Destiny: Who and what are the Awoken?

GAMR

10 years ago

If you’ve been playing and enjoying Destiny then you may have wondered who the Awoken are, especially given the fact that you can choose to be one as a player character throughout the game. Whilst Destiny is an excellent game for the most part, there does tend to be the odd narrative gap here and there that could do with a little extra explanation. I myself chose an Awoken character with little understanding of their background and only got a true reveal after a good 10 or so hours into the game. So let’s take a look at what the Awoken are.

Perhaps surprisingly the most notable point about the awoken as a species is that they are in fact Humans. Albeit Humans who have lived on the very edge of space for some time and have become altered physically and mentally by its influence. It is said that the awoken as descendants of Humans ran to the edges of space during the collapse to escape the impending darkness and this in turn is what changed them forever.

They reside far out at the edge of the solar system at a place known as the Reef. A battered up asteroid belt that helps provide them with protection from outside threats allowing them to closely monitor space flight in and out and take drastic and aggressive steps to prohibit their enemies from getting close. Those awoken inhabiting the Reef reside under the watchful eye of the awoken Queen who we expect will have a greater part to play in the Destiny universe in its upcoming ‘House of Wolves’ expansion.

As a race they are characterised by their shaded blue skin and piercingly bright coloured eyes, when creating the characters Bungie is said to have looked for inspiration from mythological creatures such as Elves, Vampires and Angels. When you consider the designs of the characters it’s clear to see that Bungie has indeed designed the species to show a similar look, perhaps creating effectively their own rendition of the mythology making the Awoken the direct equivalent of Space Elves with a logical background and descendancy.

Whilst there is yet to be a lot more revealed on the background of the Awoken as mentioned we expect as the upcoming expansions for Destiny release there will be a greater focus on the Awoken. Specifically those residing under the watchful eye of the Queen at the Reef, which should give us a far great insight into what at present remains a mysterious and unusual species in a game still full of mysteries. What is your take on the Awoken, how do you think their race will have an impact on Destiny’s expanding universe as new DLC makes it’s way to the game?

Ben Corbett-Mills / @benleopards