Taken

Taken
Overview
Goals:	Serve Oryx, Savathûn, Xivu Arath, the Hive, Riven, and the Darkness ; Claim as many worlds as possible ; Avenge Crota
At war with:	The City ; The Reef ; Cabal ; Fallen ; Vex
Average height:	Varies
Average weight:	Varies
Distinctions:	Enslaved and corrupted version of other races ; Violent twitching movements ; Blackened bodies burn with an ethereal, bluish-white flame ; Mere presence causes blurry vision
Average lifespan:	Indefinite
Notable individual(s):	Baxx, Hand of Oryx ; Malok, Pride of Oryx ; Syrok, Word of Oryx ; Ta'aun, Hand of Oryx ; Grask, the Consumed ; Echo of Oryx ; Quria, Blade Transform ; Baurisk, Envoy of Savathûn ; The Perfect Raven ; Voice of Riven ; Morgeth, the Spirekeeper ; Riven of a Thousand Voices

"The process is simple: an aperture opens, like a jaw, and swallows a living thing. It passes into — another place. Later, it returns. What returns is... I try to use the word ‘shadow’ but Eris hisses at me [...] insists that these Taken are more real, somehow. She uses words like inhabited, exalted, rendered final... [...] My Hidden tell me that the Taken shine with seething, negative light. As if the universe is curling up around them. As if they radiate some pathology that decays into our world as nothingness... The Taken serve Oryx. But I think those jaws lead elsewhere."

— Ikora Rey^[1]

The Taken are Darkness-corrupted entities originating from multiple species that have been warped into the Ascendant Plane and paracausally altered to serve their given purpose. Once used by Oryx, the Taken King as his personal army, they have more recently been utilized by other powerful Darkness-aligned entities in the wake of Oryx's defeat, including Savathûn, the Witch Queen; Quria, Blade Transform; Xivu Arath, God of War; and the Taken Ahamkara, Riven. The Drifter, a rogue human Lightbearer known for experimenting with the Darkness, has also managed to achieve a level of temporary control over the Taken, while the Nine can create their own counterfeit Taken out of dark matter and sheer will.

Overview

"IMPERATIVE CORRUPTED. SEEK LIGHT. DESTROY LIGHT. OBEY THE COLLECTIVE MIND, OBEY THE #$422*! ORYX. OBEY ORYX."

— Recovered from Simulation Core of Corrupted Minotaur^[2]

The power to create Taken is granted by the Darkness itself, and is bestowed only to its most formidable servants. The process of Taking involves summoning a portal or aperture that rips an individual out of the universe and transports them to an unknown location within the Ascendant Plane^[3]. There, the Taken-possessed victim is met by the will of whomever Took them, who offers them a way to overcome their former weaknesses. The Taken being then returns to their original universe with new paracausal abilities and a compulsion to serve the one that Took them.^[1]

Taken versions of enemies have radically different behaviors from their standard counterparts, including new abilities designed to counter Guardian abilities. Groups of Taken can be mixed with members of different species,^[4] and can appear on Earth, Venus, Mars, Dreadnaught and Io in most activities; on the Moon, in select Destiny Story missions and certain Patrol activites in both Destiny and Destiny 2.^[5]^[6]

History

The Ancient Past

Auryx faces the Worm God, Akka

"The Hive entity Oryx/Aurash is deploying a paracausal ontopathogenic weapon that infects and subverts Ecumene forces. The weapon operates on individual targets. Targets are abducted and returned as compliant Hive slaves with inexplicable and physically illegal abilities. All Ecumene clients should IMMEDIATELY devote all economic and cognitive resources to a countermeasure.
Fight hard. We stop the Hive here, or see our galaxy devoured."

— Ecumene Crisis Council

In the distant past, the Hive god Auryx sought to obtain the power to Take in order to help him defeat the Ecumene. He killed his two sisters to gain an audience with Akka, the Worm god of Secrets, whom he then slew in turn. Auryx stole the secrets from its flesh and wrote them upon a set of tablets he named the Tablets of Ruin. After speaking to the Deep directly, he returned, mantled as Oryx, the Taken King.^[7]

With this new power Oryx waged war upon the Ecumene and defeated them utterly over a period of one thousand, one hundred and forty years, in the process conjuring back his two sisters in the same way he had killed them.^[8]^[9]

During the Golden Amputation Oryx Took the Emperor Raven and assured the defeat of the Taishibethi^[10] When the Vex invaded his Throne world Oryx Took and turned them against one another, eventually expelling the cybernetic machines from his domain.^[11] Later, aboard the Nicha Thought-ship Oryx encountered and Took Quria, Blade Transform^[12], the Vex mind which had orchestrated the organized invasion of his Throne, and later gifted it to his sister Savathûn as a present.^[13]

Destiny 1

The Taken War

Main article: Taken War

Oryx in his echo form.

