The Last City

The Last City, in the shadow of the Traveler

"From across the ruined earth they came, seeking shelter from the storm."

— Grimoire description

The Last City, also known as the Last Safe City or simply the City,^[1] is the final bastion of humanity. Located somewhere on Earth, the City was built under the shadow of the Traveler in the hope the Light would offer some protection from threats to Humanity.^[2]^[3] Construction of the Last City began after the Collapse^[4], marking the end of the Dark Age and the beginning of the City Age; most of humanity's survivors now live in the City, after previously being spread across countless hidden settlements across Earth.^[5] Many conflicts (such as the Battle of the Twilight Gap) were fought by the Guardians, under the command of the Vanguard, in order to keep the city and its people safe.^[6] The City is surrounded by a massive wall built by the first Titan Order to keep out enemies, such as the Fallen. The Tower, former headquarters of the Vanguard, rests on top of the wall.^[4] Although being successfully defended by the Guardians for centuries, the relative safety within the walls came to an end when Dominus Ghaul's forces invaded at the beginning of the Red War.^[7] The City was then occupied by Ghaul and his Red Legion before being liberated after a counteroffensive led by the Vanguard.

Government

"This isn't about the Traveler. This is about what happens when people come together without anyone to really lead them."

— Tallulah Fairwind during the Faction Wars

The City is inhabited by Humans, Awoken and Exos, who have cooperated with each other in the time following the Collapse, in order to build the City and its defenses.^[2] Due to no centralised government or leadership, the City became embroiled in a bitter faction war, until the Guardians stepped in and put a stop to the violence. Since this time, the City has been ruled by a Consensus of the factions, with the Speaker as its head and the Vanguard in an advisory position.^[8]

During the Red War, Dominus Ghaul's occupation of the City disrupted its governance. Although the Vanguard and Consensus survived, the Speaker was presumed dead following the City's liberation, and it is unclear who, if anyone, will fill his role. Another seat in the Consensus has been emptied during the events of Forsaken, with Prince Uldren Sov murdering the Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6 and leaving none to take up the mantle.

As of the events of Season of the Splicer, with one Consensus faction leader dead and the remaining two having been banished from the City, the sole governors of the Last City are the Vanguard leaders Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala.

History

The beginnings

The City's skyline.

"The City is the last populated city on Earth and the last bastion for mankind and civilization. The City was built long after The Traveler gave its life to push back the Darkness, a small settlement slowly began to build where the Traveler hovers, where it slumbers. Mankind came together to build The City underneath the Traveler because it provide protection from the horde of the darkness."

— Website description

For centuries after the Collapse, humanity was divided into various settlements across Earth, with early Risen (later called Guardians) blessed with the Traveler's Light acting as warlords, bandits, or makeshift lawmen. However, following the foundation of the Iron Lords, humanity began to unite. Underneath the Traveler, with the guidance of the first Speaker, the Last City began to take root. It started as a small number of tents, but as more people and Guardians arrived in the area, the City began to grow, makeshift structures turning into fully-fledged buildings and increasing in number as the population exploded. After repelling various attacks on the fledgling city, such as raids carried out by the Fallen, construction on a wall surrounding the Last City began, with the help of Guardians, such as Zavala, Ikora Rey, and Shaxx.

At some point during the City's existence, the various factions and groups in the city fought one another for dominance in a conflict that nearly tore the city apart. However, the conflict was eventually ended when the Guardians intervened and stopped the fighting. The end of the Faction Wars saw the creation of the Consensus; a government consisting of representatives from the major factions, the Vanguard, and the Speaker serving as the city's leader.

Besides the Faction Wars, the City had been involved in two major conflicts during it's earlier years. The first being the Battle of Six Fronts, when four Titan orders defended the Last City's walls against six enemy approaches. The second and far more devastating conflict was the Battle of Twilight Gap, where the full might of the Fallen Houses descended upon the City with the goal of retaking the Traveler, but were eventually defeated by the Guardians after Fallen reinforcements from the House of Wolves failed to arrive due to the Queen of the Reef, Mara Sov's intervention.^[5]

The Taken War

A Guardian raid team challenges Oryx, The Taken King.

"Our first priority must be to protect the City. Our Guardian got a good look on Phobos. Whatever it was, it turned Cabal against Cabal, wiped out their base in minutes."
"Until we understand what we're dealing with–"

— Zavala and Ikora discussing the Battle of Saturn

In recent years, the Guardians of the Last City began to reach out and take a more active role in pushing back the hordes of alien invaders threatening the Sol system. They Vanguard engaged in a war of resistance against Oryx, the Taken King, in response to his arrival in the system, and deployment of Taken troops to multiple planets, including Earth. This conflict would later be known as the Taken War. Fortunately, the Guardians were able to push Oryx and his Taken back, culminating in a raid that breached Oryx's Ascendant Realm on the Dreadnaught. This raid resulted in the deaths of Oryx's most powerful servants and the Taken King himself. However, these actions did not bring the war to an end, as the vanguard continued to fight against the lingering Hive and Taken presence in the System.^[9]

Transmission Crisis and SIVA's reawakening

"So what you're telling me is that an unknown substance or virus or curse is spreading among our Guardians." [...]
"For what it's worth, our Guardians aren't worried. It's a carnival out there."
"But you and I know—"
"We do."

