(After witnessing footage from the Taken King, I was inspired to make this to inform others of the various weapon brands that exist within Destiny) //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The Theory: Within the Destiny universe, the weapons wielded by Guardians are manufactured and produced in a variety of ways. Some Guardians, namely Toland and Pahanin, create their own weapons (e.g Bad Juju and Shadow Price, Super Good Advice, etc...) while others are produced, sometimes en-masse, by some of the "companies" found advertised around the Tower. This serves as a guide to those seeking to understand, and recognise these groups as they will only grow in prominance during the Taken King Expansion. (It should be noted: I may not cover ALL manufacturers, the ones in this list are either the most prominent or identifiable, although I may re-add any I miss when they are brought to my attention) Suros: Likely the most famous of all weapons manufacturers, Suros is famous (or infamous, I still remember all those early Iron Banners) for its production of Primary Weapons, mainly Auto Rifles, but they have also strayed into Pulse Rifle and even Shotgun territory. Their main identifiable brands are clean, white paint jobs with red or blue highlights and extensive use of "smart-glass" scopes (visible through the Suros Regime). More mass produced Common or Rare varients tend to have more randomised schemes, but that is true of most manufacturers in general. Based on pieced-together evidence, it appears that Suros has been in decline recently due to a "crippling" lack of smart matter for use in Legendary and Exotic gear. It is likely that this decline started at the Battle of the Twilight Gap, where many Guardians fell and poor equipment fell into scrutiny, and the disastrously failed Battle of the Moon. Based on their popularity, it can be assumed that, during the darkest times, most Guardians bore Suros equipment that may have been blamed for those failings, possibly leading to its current stagnation and concentration on Common and Rare equipment. Despite this, Humanity's survival of the Darkness is, in no small part, tied to the Suros company and recent productions (including new Suros Legendries shown at E3) show a revival of the company now straying into Heavy weaponry. Omolon: Dark and futuristic, Omolon is a rising star now competing with Suros for domination over the Primary and Secondary weapons industry. Omolon equipment tends to be black, blue, purple and cut-down with sleek designs meshing with missing sections replaced with bars. Having already proved themselves with the Exotic Hard Light, Omolon has begun producing more precise implements (e.g. the Scout Rifle and Hand Cannons arriving with the Taken King) while maintaining production of weapons like Fusion Rifles. Seemingly in possession of advanced materials, Omolon kit is very experimental in nature and their successes have rapidly brought them into completion with the other companies. It can be guessed that Omolon must have been founded relatively recently, due to a lack of Common and Rare equipment attributed to them, by rich employers due to their refined and prototypical examples. Tex Mechanica: Another old company having hard times, Tex Mechanica are a specialist company focusing on Hand Cannons with roots in the pre-Collapse American south and mid-west. The Last Word was a Tex Mechanica weapon, modded by various owners, and it could be inferred from this that Thorn, its sister-weapon, may have also been Tex Mechanica before it became one of the Hive's Weapons of Sorrow. This mixed history is further soiled by the fact that Tex Mechanica attempted to bribe Lord Shaxx, Crucible Master, into rigging games to make the company appear better. Threatening to expose the bribe, Shaxx forced the company into making many of the Rare Hand Cannons rewarded by the Crucible which has, ironically, increased their usage. That said, it can be presumed that, evidenced by their desperation, Mechanica isn't doing very well, which is also shown by s apparent lack of new weapons by the company in the Taken King, but only time will tell. It could be considered ironic that the Tex Mechanica brand of Hand Cannons has, due to their link with the Crucible and the duel between Shin Malphur and Dredgen Yor, killed more humans than aliens, although this is debatable. Crux/Lomar: Founded by Feizel Crux and Lomar, this company specialises in the production of Rocket Launchers. That's it. Crux and Lomar each have vastly different styles, as visible in the Exotics Gjallarhorn and Truth, with Crux preferring more ornate styles associated with the Crucible and Lomar utilizing a more functional look. It should be noted that the Battle of the Twilight Gap influenced both designers, with Gjallarhorn being forged from the armour of fallen Guardians and Truth using more robotic components to ensure, above all else, survival. Unlike the previously mentioned companies, with their fluxing fortunes, Crux/Lomar has remained popular largely due to the fact it was the only company entirely focused on Rocket Launchers, although the recent challenge posed by a Suros Rocket has yet to meet a reaction. Hakke: Similar to Omolon, Hakke has experienced a recent boom (visible soon in the Taken King). Focusing mainly on Secondary weapons, Hakke has produced Shotguns and had the gall to create the City's first Sidearm, earning it enough favour in the Crucible that Lord Saladin has hired them. Hakke weaponry often appears quite rugged and fuctional, with modifications like silencers being clearly shown, rather than hidden as is the case with other manufacturers. Vanguard and Crucible: Although not technically a company, the Vanguard and the Crucible have personal arsenals of weapons of all kinds. A fully-fleshed Vanguard set of Common weapons exists and completion of Strikes awards sets of personally modified Rare tools. The Crucible hires (or reverse-bribes) companies into making Rare weapons for victors but also maintains its own cache of personally-modified Legendries. The Vanguard similarly develops its own high-end weapons, but also inherits them from deceased Guardians (e.g. Shadow Price from the presumed-dead Toland) and sells them on. Both groups have their own colour schemes and icons, but the Vanguard emblem is usually displayed more prominently. Factions: Each of the City's main Factions fields their own set of Legendries but it should be noted that they are not produced by that Faction, being merely modified and renamed after creation. These weapons usually carry the symbols and colourations of the owning Faction. (Feel free to comment with any companies I missed with examples and I'll be sure to re-edit when I can!)