Pantheon Raid Event — Boss Dossiers (2024)

The Pantheon was a limited-time event during The Final Shape's Into the Light era, in which Guardians took on a rotation of past raid bosses at boosted difficulty. Each boss received an in-character Vanguard intel report distributed via Bungie.net's TWID series. These dossiers are the closest thing we have to canonical "Bestiary" entries.

Golgoroth

CLASSIFICATION

• Hive
• Blood of Oryx
• Ogre
• Worm

HAZARDS

• Void eye beam
• Venomous gaze
• Unstable Light
• Monstrous strength and durability

INTEL Ogres are forged — through tortuous trials and dark rituals — from corrupted and deformed Thralls known as Unborn. They know only pain and are conditioned to hate and despise the Light.

Golgoroth is a Hive Ogre, infested with burrowing parasites related to the Worm gods and committed to Oryx's service. One of the most powerful ogres ever known, Golgoroth was felled aboard the Dreadnaught by the same brave fireteam that delivered the Taken King his final death.

Vanguard operatives uncovered that Golgoroth was enlisted as a vessel to both tithe violence directly to Oryx and corrupt hordes of stolen Light from Oryx's conquests. The ogre's flesh also served as containment for a Tablet of Ruin.

OF NOTE

• Recovered from Golgoroth's remains, Tablet of Ruin x1. The item has been vaulted for proper containment.
• Deciphered Hive apocrypha suggests Golgoroth was fond of flower petals. Daughters of Savathûn would send warriors with petals stuffed beneath their chitin as deathly delights for the Ogre.

Caretaker

CLASSIFICATION

• Scorn, Abomination, altered
• Resonant
• Eliksni, former, House unknown
• Worm, altered

HAZARDS

• Scale drone swarm
• Overcharged ether blast
• Sacred dematerialization
• Resonant empowerment

INTEL Slain by the intrepid fireteam that stormed the Sunken Pyramid in the fetid Court of Savathûn, the Caretaker is a being of which we know little. It resembles a Scorn Abomination but has been the subject of several experiments and is believed to have been host to a Worm.

The Caretaker was entrusted with a collection of Wormspawn as well as other entities the Witness and Rhulk had obtained to be analyzed and stored within the Pyramid.

Reports from fireteams raiding the Sunken Pyramid mention that the Caretaker appears to have been both victim to and overseer of experiments seeking to fuse Worms and Scorn together.

OF NOTE

• Multiple fireteams have commented on what appear to be "pet" mutations that are believed to have belonged to the Caretaker. Whether these were rejected experiments or unsanctioned creations isn't known.
• There is a discrepancy in the number of Wormspawn marked as collected from the Pyramid and those delivered to the Tower's vault containment. Guardians who have information regarding their whereabouts should submit a report to Vanguard Leadership.

Atraks-1, Fallen Exo — "The Wildcard"

CLASSIFICATION

• Eliksni
• Exo(s)*
• House Salvation, Baroness
• Ex-House of Devils, Council

HAZARDS

• Modified Shock Rifle
• Extinction protocol
• Self-replication
• Teleportation
• Stasis empowerment

INTEL Exos are humanoid machines that house a living mind. Atraks-1 obtained this technology from a BrayTech station orbiting Europa. Atraks's mind commands multiple copies of her Exo frame.

Before converting her form, Atraks acted as Council to Eramis, Kell of House Salvation for many years. Atraks was entrusted with command of the Deep Stone Crypt. She was destroyed by the Guardian fireteam that brought the Morning Star down from orbit.

Atraks-1 created multiple copies of herself to deceive foes. Fireteams encountering this tactic in the future are advised to locate the original target and focus a simultaneous strike.

Atraks was at one time seen as a voice of reason, an orator, able to speak to the hearts of the Eliksni youth in House Salvation.

OF NOTE

• The Hidden have relayed rumors that a copy of Atraks-1's mind exists, stored somewhere on Europa. This has yet to be verified.
• At least two of the initial six fireteam members that destroyed Atraks-1 believe they destroyed a clone and that the real Atraks-1 still lives. This is under investigation.
• Atraks-1 was known to prefer synthetic lubricant when undergoing maintenance.

Zo'Aurc, Explicator of Planets

CLASSIFICATION

• Manufactured
• Cabal Shadow Legion Incendior
• Clone

HAZARDS

• Cabal magma launcher
• Searing beam (column of flame)
• Magma launcher compression blast
• Paracausal shielding
• Resonant empowerment

INTEL Zo'Aurc is a Cabal clone created by the deposed Emperor Calus and is assigned to a detachment of the Shadow Legion forces aboard the Witness's personal Pyramid ship.

According to Vanguard decryption teams, Zo'Aurc, who was granted the title Explicator of Planets, has surveyed a collection of worlds conquered by the Black Fleet for an unknown purpose. Preliminary theories span weighing the worlds for Discipleship to searching for the Veil or a method of contributing to the Final Shape.

