You've spent years staring at that weird, shadowy figure in the corner of the Tower or the back of a cave on Nessus. Xûr. He shows up, hands you a Gjallarhorn or some high-stat boots, and mumbles something about his "will" not being his own. But honestly, who are his bosses? If you’ve been tracking the lore of the Nine Destiny 2 has been teasing since 2014, you know the answers are usually more confusing than the questions.
They aren't aliens. They aren't gods in the way we think of Hive gods or the Traveler.
They’re basically sentient loops of dark matter. It sounds like something out of a physics textbook, and that’s because, in Bungie’s universe, it kind of is. Imagine the entire solar system is alive, but it can only think because the gravity of the planets pulled dark matter into these massive, swirling consciousnesses. That’s the Nine. They are tied to us. If the sun dies, or if Earth gets cracked open like an egg, they die too.
Why the Nine Destiny 2 Players Know Are Splitting Up
The Nine aren't a happy family. Far from it.
There are actually two factions within this group of celestial ghosts. One side wants to study the Light. They sent Xûr. They helped us during the Red War (kinda). They want to find a way to get physical bodies so they don't have to rely on the existence of planets to stay alive. They're the ones who seem "helpful," or at least as helpful as a sentient gravity well can be.
Then you have the other side.
These guys are dangerous. They’re the ones who blinded the City’s satellites right before Ghaul’s fleet showed up. Why? Because they wanted to see if someone could actually steal the Light. They don't care if we live or die; they just want to see how the "magic" works so they can use it for themselves. This internal civil war is why the Nine feel so inconsistent. One day they're giving you a Trial of the Nine ticket, and the next, they're letting a Cabal invasion wipe out your friends.
The Emissary and the Human Connection
Remember Orin? She was a Guardian—a Sunbreaker, actually—who went looking for the Nine and found more than she bargained for. Now she’s the Emissary. When you play the Prophecy dungeon, she’s the one talking to you in those distorted, echoing tones.
She isn't really Orin anymore. She’s a mouthpiece.
The Nine use her because they literally cannot communicate with us directly. Our brains aren't wired to process the "thoughts" of dark matter. It would be like a hurricane trying to explain its feelings to an ant. By using Orin, they bridge that gap, but even then, the messages get lost in translation. This is why everything in the Starhorse’s realm (Dares of Eternity) feels like a fever dream. They’re trying to understand human "entertainment" and "reward" through a lens of cosmic indifference.
The Truth About Xûr’s "Will"
Xûr is a prototype.
He’s a "Jovian," or at least that’s what we used to call them. In reality, he’s a flesh-and-blood construct made by the Nine to interact with the physical world. If he looks like he’s falling apart, it’s because he is. His cells are barely holding together. When he says his will is not his own, he’s being literal. He is a remote-controlled meat suit for an intelligence that spans the orbit of Jupiter.
- He collects Strange Coins.
- He distributes "Exotics" (which the Nine likely replicate).
- He gathers data on what Guardians do.
Every time you buy an engram, you’re participating in a massive data-mining operation. The Nine are obsessed with the "paracausal" nature of Guardians. We break the laws of physics. They are the laws of physics. They want to know how we do it so they can eventually cut their umbilical cords to the planets and become independent beings.
The Prophecy of the Light and Dark
If you haven't run the Prophecy dungeon lately, you're missing the core of what the Nine Destiny 2 story is trying to tell us. The whole point of that neon-soaked wasteland is to show that Light and Dark are just tools.
The Nine don't see a moral difference between the Witness and the Traveler.
To them, it’s all just energy. In the dungeon, you're constantly swapping between Light and Dark motes to progress. The Emissary is basically screaming at you that the distinction doesn't matter. This was a massive foreshadowing of the Final Shape and the Lightfall era. While we were worried about "good" and "evil," the Nine were looking at the math. They knew a long time ago that the universe needs a balance, or at least, they’re betting on whichever side lets them keep existing.
Where Are They Now?
Post-Final Shape, the Nine have gone a bit quiet, but they haven't disappeared. With the Witness out of the picture, the cosmic hierarchy has a massive power vacuum.
The Nine are likely terrified.
The Traveler is "awake" in a way it wasn't before. The Veil is being studied. The rules of the game have changed. For a group of beings that rely on the stability of the solar system, the recent paracausal shenanigans are a nightmare. You can bet they are currently recalibrating Xûr or looking for a new Emissary to figure out where they fit in this new world.
Some players think the Nine will be the focus of a future "Frontiers" expansion. It makes sense. We've dealt with the gods of the Hive and the disciples of the Witness. The only thing left is the literal fabric of the universe itself.
What You Should Do Right Now
If you want to actually see the Nine's influence in the game today, stop skipping the dialogue.
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- Run the Prophecy Dungeon solo (or with a group). Listen to the Emissary. Look at the architecture. It’s all meant to represent the "wasteland" of the Nine's mind.
- Visit Xûr every weekend. Not just for the loot, but for the flavor text on his items. Bungie hides massive lore drops in the most mundane places.
- Read the "Dust" lore book. It’s the definitive story of Lavinia, a researcher who actually figured out what the Nine are. It’s arguably the best writing in the franchise.
- Check your inventory for Strange Coins. The revamped Xûr system in the Tower is the most direct interaction we’ve had with the Nine’s economy in years. Use them to rank up and see if his dialogue changes as you hit higher tiers.
The Nine are the ultimate "gray area" in a game that started as a simple story of white spheres and black pyramids. They remind us that the universe is way bigger than our little war. Understanding them won't just give you better gear; it'll give you a roadmap for where the story is heading next. They are the silent observers, and they're still waiting for us to prove we're worth more than the dirt we stand on.
Actionable Insight: To truly grasp the Nine's current status, prioritize completing the "Xûr’s Strange Program" quests in the Tower. These missions offer more than just cosmetic rewards; they provide the most up-to-date narrative breadcrumbs regarding the Nine's reaction to the post-Witness solar system. Keep an eye on the "Starhorse" in Eternity as well, as its celestial movements often mirror upcoming seasonal shifts in the cosmic status quo.