— Ikora Rey and Shun Li

When the Owl Sector, a civilian scientific organization working alongside the Vanguard, found a strange mite had been infecting the Guardians' armor and replicating at an incredible rate, the Last City was put under quarantine restrictions. The civilians worked together with the Vanguard and Ikora Rey's Hidden to contain the outbreak, going as far as to reach out to the Reef's Techeuns for help and researching old Golden Age data logs concerning SIVA in hopes of finding a way to stop the epidemic. The cure was eventually developed thanks to the Owl Sector's liaison to the Vanguard Shun Li falling ill and serving as a test subject--though not without hazard to his life. It was later discovered the outbreak had been caused by the Devil Splicers meddling with SIVA they had discovered in the Plaguelands.

The Last City and the Vanguard did not initially take an active role during the events of the SIVA Crisis, the conflict instead being handled directly by Lord Saladin of the Iron Lords, Shiro-4, and the Guardian. Forces of the City did however later intervene when a Fallen plot to destroy the Bannerfall tower and leave the City vulnerable was discovered. With the Vanguard's help, the Guardian was able to drive out the Fallen, thereby securing the tower and by extension, the entire city's Wall.^[10] Near the end of the SIVA Crisis, the Vanguard and the City's forces became involved in a number of operations against old adversaries who had suddenly reappeared, such as Taniks, Omnigul and Sekrion, Subverted Mind. Overseen by Ikora Rey and "supported" by Cayde-6, the Guardians were able to destroy Taniks Perfected after he was resurrected by the Devil Splicers using SIVA, as well as prevent remaining Taken forces from controlling the repaired Vex Nexus Mind and slaying Omnigul before she could resume serving her now dead master.^[11]^[12]

The Red War

The City burning at the onset of the Red War.

Two years after the Taken War, the Cabal Empire launched a major invasion of Earth, headed by the commander of the Red Legion and emperor of the Cabal Empire, Dominus Ghaul. The Red Legion launched a massive surprise attack on the Last City, completely devastating the last bastion of Humanity and the Tower. During the inital attack, a massive cage of Cabal design was attached to the Traveler, which constricted its power and allowed the Commander of the Legion, Dominus Ghaul, to extract and use its Light for himself. This left Guardians cut off from the Light, thus severely crippling their ability to fight back against the invaders. Many inhabitants of the City were killed during the invasion, and its subsequent occupation. ^[13]^[14]

Several weeks after the Red Legion's occupation of the City began, a Vanguard counter-offensive led by Commander Zavala, Cayde-6, and Ikora Rey liberated the city. During the final battle within the City, the leader of the Red Legion, Ghaul, was killed and the stolen light was reclaimed by the Traveler, which had awoken for the first time since the Collapse. The Speaker was believed to have been killed during the occupation. As the Tower had been destroyed in the battle, the Vanguard and many other vendors were forced to relocate until the old Tower could be renovated. Strikes against priority targets continued to be directed and authorized from this new position.^[15]

Scourge of the Past

Insurrection Prime invading the Last City.

"Siviks was after much more than simply stealing and abusing our forge. His gaze has turned to our most prized possession: a vault, filled with the finest wares the Black Armory has to offer. Our very soul resides in that vault."

— Ada-1

During the events of Black Armory, the city was breached by the Kell's Scourge, a brand new, anarchist faction of Fallen terrorists who sought to steal and harness Black Armory technology to rise against all Fallen orders. Their attack was the largest Fallen offensive on the City since the Battle of the Twilight Gap, and required a full team of six Guardians to raid their lair. The attack was neutralized when the Guardians confronted the source of the attack, Insurrection Prime, Kell's Scourge, who battled the Guardians with a massive war-mech, eventually being brought down by the combined efforts of the Guardian raid team.

The Almighty Crisis

The Almighty approaching Earth.

"Two years ago the Warmind Rasputin helped humanity defeat the Hive on the Martian frontier. On that day it swore to protect us. Now… it may be the only thing that can."