"What Crota began, I complete. My will... conquers all!"

— Oryx, the Taken King

The Taken War was a major, system-wide conflict fought between the Hive, led by Oryx, and all other races in the system. The war began as a direct result of the Guardians slaying Oryx's son Crota, to stop an attempted invasion of Earth. Oryx brought his fleet to Saturn and made free use of the power to Take in his assault on the Solar System. He Took Fallen, Vex, and Cabal in enormous numbers, besides his own Hive and began blighting the system with his Taken forces. When he unleashed his Dreadnaught's superweapon against Queen Mara Sov's fleet, he also Took the Techeuns Sedia, Kalli, and Shuro Chi, and through them was able to spread his Taken forces into the Dreaming City, where he Took the Ahamkara Riven.^[14]^[15]

The Taken Prince

Taken Prince, Malok

"Malok! Listen — I took you from your mother, my sister / Your shape is new / This shape is poison — the shape of secrets / I name you Malok, which means My Poison / A prize to taunt sister Savathûn / Steal now for me."

— Oryx, the Taken King

With Oryx's defeat, his surviving Taken were released from his control and rendered independent but directionless.^[16] Oryx was assumed to be the only known entity to date to have possessed the power to Take, but following the Taken War, others such as Malok, Pride of Oryx developed the ability to manipulate Taken and their blights. In particular, with assistance from the Techeuns and Variks, the Reef was able to capture a large number of Taken within their Prison of Elders and developed a reliable method for infusing Taken energy into their arms and armor.^[17]

Destiny 2

Resurgence

Grask, the Consumed

"The Taken King is dead. Yet his armies writhe and claw at our worlds."

— Eris Morn^[18]

Some time after Oryx's death, Savathûn assumed control of the Taken, apparently through the Taken Vex Quria, Blade Transform and its simulations of the Taken King.^[19]

Two years later, during the events of the Red War, the Taken invaded the European Dead Zone and corrupted a forest outside of the Traveler's shard. Certain Taken had also mutated physically, developing two large, curving spikes on their backs. A Red Legion commander was also somehow converted into a Taken, even though Oryx had been defeated prior to the invasion. Ikora commented that these Taken were no longer leaderless, but had to be acting under a new higher power.^[20]

At some point, Red Legion Psions used their psionic powers to successfully harness and infuse Taken energy into themselves and their superiors, empowering them with Taken-powered weapons and shielding. However, this effort was stopped by The Guardian.^[21]

On Io, it was discovered by Ikora and Asher Mir, that the Taken had established a foothold on Echo Mesa after being drawn there by remnants of the Traveler's Light.^[22] They had even attempted to open a portal into the Ascendant realm, but the Guardian intervened and closed said portal.^[23]

The Taken would launch a major offensive by polluting the water supply at the EDZ through the use of Blights. However, this attempt was foiled by the Guardians who managed to destroy the Blights and slay the Taken in command of the infestation, Grask, the Consumed, a recently-Taken Red Legion commander. With confirmation that someone is assumed control over the Taken in Oryx's place, the Guardians and the Vanguard begin to suspect one of Oryx's sisters.^[24]

Meanwhile, back on Io, the Taken began to appear in greater numbers and were noted to have "interacted" with the Vex. The Guardians discovered that Taken affiliated with Quria have been kidnapping local Vex in Blights to corrupt them as Taken and form a new army after their many losses in the Taken War. Quria would summon Ir Arok, Tongue of Quria to accomplish this plan, but would be foiled by The Guardian, in which they killed Elatiox and Erosus, Ir Arok's lieutenants, and dismantle the Taken's plans of corrupting the Vex. Ir Arok would then lead an assault into the Pyramidion with the intent to capture the Vex collective like Oryx before, but would be destroyed by The Guardian, and though a large number of Vex had become corrupted, their efforts prevented the Taken from corrupting the Vex collective once more.^[25]

Forsaken

Taken Techeun Kalli

"The [King] despaired in his final moments. Rightly so. His vengeance denied."

— Riven

The Drifter, a rogue Light-bearer, managed to jury-rig his Ghost with parts salvaged from the Ghosts of his former crew, allowing it access to paracausal spectra beyond that of the Light, including the Darkness-aligned powers of the Taken. With it, the Drifter is able to create Motes of Darkness and employed them as part of a game called "Gambit", pitting Guardians against their enemies and each other in a bid to harvest these Motes for himself. Gambit would even give Guardians the experience of being Taken as "Invaders" through portals infused with sterile neutrinos. He is eventually gifted a subspace of Unknown Space from the Nine which he dubbed The Haul, where he caged the leftover Taken from Oryx's army whilst building his own. Among these Taken summoned during these Gambit matches are exceptionally powerful and ancient Taken known as Primevals, which he can summon using Motes of Darkness.

