Meet the hateful eight Barons that you’ll be hunting in Destiny 2: Forsaken

Did you know that Destiny 2: Forsaken is actually a Mega Man game in disguise? Wait what? Yup, that’s kind of true, because while you may have a story that revolves around you travelling across the far reaches of the solar system to kick Prince Uldren in his purple Awokenads, you’re also going to have to deal with the Barons who he helped bust out of the space-jail known as the Prison of Elders.

Uldren alone couldn’t have killed Cayde-6 without help from the infamous Barons, a ragtag group of the most dreadful Fallen outcasts to ever plunder the Reef in the wake of the Taken War that left our slice of the cosmos devastated. Over on Game Informer, a whole heap of new details were revealed regarding the hateful eight, and how they came to be.

Here’s the first bit of lore that Bungie dropped:

The Barons were once a hodgepodge of lowly Dregs, cast out from the upstart House of Exile. Forsaken and scorned by their own Eliksni comrades, and with no one to depend on but each other, they didn’t just survive… they thrived through ingenuity, ruthlessness, and teamwork. They raided their Fallen brethren’s encampments, stealing ether and growing ever stronger; they pillaged and terrorized Awoken outposts throughout the post- Taken War Reef.

Like the “Cowboys” of Tombstone, they became the scourge of the Reef, overpowering other gangs of Fallen pirates and scavengers, and rendering the once flourishing homeland of the Awoken into a lawless frontier.

Following the Red War, the notorious Cayde-6 and a small, elite posse of his most trusted Guardians assisted Regent-Commander Petra Venj in cleaning up the Reef from the pirating of the Scorned Barons. At a stand-off as legendary as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, the Scorned Barons were defeated. Most were killed; but 7 of the original 8 were captured and tossed into the deepest and darkest cells of the Prison of Elders. At the time, and with no corpse found, no one knew what became of the heretical warrior-priest known as The Fanatic.

So who are the Barons then? Only the most vile scum to ever lock horns with a Guardian, as the Game Informer report detailed their various exploits and history even further:

The Fanatic

Death is your shield … but it is the Scorn’s sword.

• Real name: Fikrul. (FICK-ruhl; sounds like “fickle”)
• Known Aliases: The Fanatic; Fikrul, Master of Souls; Fikrul, Shadow Priest
• Race: Fallen Archon (male)

Leader of the Barons and the dark, corrupted evolution of the Eliksni known as “The Scorn.” Second only to Prince Uldren Sov, he views his Scorn as an evolution of the Fallen and the final manifestation of what they were always meant to be – eternal.

History

Once a prominent Archon Priest of a long-lost House, the Fanatic preached heresy to the machine-worshiping Eliksni and paid a heavy price – docking, banishment, and starved from the Fallen’s lifegiving Ether. After falling in with the Barons to become their warrior-priest, he continued his anti-Great Machine evangelization and instilled in his brothers and sisters a belief that the old Eliksni must finally die, as the Whirlwind should have allowed, in order for them to rise better and stronger – and eternal.

The Machinist

We’re all thieves. Some of us are just better at it.

• Real Name: Elykris (ee-LIE-kris)
• Known Aliases: The Machinist; Scourge of Solis Descent; Elykris the Bandit
• Race: Fallen Baron (female)

Second-in-command to the Fanatic and his most ardent follower. Expert in munitions, weapon-crafting, and in charge of the siege on the [REDACTED]. She’s an insatiable thief and hoarder with a terrifying arsenal.

History

The Bandit started life with nothing. Since then, she’s hoarded just about everything she’s ever taken (other than what she shared with her fellow Barons, of course). Second-in-command to the Fanatic, she’s a scourge of cis-Jovian and cis-Martian space, raiding ships and encampments and making off with any operational weaponry.

The Mindbender

<Unintelligible hum; possibly Hive-speak.>

• Real Name: Hiraks (HIGH-rax)
• Known Aliases: The Mindbender; Hiraks the Brain; Hiraks Ascendent
• Race: Fallen Baron (male)

A mad genius who has been changed by his research into the Hive and their dark religion has somehow found a means of exercising control over Hive combatants.

History

As a starving, runty little Dreg, the Mindbender fell into the Moon’s Hellmouth. He’s never spoken an intelligible word since. But his time in the Hive’s domain changed him, gave him a life-long obsession. After years of study, he found a way to carve a throne-world of his own from the Ascendant Realm.

