In Destiny 2, much of the actual story is explained through lore entries and weapon and armor descriptions. A description of a well-known mission from Witch Queen has now announced the imminent return of an old enemy/friend.
Which enemy is being referred to? This is the well-known War AI from the Golden Age: Rasputin. This Russian fellow has frequently interacted with humanity, not always with good intentions.
Once, he nearly wiped out all of the Iron Lords and has already been labeled as unpredictable and untrustworthy by the Vanguard. However, Bungie has still made many allusions regarding Rasputin and has even dedicated a season to him. Nonetheless, many Guardians believe that another season featuring the wonder weapon “SIVA” and the unpredictable AI that controls it is upcoming.
Mission descriptions from the Exo-Phase quest could now provide more concrete hints that in Year 5, a reunion with the restored AI of Rasputin may soon be on the horizon.
Rasputin soon as an Ally with SIVA
What has happened to Rasputin? In the Season of Arrival, Rasputin was encased in an engram during the evacuation of Mars, amidst the attack of the Pyramid ships, in order to save the last piece of him. Since then, Ana Bray has been working at the Tower of the Last City, with permission from Commander Zavala, to restore him and bring him back in whatever form possible.
While Guardians are initially trying to spread out in Savathûn’s Throne World, mission descriptions from the evidence board in the Enclave suddenly provide deeper insights into Rasputin.
This information refers to the lore entry Report: TRANSCRIPT-WOUND, revealed through the Exo-Phase quest. This translates to:
“An IKO-006: Here is the transcript of the AI-COM/RSPN protocol that we extracted from the wounds. Accordingly, Rasputin destroyed all protective measures for human colonies and settlements prior to the initiation of YUGA SUNDOWN. There is a long list of codenames for the Moon, Mars, Earth, the Exodus ships, etc. … but Rasputin also refers to a place called NEFELE STRONGHOLD. No record of it in any of our databases. Forwarding to AB for a cross-reference.”
This message was addressed to Ikora and explicitly names the place “Nefele Strongholt”. Following the lore entry further, Ana Bray suggests that all entries were so thoroughly destroyed that no tracking is possible anymore. She assumes that Rasputin himself destroyed them.
Now, if you look at the two terms, you realize that they mean the following:
- Nefele also Nephele – Is a cloud created by Zeus
- Strongholt – Translates to fortress
Due to the rifts in reality on Mars, Ana has been able to access this information from the past. If this is confirmed, and Rasputin knows of a fortress that is floating, that could be a new destination for Guardians. In this, Rasputin may have a mobile rescue facility prepared, with SIVA resources, to be ready even in extreme cases.
As Zavala often said, a new Golden Age would be possible, but this time with Rasputin at the Vanguard’s side. His firepower and capabilities could provide a great advantage to the Vanguard in the battle against the Darkness. Aside from the Guardians themselves, it might become one of the greatest tools of the Vanguard to fend off the massive fleet of Darkness.
What is SIVA? SIVA is a nanotechnology developed by Bray-Tech in the Destiny universe. It can be specifically controlled by Rasputin and utilizes existing matter. This matter is then broken down into its components and reassembled by SIVA into the desired construct.
Useful when deployed sensibly, but devastating when evil forces misuse it. The AI destroyed the Iron Lords in Destiny 1 and transformed them into immortal and grotesque zombies. Yet, this could prove to be a powerful weapon against the Darkness.
What do you think of the theory? Could the Russian AI soon be sitting at a table with the Vanguard in an Exo body, showing the Darkness where to go? Or are you not interested in a SIVA season? Let us know!
