Alien Races

Hive

Arrival: [UNKNOWN: Possibly as long as 1000 years B.A. - Before Arrival]
Earthfall: 1 year A.T.

The Hive is an enemy species hostile to humans. Little is known about their origins or traits, though they apparently have a deep mythos and backstory made evident through their appearance and tactics.

Biography and Morphology

The Hive is an ancient race that came to the Solar System aboard ancient tomb ships. They are intended to evoke a feeling of "undead royalty",[1] and are a vaguely humanoid species with "dry, flaking skin encrusted with ancient armor".[1] At least some Hive appear to have supernatural abilities, including the ability to hover or float and manipulate energy and electricity.[2][3]

Geography

Hive are known to be present on the Moon and, in particular, have constructed a massive underground moon fortress called the Hellmouth.[4][5]

Hierarchy

Hive may be categorized into several classes.

Thralls are a basic class of Hive, brown in color and preferring melee attacks using their long fingers tipped with sharp claws.[6][7] They wear no armor other than ancient plates that appear to be encrusted into their bodies. They have no visible eyes and, in some places, their skin has rotted away to expose their skeletons.[7]

Knights are large, armored Hive that wield enormous swords.[6][8]

Troopers are Hive foot soldiers and do the bulk of the combat.[6][7][9] They appear to wear helmets with optical qualities and seem to lack the long fingers and sharp claws of their Thrall brethren, enabling them to wield energy- or plasma-based weapons.[9]

Wizards are regal, flying enemies that use ranged attacks.[6][10][11] This class has elaborate ancient armor, wears a long, crumbling cloak, and appears to float in midair, using magic attacks against Guardians.

Ogres are massive Hive bosses that use powerful melee attacks and energy blasts to devastate their enemies.[6][12]

Battle Tactics and Technology

In battle, the Hive have been shown to make use of ancient, metallic armor, optical enhancements, and energy- or plasma-based weapons.[2] Some Hive also use large, glowing, energy-based or energy-enhanced swords in battle.[8] Some Hive additionally appear to have at least some abilities or powers similar to Guardian abilities, including the use of an energy-based melee attack[3] and summoning electricity.[10]

Design Inspiration and Origins

During its panel at GDC 2013, Bungie stated that the Hive is designed to "capture a feeling of undead royalty." Design themes for Hive include "mystery, darkness, evil, strength and militarism."[4] Hive architecture generally is designed to have an "accentuated sense of scale, menace, and a hefty touch of the exotic without being too alien".[4]