— Commander Zavala

Some time after the Red Legion's defeat at the The Sundial and return of legendary titan, Saint-14, the Psion Flayer Amtec, in a final desperate act, commandeered The Almighty and sent it on a collision course with Earth, hoping to annihilate the Last City. Thankfully, Commander Zavala and Anastasia Bray, with the help of Rasputin and the Guardian, were able to reactivate the Warmind's Seraph countermeasures. Mere days before the Almighty's collision with the City, Warsats bombarded the ship until it finally exploded in low orbit. Debris from the Almighty's core crashed along the side of a mountain near the city, unleashing a massive shockwave that inflicted minor damage to the New Tower. Ultimately, however, the Last City survived Amtec's plot.

The Darkness's Arrival

"Guardian, siege preparations are… they're ongoing. [...] The Tower's resources are stretched thin. I trust you'll maintain our front against the Pyramids."

— Commander Zavala to the Guardian

Unfortunately, this victory against the Cabal would prove short-lived as the Last City received reports of Pyramid-shaped vessels appearing over planets throughout the Sol System soon after. The Guardians, the Vanguard, and Last City officials soon confirm their worst fears: the Darkness had returned. Worse, Rasputin was silenced by the Darkness when it and Ana Bray attempted to fight back against this new threat with the Warmind's Warsat network, only to fail. As the Guardians worked with Eris Morn to discern the Darkness's intentions in the messages the Pyramid's send on Io, Zavala gathered the main City factions to formulate a plan should the Darkness turn hostile. Despite some initial squabbling, Zavala was able to reach a compromise with the factions, gaining their support in the establishment of Project Stronghold, the plan to fortify the Last City's defenses. Ikora Rey was put in charge of leading the City's siege preparations.

As the enemy circled in on the Last City, the Traveler reformed itself healing its Red War wounds in a splendid show of power, releasing a burst of Light to chase off the encroaching Darkness. Sadly, it was not enough to keep the Pyramids from taking Io, Mars, Mercury and Titan and leaving only mysterious singularities in their place. Deputy Commander Sloane, Brother Vance and Asher Mir were unaccounted for, having refused to evacuate from the assailed planets. With the Darkness calling Guardians to Europa, the Vanguard turned its eye toward the icy moon and focused all resources on stopping Eramis, Kell of a new Fallen house, from striking against the Traveler.

Clash of the Chosen

Empress Caiatl meets with Zavala and Osiris.

"I propose an alliance."
"Cabal don't ally. They conquer. She betrayed her father to Ghaul. Don't think she won't put a gilded knife in your back too."

— Empress Caiatl and Savathûn in Osiris's disguise

Forced to flee their home Torobatl destroyed by Hive under the lead of Xivu Arath, God of War, a massive Cabal fleet entered the Solar System and formed a base on Nessus. Empress Caiatl called Zavala and Osiris to discuss an alliance with them, offering her aid in battling both the Hive and the Pyramids if the City's leaders bowed to her and joined the Cabal Empire. When Zavala refused, a conflict broke out, with multiple champions seeking to prove themselves worthy of joining Caiatl's war council striking against vital targets like the Cosmodrome or the Deep Stone Crypt. Guardian forces battled them for weeks, and when a fireteam of three defeated Ignovun, Chosen of Caiatl in ritual combat, the Empress was forced to sign a peace treaty on Zavala's conditions.

The Endless Night

The Last City shrouded by the Vex simulation.

"We are governed by a consensus. A democracy where the people have a say over what happens in their city. Or so we thought. But did you agree to shelter a mob of dangerous Fallen? The same Fallen that spent a century stealing from us, besieging our city, and destroying our families? Did you agree to suddenly forgive and forget? No. Ikora Rey decided, without the people's consent, to allow House Light inside our walls. These are not the actions of a democratic leader."

— Lakshmi-2 broadcasting on an open channel to the City's people.

A short time after, a Vex simulation began to affect the City, causing massive strains on the power grid among other issues. During this time, the Vanguard chose to give shelter to the Eliksni of House Light, while their leader, Mithrax assisted the Guardians in bringing the Endless Night to an end. Lakshmi-2, leader of the Future War Cult, publicly criticized the Vanguard's choice to grant the Eliksni asylum within the City, claiming they could not be trusted. Though Ikora Rey condemned her words, many citizens agreed with Lakshmi's sentiment, feeling unsafe and resentful about living side by side with the people who not that long ago had been the main threat to the City's very existence. With the help of Osiris (secretly Savathûn), Lakshmi-2 launched an attack on the Eliksni Quarter, using Vex portal technology. This resulted in a Vex incursion into the city, which was soon thwarted by the Vanguard with help from Saint-14 and Mithrax, Kell of Light. Shortly after the attack, and the death of Lakshmi-2 at the hands of the Vex, the factions (Dead Orbit, Future War Cult, and New Monarchy) fled the City. At this time, the Vanguard has complete control over the City's government.