In the years following the Taken War, the Dreaming City was infested by leftover Taken and their blights undisturbed until Oryx's sister reached out towards the Taken Riven and gave her a new purpose. Now able to exert her influence from beyond her prison, Riven manipulated the partially Taken Uldren Sov into unleashing an agent of hers from the City, which the Guardian quickly killed. Petra Venj, investigating the source of Uldren's corruption and the Taken within the city, surmised Riven as the cause after having made contact with Queen Mara Sov at the Oracle Engine. At the Queen's behest, Petra enlisted the support from the Vanguard to have Riven killed and her heart cleansed of her Taken essence.

Morgeth, the Spirekeeper defending the Vault

A Guardian Raid team was quickly formed and breached their way into the corrupted Keep of Voices, where they freed the Techeuns Kalli and Shuro Chi from their Taken corruption. While the Taken Riven baited the Guardians into killing her, they inadvertently made a single collective wish, allowing Riven to alter the rules of ascendancy within the Dreaming City according to Toland. In ending the Ahamkara, Riven's wish cursed the realm; warping it in-between physical reality and the Ascendant Plane while Taken energies having saturated and engulfed huge portions of the city.

As the curse continued to blight the Dreaming City for three weeks, Petra was able to identify the true source of the city's Taken curse: Dûl Incaru, a daughter of the Witch-Queen and the mastermind behind her mother's scheme to access the Distributary using the Awoken secrets found within the City, commanding the curse from Mara's desecrated throne-world of Eleusinia. Upon the third week of the curse, the Guardians charged the dimensional rift generator of the Blind Well and opened a rift into Eleusinia, where they could confront the Witch and her Fatesmith bodyguards.

However, upon the death of Dûl Incaru, the Eternal Return, the Dreaming city reverted back to the state it was in when the curse was first unleashed. The curse then spread in the same manner it had previously, with it being revealed that the curse trapped the Dreaming City within a time loop that resets whenever Dûl Incaru is killed. Through messages left by an unknown sender, it is revealed that the loop was made possible through the wish Riven granted upon her "death", and modeled upon Vex simulations overseen by Quria, Blade Transform.

Joker's Wild

Likeness of Nokris

"Primevals are the oldest Taken my banks can find. How'd I pull this off? If you knew, you'd be running this thing instead o' me."

— The Drifter

After the Drifter unveiled Gambit Prime and The Reckoning to the Guardians, the Praxic Warlock Aunor Mahal determined that he had obtained the ability to create "counterfeit" Taken Primevals by coupling his banks to the "haul" gifted to him by the Nine. Among these entities are the Likeness of Nokris, Likeness of Oryx, Counterfeit Servitors, Counterfeit Phalanxes and Counterfeit Hydras.

Shadowkeep

Undeterred by the fall of the Hidden Swarm and the Guardians hunting Nightmares on Luna—Savathûn unleashed a Taken army lead by Baurisk, Envoy of Savathûn upon a massive Vex computational array on Io, with the goal of corrupting and assuming control over the supercomputer. However, the Vanguard detected a power surge beneath the Pyramidion where the array is located and sent in a fireteam to investigate. The Guardians soon discovered the feud between the Vex and Taken as they fought for control over the array, and promptly made it their mission to prevent the Taken from assuming command over machine—refusing to give the Witch-Queen another advantage.

Fighting past the array's Vex defenders and the invading Taken, the Guardians made it the center of the array where the Taken infestation was anchored in order to remove the blight. There, the Guardians confronted Baurisk, Envoy of Savathûn; slaying the Taken Incendior and clearing the array of blights, leaving to allow the Vex to finish off any lingering Taken.

Witch-Queen's Interference

Court of Savathûn

"Not all the Taken we encounter are the same. Many still hold allegiance to some distant Hive incantation, though it is no longer connected to Oryx."

— Eris Morn.

