So you’ve watched the brand new Destiny 2 trailer and are now wondering why everyone’s making such a big deal about Cayde-6. Destiny 2‘s teaser trailer nearly made Twitter explode, especially as it starred the fan-favourite Vanguard. But for anyone who missed out on Destiny, or never played The Taken King, you won’t quite get why everyone is so excited.
Part of that reason is that Cayde-6 is voiced by the one, the only, Nathan Fillion. There’s also the fact the trailer is quite the change in tone from anything developer Bungie or Activision released for Destiny 1. Take a look at the footage below and then read on to find out more about the awesome Cayde-6.
Who is Cayde-6?
Cayde-6 is a member of the Exo race, which are humanoid war machines built long before the Collapse. Apparently, he used to be human, but it seems that he was converted into an Exo over some large debt he owed.
But more importantly, Cayde-6 is also one of the three Vanguard leaders, who are the best in each of their respective classes: Hunter, Titan and Warlock. Cayde-6 is the Hunter class Vanguard and in the original Destiny, he could be found selling Hunter armour and emblems in the Tower.
He’s also in charge of tracking and assigning bounties to high-value targets. He’s the one that tasks you with eliminating the escaped Archon priest Aksor in the Winter’s Run strike and the Psion Flayers of the Dust Palace strike in the original game.
However, it’s not until The Taken King expansion that Cayde-6 really comes into his own. He’s the one who helps Guardians infiltrate the Dreadnaught, which is the massive Hive spaceship and the fortress of Onyx – aka The Taken King himself.
He actually goes behind the backs of his fellow Vanguards, Zavala and Ikora, to help recover a stealth drive he stole from Rasputin, which is an AI called a Warmind that was built to defend Earth during the Collapse. He’s then able to sneak onboard the Dreadnaught using a ship he borrowed from Eris Morn, who’s a former Hunter and vendor in the Tower.
Cayde-6 has arguably the best personality in the original Destiny and it’s exciting to see him come to the fore in this first Destiny 2 trailer. Hopefully, there’s much more of Cayde-6 to come when Destiny 2 hopefully arrives later this year.
Who are the Vanguard?
The Vanguard is a group of three high-ranking Guardians that are the best in their respective classes. Cayde-6, as we’ve mentioned, is the Vanguard Hunter, but there’s also Commander Zavala and Ikora Rey. Zavala is the Titan Vanguard, all strength and might, while Ikora is your Warlock Vanguard, armed with magic granted by The Traveller.
These characters all reside in the Hall of Guardians in the Tower in the original Destiny and are responsible for coordinating the Last City’s defences, organising assaults on enemy strongholds and mentoring newly risen Guardians – aka you. They were the ones guiding you through the original game’s story quests, but they also sell weapons, armour and equipment.
“When a terrible threat rises, Guardians look to the Vanguard, the closest thing they have to a command structure,” explains the Grimoire description in the original game. “These elite veterans coordinate the reports of roaming hunters, the analyses of cloistered Warlocks, and the instincts of grizzled Titans into a single plan of action.”
Could this be a bit of foreshadowing for their importance in Destiny 2?
Will they be a big part of ‘Destiny 2’?
If the first Destiny 2 is to be believed, all three members of the Vanguard will be taking a pivotal role in the game’s storyline. During Cayde-6’s little story in the game’s first trailer, there are appearances from the other two Vanguards: Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala.
The big guy next to Cayde-6 around 22 seconds in has to be Commander Zavala, the Titan Vanguard. That huge piece of armour protruding from his left shoulder is immediately recognisable and there’s even some light highlighting his smooth blue/grey head.
And then if you look at the lady scarpering from the giant Cabal warrior around 27 seconds in, it seems to be Ikora Rey with her distinctive glowing insignia on her left shoulder and close-cropped hair.
The full Destiny 2 reveal is happening on March 30, at 10am PST for you West Coast folk and 6pm BST for UK fans. Hopefully, Bungie will shed some light on the game’s story and what part the Vanguard play within it. It’s looking very likely that Destiny 2 will be much more story focused than the original game and its expansions, especially if this first trailer and the leaks are anything to go by.
Destiny 2 is rumoured to be arriving later this year, with fans hoping it will also come to PC for the first time.