Districts

The City is divided into several districts, not all of which are known. Shuttles periodically transport passengers between the City's districts and the Tower.^[16]

Anchor District
Botza District - an abandoned area within the Last City that houses the long lost Vault Ebisu of the Black Armory, and staging grounds of the Scourge of the Past Raid. As of Season of the Splicer, it houses the headquarters of the House of Light and now goes by the name "The Eliksni Quarter".
City Perimeter - the land surrounding the City proper, just beyond its walls. Also known as the City Outskirts. Twilight Gap, a valley where the City's Guardians repelled a Fallen invasion force, is located here.
Core East^[16]^[17]
Core South^[16]
District 125^[16] - an area where maglev train rails are located; the Praxic Warlock Aunor Mahal is known to have derailed a train and crashed it into an abandoned warehouse in an attempt to stop the Shadows of Yor hiding there.^[17]
Midtown - an isolated and abandoned location of the City used as a Crucible arena during the Red War.
Military District - the location of the Future War Cult clubhouse.^[16]
Peregrine District - site of the Guardians' incursion to assassinate Dominus Ghaul during the Red Legion's occupation.^[18]
Ridgeback District
Riverside District - an area from where the transformation of the Traveler could be observed, as the Traveler healed its wounds sustained in the Red War and chased off the ecroaching Darkness.^[19]
The Core - the City's central area, directly beneath the Traveler. The Hall of Consensus is located here.^[16]
Umbral District
West District - an area where the Tex Mechanica foundry is located.^[20]

After Twilight Gap, the districts nearest the City walls were abandoned.^[21] Many districts were also entirely obliterated by the Red Legion's invasion and occupation of the City. To replace them following the City's liberation, blueprints with modular designs for housing and storefronts were drawn up by City engineers.^[22]

Locations

Bannerfall (Crucible map)
Botza District
Midtown (Crucible map)
The Tower
- Courtyard
  - Bazaar
    - Annex
  - Hangar
- Tower Plaza
  - Tower Hangar
  - Tower North
  - Tower Watch
  - Passage
  - Ventilation
  - Vault
  - Tower Ruins
H.E.L.M.

City-based organizations

Consensus Factions

Dead Orbit (formerly)
Future War Cult (formerly)
New Monarchy (formerly)
Concordat (formerly)

Guardian organizations

Weapon Foundries

Other

Raid

Scourge of the Past

Trivia

The location of the City has been the source of much speculation. One theory, based on the movements of the Sun and the local geography, suggests that the City is located in Nepal.^[23] Other theories place the city in southwestern Canada, northern Chile, and in the southern Andes range on the border between Chile and Argentina or it could be located somewhere in the Caucasus mountains in Russia based on the Cosmodrome's relatively nearby location during A Guardian Rises closing cinematic. In the lost Cryptarch mission, Amanda refers to the EDZ as "Back across the Pond" Indicating the City being in North America. Based on the Mountainous Terrain, it's possible the Last City could be around Denver, Colorado, or Colorado Springs.
- Suraya Hawthorne makes a similar notion in one of the EDZ adventure missions, stating that when she heard the city's distress signal she flew across the ocean to help. This does indeed place the city on the North or South American continent. Since she was running supplies in the EDZ when the signal came through and flying to anywhere in Europe, Russia, Asia, and Africa from there would not have required her to cross any oceans.
- After the first mission of the Forsaken campaign, Amanda Holliday states that her mother died crossing the Panama Ravine on their way to the Last City, with her father dying just outside its gate. Given this, and her extremely Southern United States mannerisms/accent, it's reasonable to assume that the Last City is somewhere in South America.
- In addition to the above, the lore tab for the Colony exotic grenade launcher mentions that a man died of a terciopelo snake bite near the City. Terciopelo snakes, also known by the scientific name Bothrops asper, naturally range between southern Mexico to northern South America, further supporting that the Last City is in South America.
- Orin states that the City is south of the Sinaloan Ruins, presumably in Mexico, and that part of the reason the Fallen steer clear is because there are too many parasites, adding yet more to the claim that it is located in South America.^[24]^[25]
- The Traveler is depicted over the north pole of Earth in Shadowkeep key art, though this is obviously for artistic effect and not accurate to its actual position and by extension the City's location.
Curiously in Destiny 1 and 2, Signs around the tower and the New Tower are typically placed in three languages. The first being English, the next Portuguese, finally Chinese. This suggests that the primary ethnic groups of the Last City are of English, Latin-American, and Asian heritage.
In Destiny 2, there is a secret room of the Daito weapon foundry, the company that manufactured the Jade Rabbit scout rifle, accessible through a ventilation shaft in the Hangar area of the Last City. This room contains a Ghost scan of a computer journal of Ana Bray, who is featured in the Warmind expansion.