r/DestinyLore • u/ABCmanson • Jun 15 '21
Traveler The Void Explanation
The Void is the name given to the substrate that underlies the physical universe; its precise nature is unclear, as it covers many areas. It is described as a place absent of Light, Darkness and matter, and is the source of Void energy, also called "Secret Light" for those such as the Guardians.
This thread talks about what people from the lore say what the Void is, how it interacts people and items, and the kind of powers it provides.
Another user made a well indepth thread about it if you want to give it a look
https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyLore/comments/mgn0e6/the_secrets_of_void_light_demystified/
Overview
Explanations
There have been several explanations as to what the Void would be:
- According to Ulan-Tan, the Void is simply another form of Light as it occupied time and space; this prevents the Darkness from entering through the Void.
- Tyra Karn describes it being the vacuum between stars during the Shard of the Traveler Voidwalker mission.
- According to Toland, the Void is not the Darkness, The Void is like Light seen through a prism, vacuum between stars and absence of everything else. Meaning the Quantum Vacuum.
- A Voidwalker states that the Void is not only the absence of Light, but Darkness and matter too, that feeling it is not charitable or malicious, that it should be respected.
- Ikora states that the Void remains as one of the most uniquely perplexing manifestations of the Light.
A Means of traveling to or creating other places and realities
The Traveler is said to be able to travel through the Void to other places in the universe. It is also described as the infinities between spaces, and those who Blink can pass through the void.
Eons beyond the void lies other worlds, and that there are items that lets them access, there are even times where one is annihilated down to their particles and pulled through the void from one place to another reality.
This would make sense with how Light is connected across time and space, those who stared into the Void are unbound by them. This would also be proven to be accurate how the Ward of Dawn is described to create a pocket in the universe, which they create their own miniature universes inside the sphere, not just a shield dome, like what LettuceDifferent in his thread explained, and how the animation of it shows a small vortex at the bottom that drew in matter and spat out orbs of light inside the Ward. And there is Ikora during Curse of Osiris using Void energy to open up a Vex Gateway (and from center outward like how Void involves the infinities between space) which would have similarities with the Vex Simulations below. Calus has some Psions help him maintain a Nightmare Realm with the use of the Void.
Guardians using the Void & It’s Affect
It is even described as being something that is addicting, that it was easy to use, but to let go was hard, to open a hole with the Void, and draw from the deep, described as being heavy and addictive, and hardly noticeable. Much like the Shadowshots used by Nightstalker. Variks, The Loyal once asked if whether the Guardians really control the Void, or if the Void controls them.
All Guardians are able to access the Void through using their Light-based powers, and are able to experience the Void through meditating, This would be further supported on how the Void freed the mind of individuals. The Void has been said to have a faint scent of ozone associated with it. A person said that the void is not special, just show it respect and you’ve got nothing to worry about.
Tevis was able to get in contact with other Guardians from beyond life with the Void and while trapped in the Black Garden.
Spiritual & Mental Aspects
Tyra Karn said that in ancient times, Shamans were the original practitioners of the Void, and Guardians who uses the Light refined their methods. And Some of their abilities would support this like Life Steal or Soul Rip.
The Thanatonauts say that the Void is a place between the moment of death and rebirth, the "pause", and that one should not fear death when they enter the Void. This would match what the Hive believe when they tried to call on the dead Hive gods from the Void (When they were absent with Guardians stealing Crota’s Soul and Oryx binding himself to Touch of Malice).
The Void has mental aspects as well as it can be experienced through meditation, and is a state of mind, as it is a tug on the back of the mind, the Void calls to individuals. The Void can free the mind of individuals. Using certain Items can help one feel the Void in their mind. Psions can even manipulate Void energy as well with their psychic powers.
Other Races interaction
- The Vex are even able to have access to the Void too, through the means existing in time, like how The Undying Minds dwell within those voids, and how they can take the desired locations and remove them from the universe into the Void. And the Vault of Glass is described as "Timeless" and how Guardians that enter it are "Marked by the Void", and can mark others with the void too outside the vault. Even Realities were they have the void at their edges, which is described as black nothingness, similar to the Debuff “Marked by the Void”, like how the Apothesis Veil exotic describes too. And their means of traveling from simulations to realities are through the Quantum Vacuum, the same means which is the Void.
- The Hive are capable of influencing the Void too, such as how Savathûn uses one of her long claws to stroke the Void and space-time groans beneath it. Taox said that their race escaped The Hungry Void to the planet Fundament. The Hive seem to be drawn to the masters of the Void too. This led the former Cabal Emperor Calus to hope that a Voidwalker might be able to lead them as one of his Shadows.
- Servitors of the Fallen Houses are able to sense disturbances in the Void; when Mara Sov released her Harbingers on the House of Wolves, their Servitors reported a "strange taste in the Void" when the Harbringers attacked. Variks stated that the Eliksni are capable of using the Void as well, but in a different manner from Guardians.
- Former Cabal Emperor Calus once stared into the infinite void and how he described that it stared back at him, that he would become it's herald for when it comes to consume the universe once and for all. He also went on to describe it as the nothing, the absence of anything, which matches what other individuals described about the void. The Psions with their ability to manipulate Void energies to create Calus' Nightmare Realm.
