In Destiny 2, it has finally been possible to decipher the complete language of the Fallen. What does “Psakiks” mean in translation, and what about the languages of the Vex or Hive?
The language of the Fallen has been translated: A clever Guardian has managed to decipher the complete language of the Fallen. Already 3 years ago, he was able to create an initial Fallen dictionary.
However, until now he had to speculate and trust a shady in-game character. Now he has made a breakthrough: Finally, we can translate Eliksni, the Fallen language, directly.
How did the new breakthrough come about? Via Twitter, John “Sarsion” Dowdles shared that, thanks to the Chinese language, a complete translation of the Fallen language is finally possible. The key turns out to be the lore entries in classical Chinese.
In the sometimes lengthy item descriptions for equipment or weapons, quotes from the Fallen also appear. Our Destiny version marks this with Eliksni gibberish like “Psakiks”. However, the Destiny 2 localization in the Middle Kingdom presents the Fallen quotes directly.
Now all relevant passages from Chinese need to be translated. And voilà, we finally understand what the Fallen Captain is mumbling.
Sarsion shared on Reddit that he is very excited because the language of the Fallen is finally translatable without guessing or the help of Variks. He calls upon the Guardians to help him translate all lore entries and item descriptions.
Oh, and “Psakiks” actually means potato. Those who say “Yaviirsi Psakiks” even have a delicious potato in front of them.
What does the community say about it? Players are generally impressed by the dedication of the Fallen Translator. But even the Destiny developer is praised for his attention to detail.
The archaeologists among the Guardians compare the find to the Rosetta Stone. It is an ancient stone tablet that is trilingual and helped decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs (via Wikipedia).
Languages of other enemy types in Destiny
Not only in appearance and combat tactics do enemies in the Destiny universe differ. The various races all have their linguistic peculiarities. The xeno-linguists among the Guardians have made some interesting discoveries over the years.
The language of the Hive: The Hive communicate through runes. These are used in their occult rituals and the so-called sword logic.
You may have noticed that they particularly like to “enchant” doors and passages with their runes, and that we have to break this enchantment first in order to progress.
The language of the Cabal: Not much is known about the Cabal enemy’s actual language. However, they are capable of communicating normally with us Guardians. For example, Imperator Calus talks to us multiple times in the Leviathan Raid.
Furthermore, it is notable that many of the Cabal terms are direct references to the ancient Roman Empire. They are portrayed as a formidable military power. Their foot soldiers carry titles like Legionnaire and the leaders are Centurions.
Destiny veterans can probably recite the following quote in their sleep: “Valus Ta’aurc. As far as I know, he commands the siege dancers from an imperial land tank in front of Rubicon.”
This also hides a reference to Roman history. The Rubicon is a river, whose crossing Caesar and his army declared quasi war on the Roman Senate.
The language of the Vex: The Vex and their language have not yet been precisely studied. Some Guardians (via Reddit) suspect that they communicate using music and geometric shapes.
This is something Destiny players frequently come across. In missions or Vex raids, so-called Oracles can be found. These make sounds and must be eliminated in a melodic sequence.
Also, in the popular “Whispers of the Worm” mission, we find this musical way of communicating. On the other hand, it raises the question of whether the Vex even need to communicate with one another, as they possess a form of shared swarm intelligence.
The topic of language in the Destiny universe presents many unresolved mysteries. However, it also shows why this detailed world fascinates the Guardians. Aside from the gameplay, loot, and the fun of shooting aliens in the face together.
But finally, you know the Fallen word for potato! What do you think of the discoveries of the Fallen Translator? Destiny not only sounds beautiful, but also looks good, as we have described here:
