Warning: Long read! EDIT 7: THE VEX MYTHOCLAST I had a rather interesting discussion going on in the fireteam I was in earlier this week. It was about the Vex Mythoclast and Bungie hinting at its importance in the upcoming Crota's End Raid. [spoiler]Some legends live forever. Others are overwritten - reshaped by the sheer will of those who believe that any ordeal can be conquered, [b]any foe vanquished, any god cast down[/b]. The Mythoclast is a Vex instrument from some far-flung corner of time and space, [b]mysteriously fit for human hands[/b]. Its origins, mechanism of action, and ultimate purpose remain unknown. Perhaps it will reveal itself to you, in time...[/spoiler] Basically what was said was: The Vex made the Mythoclast for us to find... And use... Against what? The Hive perhaps? My fireteam members believed the Vex saw the Hive as the true enemy of the galaxy, although the Vex, as far as we know, never have faced the Hive before. The foe being the Hive and the god Crota or Oryx? What do you guys think? /// Original post: From all the enemies we encounter in the game, the Vex and their motive interest me the most. But what is that motive? I have a lot of questions about the Vex that have been partially answered in other story/lore/conspiracy threads but I also like to know what you guys think. Most of the things you will read down below will be copy/pastes of the Grimoire Cards. What is the true role of the Vex? Should we even be talking about "the" Vex as a race? We already learned that millions of units are being controlled by one mind so shouldn't we refer to the Vex as one single entity? Is the goal of the Vex really to conquer the multiverse? If so, why haven't they fulfilled that desire yet, since they have been around for millions of years. Perhaps because they never took the Traveler and the Darkness in account. Why is that? I think the Vex never were meant for combat but they had to adapt, thus slowing progress towards their ultimate goal. The following part are the Grimoire cards of the basic Vex units, without combat-related information. [spoiler]The Vex are architects of ancient and complex structures thought to be buried within every celestial body. Linked by a network unlike any on Earth, they operate in unison, directed by a single unfathomable purpose. *The Goblin is the basic unit in the vast computational network that is the Vex. *The Hobgoblin model is fitted with improved optics and acute sensors in its horns. *The fastest and most mobile Vex, the Harpy is an airborne unit often deployed in flocks on patrols and scouting missions. *Minotaurs, most of their processing power is devoted to the physics of building massive Vex complexes, suspected to extend through multiple dimensions. *The Hydra is a rapid processor of the data fed to it by other Vex.[/spoiler] So the Vex scour new planets for information and share that data across all other units to see if the location is compatible for their plans, followed by setting their plans in motion (construction work). More evidence of the Vex not meant for combat. [spoiler]*From an engineering perspective the Slap Rifle is something interesting: a terminal. The Slap Rifle receives a bolt of Solar energy from somewhere (or somewhen) else and it points it at a target. The terminal's flexibility is impressive. In non-combat conditions, the Slap Rifle seems like it might serve as a viable field transmitter, construction tool, navigational beacon, network repeater, or any of a number of other utility functions. *Like the Slap Rifle, the Line Rifle is a terminal weapon, although its source is much more energetic. *The Torch Hammer is a devastating Vex heavy weapon. Firing projectiles of strange matter, the Hammer mauls targets with exotic particle decay and deadly radiation. *The Vex use Slap Grenades to drive targets out into the open. These devices behave more like miniaturized gates than conventional explosives, channeling a Void energy pulse from a remote location. *Some evidence suggests that the Cyclops is in fact an enormous sensor or beacon, and that its weapons capabilities are secondary. What the Cyclops senses remains unknown, although its mind core is vast. It may play a role in the Vex networked intelligence, or in navigation across space and time.[/spoiler] My own interpretation for the Torch Hammer is that it is meant for demolition, for example caving or digging. Those who have fought a Cyclops know that they frequently malfunction after having received damage, this indicates that they weren't made for combat either. [spoiler]Vex Axis Minds are individual Vex hulls that contain local instances of superordinate Vex goal sets. This cryptic phrase means something reasonably simple - the Axis Mind contains a copy of all the information required to pursue a particular objective.