Following the destruction of the Almighty, the Vanguard would confirm the arrival of the Darkness itself, with the Pyramids touching down on worlds all around the Solar System, even disabling Rasputin in the process. With their arrival, Eris Morn would attempt to meet the Pyramids on Io to learn of their intent. However, Nokris, Supplicant to Savathûn ambushed Eris with the Taken and one of Savathûn's Witness Shriekers to shroud the Cradle with the Witch-Queen's influence. The Guardian, who was ordered to follow her by Zavala, would attempt to save Eris only to be pulled into Savathûn's court, where they would be overwhelmed by Witness Shriekers until Eris rescued them from the Ascendant Plane. After pulling through her injuries, Eris and the Guardian would discover a tree of Silver Wings and harness the seed within its roots. After a heated meeting with Zavala, Eris enacts a plan to harvest the darkness from the Pyramid Scales for the seed with the help of the Drifter and help to clear up the messages with the destruction of the Witnesses corrupting them. Detecting the ploy, Savathûn would deploy her servant, Quria, Blade Transform, and its army to sabotage these darkness harvesting operations to prevent the Guardians from learning of the Darkness' messages to them.

Meanwhile, the Drifter would devise a plan to delve into the Nine's realm and meet with them once again to ask the question, "what is the Darkness?" With the help of the Guardian and Eris Morn, the Drifter's plan would then be set in motion. The Guardian would venture into a strange and paracausal portion of their realm, asked to venture deep into the bowels of this realm by the Emissary, eventually meeting with a visage of a Taken Kell and its simulated dark army. After bypassing its defenses and destroying its army, the Guardian would disperse the Kell Echo and finally gets the answer on the Darkness, learning that it isn't that different from the Light, and should be utilized as a means to survival as the Guardian did with the Motes throughout the inscrutable corners of the realm.

Quria’s End

Quria, architect of the Endless Night.

Following Savathûn's failed attempts to interfere with the Black Fleet's messages to the Guardians, the Witch Queen was forced to go into hiding to avoid its retaliation. However, the Witch Queen conducted a new scheme against the Guardians, employing her servant, Quria, the Dreaming Mind, and its simulation powers to plunge the entire Last City into an Endless Night. At first, believing it to be entirely a Vex plot, the Guardians make an alliance with the Eliksni Splicer, Mithrax, and his House of Light to combat the Endless Night. Agreeing to the alliance and the Vanguard's offer to shelter his people within the Last City, Mithrax trains the Guardians in the ways of the Sacred Splicers to pierce into the Vex's domain, the Outer Nexus, and battle with numerous Submissive and Oppressive Minds, collecting their data and analyzing it. After weeks of breaching into the Vex realm and collecting data, Mithrax is able to discover that Quria is responsible for the Endless Night, thereby realizing that Savathûn is truly behind the threat.

News of Savathûn's role in the Endless Night is brought to the public, thanks to the Lakshmi-2 and the Factions, inciting paranoia towards the Eliksni, creating unrest within the Last City. Despite this instability, the Guardians continue to work with Mithrax in combating Quria, trying to pinpoint the Dreaming Mind's location and corner it. In time, Mithrax is successful in locating Quria, allowing the Guardians to enter into the Nexus once more and confront the Dreaming Mind. Within the Nexus, the Guardians find it littered with Taken corruption but are ultimately able to face Quria. The Dreaming Mind uses its simulation powers and Taken abilities to combat the Guardians but is ultimately destroyed by the Guardians.

With the Endless Night's architect destroyed, daylight slowly returned to the Last City but the situation between the Factions and the Vanguard reaches a boiling point. The Factions wish to expel the Eliksni from the Last City despite their aid in ending the Endless Night, even trying to influence new leadership in the Vanguard but the Guardians rebuff Lakshmi's entreaties. Aided by "Osiris", in reality Savathûn as she had taken his form after he lost his Light, Lakshmi utilizes a Vex portal in an attempt to forcefully remove the House of Light but loses control, killing the FWC's leader and allowing the Vex to attack the Last City. Rushing to aid Mithrax and his people, the Guardians are able to seal the portal and destroy the Vex attacking the Eliksni Quarters.

Xivu Arath’s Return

Following the destruction of Quria, Savathûn would seemingly lose control over the Taken. Now under the presumed control of their original master, they began working alongside both the Hive forces of Xivu Arath and the Scorn to corrupt the Ley Lines, hunt down Mara Sov's Techeuns, and ultimately capture Savathûn. Some of the Techeuns would end up being corrupted.

Sociology

Biology

Cabal getting Taken

"There are no adequate words to describe the experience of being Taken. We would need a sensorium."

— Techeun Shuro Chi

The nature of the Taken was once described by the Ecumene as a "ontopathogenic weapon", designed to infect and subvert Oryx's enemies into his paracausal slaves with inexplicable and physically illegal abilities.^[26] According to Oryx, the Taken serve as his ultimate embodiment of the Darkness and its sword logic philosophy; the desired final shape that is free to exist without the need to insulate itself from reality.^[27] In the case of Uldren Sov, the Taken corruption manifests starting as an uncontrollable itch beneath the eyes, turning the sclera black and gradually manifesting in dark shimmering veins across his body.

