Taken Knight

Taken Knight
Biographical information
Species:	Taken
Rank:	Heavy Infantry
Class:	Knight
Combat information
Weapon(s):	Taken Boomer (common) Taken Shredder (rare) Taken Cleaver (specific variants) Stasis Boomer (rare)
Abilities:	Taken Burn Absorption Shield (high difficulty) High Durability Rapid Movement Teleportation Hive Melee

"You are a Knight. Ancient warrior elite. Dreadful backbone of the Hive. You have scarred entire worlds. [...] You fear death. Even as you visit nothingness on your foes, even as you gather tribute from your acolytes, you know that one day your strength will be outmatched. And your centuries of slaughter will end. [...] You betray the sword logic. You compromise the totality of your violence. Why protect your ground when you could take the enemy's? You need to make your guard into a weapon. There is a knife for you. It is shaped like [no more fear]. Take up the knife. Hide no more. Take your new shape."

— Grimoire description

The Taken Knight is a type of Taken Hive.

Gameplay

Taken Knights have lost the ability to create a Darkness Wall, but have gained a fiery Solar breath, which travels in an arc for a surprisingly long range and leaves flaming pools of fire on impact. They have also gained the ability to teleport short distances, which they use to evade attacks. They are commonly armed with a Void Boomer, which, unlike the Hive version, does not suffer from gravitational drop and its projectiles travel much faster, making it harder to evade long-range fire. However, their arsenal is much less varied, only rarely using Arc Shredders, and with only specific variants using Cleavers. Knight remain formidable foes that require high damage to be taken down.

Known Taken Knights

Aarta Adleg, Warden of Oryx Agra, the Stalwart Agrax, the Rotted An Ragaar, Son of Xivu Arath Ashorc, Temple Claimant Azshrūnah ur-Nokru, the Sacrificed Bab'dotek, the Abhorrent Bakken, the Relentless Balvog, Shield of Oryx Cra'adug Dakkadi Darnu, Horn of Oryx Dolos, the Datamine Dumuz-Nuna Dumuzod Erkult the Sequestered Eshkin'tuk, Witness's Blessed Gornith Gurroth Ir Arok, Tongue of Quria Kalboh, the Unclaimed Kelgorath, Taken from Bones Kelkris, the All-Seeing Khull, Executioner Knight Kilulu

Krathoor Malok, Pride of Oryx Mishkara Morgath, Lore-Keeper Orm Duluz, Bound to Sedia Orm Vashyx Pandrok, Pillar of Nothing Roln'gur, Blade-bound to the Terrace Saturn Survivor Sulk'oth, Taken of Xivu Arath Sorvox, Taken by the Voices Stirok, Banner of Oryx Sylok, the Defiled Syrok, Word of Oryx Tir Balok, Daughter of Xivu Arath Tsugoth, Gauntlet of Oryx Ur Haraak, Disciple of Quria Urlot, the Trampler Urzok, Aspect of Hate Varghul, Fragment of Oryx Whisper of Oryx Will-Crushed Knight Xarthra Xavan, Daughter of Xivu Arath Yamaat, Ascendant Sentinel Yateth, Taken Stain

Variants

Common Variants

• Consumed Knight - Heroic difficulty
• Devoured Knight - Epic difficulty
• Ravenous Taken Knight - Elite and Major
• Servile Knight - Major (Destiny 2)
• Tortured Knight - Major (Destiny)

Specific Variants

Ad-Hoc Knight Blade of the Deep Blighted Knight Blightguard Blightguard (Pale Heart) Coral Devourer Corrupted Navigator Disciple's Compass Disciple's Hourglass Emissary of Savathûn Frenzied Specter Gate Warden Retainer Knight Echo Labyrinth Architect Lost Knight Might of Riven

Putrid Knight Primeval Knight Prismatic Taken Knight Paraversal Contender Paraversal Challenger Ravagers of Xivu Arath Servant of the Plague Sword of the Farseer's Heir Taken Blade Brother Taken Disruptor Knight Taken Executioner Taken Howler The Anathema Taken Polarizer Vengeful Blade Warsworn Taken

Trivia

• Unusually, they are not armed with Cleavers, modified or otherwise, like their non-Taken counterparts or Grimoire card (which features an "un-Taken" Cleaver). This could be a stylistic choice or for gameplay reasons. Lorewise, this ties into with the Ascendant Sword Grimoire card, which reads:
  • "A Shredder or a Boomer is a powerful weapon, but it kills acyclically. You see? It sends out harm and it takes nothing back. The bolt passes away into nothing. A sword, though, a sword is like a bridge, a crossing-point. The sword binds wielder to victim. It binds life to death. And when the binding is done—the sword remembers. When the Boomer's fire has burnt away into axion and neutrino scatter, the sword goes on, hungrier and sharper."
    • As of Forsaken and Season of Arrivals, there are now Taken Knights seen with Cleavers.
• According to The Sword Logic (also known as "The Killing Logic") the one who kills proves their right to survive over their defeated enemy, and gains power from that act. Upon being Taken the Knight loses the ability to feed their worm and grow that power; instead, all of that goes to the Taker, Oryx, who receives it directly instead of through the hierarchy of Thrall > Acolyte > Knight/Wizard > Ascendant Hive > Hive God.
  • This is both a punishment and an honor, as the Knight is forced to serve against his will, unable to think or act idependently from Oryx's will; on the other hand, it is a sort of apotheosis, the perfection of the Hive way of life: the perfect warrior, the Final True Shape.
• Taken Knights were formerly named Ripper during production of The Taken King.

Gallery

• 

  A Might of Riven seen in the The Other Side Quest.

• 

  A Taken Knight firing flames from its mouth in the Taken King ViDoc.

List of appearances

• Destiny: The Taken King (First appearance)
• Destiny 2
  • Forsaken
  • Season of the Drifter
  • Season of Opulence
  • Season of Arrivals
  • Season of the Splicer
  • Season of the Lost
  • The Witch Queen
  • Season of Plunder
  • Season of the Seraph
  • Season of the Wish
  • The Final Shape