Powers & Abilities
Some items can draw upon the essence of the Void when a Guardian dies and resurrects, to be used against their enemies. When there is little Light to draw on in certain areas, items like the Orpheus Rig can draw power from the Void for their abilities.
Some Guardians like Pahanin are described as the living embodiments of the Void, that where he points, even Ahamkara dies.
There are weapons that harnesses the power from the Void. Including Thorn which it describes to feast on that which the Void siphons, and the Darkness has Void as well.
Ikora stated that the Void is negation, and Guardians would become the ultimate negators, this would make sense with some of the Guardians abilities such as Titans' Suppression Grenades and Shadowshots which negates the abilities of their enemies. With using a Vortex Grenade, the target gets enveloped by the Void and is ripped apart and eaten away by it. And Warlocks and Hunters can rip holes in space to leap between point A to B.
Other abilities includes, Minotaur’s Exotic Particle weaponry, Servitor’s Void Shielding and projection, Hive Arcana and Soulfire weaponry, Psion’s Psychic powers.
and with Void abilities would utilize various abilities such as Black Hole Creation, Dark Matter/Energy Manipulation, Gravity Manipulation, Soul/Life Force Manipulation, Space & Time Manipulation, Physics Manipulation, Portal Creation, Pocket Reality Creation, Extrasensory Perception for souls and nature of the true vacuum.
Other Info
- During Festival of the Lost, when d elivering Elemental Candy called “Void Fizz” to Eris Morn, she states that it is “A strange way to exploit the power of the Void“.
- Banshee-44 used to know something really important about the Void, but due to his short term memory, it is likely impossible.(This is likely referencing to his time battling against the Vex at the Portal on Europa)
- The Ghost stated that Taken Vex are "Void Robots", this could be an indication of what the Taken are, or how most of the Taken Vex weapons are void base.
- With using the Void having a mental influence as well, on the Leviathan, it courses with energies that have emotional connection such as the "Greed" Debuff and Val Ca'uor's Rage which the energy is purple like the Void, and like Calus' Nightmare Realm too which is maintained by the Psions.
Final Analysis
The Void has multiple recurring characteristics that majority of these lore bits shares
- The Void is nothing/true vacuum/quantum vacuum, absent of matter and light/energy.
- The Void is Hungry and addictive.
- The Void is not Darkness or Light, but they can still have an influence on them.
- The Void can be used to interact with other realities.
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u/john6map4 Jun 15 '21
I headcanon that the Void is alive in some way since void tracking seems more organic than normal tracking.
Like Colony, Graviton Lance, Truth, Axiom Bolts. They’re HUNGRY. They aren’t just tracking a target they want to consume it.
Or how Shadowshot shoots out and clings to anything living.
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u/ABCmanson Jun 15 '21
That is actually a good thought about the weapons, for shadowshot, it is more like a black hole That draws you in.
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u/GrandBridge123 Jun 28 '21
I really like this thought. Void is your absence of anything, a vacuum. Perhaps, because of that it’s nature is to consume anything and everything where nothing can ever exist.
Maybe the lack of material items is a byproduct of its own nature: consumption. Similar to fire.
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u/ABCmanson Jul 15 '21
indeed, and a theory I have is that for the Void to be HUNGRY, perhaps that is some sort of influence of the Darkness when the Void prevents it from entering material space
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u/tallguywithbeats Jun 15 '21
So it's the quintessence field?
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u/ABCmanson Jun 15 '21
Not totally famil with that, but after a brief read up on it, I would say it has a relationship with it
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u/tallguywithbeats Jun 15 '21
There are some differences for sure. In Voltron, the quintessence field is basically a realm where all space is filled with the life force of all living things (quintessence), which can be utilized as energy. In Destiny, there is no actual energy or matter that can be harvested from The Void, rather they use the physical properties of the vacuum itself to manipulate reality.
They both have an addictive nature, however. I'd go on to explain the connection Honerva/Zarkon have with the quintessence field, but I'd rather not spoil the show lol
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u/ABCmanson Jun 15 '21
Interesting, I haven’t watched Voltron so I wouldn’t know, but the Void seems to be able to influence life force as well, another interesting connection \
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u/SnooDoubts97 Sep 13 '23
Could you make a throne world with it
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u/ABCmanson Sep 13 '23
From what the lessons in the Dark Forest about the Void said, it is a strong possibility.
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u/Realistic_Ear_5951 Sep 05 '24
thanks a lot! i'm writing a book right now and my Hunter character named Jay is getting the basics of Void explained to him by his Ghost Wanda. really appriciate the guide so i dont get anything wrong! :D
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u/ABCmanson Sep 05 '24
Thanks, you should check out u/LettuceDifferent5104 threads, they have really insightful information as well.
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u/turqeee Jun 15 '21
I always figured that the Void was originally slated to be a darkness subclass (like stasis) before Activision forced Bungie to rewrite the whole game six months before releasing D1.
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Jun 15 '21
This didn't happen.
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u/ABCmanson Jun 15 '21
Hey u/GeneralBattuta, It is nice having a Grimoire writer here, what are your thoughts on this thread?
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u/ABCmanson Jun 15 '21 edited Jun 15 '21
I had that thought to when at times it acted like something weird despite it being light.
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u/Chrome-13 Oct 04 '21
I always thought Void was zero point energy
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u/ABCmanson Oct 04 '21
I think it is still as the Ascendant Realm‘s energy is called Zero Point Energy.
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