Perhaps the most Metal Gear Solid-esque sci-fi equivalent in the lore of Destiny, SIVA was one of the last major discoveries players made in the first game before moving on to Destiny 2. As part of the Rise of Iron expansion, guardians learned of a long-lost malevolent force that humanity had created a long time ago. After the Fallen House of Devils re-discovered the imposing Golden Age tech, SIVA prompted a return of the Iron Lords as guardians put down the hijacked super technology and sealed it away once more. Since then, SIVA has largely returned to the shadows, with cosmetics being the only reference to the tech in Destiny 2, unless a recent leak is to be believed.
With the recent "Season of the Splicer" name leak for Destiny 2, that name virtually has only one possible reference to previous Destiny lore, and that's SIVA. The interesting thing about SIVA is that, despite its relatively small narrative importance in the current context of Destiny 2's story, SIVA is still a very significant threat for guardians. For it to return as a possible obstacle in the form of a seasonal threat makes the most sense, as it's not necessarily a primary threat compared to the Darkness or Savathun's schemes. A season dedicated to SIVA's return holds a lot of potential, so here's why SIVA's potential return is very important for Destiny 2's next season.
Clovis Bray, Expanding the Golden Age, and SIVA's Role
Prior to the Collapse, humanity made great strides as they expanded beyond Earth and into the solar system, colonizing once uninhabitable planets in bulk thanks to the Traveler. However, as further planets were being explored and settled, humanity needed a quick and efficient method of construction for a variety to support its expedited colonization. That's where Clovis Bray I, famed scientist of the Golden Age responsible for numerous technological breakthroughs and inventions, comes into play. Among pivotal innovations like the development of the Exos and Warmind Rasputin, Clovis Bray I was also responsible for the creation of SIVA, which changed everything.
SIVA was designed as a form of "cytomachines" (Destiny's version of nanomachines, but smaller) that's a self-replicating technology expressly used for building. As the Golden Age progressed, colonizers utilized SIVA to build numerous structures and settlements in mere minutes. SIVA machines were able to reproduce autonomously to meet the demands of whatever projects they were working on, splitting off into several miniature machines capable of working in tandem to create massive structures with ease. It's unclear what exactly happened to SIVA during the Collapse, but eventually all remaining SIVA bots were encapsulated in a Cosmodrome bunker by Rasputin.
Rasputin, SIVA, and the Fall of the Iron Lords
Fast forward to the pre-City age, prior to the events of the first Destiny, the Iron Lords eventually rediscover SIVA. Players who journeyed through Destiny's last expansion, 2016's Rise of Iron, will be familiar with Lord Saladin's origin story. Years prior to the first game, Lord Saladin was one of many Iron Lords, a group of guardians who rose up against the warlords and tyrants who reigned over Earth prior to the establishment of the City and the Vanguard. During an exhibition in the northern regions of Old Russia, deep within a remote portion of the Cosmodrome, the Iron Lords discovered an old pre-Collapse bunker where SIVA had been stored.
As the Iron Lords investigated the bunker's contents, the Warmind Rasputin was awakened for the first time. Upon discovering what SIVA was, the Iron Lords attempted to excavate and commandeer the technology to help rebuild society post-Collapse. Rasputin saw this as a threat and attempted to stop the Iron Lords, instructing SIVA to defend the bunker at all costs and escape the replication chamber. Thousands of SIVA machines bonded together to overwhelm the Iron Lords, killing hundreds of them. The remaining eight Iron Lords, save for Lord Saladin and Efrideet, were sealed and killed inside the SIVA replication chamber, entrapping the deadly technology inside.
Containing the Fallen SIVA Outbreak in Destiny: Rise of Iron
Fast forward to Destiny's Rise of Iron, and the Fallen House of Devils found that same SIVA bunker that was sealed away all those years ago. As the Fallen realize the potential of SIVA's power, Devil Splicers of the House of Devils literally surrendered themselves to SIVA's control and fused with the Golden Age technology. Led by Aksis the Archon Prime, these SIVA Devils started to spread out into the Cosmodrome, to Lord Saladin's grave concern. Saladin contacts the Tower, and players' guardians are tasked with assisting and containing the SIVA outbreak. Guardians quickly realized the Fallen's new otherworldly abilities of resurrection and augmentation with SIVA.
Realizing the threats and potential consequences of a SIVA outbreak in the hands of the House of Devils, guardians move to defeat the SIVA Fallen at the core. Returning to that same changer where the valiant Iron Lords lost their lives all those years ago, players had to fight reanimated SIVA-infused guardians to retake the replication chamber. After an arduous battle with the former Iron Lords, players were able to destroy the Fallen Splicers replicating SIVA, as well as the "machine god" Aksis. In the years since, the Tower has erected quarantine zones around SIVA-affected areas of the Cosmodrome, as well as one portion of the old Tower.
After that, SIVA has been relatively unheard of throughout Destiny 2. Little references from Eververse items, quest dialogue, among other hints discuss the existence of SIVA, but the Golden Age tech has been far from the spotlight ever since Rise of Iron. However, with the potential return of Devil "Splicers" in Destiny 2, that could also potentially mean the return of SIVA. Splicers are not intrinsically connected to SIVA, but being scientists of the Fallen, they're primarily associated with augmenting Fallen with SIVA. That's why "Season of the Splicer" is being considered an indication of SIVA's return, even if that doesn't necessarily imply the tech plague is returning.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
