Destiny 2's universe and story are colorful and detailed enough that they have become a large part of what its fanbase enjoys about the game. The world and story of the series are helped along by how interesting and deep its characters are. While the characters rotate in their importance to Destiny 2 at any given time, players still have formed connections to them, making moments like the death of Cayde-6 very impactful. Players have also become increasingly familiar with characters they interact with more frequently, like Zavala and Eris Morn.
However, Destiny 2 also has many characters like Mara Sov that are just as detailed and impactful on the game's narrative even though many players may not know as much about them. Mara Sov has come and gone throughout the ever-expanding story of Destiny 2, but she has most recently reappeared in Destiny 2's new Season of the Lost. With how infrequently Mara has appeared throughout the game, many players do not know much about her history or role despite her being one of the more interesting characters in Destiny 2's narrative.
Mara Sov's Personality
Mara Sov is the queen of the Awoken, a humanoid race that descends from a ship of colonists that disappeared in a spacetime anomaly. The Awoken reside in the Reef, a debris field that is stuck in the orbit of an asteroid belt. Over the years, the Reef has grown to be quite sizable, and it is widely thought of as a city that is right on the border between the Light of Destiny 2's Traveler and the Darkness. Because of the tumultuous situation of the Awoken, Mara Sov rules with a logical, but sometimes cold approach. This attitude is particularly strong towards outsiders and the Vanguard of the Last City. Mara's hesitancy towards outsiders has led to the Reef never fully embracing an alliance or partnership with the Vanguard, although she has teamed up with them on occasion in the past.
The Queen of the Reef has also proven to be very vengeful and has struck out decisively against those that have harmed her or the ones that she cares about. The people that Mara Sov cares about are slim in number, but she has proven to be very dedicated to those individuals in the past. One of these, in particular, is Mara Sov's brother and advisor Uldren. Uldren was particularly rude to Mara and questions her decisions frequently, but she always kept him close to her because she appreciated his unique perspectives on various situations. This has set up a very interesting story beat in Destiny 2 now that Crow knows he was formerly Prince Uldren, but players will seemingly have to wait to see where it leads.
Mara Sov's History
Mara Sov rose to a position of influence very quickly, as she was one of the very first colonists turned into an Awoken. However, she was not the first queen of the Awoken and only attained the position by subtly manipulating the tense political situation that the people faced shortly after their creation. She then led some of the Awoken from the first planet they found themselves on, the Distributary, to the Reef, where she established the city there and has ruled as its queen ever since. The Awoken's presence in the Reef was eventually revealed when an army of a million Fallen stopped in the Reef on its way to attack the Last City. Mara Sov made the decision to attack the army and devastated it, which eventually led to the Reef Wars that few in Destiny 2 know who started.
This revealed the Awoken to the Vanguard and helped establish a line of communication between the two that was used for their occasional cooperation in dealing with the forces of the Darkness. Eventually, Mara Sov disappeared from the Reef to try and prevent the Black Fleet from making it to the Sol System. Mara Sov was ultimately unsuccessful, however, and the Black Fleet eventually arrived in the Sol System where they appeared as massive black pyramids. The full consequences of their arrival are unknown, but they will undoubtedly play into Destiny's future expansions.
Mara Sov's Role In Destiny 2
Mara Sov first appeared in the original Destiny when players were sent to the Reef to ask the Awoken for help. From there, Mara Sov has appeared throughout the franchise as a political entity that Guardians sometimes have to interact with or ask for help. Eventually, Mara Sov also comes to Guardians for help with chasing down those who have harmed her or to act on information she has gathered. This has seen her sometimes acting as a source for some of Destiny 2's bounties and activities that can be completed in the Reef.
Most recently, Mara Sov has been featured as the quest giver for the new "A Hollow Coronation" quest, which many players have taken to chasing in the wake of the reveal of Destiny 2's upcoming Witch Queen expansion. This is because the quest sees Mara Sov guiding the player to obtaining the new static exotic trace rifle known as Ager's Sceptre. Ager's Sceptre has some incredibly powerful traits for players to take advantage of, which can even charge Destiny 2's supers in less than 30 seconds under the right conditions. This has seen players getting a new appreciation for Mara Sov lately, as well as many theorizing what possible role Mara Sov will play in the upcoming expansion and Destiny 2's narrative moving forward.
So far, Destiny 2's Season of the Lost has been very well received, and the game's community is understandably excited for what is coming in the near future. It will be great to see how the Witch Queen plays off Destiny 2's running story. Hopefully, characters like Mara Sov and others have some interesting new developments coming their way in the game's future, and it will be exciting to see how they all play a role in the coming conclusion of the conflict between Light and Dark.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.