The new teaser for the Forsaken expansion shows the ignoble end of one of the most important characters of Destiny 2: Cayde-6. Not only does the Guardian suffer, but his Ghost also seems to be finally destroyed. Has the final curtain really fallen for the leader of the Hunter Vanguard? Or is Bungie (once again) just trying to build suspense?
Admittedly, the recently revealed teaser with the supposed death of Cayde-6 is primarily a preview of the setting of Forsaken. It is set to be dark and threatening. This is what the fans wanted – and they are getting it.
Content-wise, the teaser is shocking: First, Cayde’s Ghost is shot, and then he himself. To further escalate the humiliation, Cayde is brought down by his own weapon – the Ace of Spades – held by none other than Uldren Sov, the brother of the Awoken Queen, Mara Sov.
But can Bungie really eliminate one of the most important figures in the Destiny universe? With the Destiny 1 expansion The Taken King, Cayde-6 took on a much more prominent role in the story before he became the comic relief in Destiny 2, responsible for all the puns in the game.
Is the leader of the Hunter Vanguard really lost forever? No, of course not. To understand this, we must go back to the beginnings of the Exos.
The Story of the Exos and the Role of Cayde-6
Many aspects of the story surrounding Destiny have been documented in the Grimoire cards. These tell, among other things, the story of the Exos. They were created to assist humanity in the fight against the Darkness.
Exos are so complex that supposedly only Ghosts are able to understand their very nature. There must be a connection between the Exos in their current form and the Traveler, who created the Ghosts.
The Bray Family as the Last Hope for Cayde-6?
The first Exos were supposedly built by Clovis Bray. Clovis Bray is a famous inventor in a series of various family members who shape the history of Destiny like no other. In fact, the Bray family is omnipresent in the Destiny universe:
- Clovis Bray I. – Inventor of SIVA and builder of the structures on Mars, known today as the Dust Palace. He is considered the creator of the first Exos.
- Clovis Bray II. – Son of Clovis Bray, continued his father’s research.
- Willa Bray – The inventor of Engrams.
- Ana Bray – Daughter of Clovis Bray, an important figure in the Warmind expansion, fought in the Dawning.
- Elsie Bray – Daughter of Clovis Bray; considered the mysterious Exo Stranger following the revelations from the Warmind DLC.
And what does the Bray family have to do with Cayde-6? The clue that Clovis Bray created the Exos comes from none other than Cayde-6 himself. He was, like all Exos, a human before his transformation.
A human with high debts (he was considered a gambling addict) who sought help from Clovis Bray. In exchange, Cayde-6 was supposed to become an Exo and protect a researcher in the Ishtar Collective (Dr. Maya Sundaresh). Through many detours, Cayde-6 reached the Vanguard and rose to become the leader of the Hunters.
These and other memories are described by Cayde-6 in his Treasure Island Book, which was included in the Collector’s Edition of The Taken King. Among other things, we learn in this book that his transformation into an Exo took place on Jupiter’s moon Europa, a location that has long been discussed – and could become a reality with Forsaken.
Cayde-6 was not only one of the first Exos, but he also provided Clovis Bray with various data about himself before he was transformed. It is thus likely that any revival of Cayde-6 can only be achieved with the help of the Bray family.
What a convenient coincidence that the Bray family has now been brought to the forefront of events with the Warmind expansion. Are Ana and Elsie Bray the only ones who can resurrect Cayde-6 in some form?
Anyone who closely followed the teaser surrounding the murder of Cayde-6 will have seen the following image at the end:
A person carrying the obviously lifeless Cayde-6. But who is this person? Could it be Elsie Bray, the Exo Stranger, who brings Cayde-6 to Jupiter’s moon Europa to bring him back to life?
What about his Ghost? It’s dead – and only Ghosts understand the essence of an Exo! That’s true – but who says it has to be the Ghost of Cayde-6 that is connected to the resurrected Cayde-6? Theoretically, any Ghost could take on this task. Each Ghost chooses its Guardian, so why couldn’t it be a “new Ghost”?
But that’s not all: The Traveler has awakened – and presumably so has all its power. It should be easy to create a new Ghost that would be connected to Cayde-6. Alternatively, the Traveler might also be powerful enough to revive Cayde’s Ghost.
Cayde-6 is dead, long live Cayde-1?
Now Bungie, in the form of Steve Cotton and Scott Taylor, has confirmed that Cayde-6 is indeed dead and remains dead. This is meant to ensure that players feel emotionally involved and experience the consequences that the loss of an important figure brings.
Well – the same Bungie promoted Destiny 2 with the words “Welcome to a world without Light”. While the phrase isn’t wrong, the motto only lasted two story missions before we became the immortal machines that laid waste to everything.
These are by no means the only “tension creators” that Bungie has touted leading up to Destiny 2:
- The Tower was destroyed – “No problem, we found a new (and much better) one”.
- The Guardian loses all its equipment – Various Exotics from Destiny 1 are now available again in Destiny 2.
Admittedly, they’ve cleverly managed to create a tension arc that has captivated many Guardians. It’s not unlikely that Bungie is now doing the same thing with Cayde-6.
Elegant avoidance of the conflict could be achieved with a solution that resurrects Cayde-6 – but without his memories since his transformation. The real Cayde-6 would be dead – and yet alive. Nice one, Bungie!
What do you think? Is Cayde-6 permanently lost? Or will we find a way to bring him back?
