part I
  19. ^ Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - The Garden's Spire
  20. ^ Bungie (2014/9/9), Destiny - The Black Garden
  21. ^ Bungie (2014/12/9), Destiny: The Dark Below - The Undying Mind
  22. ^ Bungie (2015/9/15), Destiny: The Taken King - A Ranger Found
  23. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Season of the Undying - Aspect: Atelic
  24. ^ Bungie (2017/8/9), Destiny 2 - Ghost scans: NE-TAN-5
  25. ^ Bungie (2019/10/5), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Item Description: Divinity
  26. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Item Description: Kentarch 3 Suit (Hunter)
  27. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Item Description: Kentarch 3 Suit (Titan)
  28. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Item Description: Kentarch 3 Suit (Warlock)
  29. ^ Bungie (2023/2/28), Destiny 2: Lightfall - Inspiral: Dark Glass
  30. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Item Description: Never Live It Down
  31. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Beyond
  32. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Eris Morn: Post-Raid Dialogue
  33. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Season of the Undying
  34. ^ Bungie (2019/10/1), Destiny 2: Shadowkeep - Divine Fragmentation
  35. ^ Bungie (2019/12/10), Destiny 2: Season of Dawn
  36. ^ Bungie (2023/11/28), Destiny 2: Season of the Wish - Wishing All the Best: Step 28
  37. ^ Bungie (2023/11/28), Destiny 2: Season of the Wish - Apophasis
  38. ^ Bungie (2023/11/28), Destiny 2: Season of the Wish - Closer to the Heart
  39. ^ YouTube - Ride Along - Mars]
  40. ^ NASA Scientist talks about Black Garden in Mars
  41. ^ 'Twitter: Nope, Mars. ;)

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