Taken are composed of sterile neutrinos and resemble their former selves for the most part, but are ghost-like, shadowed and eerily glowing, with a blindingly bright orb typically obscuring their facial features. Many Taken are seen to shiver or twitch in a disturbing manner, and their vocalizations are warped into shrieks and howls. Over time, exceptionally powerful Taken have been seen to grow pairs of black, curving spikes from their bodies. However, there appears a risk for races such as taking Vex as the Vex infect everything they touch, their self-replicating subroutines could consume the Taken from the inside out.^[28]

Blights

Taken Blights

"I think these blights are like transmitters. They're either calling out to something, or… letting something whisper to the Taken here on Io."

— Ghost

The Taken constantly exude a substance called Blight, which resembles a black shadowy liquid or vapor, usually crackling with energy and exhibiting the same eerie luminescence as the Taken themselves. It can flow across the ground like a viscous fluid that smells of ozone, seeping into the soil and presenting a contamination hazard when it comes into contact with water supplies.

Wherever Taken have become entrenched, spherical aggregations of Blight are commonly seen; these seem to serve a variety of purposes, including shield generators, area-denial, and interdimensional communication nodes.

Loyalty

Keksis, the Betrayed

"I am Taken. My guiding shadow has become formless, my directive is gone. I know I have one; I cannot remember what it was."

— Keksis, the Betrayed

Taken are unwaveringly loyal to their master, and will turn on former allies without hesitation. Even strong-willed enemies such as Vex Axis Minds or Cabal commanders are incapable of resisting this change. Although new Taken can only be created through the Taking of new victims, existing Taken will remain (albeit aimless and disorganized) indefinitely if their master is killed. A sufficiently powerful being with the ability to Take can assume control of Taken previously generated by a different individual.

While all Taken are enslaved to their master's will, more powerful Taken retain a degree of independent thought and initiative, mostly at the discretion of the master themselves, to "keep them interesting." After Oryx's defeat, the Taken Knight Malok, Pride of Oryx, attempted to seize the vacant throne for himself. Whiles the likes of Quria, Blade Transform and Riven were powerful to retain independent thought. Other Taken, such as Noru'usk, Servant of Oryx, have aspirations to ascend while many, like Keksis, the Betrayed, are lost and leaderless. With the advent of the Red War, Taken activity spiked and was more coordinated. Ikora hypothesized that the Taken were no longer leaderless, with signs pointing to Savathûn being the one controlling the Taken, possibly claiming the power to Take for herself.

Throughout the events of Forsaken, Kalli, Shuro Chi, and Sedia were able to be "cured" of their Taken influence, proving that it is possible for some beings such as the Awoken to reverse the process.

Taken Echoes

Shadow Thralls a imitation of a Thrall

"The echoes of Oryx go forth to ask a question: are you the truth?"

— Toland, the Shattered

By using the power of the Darkness, Oryx, the Taken King is able to create a Taken projection of himself in the form of the Echo of Oryx. These Echoes allow him to enact his will remotely where he can summon and command Taken troops. Oryx's power in an area fades once a Echo is vanquished and any Taken he summoned are recalled.

Other Taken can also create artificial projections in the form of echoes, which are shadowy imitations of lesser enemies such as Shadow Thralls and Shadowbeasts.

Counterfeit Taken

Kell Echo, a Taken projection by the Nine

"These (Taken) differ in their literal elemental composition: low SNC, high ambient ΛCDM."

— Potential

The Taken enemies that appear in The Reckoning, Gambit Prime, and the Prophecy Dungeon are not actual Taken. Instead of being living creatures corrupted by Darkness, they are artificial constructs of dark matter, created from the Nine Realms and its engine of pue potential, as the Nine themselves are sentient beings of dark matter. Vanguard intelligence notes that these counterfeit Taken have low counts of sterile neutrinos, typically associated with Taken, but instead have high ambient cold dark matter. This is the reason many Taken forces encountered in Nine space are all powerful echoes in imitation of Oryx and his son, in addition to a Cabal Phalanx and a Fallen Kell.

In addition, the Drifter learned to create his own counterfeit "Primeval-like" Taken from the Nine's use of pure potential; utilizing the dark matter of the Haul and through sheer force of will. One example of this is the Likeness of Oryx as it was the scariest Hive he could think of.^[29]

Primevals

An Ascendant Primeval Servitor

"Those weren't normal Taken possessed and set to rage. They were born of that shadow realm and they were… angry. Worse. They were hungry for the Light."

