Destiny 2 Lore - Exotic Weapon Lore: Cloudstrike! (Speculating on if the elements in Destiny Alive?)

[@nonmicrowaveabletoad]

Fun fact: Anteus was a character in Greek mythology who couldn't be killed as long as he was touching the earth, or Gaia.

[@eyelessdragon3911]

Anteus wards huh

[@mayfeiadetenailoyalistofno3376]

Just like in pvp

[@TheLegoJungle]

I love references like these in Destiny item names. I found the ship “Oviraptor” to be the similar. The ship shares similar features with an Oviraptor head (beak, crest) and carries ovoid shaped cargos under its fuselage, reminiscent of a mother Oviraptor incubating her eggs.

[@isaiahhackshaw201]

Yep. He met his end when he foolishly told Heracles that he was invincible so long as he was touching the ground. Heracles proceeded to pick him up and crush the life out of him...

[@mayfeiadetenailoyalistofno3376]

@@isaiahhackshaw201 what a way to go out

[@noahleonard2481]

A good Titan knows that he doesn’t yeet lightning, lightning yeets him.

[@Spike2276]

A good titan knows that he is one with yeet

[@noahleonard2481]

@@Spike2276 Indeed

[@dinklberg3065]

Light blue crayon gang, rise up!

[@Noah-fo9hy]

Yeet, yeet the lightning and the lightning yeets you.

[@AntarticGeezer]

Yes. This is the way

[@WhoisPersona]

*Every cloud has a silver lining, so we captured that lining and turned it into a gun*

[@rigelseybert9406]

I can’t believe someone turned a Staff of Thunder and Lightning into a sniper rifle. Artificers really be getting creative nowadays.

[@JackWolf1]

I was honestly wondering if someone else caught this. And, on a related note, I believe it’s the same staff that’s mentioned in the lore of Raiju’s harness, so it might be the same guardian.

[@DragonKnight90001]

Next thing you know excalibur becomes an exotic linear fusion rifle..........that sounds stupid keep it as a sword

[@DragonKnight90001]

@@JackWolf1 it must be looking at the 3d model for cloudstrike on the companion app..... theres no barrel i know it is most likely cause the 3d model isn’t that detailed but makes me wonder...... are we just loading a battery pack on it instead of ammo?

[@JDog2656]

@@DragonKnight90001 Already did that with Izanagi’s Burden

[@DragonKnight90001]

@@JDog2656 ok then XD

[@therewillbefire1833]

I love that this gun is literally just a staff with gun bits on it.

[@ethanchirdon9375]

I just realized, the crook of the staff is in the stock and points skyward. Firing the gun is literally channeling lightning from above towards our enemies.

[@qualityshloimy]

"Is a hurricane an assembly of souls dancing to the tune of destruction" Dude, it's only January, they're not even accepting contenders for sentence of the year yet. Byf, you beautiful literary bastard you:)

[@ZXdOut]

I thought that that sentence could be one of the hardest heavy metal lyrics I’ve ever heard

[@seal7144]

Is the title weird or am I having a stroke?

[@Azrael_Equinox]

_Both, probably..._

[@officalwolfrevolution7766]

I feel like the word "Are" is needed as the second to last word

[@NYC_InfamousNick]

You’re not crazy, he just missed the word ‘are’ between “Destiny” and “alive”. Says something similar in the description without the typo.

[@thewarroirtaco]

Ok i thought I was the only one

[@deagangiannas9583]

Lol yeah

[@zanderfurrow9671]

Planets: *are alive* Byf: “can we weaponize it?”

[@kamuihineragi4243]

I mean, The hive kinda did that with their War Moons and all, but how do we turn a planet into a *GUN*

[@adamzellmer904]

@@kamuihineragi4243 The First Order: raises hand

[@swirlyskyshock1155]

@@kamuihineragi4243 RWBY:

[@ya_daddy4454]

@@adamzellmer904 Darth Sidious: Chukles in a dark corner

[@TJcreations91]

Brethren moons from dead space

[@davonhenry8645]

I was waiting for mention of the warlock stormcaller mission, it even mentions the warlock communing with the storm, the storm listening and eventually obey.

[@bramd4423]

If you want to talk about sentient energies, the Nine are literally loops of Dark Matter

[@joshuatrott1216]

I was going to theorize that the nine were the physical manifestation of each of the planets, but this makes more sense

[@dullahan6150]

The portion about geomags, the discussion i mean, reminds me of the lore entry than comes with crown of tempests. It speaks of a fairy tale that exists through the hearts of old men, I somewhat derived a sense that "those who sat upon storm cloud thrones are quick to anger but bountiful to those they love". Possibly this is referencing the cohesive thought that the embodiment of arc energy, the source, is a tale that few are aware of. Or the simple coalition between the storm, anger and love.

[@justapineapple6243]

I love the idea of sentient weapons

[@ritsukaseriyko1491]

I have a feeling we're gonna put Savathun into a gun just like her bother Oryx.

[@grinkleshtink]

@@ritsukaseriyko1491 call it something like the touch of trickery or something to match the touch of malice

[@Kevo2blessed]

Does xenophage count? Lol

[@jayweber3022]

@@Kevo2blessed yes of course

[@drakozash8153]

@@Kevo2blessed According to Byf no. Ohmar Oghar is sentient not the gun itself.

[@ashshadownight]

Holy crap, the stories in this game are insane with detail. One of these days I gotta read it all.

[@Ace_Gamr]

I wish to make a game as detailed as D2. Maybe more.

[@abyss5600]

I wish there was a whole movie franchise with all the stories of legendary heroes, guardian and non-guardian alike, like Shin Malphur/Dredgen Yor, etc. Like the Star Wars stuff

[@deKahedron]

We know that one of Mithrax's new friends is a female warlock. It might be her in the Geomag Stabilizers tab!

[@torunsmok5890]

Also he rolls with a hunter too, making him the titan of the team.... And he uses a lord of wolves style shrapnel gun... But hey, at least he's on our side

[@lonecalzone6901]

@@torunsmok5890 everybody gangsta until mithrax enters the crucible with a pre-nerf LoW and starts sniping people from across the map with it

[@c.w.crawley6668]

@@lonecalzone6901 Mithrax_LightKell has joined the match *Oh no*

[@theravenlordmasterofthevib8991]

What I find interesting is the mention of the chain mail mask. Now this isn’t to say that there aren’t other Eliksni that could wear a mask like that, but the only one we’ve ever seen is Variks

[@xnadegod1053]

Hunters: Animal focus embracing the coldness of a predator. Warlock: Intimate focus to hypnotize themselves into a literal storm. Titans: Eat blue crayons to punch harder

[@Subsistence69]

Mmmmmmm blue

[@Bowzer_Kell_Of_Koopas]

It wasn't until Byf was reading the lore on Cloudstrike that I realized that the staff was the main part of the gun. (Maybe that cosmetic helped me see it better.)

[@insatiablewombat8276]

I’m just here for that riveting voice of his

[@momentbruh9608]

Byf's videos are the reason I continue to play this game. lightning gun go BRRRRRR

[@KrisPChikin]

TO THE MOON

[@shaxxsextmag3612]

Incredible; destiny has been around for a total of 8 years and just now, thanks to this video, I thought about the “Gaea and Kronos” of the destiny universe

[@porevit5016]

I have a dream of telling my kids the story of traveler and guardians. As an bedtime story.

[@Subsistence69]

Actually wholesome

[@ZeroX54321]

oh man what I wouldn't give to see that "Patience, Breathing, Focus" well animated.

[@E16-g8u]

So if planets are alive no wonder Oryx said "I have taken entire worlds"

[@notoffensivenpc8400]

i just imagined mogo from dc coming up to earth surrounded in taken effects and my heart sunk a bit.

[@D.A.R.C.I.]

oh god is that what those giant black orbs in the ascendant plane are?

[@notoffensivenpc8400]

@@D.A.R.C.I. nah. that thing is barely bigger than the traveller.

[@D.A.R.C.I.]

@@notoffensivenpc8400 but are we sure thats the biggest they can get?

[@notoffensivenpc8400]

@@D.A.R.C.I. well it's not a planet anyway i don't think. honestly i don't know what that is

[@somebl3ach708]

I believe that every guardian has a form of connection to each form of energy. Those who wield fire are usually easy to anger, confident, or are refined in a skill. Those who use void are curious, protective and sneaky (for lack of better term), and those who use arc? Well they could be considered conduits, conduits to let their emotions run through. Maybe arc using guardians give up their emotions and let the arc express them for the guardian. Maybe that is what makes arc so effective, and maybe that is why there are so many cases of arc wielding guardians. To wield arc is to give in to the storm, but maybe giving in means to give your emotions... to fuel the storm so it may deal with things a guardian may not be able to by simply using a gun.

[@JJMomoida]

I really like the lore tab on Cloudstrike. I like to picture the usage of the staff by the Stormherd as her actually **hooking** lightning with it and hurling it at her targets. It's just one of those lore tabs that make me wonder "who really was that guardian? how did they fall? Who was it that decided to essentially build a sniper frame around the Stormherd's staff?"

[@KoPT01]

I feel like Arc energy, at least when used by a Guardian of the light, certainly has the capacity for being "alive." Arc Souls come immediately to mind, as they seem to act with a mind of their own. Especially since the one's created with Getaway Artist are literally called "Sentient Arc Souls," which means they, by definition, are thinking independently.

[@justjohn1461]

I'm happy you covered this weapon and the lore surrounding it, nobody talks about this amazing stuff and wish more people did

[@skilledwarman]

Byf is a true Guardian: finds out the planets might be powerful living entities, immediately asks how to make that into a gun

[@sgnir2]

'I was here before he fixed the title' gang unite.

[@torunsmok5890]

Indeed!

[@jaydenamora8358]

What was it before?

[@TeamGrimm07]

Power rangers theme intensifies

[@zigzag2370]

Breathe gaurdian tis but just a typo of the golden age

[@shafqatalam6018]

Unite my brother

[@var1ares]

I like hearing about guardians who are just so in-tune with the elements they command, like this guardian who seems to only need point and lightning strikes

[@ScheperOfFire]

23:37 "Yet there was something else different about her: the storm crow." Me, an MTG player: Perfection.

[@GrimoireGauss]

my mom can't stop talking about how the planets are alive whenever I play destiny and she sees me in orbit

[@runicreborn3529]

I love how the game treats arc energy. It’s fascinating how characters talk about how powerful the arc is and just how it interacts with the world and living things

[@Th3Shrike]

Think you forgot an "are" in the title

[@clayless8701]

I want to know more about the description of the Trichromatica ghost shell, though I feel like there's nothing more on it.

[@yonathanyutkin6668]

The way byf narrates, gets you involved emotionally which is a bonus

[@cschorling1]

KZbin is recommending me Byf's "these weapons are alive" video after this one. How appropriate haha. I'll give it another listen.

[@CamRob_56]

The Vesper of Radius’s design and flavor text remind me of magic circles which are usually drawn on the ground. Rifts are kinda like Warlocks making magic circles.

[@engineerdark]

I have been grinding for cloudstrike all week while watching your vids. I decide to pull up this vid after a kill and 20 seconds into the video it drops. Thank you for helping.

[@dmfyre]

I love the idea that the Warlocks are less creating their power, and more channeling the pure elements of their power through their bodies (like the actual D&D class, to boot) There’s the mentioned Stormcaller card, the Sacred Wings of Dawn talks about becoming the Praxic fire, and I’m sure there was one about Voidwalkers somewhere...

[@rootbeerguy690]

Another thing I want to point out, the flavor text for Cloudstrike reminds me quite a bit of Thunderlord, maybe it, Abaddon, and Nova Mortis have some special connections to their elements

[@Xalocin]

check the title again byf

[@corvidaegudmund1186]

This really reminds me of the Storm caller class quest in Destiny 1. Remember some of Ikora’s dialogue? “Commune with the storm.” “The Storm hears you.” The quest really makes it sound like you are trying to convince something living to work with or obey you, rather than simply laying the lines for an energy to travel, so to speak. Now I really wish the game would dive into these areas more, lore wise.

[@garrettviewegh677]

Byf’s voice and inflection makes him a wonderful ntarrator. I like to imagine his cover of lore content is him reading chapters of the Grimoire to Guardians in library archives, as if teaching them about Sol’s history.

[@jaredtherock5692]

My current hypothesis before doing my lore digging, I don't think the elements are necessarly alive, but more as reflections of being alive. I hope someone can comment otherwise, but Void is my biggest wall against the idea that the elements are alive. Void seems opposing to life, as it's themed around the lack of anything and a lot of the words used for Void come off as stealing away energy. I currently view Arc as a reflection of emotion and will, and Solar as a reflection of life and action, and Void to be a reflection of death, and absence of everything we consider matter and life.

[@Aualixander]

you know I wasn’t having the best day today and I listened to the OST of Destiny 1 to make me feel better and realized that game came out in 2013. I was just 12 at the time and played on my older brother’s Xbox 1, I didn’t know any other games and destiny seemed the most interesting. It’s now 2021 and destiny is still a huge part of my life. It’s so overlooked and short, but when the intro starts and Byf says “ Greeting Guardians “ it makes me feel good, this game means a lot to me and I’m glad im able to experience it.

[@Shel310x]

I believe the ornament "The Old Ways" for this weapon really brings about the weapon's lore. Once I read the lore, I immediately acquired it

[@vascomilheiro]

i go straight in. Yes i do think that in the Destiny Universe the elements we use/channel are in some way conscious, to a point.

[@pudda_7969]

Can you talk about the seasonal weapons lore? Particularly Royal Chase's lore tab because I think it might be about finding oryx's corpse floating in space... and thats why its a "royal chase."

[@mijzelffff]

It reminds me of the Sun Titans, where the warmth and fire of the sun is an inspiration or direct link for the solar energy. If the celestial body/mass emanates power, then the literal sun is a prime target for placing these feelings onto. The biggest body literally expelling power to everything that surrounds it, to channel that energy certainly gives me vibes that the manifestations of light and energy have some form of will. Not to mention the Voidstalkers talking about the void-darkness that has a form of malice in it.

[@greenprotag]

Escape artists and the the stormcallers can call forth arc souls. Are we creating them? Or are we summoning them? It is clear they have an energy and autonomy that may feel simplistic, but they do feel like independent entities.

[@greenprotag]

It is also clear that there are both regular and ascendant arc souls requiring more power to summon implying hierarchy and power differences.

[@robotom6595]

Not only does the gun slap, but the design is one of the coolest I think ever added into Destiny. The gun is a magical wizard's staff held in a frame with a trigger and scope. With the ornament, you can see the magazine is transparent, either empty or just storing energy.

[@wesguerin4262]

Just gonna point out, Vesper let’s a warlock use all 3 elements and stasis, and not to mention weaponizes your rift. Wouldn’t be a raid armor, but I love using it in solo high level activities. Even after being neutered, it’s still good if used right.

[@VoidCraftGaming]

When I saw the title I instantly thought of the void element/damage type.

[@exiled_angel]

I can’t count the number of times I’ve fell asleep to his voice

[@VermontJones]

Or re-watched because I fell asleep.

[@cathedraldarkness]

Raiju is the lighting companion to Raijin, the Shinto god of thunder. So that’s cool!

[@themarsmandan8264]

I’d say both the planets and elements are alive. The reason for this is because we have seen it already, the nine are the sentience of all nine planets from what I understand and there are elemental beings like the ark born who are literally just ark energy. Also if you really think about it, the traveller is a being that creates life, everything that it touches is birthed anew in the glorious beauty of life, so is it really that hard to imagine that the elements are alive if they are a creation of the light?

[@PixelleHearts]

Honestly, all Byf had to do was say this is all theory and speculation like other channels that want to gain views.... but he didn't. He went the extra mile by leading us in with thoughts and consideration, fostering a sense of intrigue for the audience before jumping in. This is why we like your methods Byf.

[@avryund]

I ask these questions of our own reality. Amazing stuff, you are almost the thing that keeps me playing Destiny2... The meaning behind it all ..ya know

[@sparrowhawke8244]

That flavor text on the cloudstrike is so similar to the thunderlord! I never noticed until you read the moons devoid line out loud. They return to moons devoid/they return from fields afar Their eyes searching/the eye has passed It’s just begun/the end nears Meet this storm of sound and fury/do not fade quietly Till thunder-clashes fade to silence/let thunder reign again Does thunderlord have a similar artifact of arc power in it like the cloudstrike?

[@MW2proification]

This makes me think of the Void in Destiny how it is hungry through various uses and weapons that Guardians use too

[@arberrexha7312]

Hey Byf, I think you forgot to bring up the Tunderlord too. I think that weapon also shares the same evidence as what you said in the video.

[@syksis9842]

The idea that the elements we wield are alive is a really cool topic, and one I hope Bungie explores a little more, even if it is just subtle hints in lore tabs

[@badrolljoe]

the ambiguity and lack of specificity in the Cloudstrike lore had me imagining Eliksni lightbearers. which feels somewhat intentional. and the childs name, Kellikin, feels somewhat Eliksni. not saying it is the case, just interesting.

[@gulzaarbains7908]

I have a question for the lore guys: So in the game we can use multiple subclasses for each element but as far as I know non of the other characters use different subclasses So here's the question: from a lore perspective can we use each of the elements or are we "chosen" to only use one like how we can only be one class?

[@Spo-oks]

Other characters can change subclasses. Zavala has been seen use the void, and arc subclasses in different occasions.

[@gulzaarbains7908]

Spooksthemage thanks

[@Spo-oks]

@@gulzaarbains7908 no problem

[@citizenterra3589]

I think there might be some wiccans and new agers at bungie. Love it when they write lore like this.

[@drbeandog4209]

Can we just acknowledge the fact that there was a giant sea creature on titan, and they removed the planet with no explanation

[@jacob-2271]

Akshually titan is the largest moon of saturn

[@drbeandog4209]

@@jacob-2271 did I saw it wasn't?

[@kirxuvalentine4795]

Interesting points we also see this kind of stuff with Stasis too the way it enveloped the guardian before the guardians seized control of it

[@StarWarsGoldfish]

I've legitimately been using this video as a sleep aid and I've tried 10 times to get through this video and keep falling asleep I'm currently up to the part right before he talks about cloudstrike

[@jacoblewis5230]

@My name is Byf I really like that concept of the elements being living in a way.

[@Nyanwroo]

I've recently had this idea that the elements in Destiny (and it might have been brought up before..sorry I'm new here) are sort of parallel with the fundamental forces of the universe. Solar, an energy that fuels stars can be the strong and weak interactions that can split or fuse atoms. Arc can be the electromagnetic and Void the gravitational forces. (Stasis being the outlier here, but I assumed it can be dark matter/energy that we know little to nothing about.) In this sense these forces are birthed by the existance of the universe itself. A universe that was created by the constant game between light and darkness. If they are the (mythological) titans then arc, solar, void and stasis energy are the gods of our world. I'm only using this parallel because it's easy to see that in Destiny's universe the most primordeal of energies are very much depicted as having a will of their own. Whether it's shown as the Traveller and the pyramids, the gardener and the winnower we always get the feeling that these forces, these very building blocks of creation have a personality. I feel like if the forces that we wield as Guardians might be not so far from this either.

[@Androgymess]

Your explorations of Bungie's lore is, as always, immaculate. I am, at heart, a void warlock- and more specifically- an astro-blink main, but ever since I played the original stormtrance mission in D1 to when I first read Geomag's lore tab, I have loved the personality of "The Storm" as it were. I feel like The Void lacks such a neutral persona, if any, in the lore- but I would love to see if you could dig anything up. 💝

[@pantrohuerta2664]

If I remember well, the proyections in the black forest during the red war while we recovered the shadow shot super of the hunter talks about the void as an entity aside of the light and the darkness

[@FuncleChuck]

That lore tab had my jaw drop. Sometimes this game is amazing, it just hides it under a dozen layers of confusing optional UI tabs

[@the-RDoV]

6:09 god, that looked like something out of an Jackie Chan movie, with the Warlock getting chased by those Scorn with a Lament in hand.

[@_F_rog]

There’s no such thing as casually watching a byf video, they’re all minimum 30 minutes long and very deep

[@ianmcgregor576]

Could the staff from the Raiju lore tab be the same as Cloudstrike?

[@nathaniel5253]

I had created a forum thread on this and some theorised that the crook was a unique hunter arcstaff that had become physical and long lasting. I think the lore takes place during the dark age as it mentions villages and raiders. The stormherd isnt confirmed to be any class and during the dark age there weren't classes yet, so the possibility that the stormherd could have either been an early warlock or hunter.

[@hellboy1000000000000]

Great vid, I always loved how they mix the concept of science and magic in the series. Kind of makes you wonder if the Light simply allows guardians to speak to the elements in a way to work with them.

[@lokky9550]

If you like a combo of science and magic, check out The Magicians Grandson. An anime where the dude combos them, very interesting concept. Enjoyed it, and I wouldn’t really call myself an anime nerd

[@superdragonma7041]

I don’t listen to byf for lore, I listen for the destiny background music

[@zacherywylie8254]

anybody else catch that "strike" pun in the beginning

[@zeraphphalanx2794]

Yes it struck me as something interesting.

[@Egalia_1]

I would like to see us interact with the elements more, maybe almost as shamans. I think it’d be a really turn if arc, solar, void, and stasis took on characteristics that were separate from just being “Light” or “Dark.”

[@WebofHope]

Interesting bit of the Geomag lore, and some extra speculation; Could be Aisha, now a stasis 'Lock, back before stasis being a Stormcaller, defending (a not dead, but wounded) Mithrax.

[@BaseGodBoogie007]

Am I the only one watching all his vids over and over. It just makes destiny even more interesting. Every step I take every move I make no matter what class no matter what load out I move with purpose I move in the name of the vanguard. See you star side fellow guardians

[@HelmLord5792]

the lightning is an extension of a guardian, the storm is their will and emotions unbridled, given form in pure arc energy, that is why they say the storm controls the guardian. the storm may not be sentient itself, but through our will and emotions, we give it direction. or at least that's what I got out of the lore tabs.

[@tramoq]

You sir are badass I love listening to your videos when I'm driving.

[@diegogonzalez5220]

A couple friends and I were having a friendly rumble match together and I relfected back his golden gun shot with Anteaus Ward. RIP that monster

[@NienowGames]

Watched Byf's most recent video on Eido and they talk again about the light within the Earth/planets. Interesting point that might be more than it seems

[@seanslaysean7097]

In the Oracle entry of the Marasenna book, Mara encounters such gaiaforms that inhabit the reef if I recall correctly

[@pdorfigliodikmer1098]

I don't think that energies are alive, the reason Guardians can bend them is exactly because they use a paracausal entity (the light) to channel those energies. Also I like to think that the three energies are manifestations of the three basic interaction of the universe, Arc (electromagnetic interactio ), Void (weak nuclear interaction) and Solar (strong nuclear interactio ). As for gravity, we know well that Darkness can use it at will

[@nickgrout2502]

I really love the more mystic stuff like this in the lore.

[@BenDelano]

When you talk about "the 8, or perhaps 9" I think you might be off when you go to Pluto. I think the 9th gaiaform would be Sol itself. A gaiaform so large and powerful that the Traveler focuses it into a power of the Light. A gaiaform so big that - potentially - it could overpower the Traveler, were it fittingly convinced to do so.

[@KalarMeadia]

I'd love to hear more references to the powers as living, do you have some for Void and Solar as well? I'm particularly interested in Solar.

[@captainspice1239]

I don't believe we will until we get an exotic like Cloudstrike for the others

[@Rockman1159]

Kinda surprised Byf never mentioned the original Stormcaller mission from D1. You must commune with the storm and prove yourself worthy to channel it. It judges you.

[@iainhawley4501]

This is a facinating idea. It also explains why solar Titans act the way they do. 1st tree melting point covers the enemy in a debuff that allows us to deal increased damage for a while. 2nd tree sends a seeking solar wave out to hunt enemies. (Yes anthropromophic language) and 3rd tree creates solar spots that increase power generation and hurts enemies in its area. Void im not too sure but arc... well Arc Titans are engulfed by its power and its a question of if this is true. Which power is in control. The Titan or the Arc. Hmm this is brain food.

[@user-vo8sd5dm4f]

Byf, your work is excellent and always exceeds expectations. If you ever run into a LiquidGamma in D2, I’ll make sure to emote a dab of respect your way :)

[@MW2proification]

Arc: a spark gives life... or takes it away

[@zombieslaya3456]

Ooo interesting speculation. Looking forward to this. Is this something that kinda came up with stasis being associated with darkness yet the other elements with light?

[@TallonPrey]

10:19 Lightening bolts are VERY charming.

[@carternorton2682]

I’m loving all this content

[@TailsNight]

A hurricane an assembly of souls dancing to the tune if destruction. Sounds familiar... like an earbleeding symphony. From a certain singer. Attuned to a darker form.