The Hive are an ancient, festering evil. Their antipathy to the Light transcends hatred. To the Hive, the eternal struggle between Light and Dark is not only a war, it is a crusade - all Light must be devoured so Darkness can reclaim the universe.

Factions¶

The Hidden Swarm

Boiling from the wounded surface of the Moon, the Hidden Swarm is the Hive’s outermost line of defense - a numberless legion that repels intruders before they breach the temples and shrines of the vast Hive fortress.

Spawn of Crota

The heralds of a dark future, led by the champion of a long-forgotten king. Crota and his legions once banished us from our own Moon. Now we fear they are rising again to claim Earth.

Blood of Oryx

Research into the cyphers and runes of the Hive leads the Cryptarchs to believe the Hive sects all serve one great master. The Blood of Oryx are feared to be the direct servants of this dark lord. The name Oryx appears too many times in Hive rituals to be ignored.

Thrall¶

Feral and fearless, Thrall are a plague upon the battlefield. Their swarming, twisted frames are driven by unfettered rage. Of all the terrors born of the Hive’s vile will, they are the basest.

Tactics

Weapons : Claws

Weak Point : Head

Thrall are feral, fearless, but not entirely foolish. While they often run blindly into combat to try and overpower an enemy, they may exercise caution if the player begins to use a Super Ability or Heavy Weapon. Often it is best to mow these creatures of darkness down with an Auto Rifle or a perhaps a Hand Cannon, though a well-thrown Grenade can eliminate large numbers. There is a variant in the Cursed Thrall, a slow moving Thrall that will detonate upon death or if it gets close enough to the player. Be sure to take it out first, it often damages other Hive and can start a chain with other Cursed Thrall.

Acolyte¶

It would be a mistake to view the Hive’s Acolytes as foot soldiers, because the Hive is not merely an army, it is a dark force rising. It is belief and horror, and its Acolytes are its instruments, hungry to commit the atrocities that will drive their own ascension.

Tactics

Weapons : Shredder, Boomer

Weak Point : Head

Acolytes behave more like a Dreg than anything else. Sneakily taking shots from behind cover but rarely using melee combat. In large numbers they often stay back, hiding behind Thrall and Knights that take the front line. A few headshots is all it takes to take them out, sometimes just a single melee.

Knight¶

A roaring, striding fortress, the Knight is the Hive’s foremost and most zealous defender. Centuries of battle have toughened the bony protrusions on its body into an armor as hard as relic iron - a defense only strengthened by the Hive magic that Knights use to summon shields of burning force.

Tactics

Weapons : Boomer, Cleaver

Weak Point : Head

Epic Modifier : Gains Arc Shield

Knights are slow-moving heavily armored frontline Hive. They are much tougher than Acolytes and often use a Boomer to deal massive damage in spurts. The Cleaver Knights are different, they will rush you and deal heavy damage with their cleaver and can easily overpower. Take out the Boomer Knights by hitting them a few times, they will stop and put up their shield to regenerate health. As it fades away, unleash a flurry of shots at the head to take it down. For the Cleaver Knights, back up and attempt to hit them with a Grenade; Fusion Rifles work wonders at burning through them. Both variants can go berserk at low health, signified by the red glow over their head.

Ogre¶

Charged with Hive sorcery, Ogres are abominations of flesh and rage, unleashed from the deepest Hive tunnels as engines of destruction. Apocryphal lore suggests that Ogres undergo terrible transformations as they grow - agonizing rituals that gift them with might and cunning.

Tactics

Weapons : Eye Blast, Ground Slam

Weak Point : Head (Eye)

Ogres will march forward and try to blast Guardians with their large, powerful eye. When they can, Ogres will rush into melee and use their devastating strength to deal damage with a ground slam. You’ll want to lay into them with Grenades and Super Abilities. Heavy Weapons are useful as well. Target the eye as much as possible to stagger the beast then finish it off.

Wizard¶

The Wizard is the scalpel with which the Hive vivisect the universe. A nightmare of rag and bone, the Wizard conceals herself within darkness and fire, dissecting and experimenting on anything that falls into her clutches.

Tactics

Weapons : Darkness Blast, Cloud of Darkness, Solar Shield

Weak Point : Head

A Wizard will hover above its minions and fire bolts of darkness that deal Arc Damage, often in a flurry. This can pin you back while other Hive move up so be careful on your positioning. The Cloud of Darkness will heal the Hive that stand in it while it severely weakens and slows down any Guardians making a pass through it. Try to take out the Solar Shield quickly, a Sniper Rifle with Solar or Golden Gun is best for taking them down. With the shield removed the Wizard should fall easily, just don’t let it retreat to safety. In number, these foes are vicious and often require Super Abilities or a Rocket Launcher in order to defeat.

Shrieker¶

These ever-watchful sentinels are believed, in some circles, to serve as the eyes of the Hive’s innermost covens, allowing powerful Wizards and Knights to watch over their domains. Others believe Shriekers are nothing more than weapons meant to guard Hive ritual sites. There is nothing living to the Shrieker, but neither are they mechanical constructs in a classical sense. They seem to be dead mass, animated by the arcane will of the Hive. When a Shrieker is broken, its Void charge rips free of the hull to seek vengeance.

Tactics

Weapons : Void Blast

Weak Point : None

The Shrieker doesn’t appear much, it’s mainly a stationary turret that deals massive Void Damage in pulses. You’ll want to sit safely back and let it have some of its own medicine. Be sure to stay back when you defeat this enemy, it will explode and send out numerous balls of Void Energy that will attempt to take out any Guardians foolish enough to lurk nearby.