— Shin Malphur

Primevals are a class of Taken born from the depths of the Ascendant Plane rather than altered from physical reality. They are among the oldest and most powerful Taken, hence their name.^[30] Because of their age, Primevals are extremely powerful and are capable of mowing down an army of Cabal from the Red Legion.^[31] Even rarer are Ascendant Primevals; including one whose heart was used to craft the Blight-infused Hand cannon, Malfeasance.^[32]^[33]

They first came into prominence in Gambit, where Guardians compete in fireteams against each other to summon and kill their respective Primeval first. By the introduction of the activity, the Drifter had the power to summon Primevals from the Ascendant plane using Motes of Dark but with no means of taming them until he was gifted a pocket of the Nine Realms from the Nine.^[34] With the Haul in his possession, the Drifter could cage his poached Primevals in Nine space.^[35]

Taken Enemies

Awoken

Taken Techeun—unique for their Techeun Screams and Detonation, they are highly durable and capable of summoning Taken.

Fallen

Taken Vandal—summons a spherical shield similar to Ward of Dawn. They are armed with Solar Wire Rifles and Arc Shrapnel Launchers.
Taken Captain—sends out moving balls of Darkness to blind Guardians and are armed with Arc-damage Shrapnel Launcher or Arc Blades are used and Solar-shielded.
Chimera—Taken Servitors that fires blasts of Void energy and occasionally bursts of Axion Darts. Can summon Blights that grant them immunity until they are destroyed.

Hive

Taken Thrall—ability to teleport short distances in an instant, and do Solar-damage with their melee.
- Shadow Thrall—a shadowy imitation of a Thrall summoned by Taken Wizards, and do Solar-damage with their melee.
Taken Acolyte—deploys Acolyte's Eye turrets and are armed with Arc Shredders, which fire projectiles in an arc that can attack from over short cover, or Stasis Boomers, which leave behind Stasis fields on impact that will freeze you in short time.
Taken Wizard—can summon Shadow Thralls. They are Void-shielded, and can use "Necromantic Gaze", firing three Solar projectiles much faster than their usual Darkness blasts
Taken Knight—fires explosive, lingering Solar jets in a wave for area denial, teleports short distances to evade attacks. They are armed with Void Boomers, which fire bolts with higher velocity and do not suffer gravitational drop, or Stasis Boomers, which leave behind Stasis fields on impact that will freeze you in short time.
Taken Ogre—does Arc damage with both its eye blast which also knocks opponents back if they're in the air along with a ground slam if an enemy comes too close. Eye blast RPM increases while ogre uses eye blast.

Vex

Taken Goblin—when in close proximity to an ally, they can generate an invincible shield for it. Armed with either a Void Slap Rifle or a Solar Torch Hammer.
Taken Hobgoblin—fires a fast-moving, Shrieker-like projectile when struck in self-defense. Equipped with a Void Line Rifle.
Taken Minotaur—always cloaked unless shot at enough. Equipped with a Solar Torch Hammer.
Taken Hydra—can summon Blight Bombs and Oracles, as well as Teleport and detain Guardians.

Cabal

Taken Psion—has the ability to multiply itself, splitting and creating another Taken Psion with full health and wield an Arc Slug Rifle. Taken Psions fire their Slug Rifles very rapidly.
Taken Phalanx—can fire Arc blasts from their shield that can push Guardians, much like the physical shields themselves, and are armed with an Arc Slug Rifle.
Taken Centurion—has an Arc-shield, can teleport short distances, and is armed with a Void Projection Rifle. Fires slower moving Axion Darts, much like the Voidwalker's Axion bolt, that tracks targets and deals Void-damage—these can reach enemies around corners easily and can be shot and detonated to avoid damage.
Shadowbeast—a shadowy imitation of a War Beast.
Taken Colossus—has a Heavy Slug Thrower and can go berserk mode similar to an Ogre
Taken Incendior—wields a Cabal Magma Launcher and can fire Void fireballs at enemies

Unique

Taken Blight—a sphere of Darkness that can appear procedurally in the world. The Blight can summon Taken ambushes, which can include named characters that drop runes.
Acolyte's Eye—a stationary unit deployed by Taken Acolytes. It is an orb of Darkness energy that fires Arc energy at enemies, and detonates in an Arc blast when destroyed. They survive the death of their summoner.
Echo of Oryx—a Taken projection of Oryx, the Taken King, it is used to oversee the Taken in far distances, and spread Taken corruption.
Defensive Ward—a proximity-trigged Taken mine that causes the player’s screen to shake when it explodes.