[/spoiler] All Vex behaviour is coordinated by processes or algorithms, continuously adapted, comparable to a 'survival of the fittest' and 'natural selection' system. Not all Vex are controlled by the same algorithms, a couple of examples: [spoiler]*We understand the Vex as a network of thoughts, unified and vast. But not all Vex are the same. The Hezen Corrective is one example of a Vex subtype, set apart from other Vex by distinct behaviors and objectives. *It would be a fatal mistake to think of the Vex as a conventional military occupying an area. Vex behavior is always a process, active and purposeful. As with much Vex behavior, it's unclear whether their ultimate purpose is even comprehensible to us. *It seems unlikely that an organization with the sheer computational scope of the Vex could be dragged into a losing war of attrition. Is it possible that the Vex are trying to draw out the Cabal strength? Or that their surface losses are a distraction from a deeper strategic ploy? *Perhaps the Virgo Prohibition is simply the wrong algorithm for its environment, and its failure will drive the greater Vex network to adapt and improve. *The Vex, for all their voracious intelligence, could not understand or decipher what they found. They searched through all available reactions, and they settled on the course with the greatest payoff...to worship this power, and to remake themselves in its image.[/spoiler] This -finally- brings me to the point of this post. If all Vex processes and algorithms lead to positive outcomes, how do we, as Guardians fit in? How come the Vex did not foresee us foiling their plot? [spoiler]Legends say that the Oracles foresee what is to come, a world as the Vex desire it[/spoiler] We destroyed the Nexus, the Vault of Glass, the Heart of the Black Garden, ... Then certainly the Vex must have known that the Guardians would ruin the image the Vex have of the world? Or do we fit in in the bigger picture and is this meant to happen? Are the Vex using us for some reason, something that involves the Traveler and the Darkness? Do the Vex want us to stop them? If you made it this far, thank you. I really would like to know what you think. Edit 1: Added an interesting part from Atheon's Grimoire Card. [spoiler]We might guess that the Vex confluxes represent the extension of this network across space and time. Perhaps the Vex use closed timelike curves to solve unfathomable computations. Or the Vex may seek to transcend a physical substrate, and move their thoughts directly into the fundament of the universe. If physics is a set of rules that the cosmos uses to calculate itself, perhaps the Vex seek to worm their way into these calculations: to become a law of reality, inseparable from existence. A virus in the system. Perhaps Atheon was the centerpiece of this project, a command nexus that unified efforts across time. [b]But we must accept that all of this is speculation.[/b] [/spoiler] Edit 2: Adding links that give/gave me inspiration on Vex theories, you might want to check them out: Theory on Destiny's story: http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/75353135/0/0 Theory on Vault of Glass: http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/71666640/0/0 Edit 3: Building further on the replies of Draven C, LegionRed and Jester in http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/77655500/0/0/1; maybe the Vex originated in the future and for reasons, came back to the past. Hence the ancient look of the [url=http://desimg.zamimg.com/static/image/icons/gamedata/game-backgrounds/large/203115_7dc90896f0abe817e752681f550fc5c2.png?1414984970]Descendants[/url] and the futuristic look of the [url=http://www.destinygamewiki.com/images/9/95/Descendants_grimoire_card1.jpg]Precursors[/url]? Click on the names to see them. Edit 4: From bottle hygene's post: [spoiler][quoteAt last, the Heart of the Garden has been destroyed, its stranglehold on the Traveler released. Our Light brightens. But the power of the Vex is not broken. Look into the Vault, Guardian, for it is said to hold powers the Progeny were meant to bring forth." - The Speaker[/quote] " The Black Heart was supposed to expand the powers of the Vault and by extension, Atheon to the outside world. Maybe that is the reason the Vex are worshiping the Heart? Because it is the only thing that can help them worm their way into the law's of the universe."[/spoiler] Edit 5: This thread has gotten far more replies than I could have anticipated, which I thank you for! Perhaps I oversee some of your replies, if you want me to answer them, just let me know in some way! Edit 6: Unlocked the Card for Slap grenade, so I added that one under weapons. Edit 8: Added the Undying Mind card in the replies since I exceeded the character limit for this post...