Destiny 2 Lore - The Story of Riven of a Thousand Voices, The Last Ahamkara.

[@peteraustin9057]

"It is my turn to bargain. You are cursed by tedious repetition" i know thats riven talking about the 3 week dreaming city cycle, but it also feels like a fourth wall break to the player, laughing at us for logging in every reset to grind the same activities

[@TrepidDestiny]

I think what separates Riven from her kin is active malice. The other Ahamkara were, as you have said previously, just predators indulging in their instinctual desire to feed off wishes and wants. But Riven actively wanted the suffering. She wanted to watch the Sol system burn down around her so she could grab a bag of popcorn for the lolz.

[@captaincaptain8961]

It's wild to think she got to experience everything after Forsaken through our eyes. The amount of knowledge she gained is staggering. The only thing I would have wished for is to hear a line or two from her each season and dlc after.

[@dannyred9094]

“Wish granted. All in-game dialogue is now text-based.”

[@captaincaptain8961]

@@dannyred9094 then you begin to notice more and more brackets around everyone's words until every line is encased.

[@annoprofi4797]

I would very much like, that next season, when/if we interact with riven again, she would appear in our shadow and maybe even step out of it.

[@3ndlessL00p]

Where is it stated that Riven has watched along through our eyes since we killed her??

[@captaincaptain8961]

@@3ndlessL00p after we killed her in Last Wish her dialogue implys that we're inseperable now. Later, if you do Shattered Throne she'll sometimes chat with us and one line jokes about us trying to "divorce" her, which she refuses, we're stuck with her. So, it would be reasonable to assume she's been able to experience everything after Last Wish with us.

[@mightymanatee5342]

The craziest thing about that number of wishing wall combinations is that it's the same number of different wishes that can be granted by the Ahamkara through it's use. Whoever manages to master the wishing wall basically becomes the most powerful being in the physical universe.

[@_elitenightmare4794]

Uh oh 😮

[@dark_matter_dan2022]

No, what’s even more; riven sees and counts this insane number, and yet still sees manipulations BEYOND that eternity of permutations and that fact excites her and seems plentiful enough for her to chase.

[@polluxbollux]

This is all so exciting! I love this concept

[@3ndlessL00p]

Wouldn't that mean every combination our guardian could input would've been a valid wish? Not quite sure possible combinations = possible wishes holds up

[@robertdewolfe1654]

Nah man. Not every combination of words can form a sentence. There probably needs to be some syntax of sorts to communicate a wish properly.

[@jacoblansman8147]

Is it just me who really enjoyed hearing Byf read out the massive number of potential wish combinations?

[@agni-kai132]

Love that the wishing wall is legitimately to riven the same as putting a bunch of ground beef in a pumpkin for a tiger, its enrichment with a fun challenge

[@TerrariaGolem]

I love this comment

[@grzetim]

As someone who never did the Last Wish raid this whole series has been very helpful. I know the lore of the Ahamkara from the videos and stories over the years but never saw any of the actual armor or weapons from the raid to get these details. It sure sounds like we're not done with Riven yet; be it this season or sometime down the road cleansing or releasing the Dreaming City.

[@PsalmLab]

Really great video Byf! - Really enjoyed how you broke down the relationship between Oryx, Savathun and Riven. There is definitely an extremely long game Savathun is playing. And it doesn't seem like it's one that will end very soon at all.

[@garrettviewegh9028]

Savathun is a villain you love to hate. You can’t help but admire how she’s always ten steps ahead, only outplayed by The Guardian once, and the Witness. Her final death, her story, may end much later on. But before it does, I’m looking forward to seeing what strings she’ll pull, how, and what endgame she has planned. Recent lore even hints that taking the Traveler wasn’t even Savathun’s endgame. She’s one of the most interesting villains we’ve dealt with. As vexing and unpredictable as the Norse god Loki!

[@GhostRydr1172]

41:45: I've always questioned whether we were really hearing Mara at that moment. Because she was ordering everyone there to kill Riven. Which was exactly what Riven and Savathun wanted. I wouldn't put it past Savathun or Riven to troll us and pretend to be Mara, goading us into doing exactly what they wanted. They know us so well: afflicted by tedious repetition. Boy howdy if that ain't true.

[@adamboy0559]

This does sound like Mara over riven or savathûn. If any it would be riven. The only reason I don’t see it being riven is we don’t here the oh ____ mine which riven likes to add to the end of her sentences. I feel like this part was Mara up hoping we’d not wish to kill riven as that’s what she wanted. That or she was unaware of the wish with savathûn that needed Rivens death to bring the dreaming city curse. Either way I think this was actually Mara wanting us to kill Riven before she could do what she did unaware that killing riven was exactly what riven wanted

[@reedwojo7858]

I mean, with riven taking the remaining techeuns, and shrouding elusena, her only way of reviving, in darkness there wouldn't really be any other option.

[@vforvalentine2822]

I don’t know if this was asked elsewhere,but will the secret lore from the witch queen collectors box be used in this series? It contains a pretty big chunk of Ahamkara lore.

[@MynameisByf]

There’s a lot of lore, but I’m wondering what you’re referring to now. Is this in the booklet or is it somewhere I’ve missed?

[@TheDoubleb13]

​@@MynameisByfyes

[@osiris9918]

Gotta be one of my personal most favourite Series from Byf ❤

[@jehbon]

You made my almost 1 hour drive so much more bearable, thank you!

[@RaigarWasTaken]

There's a new line during this season's activities in which Crow says something to the effect of "You already shot me once" to Petra Venj. This would imply that Petra fired the shot that killed Uldren, not the Guardian.

[@gbishop1774]

I call bull. The gunshot was way too deep for it to be just a pistol. Nah that gunshot came from the Ace. I say this partily from the actual sound, but mostly cause i need to be the one that killed uldren. Uldren isn't even strictly evil, just all the shit he pulled out him at the top of the list

[@nickgrout2502]

I always figured they both shot him

[@justriskit4423]

Literal chills with your final reading there, great work as ever Byf!

[@justcallmeness]

Wait wait wait. I gotta listen to this again, but I've just thought of something...if Riven has a bond with Oryx... During and after the Ghosts of the Deep, we got lore that Oryx's body was still active with Taken energy. What if it's the connection with Riven, or Riven's heart? Maybe that story was just for the GotD...but what if it wasn't?

[@justcallmeness]

Also, what if we stick Riven's heart in Oryx's body? Could we do that?

[@SnyperMK2000JclL]

​@@justcallmenessthat's like pulling a Jurassic Park,... why? Just why? Everyone can see how that will go horribly wrong so why? Why?...

[@someidiotnamedtricks6397]

@@SnyperMK2000JclL because... It'd be funni

[@Drumboiski]

Another amazing video Byf! Also, Happy Thanksgiving from America! We're thankful for your content and community influence!

[@duality5785]

This is the most interested in a lore explanation seires in a while

[@infortunatis942]

11:09 the pop when he displays the number has me rolling. He’s very serious about the lore, then there’s this goofy pop and I’m here for it lmao

[@michael.wiegand]

The writing on those Great Hunt lore tabs is *chef’s kiss*

[@seedon5231]

I felt chills when byf said "oh murderer mine"

[@Muffin_Button143]

Great video and wonderful flashbang at 15 seconds in lmao. Happy thanksgiving everyone 😅🤣🤣

[@LuxintN7]

Mara didn't manipulate Uldren to _make_ him subservient - he was always like that, even as a human. But she didn't do much to discourage that and instead manipulated her brother, partly so he would conrinue doing what she needed, and partly to prevent him from doing something even more reckless and dangerous as he kept looking for problems on his ass...

[@Hi_Im_Timmy]

So was Uldren's trip to the Black Garden and his getting infected therein not related to the creation of the Scorn? Was it just Riven granting his wish to save the Fallen Archon?

[@MynameisByf]

Same lore book but I think it’s fair to say it’s a different story.

[@barthotymous]

Thank you for uploading on Thanksgiving! Have a good one!

[@Sparklefairy1994]

48:01 so its rivens fault that i have been feeling so meh... the repetion and sameness really did get twisted on us haha jk

[@M7ilan]

As a lore nerd this is worth watching.

[@cee_ves]

“Contain a sizeable number of prisoners” …yeah, that’s what we were doing *puts golden gun away*

[@DracoFettX23]

Get chills when you read “ o murderer mine “

[@MrJakeasaur98]

I really like the turn around in the raid armour lore tabs, where we seen the line about Riven facing repetition, only for it to be turned to us, alluding to the looping dreaming city.

[@sharcblazer99]

I would have wished to pet Riven. thats it, thats all i want, I am human, my objective is to pet everything in the universe

[@varlak9061]

You know I wonder what riven would even do to that wish would she somehow turn it cruel or does she accept being petted

[@someidiotnamedtricks6397]

​@@varlak9061 given, according to another commenter, we are "married" to riven.... I unno probably let it happen then spin it into something cruel ten years later

[@s1esteve]

Last Wish is my favorite raid of all time. Ahamkara/awoken lore is also my favorite with the dreaming city being my favorite location. I’m excited for the new season and hope it rekindles my love of this game ahead of final shape. We could all use that right about now.

[@EllieEars]

Happy Thanksgiving this is a wonderful gift for all the US folks!

[@scarecrowking138]

I find it interesting that Riven notably laughed with Oryx, but not with Savathun

[@varlak9061]

Feel like with oryx it would be more simple to turn his wishes bad but with savathun I feel like she might be the one person that might be too difficult to turn a wish with IDK just seems to fit her character

[@Zai-kyu]

One thing to add here. I am pretty certain after Crow got his memories back of being Uldren, he makes mention in one conversation that it was the Guardian who pulled the trigger and killed him. I can't recall the exact context, but I remember that standing out to me.

[@sidereon9793]

A small tidbit I'm not sure you brought up yet was the implication that Ahamkara are aware of the Fourth Wall- that they are in a video game. Granted, the only lore tab I can think of that's explicit about this is for Skull of Dire Ahamkara: "I came to find you, only you, because you're special. You're from somewhere real. And together we can burn our way back there. Can't we, o player mine?"

[@haydenb8911]

Wonder if the witness used the wish dragons at all, there had to be an encounter over the millennia

[@jccat1974]

Great Video. But what came up next for me was "The Complete Story of Destiny! From origins to Shadowkeep [Timeline and Lore explained]' in your first frame Strand is shown

[@LegendaryFenrir]

What if for the Season of the Wish, it will combine the effects of the wall of wishes and the blind well to open the portal into the traveler? Its power comes from a paracasual nature and when fueled by the wall of wishes, it could open a _new_ gateway, one safe for us to travel through. After all, wishing to a well is best not done blind....

[@MrDroolBuckets]

amazing work.

[@henram36]

And so we are cursed now with tedious repetition. I get it. She gets it. She teases us with this repetitious grind for loot and power, more, more, more. 4th wall broken.

[@Landis963]

That could also be a reference to the "tedious repetition" that now afflicts the Dreaming City (time loop, you know), but that's the fun part of Ahamkara. They play the fourth wall observer exceedingly well.

[@gingainfinity1034]

I pray we see o ahamkara mine in the next season

[@crazytalk8120]

I see your uno reverse card, and applaud you.

[@RyleeOfCourse]

IT’S HERE!!

[@acw_tracks7097]

Just want to make it clear. Petra fired the killing shot on uldren. You can play both gunshot cutscenes and hear the distinct difference between the ace of spades hand cannon and the vestian dynasty sidearm. To put it short and sweet, We didn't kill uldren.

[@williamschock3240]

When is byf coming back?!?!?

[@Bobizard]

Wait… how do you know of the Miami Dolphins???

[@dillynrobinson6657]

My only concern at this point is how the transition of power works. Why did Riven and all the Awoken gain their will back but not the rest of the beings who were taken? And why did the ones who remained taken transition to The Witness/Xivu Arath? And how did the Scorn end up under The Witnesses control and how did The Witness know how to resurrect them? I could go on but I hope you catch what I’m getting at. (Also do the champions hold some kind of real world status or is it only something we as “players” see?) Thank you so much for all of your content! I am the lore junkie of my group and I always love learning more about the wonderful universe we call Destiny and how much meaning and depth the lore can add. Again THANK YOU!(ps sorry about the extremely long comment, I hope it didn’t bore you or put you off😂)

[@PumpkinInTheSnow]

Love you byf

[@Kestrel990]

Petra was the one who fired the shot, it does not sound like ace of spades, and she references that she was the one to shoot him when you meet her afterward in spiders hideout

[@CaptainTimy]

that thumbnail is sick

[@ronaldmayorga7962]

If I remember correctly the Shape shifting abilities of Ahamkara are unmatched but don't they always keep the slit on the bottom of the Jaw as well as their Milky White Eyes?