The Trickster

Where most see war, I see an opportunity – for a laugh!

• Real Name: Araskes (ah-RASK-eez)
• Known Aliases: Araskes the Wit; Butcher of Bamberga; Slayer of the Psyche Hordes; Terminus of the Gray Legion
• Race: Fallon Baron (female)

A silver-tongued manipulator and con artist with a high opinion of herself, the Trickster has a penchant for deadly sleight-of-hand and prefers to work behind-the-scenes when it comes to the Barons’ operations. She does all she can to stay out of sight and is known for duping others into doing her dirty work.

History

When the Barons must negotiate or trade (which is almost never), they send the Trickster. She is their bard, their spokesman, their envoy – and their first strike. The world of the Trickster is one of a constantly moving chess board to protect the reality that she is in fact a coward with little to no skill in battle. While others honed their ability to fight – Araskes honed her mind.

The Hangman

<Guttural groans.>

• Real Name: Reksis Vahn (REX-iss VAWN)
• Known Aliases: The Hangman; Reksis the Scathe; The Godslayer
• Race: Fallen Baron (male)
• Alignment: Enemy of the Light

A silent sadist known for his penchant for docking and tearing Ether generators from the cores of Servitors with his bare hands. His obsession with torturing Servitors is unprecedented in the history of the Eliksni.

History

No one knows why the Hangman was abandoned at birth. Some say his parentage looked in his eyes and knew what he would become. Others say their cruel deed sealed his fate. The Hangman doesn’t just kill his victims – he hurts them. He has a specific hatred for Servitors, the Fallen machines created in the Traveler’s image who enforce the Fallen hierarchies by deciding who eats and who doesn’t. His physical rejection of Eliksni tradition is ultimately what drew him into the Fanatic’s inner circle – but whether it’s for belief or sadistic opportunity has yet to be determined.

The Mad Bomber

Yahahahehheheheehhehehaha!!

• Real Name: Kaniks (KAN-ix)
• Known Aliases: The Mad Bomber; Kaniks Two-Fingers; Kaniks the Detonator
• Race: Fallen Baron (male)

A bombastic thrill-seeker for whom self-preservation is an afterthought, the lunatic known as the Mad Bomber is willing to blow an entire location to smithereens just to kill his target.

History

No one knows where the Mad Bomber came from or how he got here because even he no longer knows. The Mad Bomber now lives simply day-to-day and bomb-to-bomb, constantly chasing the adrenaline high of a fiery explosion. A few too many near-misses and concussive blasts warped whatever was left of his already addled mind.

The Rifleman

I see you…

• Real Name: Pirrha (PEER-hah)
• Known Aliases: The Rifleman; Pirrha the Phantom; Pirrha the Blind
• Race: Fallen Baron (male)

An all-seeing sniper who watches his brother Barons’ backs, The Rifleman keeps his targets at a distance, plays real dirty, and never misses his shot. Brilliant, cold, and patient, more than one of the Rifleman’s notches is a Guardian’s ghost.

History

Since the Barons first ganged up, no one has ever managed to get the drop on them. That’s because the Rifleman’s keen and well-tuned cybernetic eye always watches their backs. When not haunting the shadows, he is said to hold down the hills of whatever territory he claims as his own, aided by a surveillance network no one could penetrate. Cross that threshold – and you’re as good as dead. No matter where you hid, his bullet would find you, Guardian or no.

The Rider

Don’t be afraid of dying under our Pikes. Fear surviving.

• Real Name: Yaviks (YAH-vix)
• Known Aliases: The Rider, Yaviks the Hoss; Yaviks the Untamed
• Race: Fallen Baron (Female)

Anarchist biker and leader of her own gang of Pike riders, the Rider razes fields and pollutes the air everywhere she and her gang run. She’s a master mechanic who’s taken the Fallen heavy pike and made it better – much, much better.

History

The Rider’s fiercely loyal gang is gathered from the remnants of old houses, outlaws, and lone-wolf nomads. She gave them a pike and a purpose, and in exchange every member is prepared to ride or die for their fearless leader. For years the Rider’s gang has been a bane in the Asteroid Belt, seeking to replace any semblance of the hierarchal ranks that failed the Fallen long ago with unrelenting chaos. She breathes nihilism and breeds anarchy.

Last Updated: July 6, 2018