Wizard

Wizard
Biographical information
Species:	Hive
Sect:	Hidden Swarm ; Spawn of Crota ; Blood of Oryx ; The Silent Brood ; Savathûn's Brood ; Grasp of Nokris ; Xivu Arath's Horde ; Lucent Brood
Purpose:	Fire Support
Combat information
Abilities:	Darkness Blast ; Rapid Flight ; Absorption Shield ; Poison Cloud (D1) ; Cloud of Darkness (D2)

"Wizards, lead your followers in battle. Take enough devastation to feed your worm, and a little more to grow, and take the tithe of your followers. Then take another portion, as much as you dare, and use it for your own purposes. But if it is too much, your peers will kill you and take it. Then tithe the remainder to the Ascendant you serve."

— Oryx, the Taken King

Wizards are a powerful caste of Hive. They wear long, crumbling robes and fly overhead to unleash their spells, drawing on the might of the Darkness to fuel their powers.^[1] While other Hive monsters carry out the Hive's will through overwhelming force, the Wizards plan the Hive's conquests, and carry out the unspeakable rituals that create its menagerie of abominations. Wizards also serve as the Hive's reproductive caste, becoming fertile either from a mate or on her own, whereupon she will produce the pupae that give rise to the Hive's legions of Thralls.^[2]

Gameplay

"The only word for what we saw is sorcery."

— Grimoire description.

Wizards are often frustrating opponents on the battlefield, being able to unleash long range Arc bolts called Darkness Blasts in rapid succession while swiftly flying around. The higher the Wizard is ranked, the faster they fire them. In addition, Wizards can conjure Poison Clouds that deal damage over time, blur the player's vision, and slow them down. The vast majority of Wizards come with Solar Absorption Shields, though rare ones have different shields or no shields at all. Once the shield of any Wizard is picked apart through concentrated fire, their defenses are effectively shut down, leaving them fully vulnerable to Guardian attacks. They should be finished off swiftly, as they will otherwise try to find cover and recharge their defenses.

In Destiny 2, Wizards appear largely the same, with though Poison Clouds have been renamed to "Cloud of Darkness."

Known Wizards

Blood of Oryx Wizards

Hidden Swarm Wizards

Spawn of Crota Wizards

Savathûn's Brood Wizards

Xivu Arath's Horde Wizards

Wrathborn Wizards

Grasp of Nokris

Lucent Brood Wizards

Unknown affiliation

Proxy Wizards

Nightmare Wizards

Variants

Major Variations

Brood Queen - High ranking Wizards, known for birthing entire broods or sects.
Deathsinger - Wizards that have mastered a lethal killing dirge.
Lightbearer Wizard - Wizard risen by a Ghost.
Nightmare Wizard - A Nightmare with the form of a Wizard.

Common Variants

Ascendant Wizard - Epic difficulty Wizard
Blistered Wizard - Major Wizard (Destiny 2)
Chosen Wizard - Heroic difficulty Wizard
Dread Unhallowed Wizard - Major Grasp of Nokris Wizard
Hallowed Wizard - Major Wizard (Destiny)
Revenant Wizard - Elite Wizard
Unhallowed Wizard - Elite Grasp of Nokris Wizard

Specific Variants

Trivia

The phrase "That Wizard came from the Moon!" (as uttered by the Ghost) has become an infamous line among the Destiny community.^[3] Bungie has released a shirt and a poster in recognition of the meme.^[4]
Most Wizards are females capable of reproduction, either sexually or asexually through parthenogenesis, however there has been some instances of male Wizards, with one notable being Nokris.