Named Taken

Taken Lieutenants in the Court of Oryx

Bracus Horu'usk — Taken Centurion
Cra'adug — Taken Knight
Kagoor — Taken Wizard

Taken Lieutenants in the Dreadnaught

Aarta — Taken Knight: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
Dakkadi — Taken Knight: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
Gornith — Taken Knight: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
Gurroth — Taken Knight: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
Purtra, the False Tongue — Taken Wizard: Hull Breach, Dreadnaught
Surnon, Darksong — Taken Wizard: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
Dumuzod — Taken Knight: summoned with a Charged Agonarch Rune at The Founts, Dreadnaught
Disrok — Taken Wizard: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
Dumuz-Nuna — Taken Knight: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
Kilulu — Taken Knight: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught
Mishkara — Taken Knight: Hall of Souls, Dreadnaught

Taken Zealots in Patrol encounters

Bracus Dru'urng — Taken Centurion: The Legion's Keep, Mars
Bracus Payne — Taken Centurion: Divalian Mists, Dreaming City
Blighted Chord — Taken Minotaur: Endless Steps, Venus
Blighted Descendant — Taken Minotaur: The Hollows, Mars
Darnu, Horn of Oryx — Taken Knight: The Divide, Earth
Grayris, Baroness — Taken Captain: The Shattered Coast, Venus
Falsek, Lost to Oryx — Taken Captain: Dock 13, Earth
Inomina, Plague of the Well – Chimera: Blind Well, Dreaming City
Irxori, Lost to Oryx — Taken Captain: Skywatch, Earth
Kakos, Herald of the Plague — Taken Minotaur: Blind Well, Dreaming City
Krathoor — Taken Knight: Shrine of Oryx, Moon
Kydoimos, Herald of the Plague — Taken Minotaur: Blind Well, Dreaming City
Lhoks, Exile Baron — Taken Captain: The Cinders, Venus
Oxus, Herald of the Plague — Taken Minotaur: Blind Well, Dreaming City
Pauurc, the Farseer's Heir — Taken Ogre: Rheasilvia, Dreaming City
Saturn Survivor - Taken Knight: The Sludge, European Dead Zone
Sho'oulth, Horror of Oryx — Taken Centurion: The Barrens, Mars
Stirok, Banner of Oryx — Taken Knight: Rocketyard, Earth
Taken Howler — Taken Knight: Contact Public Event
Taken Monstrosity — Taken Ogre: Contact Public Event
Taken Pyromaster — Taken Incendior: Contact Public Event
Taken Will of Quria — Taken Minotaur: Contact Public Event
Teorax, Lightseeker of Savathûn – Taken Knight: The Reservoir, Earth
Vakarsik, Grasp of Quria — Taken Captain: Rift Generator Public Event
Velox, Lightseeker of Savathûn – Taken Knight: The Reservoir, Earth

Taken Lieutenants in Lost Sectors

Inkasi, Disciple of Quria — Taken Wizard Chamber of Starlight, Dreaming City
Pandrok, Pillar of Nothing — Taken Knight: Sanctum of Bones, Io
Varghul, Fragment of Oryx — Taken Knight: Cavern of Souls, EDZ
Ur Haraak, Disciple of Quria — Taken Knight: Aphelion's Rest, Dreaming City
Vendraxis, Shadow of Oryx — Taken Captain: Hallowed Grove, EDZ

Taken Lieutenants in Flashpoints

Ereshkel, Insight of Savathûn - Taken Wizard: Giant's Scar, Io
Viadion, Transformed Mind - Taken Minotaur: The Rupture, Io