[@Snakedoster]

There could be other ahamkara we don’t know of yet too. Because according to Mara, riven is the last KNOWN ahamkara. Hopefully we see more

[@abesante8439]

Love you byf

[@joshuahensley9395]

destiny does not deserve you any single video you have put out has had more thought and care put into it then the entire decade of bungies flailing attempt to tell a story

[@feralprocessor9853]

Pretty cool dragon design on that sparrow

[@invaderHUNK]

Riven’s final wish was the smorgasbord of nerfs coming in Season of the Wish. We killed here once, and now she’ll kill us 1,000 times(not including dying to a platform puzzle).

[@SharkUsingaComputer]

what shotgun is at 17:39 :o

[@zalla00]

We need new Tslayp Lore Daddy!

[@MikeE_wf]

he really did just sneak in a Miami dolphins reference in this video lol

[@PlatinumAssassin]

Im curious if this is "news" or not but as of Season of the Wish and the Coil activity there is a line convo when you start the activity and are traversing to the first room of enemies between Petra and Crow where Crow mentions that Petra should ease up since she shot him once already. I assume this is shot and not some other incident. So I think we have the hard confirmation, at least now, who pulled the trigger?

[@Cayde-6sHorn]

My biggest question about the Ahamkara is: if Ahamkara feed on desire, and granting wishes provides them with said desire, why manipulate the wishes to screw over the person that makes the wish?

[@Landis963]

There's a few reasons I can think of. 1) Desires granted imperfectly lead to more desires, which the wish-dragon can then grant imperfectly, and so on and so forth. 2) Our diplomatic track record with Ahamkara leaves a lot to be desired - Riven was a prisoner, countless others were killed, Etc. Even without things like the Great Hunt getting in the way, there's only one relationship between a wish-dragon and its habitual wisher that ended on good terms, and we didn't even know about it when this video was published.

[@killerofzombs115]

When is the full story of the Skrank Gang?

[@EvilFantasy]

50min VIDEO POG

[@jonsoto8318]

Crazy idea to follow: I think the reason that Lord Shakks doesn't take the field anymore has to do with a wish he made to that skull. The trade off for surviving the Red War with his civilians is he cannot fight again for some reason. So if you can't do, teach.

[@misfitmush]

Damn... riven knew about the recent seasonal model way back when

[@JP5150_]

THE WISH WALL HAS OVER 4 SEPTILLION DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS!!! FML THAT'S 24 ZEROES!!! Just imagine how many combinations you could get wrong before getting the right ones? I love this lore but that is insane

[@therein6448]

Byf you need to read for audible. More of the world need to hear your voice narrating

[@sinbad269]

Imagine being Welsh in the Destiny Universe. Can't wave your flag for fear of being ostracised 😂

[@dixiewolfgaming4544]

Glad my hyperfixation could possibly have helped :)

[@coreyrobinson5290]

Anyone notice zavalas new voice actor seems to be the same as the siren of riven?

[@liamcool2139]

40:10 Petra was holding a sidearm not a hand cannon the joke was that of a hand cannon yes?

[@feralprocessor9853]

So many combinations!!!

[@leonardoduarte3712]

Amazing story, would love to understand what the techeuns are

[@HowItRolls]

Bro !!! Lore Daddy Lemonade!!!

[@sir-n0-face42]

In my guardians lore it is very clear who shot Uldren

[@lightfizzy1232]

2:57 to skip ad

[@bigbossdaniel5170]

Did the thumbnail change?

[@jesseritchie9282]

Yes i just noticed that as well.

[@KingJamesIX]

"It reads as Follows.. HEY! IT'S RYAN REYNOLDS."

[@garrettviewegh9028]

Considering Gauardins “make their own fate” and we may defy the odds and kill the Witness, possibly the most powerful paracusal being in the universe. I can’t help but wonder, we will become so powerful, and wise enough, to upend wish magic, and defy/undo fate? Maybe, in time, we will undo the damage Riven and other Ahamakara have done to Sol, and the Dreaming City, and left the curse. Maybe, we will truly kill ALL of the Ahamkara.

[@Agis525]

I believe we shot uldrrn, for one Petra's gun makes a different sound that the ace. Two in season of the haunted correct me if I'm wrong our guardian is directly implied to be his killer. On another note mara and savathun are soo alike in how they manipulate others I don't trust either.

