Saint-14 is one of the most popular characters in Destiny 2 and the Destiny series. But despite all the admiration, he only recently appeared in the flesh. The players’ love for Saint dates back to years in which he wore his exotic helmet, the Saint-14 helmet. His helmet has helped players protect their allies for five years, and in Season of Dawn’s mission to save Saint-14, Saint protects players the same way. Saint-14 is the original defender titan, and fighting under his wing is a reminder of how good it felt to be the hero in original fate.
Before Season of Dawn, Saint-14 was dead – lost in time, caught in a loop that he will never get out of. But now I can go back in time and meet with him in an earlier part of his life to give him a powerful shotgun as a gift. As I walk through the corridors of time, I hear its booming echo around me.
Saint-14 holds up his “Ward of Dawn” bladder. Bungie via polygon
The arena where I find Saint-14 is small – like the one where you would fight a boss on one of Destiny’s many raids. From ships flying over the abyss, enemies enter the battle endlessly. My back is against the wall, but I’m not alone. Saint-14 stands with his arms outstretched in a small crater and holds up a mighty barrier.
As a raider in the original Destiny, I know exactly what to do. I run to its barrier and walk through it. When the enemies enter the battle, I step out of the titanium bubble and fire. The bubble makes me stronger for a few moments and I need this bonus strength to defeat the bigger enemies. I run through the arena, shoot more enemies and aim at the boss. I’ve done this before.
When I run out of ammunition, I run back into the bladder to reload. The 14 year old is not here to fight with me, he is here to support me – just like I have supported my raidmates for years.
The mission to save Saint-14 is important to any long-time Titan player. Back in their original destiny, each raid team wanted at least one Titan to access the “Protection of Dawn” bubble. In a raid, I ran behind my team and dropped the huge shield when it was time to harm the boss, as Saint-14 is doing for me now.
My allies and I meandered through the bubble, inflicting additional damage and staying safe while we reloaded our weapons. I wore my Saint-14 helmet to ward off near enemies and as a brand, which means my role as a protector.
Every class in Destiny does everything – there are no tanks, healers, or damage dealers. But the Titan Bubble was unique to the original Destiny and changed the way people played the game.
A Defender Titan on the offensive in Destiny 2.Bungie
In Destiny 2, the role of Bubble Titan is not the same. The bubble still exists and significantly increases the damage done to the allies, but Destiny 2 has a plethora of support options. Warlocks can drop cracks or fountains of radiation, and even hunters can give their allies powerful reload improvements. Support is more ubiquitous and the game is better for him. But the desire to be the only protector is still there for some of us.
In this new mission to save Saint-14, every player can experience this bubbly titanium fantasy. But for those of us who have placed hundreds of bubbles in the background of hundreds of raid encounters in the original destiny, this brings back fond memories. It is nostalgic to fight alongside Saint-14 for the safety of his bladder, blessed by his exotic helmet.
