Whether the Guardians wanted it or not, they stepped into a war with the Cabal on Mars. The Cabal is one of the main enemy factions in Destiny 2. They led a siege that could have seen the Last City of Humanity destroyed, along with the Guardians that defend it in Destiny 2’s base campaign.

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The threat of the Cabal continues to lurk in the Sol system. Their culture is dedicated to war and conquer, but unluckily for them, the Guardians bow to no one, not even a species that can rival the Vex and Legend Avalon. If new or returning Destiny 2 players want to gain the upper hand against the Cabal, then it’s best to know their enemy.

9 Warmongering Race

Destiny 2 Cabal Squad

Every race that threatens the Last City and the Guardians has its motivation. However, the Cabal seems to have the most baseless claim. They do not care about the Light or the Traveler, they only care about conquering other planets and they see the Guardians as the ultimate warrior to battle and conquer.

As a warmongering race, the Cabal wants nothing more than to expand their galactic empire, spreading their violent expansion through any means. The Cabal focus entirely on war, with everything from their language to their technology benefiting conquering. However, with entities as powerful as the Guardians, the Cabal are no match in this FPS.

8 The Red War

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New players to Destiny 2 would have missed The Red War, a Sol system-wide conflict that brought the Guardians to their knees against the might of the Cabal. The Red War was the original campaign in Destiny 2, before being sunset for the expansion content. The Red War was a great challenge to Guardians.

The Tower was destroyed by the Red Legion, and the Last City was left occupied by these Cabal forces, led by Emperor Ghaul, who despised the Guardians for their ability to cheat death and forget the fear of it. Ghaul’s forces managed to detain the Traveler and steal the Light but were ultimately destroyed by the Guardians that chose to fight back without their Light, assisted by the waking of the Traveler.

7 The Era Of Lead

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The earliest known origins of the Cabal is known as the Era of Lead, which is the era in which the Cabal had yet to leave and expand their star system. Due to the ancient nature of their origin, the Cabal have their myth for the Era of Lead, where three Cabal warriors attempted to claim the sun atop a mountain, guarded by a great beast. Cabal would repeatedly die and attack the beast until ultimately it was Acrius who delivered the killing blow.

Acrius was the first Cabal to “claim the sun” and he united his species as the first Emperor. After the Era of Lead, and the Cabal species were united under one banner, the expansion began, and the Era of Conquest would start their galaxy-wide claim to other species and planets.

6 Psion Assimilation

The Cabal is instantly recognizable for their hulking size, but there exists a species within the Cabal that is not like the others. The Psions are their race who were conquered by the Cabal, and enslaved into loyal servitude of the Cabal, serving as engineers and pilots for the mighty empire that enslaved them.

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For centuries, Psions were just slaves in the Cabal empire, forced into their military. Their usefulness within the Cabal empire comes from their telekinetic abilities and intellect. However, ever since Calus’ daughter, Caiatl took over as Empress, she freed the Psions and made them citizens of the Cabal empire, meaning those that continue to serve the military do so out of their own free will.

5 Calus’ Ascension

Destiny 2 Emperor Calus Lightfall Disciple

The largest change to the Cabal empire came into fruition when Calus rose as emperor. The shift in Cabal society saw the military-focused campaign shift focus into favoring art and philosophy. Calus was a dangerous and ego-fueled emperor who saw the Cabal empire’s history rewritten by those loyal to him to make Calus seem like the perfect ruler.

For centuries, Calus ruled the Cabal. However, when his throne was usurped, he was sent into exile, forced to wander in the vastness of the galaxy on board his ship the Leviathan. Yet, Calus would come into contact with the Witness, promising that he would be present for the end of all things as long as he ventures to Neomuna.

4 Alliance Of Guardians And Cabal

Caiatl With Her Guards

Despite the many wars and conflicts between the Guardians and the Cabal, a new ruler over the Cabal would usher in a new age and a new alliance. Thanks to Empress Caiatl, she wanted to bring humanity into the Cabal empire. Not as slaves, but as allies to combat the growing threat of Darkness and the Hive.

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This alliance was constantly strained and tested between Guardians and Cabal on both sides. However, it seems that this alliance only grew stronger as the threat of the Witness loomed closer, and Caital’s father became a Disciple. The alliance between Guardians and the Cabal sees the Cabal freely in the Last City, the same city their species attacked years ago.

3 Midnight Coup

Destiny 2 Dominus Ghaul

Calus’ reign lasted for centuries, with his priority in philosophy and peace starting to frustrate other Cabal. When a Cabal gladiator champion named Ghaul made his desire to return the Cabal to a warmongering race aware to Calus’ Consul and allies, they all agreed that usurping Calus as the emperor was the best way forward for their race.

The Midnight Coup began, which saw Ghaul and the Red Legion arrest Calus and his Loyalists. However, Calus was far too popular amongst the citizens to execute, so he was left in exile with those most loyal to him. Ghaul’s leadership saw many reforms to the Cabal empire, including its newest conquest: stealing the Light.

2 Losing Their Homeworld, Torobatl

A notable Destiny 2 content creator suggests Xivu Arath may be planning something devastating to the Last City in Season of the Seraph.

The capital world of the Cabal, Torobatl, was a beautiful place where Calus oversaw his reign of the Cabal empire. Torobatl’s fall was inevitable after the exile of Calus, and then the death of the newest emperor, Ghaul. These defeats saw the supreme commander of the Cabal empire, Umun’arath’s obsession with the Hive grow to a dangerous degree.

Umun’arath’s fascination with the Hive saw her lose everything, from her place on the War Council to the loss of her friends. Until, one day, she began a Hive ritual. Caital was forced to kill her, but in doing so, the Hive ritual was completed, and Xivu Arath, the Hive god of War emerged from a Hive portal and laid waste to Torobatl. The Cabal was forced to flee their home planet, never to return.

1 Cabal Language

new season of the chosen strike cabal final boss

The Cabal race has a strange language which is described as a mix of grunting. It’s hard to understand the Cabal, considering they speak a unique language from lightyears away. It adds to the mystery and the lore of the Cabal, that their language is hard to decipher even by the smartest dialect translators of the Last City.

What’s most interesting about the Cabal language is the fact that they do not have some words within their language. The Cabal does not have a word for “retreat” yet they have six words for “advance”. Their vocabulary is very interesting and shows just how war hungry they are.

Destiny 2 is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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