OF NOTE

• Reports conclude that even the Shadow Legion was not immune to Nezarec's torment. Zo'Aurc details his own nightmares and more reports of nightmares and violent incidents among his forces.
• Zo'Aurc's personal logs have been decoded. It seems that, whatever their official goal was, they were personally cataloging worlds that had once been part of the Cabal empire but were no more.

Oryx, the Taken King

CLASSIFICATION

• Hive God
• First Navigator and King of the Osmium Court
• Brother to Savathûn and Xivu Arath
• Father to Crota
• Ex-Krill
• Taken, Wielder

HAZARDS

• The power to Take
• Willbreaker, Blade of Oryx
• Commands Hive and Taken legions
• Planar tearing
• Corrupted Light
• Darkness mastery
• Godly strength and durability
• Guardians rated Sigma-3 or lower are advised not to engage

INTEL Oryx was once known as Aurash, one of the three sisters of Krill nobility. She became Oryx upon descending into the Deep, accepting a worm, and choosing to shed her form in favor of the king morph. Oryx then began a crusade of conquest and death across the universe in pursuit of the Final Shape.

After invading Sol to seek vengeance for the death of his son, Crota, and winning a decisive victory at the battle of Saturn, Oryx was dethroned by a valiant fireteam who infiltrated the Dreadnaught and ended the Taken King.

Many Hive still tithe to Oryx in secret, though it is not known where the power of their tithes goes, given that the Taken King is dead.

After his defeat, Oryx's corpse fell to Titan where the Lucent Hive attempted to resurrect him through the heretical use of necromancy, a crime for which Oryx once banished another of his sons, Nokris. This scheme was foiled by Guardian operatives.

OF NOTE

• Oryx slew Akka, the Worm of Secrets, and carved the Dreadnaught from its corpse. Hidden operatives report faint biosignatures still pulsing from within the ship's hull.
• Through the use of Willbreaker and the Dreadnaught, Oryx may weaponize his throne world, allowing it to spill into the material plane as a wave of destructive power. This weapon claimed the Awoken Fleet during the Battle of Saturn.
• While imprisoned in the Dreaming City, Savathûn once claimed that her brother Oryx was unable to control his curiosity, that his worm intentionally directs it, and that the worm manipulates Oryx's actions unbeknownst to him. She claims all Hive worms function in this way. The veracity of this claim is unconfirmed.
• Eris Morn used Oryx's Ravenous Heart to construct the Exotic weapon Touch of Malice.

Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness

CLASSIFICATION

• The last-known Lubraean
• First Disciple of the Witness
• Other names: The Upender, Worm Father
• Dread
• Resonant

HAZARDS

• Darkness mastery
• Immeasurable strength and durability
• Powerful Lubrae's Ruin Glaive
• Suns of Lubrae attack and debuff
• Savage Strike kick
• Umbral Suffocation attack
• Teleportation
• Resonant Spikes area effect
• Guardians rated Sigma-3 or lower are advised not to engage

INTEL Rhulk was born on the planet Lubrae, a world originally blessed by the Traveler that spiraled into an authoritarian regime when the Traveler left. Fueled by rage, Rhulk sought to destroy the regime, but his bloodlust led to being ostracized from his clan. Eventually, afraid of what he'd become, his clan attempted to kill him.

Decrypted records from the Pyramid indicate that the Witness made contact with Rhulk during this time, restored him, and empowered him as the first Disciple. Rhulk took his vengeance on Lubrae, annihilating its parent star and destroying the planet.

Vanguard power assessments place Rhulk far above any previous enemy faced by any Guardian. Battle scholars theorize the bold fireteam that stormed the sunken Pyramid only prevailed due to Rhulk's humoring a fight to begin with. But prevail they did.

OF NOTE

• Hidden cipher-sequences buried in the symbols throughout have been decrypted by a pioneering Cryptarch, thanks to countless fireteams keeping the way clear. The solved sequence is believed to be astronomical coordinates to Lubrae. (Probe dispatched… awaiting arrival.)
• The creation of the Hive was majorly influenced by Rhulk. The first Disciple of the Witness subjugated the Worm mother, Xita, and forced her spawn into union with the Krill, which led to the Hive species and the Hive Gods themselves.
• Cryptarchs have uncovered communications between Rhulk and Savathûn in which Savathûn derides Rhulk's simplicity as a tactician. According to the Witch Queen, the first Disciple only values strength, and his downfall will be his brute force approach to every situation.