Taken Lieutenants in Quests and Adventures

Akorith, Lightdrinker of Savathûn – Taken Knight: Harbinger
Agra, the Stalwart — Taken Knight: Dark Monastery
An Hamaat, the Warp — Taken Wizard: Ascendant Challenge
An Ragaar, Son of Xivu Arath — Taken Knight: The Oracle Engine
An Salaak, the Weft — Taken Wizard: Ascendant Challenge
Ashorc, Temple Claimant — Taken Knight: The Corrupted (Malfeasance)
Bab'dotek, the Abhorrent — Taken Knight: Lost Souvenir
Balvog, Shield of Oryx — Taken Knight: Dread Patrol
Barrism, Altered Phalanx — Taken Phalanx: Sanctum of Bones (Exodus: Evacuation)
Crorok, Will of Xivu Arath — Taken Captain: Broken Courier
Drensik, Venom of Oryx — Taken Captain: Sunbreaker quest
Drevis, Aspect of Darkness — Taken Captain: The Whisper
Elatiox, Beloved of Quria — Taken Minotaur: Kings Shadow quest
Erosus, Spawn of Quria — Taken Hydra: Kings Shadow quest
Graam, Born of the Hellmouth — Taken Ogre: The Other Side Quest
Gu'urc, Venom of Oryx — Taken Centurion: Stormcaller quest
Haraal, Venom of Oryx — Taken Wizard: Nightstalker quest
Ir Arok, Tongue of Quria — Taken Knight: Kings Shadow quest
Iraz, Eye of Savathûn — Taken Wizard: Unexpected Guests adventure
Ishrasek, Lightbinder of Savathûn – Taken Captain: The Crow and the Hawk
Korusk, Lighteater of Savathûn – Taken Centurion: A Cry from Beyond
Kurumo, the Uprooter — Taken Wizard: Visions of Light
Mant Yût, Born of the Hellmouth — Taken Centurion: The Other Side Quest
Mar-Zik, the Blightcaller — Taken Wizard: Fear's Embrace
Mukor, Soulkeeper — Taken Ogre: The Oracle Engine
Mysik, Daughter of Oryx — Taken Wizard: Blighted Coven
Om Alir, Ascendant Sentinel — Taken Wizard: Dark Monastery
Orm Vashyx — Taken Knight: The Oracle Engine
Ta'aurc, Aspect of War — Taken Centurion: The Whisper
Tarusk, Lighteater of Savathûn – Taken Centurion: A Cry from Beyond
Teksis, Ascendant Sentinel — Taken Captain: Dark Monastery
The Odynom — Taken Captain: The Oracle Engine
Thyshik, Matron of Oryx — Taken Wizard: Blighted Coven
Tir Balok, Daughter of Xivu Arath — Taken Knight: The Oracle Engine
Tsugoth, Gauntlet of Oryx — Taken Knight: Kings of Decay
Ugroth, Soulkeeper — Taken Ogre: The Oracle Engine
Urzok, Aspect of Hate — Taken Knight: The Whisper
Val Belyx, Gauntlet of Incaru — Taken Centurion Dark Monastery
Val Eralus, the Obedient — Taken Phalanx: Ascendant Challenge
Val Hragan, Lighteater — Taken Centurion: Visions of Light
Val Pros, Tower Sentry — Taken Phalanx: The Oracle Engine
Xaras, Greed of Xivu Arath — Taken Chimera: Broken Courier
Xavan, Daughter of Xivu Arath — Taken Knight: The Oracle Engine
Xirixis, the Unknowable — Taken Captain: Lost Souvenir
Yächaar, Bound to Sedia — Taken Phalanx: The Corrupted (Malfeasance)
Yamaat, Ascendant Sentinel — Taken Knight: Dark Monastery
Zyrak, Daughter of Oryx — Taken Wizard: Blighted Coven

Taken Lieutenants in Arenas

Ad-Hoc Centurion – Taken Centurion: The Reckoning Arena
Ad-Hoc Knight – Taken Knight: The Reckoning Arena
Ad-Hoc Wizard– Taken Wizard: The Reckoning Arena
Brute Champion – Taken Phalanx: The Reckoning Arena
Counterfeit Hydra — Taken Hydra: The Reckoning Arena
Counterfeit Phalanx –Taken Phalanx: The Reckoning Arena
Counterfeit Servitor — Chimera: The Reckoning Arena
Eshlor, Primeval Envoy – Taken Wizard: Gambit Prime Arena
Käav, Primeval Envoy – Taken Wizard: Gambit Prime Arena
Keksis, the Betrayed — Taken Captain: Prison of Elders Arena
Kholks, Taken of Xivu Arath — Taken Ogre: Astral Allignment arena
Likeness of Nokris — Taken Wizard: The Reckoning Arena
Likeness of Oryx – Echo of Oryx: The Reckoning Arena
Noru'usk, Servant of Oryx— Taken Centurion: Prison of Elders Arena
Seditious Mind — Taken Hydra: Prison of Elders Arena
Sulk'oth, Taken of Xivu Arath — Taken Knight: Astral Allignment Arena
Sylok, the Defiled — Taken Knight: Prison of Elders Arena
The Hermit – Taken Knight: The Reckoning Arena
Zumach, Primeval Envoy – Taken Wizard: Gambit Prime Arena

Trivia

Based on Grimoire analysis it can be assumed that the victim willingly chooses to be enslaved.^[36] It is unknown if any victims have ever rejected the Darkness.
Some concept art of the Taken shows them being able to Take other enemies although this is never seen in game.
Some concept art of the Taken show a Taken Dreg, but they are never seen in game.
According to the Drifter, the Taken have an aversion to methane, which makes it particularly difficult for them to operate on Titan.
The Taken are the first new faction type to not attack another faction, being the Hive.
It may possible for a Ghost to be Taken, as alluded to by the Kingslayer's Shell from the King's Fall Raid.
- However this has never been confirmed.