Guardians — destiny

"Guardian… Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian!"

― The Ghost, A Guardian Rises

Guardians are the player characters of Destiny and Destiny 2. They are resurrected corpses of the Golden Age brought back to life by the Traveler's Light carried by a Ghost, an artificially intelligent flying robot that can assist the Guardian in tactical situations.^[1]^[2] Guardians do not remember anything from their past life prior to resurrection. They are a standing army of specialized soldiers tasked with the defense of The Last City on Earth.^[3] They are also responsible for exploring the remnants of human civilization abandoned throughout the solar system and investigating the remains of their Golden Age.^[3] Guardians wage a vicious armed conflict against a myriad of extraterrestrial species who pose an immediate threat to the survival of humanity.^[3] The greatest source of the Guardian's power lies in their ability to harness the energy of The Traveler and use it as a weapon against their opponents.^[3]

Species

When creating their character, players may choose to make their Guardian one of three species. Species is a purely cosmetic choice for players, affecting only appearance and not gameplay.^[3]^[1]^[2]

Classes

From left to right: , , and . — From left to right: Hunter, Titan, and Warlock.

Players choose to play as one of three different Guardian classes.^[4]^[5]^[6] Though each Guardian class in Destiny has a distinct appearance, dress, and skill set, Guardian classes are designed to be balanced, with no class intended to be clearly better overall than any other.^[7] A player may choose to be any class, regardless of species, but each class can only access certain armor, subclasses, and abilities.^[1]^[2] Weapons are not typically class-restricted; any class can use most weapons.^[2]

Hunter: "Hunters once prowled the wilderness and wastelands, taking big risks for even bigger rewards. You're no outlaw—at least, not anymore—but making your own luck has always meant bending the rules." Hunters have a more fast-paced playstyle, and have abilities focused on stealth, speed, utility, and getting quick kills. ^[8]
Titan: "You hail from a long line of heroes, forged from strength and sacrifice. Our enemies may be deadly and merciless, but so are you." Titans have a slower but devastating playstyle, making them suitable for going toe-to-toe with more brutish enemies. Titan's abilities are more focused on close quarters combat, defense and high damage output.
Warlock: "Warlocks have long studied the Traveler, mastering some of its arcane energies. Its true purpose still remains a great mystery, but discovering truth has always driven you into the unknown." Warlocks have a more passive playstyle, often functioning as support or even as the lead on more focused activities. Warlock's abilities are focused on healing fireteam members, bolstering nearby Guardian's powers and weapons, as well as devastating nearby foes with strong AoE effects. ^[9]