Riven of a Thousand Voices

CLASSIFICATION

• Ahamkara, aka "wish dragon"
• Summoned Spirit, temporarily
• Reef-born, in captivity
• Blood of Oryx and Taken, temporarily

HAZARDS

• Reality manipulation: paracausal wishes, metaphysical bleeds, and Ascendant atrophy
• Highly intelligent, constantly attempting to entrap prey
• Blistering Soulfire
• Tentacle quakes
• Axion Dart
• Corrosion in close proximity
• Riven's Gaze

INTEL Riven is an Ahamkara, known colloquially as "wish dragons." She was originally believed to be the last living Ahamkara until a clutch of her eggs was discovered within the Confluence of the Dreaming City. Ahamkara feed off the gulf between reality and desire by granting wishes to unsuspecting prey. Then they twist those wishes into devious schemes to satiate their hunger and boredom alike.

Long ago, Ahamkara were hunted to near extinction by the Vanguard during the Great Hunt.

Once the Dreaming City opened, Guardians stormed it to chase down Uldren Sov and assaulted the Keep of Voices to slay Riven. But they themselves caught within her schemes. By inadvertently wishing to save the Dreaming City, the heroic fireteam found themselves executing Riven's Last Wish and pulling the Dreaming City into a cursed cycle of Taken corruption that remains to this day.

Years after her death, Riven was reconstituted in spiritual form by the Awoken Techeuns of Reef in a bid to use her wish magic to follow the Witness into the Traveler and stop The Final Shape. In return, Riven struck a bargain with the Guardians to find and return the hidden eggs that held her progeny. Both parties held to their word, leading to a renewed future for the Ahamkara and one final opportunity to strike at the Witness.

OF NOTE

• It is speculated by Cryptarchy scholars of the Reef that the Wall of Wishes Mara Sov constructed to protect the Dreaming City from Riven's harmful schemes still retains unknown sequences. If so, the Queen has locked these behind her own personal ciphers.
• It was recently learned that Riven had a mate, named Taranis, who was responsible for cloistering away her last clutch of eggs to protect them. Taranis did this by granting his own wish. In the process, he sacrificed his own life to ensure the continuation of his progeny and the safety of his love's last remnants.
• Riven was found by Uldren Sov (reborn as Crow) and brought to his sister, Mara Sov, Queen of the Reef. They used Riven's power to construct the Dreaming City, a hidden bastion of Awoken power in the Reef. Many years passed, during which the Dreaming City was breached by Oryx, Riven became Taken, and the Dreaming City was opened to Guardians due to the actions of the maddened Uldren Sov.

Nezarec, Final God of Pain

CLASSIFICATION

• Disciple of the Witness
• Dread
• Prime Tormentor
• Resonant
• Unknown origin species
• Other names: (The) Purest Light, Darkest Hour, Whispering Nightmare

HAZARDS

• Induced nightmares and haunts
• Tormentor Plating
• Nightmare scythe
• Nezarec's Hatred
• Overwhelming Energy
• Null Paroxysm
• Suppression
• Abyssal Cleave
• Psionic Entropy

INTEL Created from Rhulk's blueprint, Nezarec was the first Tormentor from which all others owe their lineage. Nezarec relishes in sowing fear and pain, feeding off the terror of sentient beings. He can induce nightmares across entire worlds.

Nezarec — in possession of the Veil — led the Black Fleet as it assaulted Earth during the Collapse but was betrayed and killed by Savathûn. She separated, cursed, and entombed his Lunar Pyramid within the Moon and stole away the Veil. Guardians uncovered the Lunar Pyramid when the Vanguard mobilized to assault the Scarlet Keep, and they uncovered the Veil when they made contact with Neomuna on Neptune.

For centuries, Nezarec remained buried. Then his disembodied head, held aboard the Witness's Pyramid, was struck by a terraforming beam fired by the Traveler. It revitalized him as it reshaped the Pyramid, where an undaunted fireteam cut him down once more.

Much that is known about Nezarec is derived from anecdotal experiences, engaged fireteam raids, and a tome recovered from the Golden Age that was entitled "Of Hated Nezarec."

OF NOTE

• An old Psion Exotic relic known colloquially as "Nezarec's Sin" has long found its home among Warlock operatives. The helmet has known many owners throughout the years, all of whom have perished under mysterious circumstances, been rendered comatose, or have since relinquished their possession of the helm to another owner. This helm is currently believed to be in possession of the Guardian, [NAME REDACTED], a hero of few words.
• Mithrax, Kell of House Light, is currently afflicted with Nezarec's curse despite Nezarec being destroyed. This occurred when the Kell led an effort to recover Nezarec's scattered remains. He wants to distill Nezarec's essence into a mentally revivifying elixir while siphoning the corruptive elements into himself. Attempts to dispel or cure this curse are ongoing. CHA-319 was assigned to monitor it and report back any changes.
• Legends from the Dark Age speak of Lightbearers and non-bearers alike suffering night terrors when the Moon is at perigee. The legends detail rituals with the nearly extinct Earth-plant lavender, long thought to hold protective, calming, and cleansing properties. Furthermore, there are later legends detailing victims of these night terrors smelling lavender after waking, as if the nightmare mocked their attempts at protection. This led to a subsequent switch to a myriad of other panaceas.