[@Dog_Botherer]

The wishwall numbers are insane... and to think people tried to brute force the '15th wish' 😂

[@Knicks176]

“Nah I’d wins” - Riven, to the wall (probably)

[@noahedenborg4221]

the way riven speaks makes it sound like shes flirting with us

[@LUCKY1i1K7NG]

Theres a secret wish only one guardian knows about...

[@aceundead4750]

In times like this i find myself torn between loving and hating the story and lore of Destiny. It makes me want to experience this again, but at the same time im capable of being very petty towards anyone/thing that upsets me a little bit like Bungie has. And then people like Byf and Myelingames go making videos going over the story and lore in a fun and comprehensive way making it even more fascinating than it already is

[@strider2175]

Going to repeat my previous comment: I truly feel that the creation of the Traveler and the Veil are the result of the [wish] of the Gardener for new rules to the Game.

[@mauricegreen5321]

and Imma say for the first time, that theory is dumb

[@carlhayden3610]

Hmmm…. It would be pretty bad if the Vex ever caught wind of the wall of wishes wouldn’t it? I mean imagine a vex mind with full control of the Wall and an Ahamkara… It would be like someone playing against a computer on max difficulty in chess for the wish dragon, not impossible, but still…. Not to mention the vex could twist reality as they wished…

[@zachwietecha1692]

Why does Riven sound like Commander Zavala wtf my mind is hurting

[@r0ttingfaerie]

she also can pretend to voice Mara and Ikora. I can’t remember why Riven uses their voices but yeah its been a thing since the raid was released :)

[@linguine490]

Lemonade? Let's go!

[@kylielockwood13]

Do you think that Cayde’s return in the final shape could be the result of a wish?

[@digunder14]

is it just or does the description of riven's bargain with savathun, imply that savathun won unlike so many others?

[@barthotymous]

11:40 more simply it's just 17^20

[@SrDezi]

Miami Dolphins fan here: no-harm-no-foul Byf. We forgive you

[@nicholasschoonbeck6866]

Am I the only person who assumes that more dragons may exist somewhere? Wasn't it Effrideet who found a place where people gave up fighting & we have no idea where it is? Pluse Neomuna being hidden from us in our own solar system, the universe is vast, why with the dragons only come to our little part? There could be hundreds in other places.

[@Rivr_Shen]

I miss the tangled shore

[@RuiNDieM1988]

If the Witness can create scorn does thta mean they have power akin to the wish dragons 🤔

[@brendeneidson6246]

Siren of riven non chalantly sounds like zavala

[@GenericThrowaway]

What will really boil the brain is the realization that Riven wasn't a dragon at all. After all, she appeared after Uldren found her. Uldren, who no doubt wished to please his sister, would have been easy pickings for whatever manner of entity Riven actually was. And so she became a dragon, a prize, in order to do whatever it is she desired to do as Riven of a Thousand Voices, the last surviving Ahamkara. Ahamkara that may also have not been actual creatures, but creation of Riven herself.

[@frankiebigrings7048]

Thats crazy but idk.the wish dragons pre date the awoken by a bit in the books of sorrow

[@wolffang-vz2ty]

they are shapeshifters, they take whatever form they want. they are called wish dragons as a common name, the species name is ahamkara

[@tsmith4675]

After you talk about your sponsor! We get ad's so your new name is my name is ads daddy

[@ChrillyPad]

Something a little confusing as someone who dabbles in the lore, if Oryx was afraid of us why would he continue to come to our system?

[@SnyperMK2000JclL]

The sword logic dictates it so... to be worthy of existing you must prove yourself against that which is deemed stronger. The weak do not deserve to exist. Also the fact that the Witness has been subtlety controlling the Hive gods through their bargen with the deep all this time and the Witness' #1 goal was to find the Traveler. Thus in some way Oryx was nudged or drawn towards Sol to fulfill the Witness' desires.

[@Landis963]

Because the sword logic demands that the aspersion of weakness the Guardians cast upon Crota be answered with a similar aspersion. Because he needed to reclaim his tribute, lost during our rampage through Crota's throneworld. And because Crota, even after everything, was still Oryx's son.

[@wwr90]

Sitting here with my family on Thanksgiving (in US) and literally said "oh f**k yeah" out loud when I saw new Ahamkara vid