The "Bungie Mythos" is a large timeline of references, callbacks, ideas, and more which connects Bungie's game universes together. Most recently, Bungie has called these universes "paracausal" universes. While each game series has its own separate timeline, every game has deviations from Pathways Into Darkness and Marathon, which appear to be the core timeline. Marathon Infinity created the multiversal paracausal timeline, resulting in the Halo series retelling Marathon's story, the Destiny series retelling PID's story in reverse, with Oni and Myth also thrown into the mix.
Outside of Destiny 2's expansion, the Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack, the most well known connection between Bungie's games are between the Marathon and the Halo game universes.
Bungie has a deep history of lore and mythology within its company outside of its games. Some examples include:
Eternal Warrior Theory[]
This most common theory about Bungie's games is the eternal warrior theory. It suggests that the cyborg or resurrected soldier from each of Bungie's games is the "Eternal Warrior," a single being who keeps being brought into each game universe to be the main and most powerful antagonist fighting against the game's main antagonist(s).
Marathon and Pathways Into Darkness[]
The most salient of connections between Pathways Into Darkness and the Marathon universe is the nature of the "waking god" and the helpful aliens who inform the United States government of its nature. The "waking god" is believed to be a — or the — W'rkncacnter, a race or singular entity in the Marathon series which shares similar properties, primarily ancient origins, incredible power and the capacity to cause destruction on a global or cosmic scale simply by existing.
The most subtle of the connections between Pathways Into Darkness and Marathon lie in a single computer terminal in the latter game. While seemingly there to provide proof that a human AI is distorting human history data (to prevent invading aliens from knowing of Earth's location) the text is actually a highly corrupted version of the original Pathways Into Darkness story.
The Jjaro are also mentioned in Marathon 2.
Oni and Marathon[]
- The first Oni trailer featured Marathon symbols on crates inside a warehouse.
- The Marathon symbol can be seen on the hull of the TCTF computer Damocles in CHAPTER 06 . COUNTERATTACK and CHAPTER 13 . PHOENIX RISING (see texture TXMPTC_SHCOMP2 as well as this concept art).
- A weapon called "Wave Motion Cannon" was cut from Marathon. In Oni, the Wave Motion Cannon is the biggest weapon in the game, and the only one to support two firing modes.
- Comm Troopers occasionally say "OK, OK, don't frog blast the vent core!", which is a reference to the "assimilated" or "simulacrum" BOBs in Marathon. Intended to blend in with the inhabitants of the UESC Marathon (who were "Born On Board") until they got close enough to the player to detonate themselves, the simulacrums would attempt to shout phrases similar to regular BOBs – but their odd expressions would give away that something was not right about them. The biggest warning was when one would nonsensically yell "Frog blast the vent core!"
- Comm Troopers can also scream "She's everywhere!" (referring to Konoko); another phrase screamed by the assimilated BOBs was "They're everywhere!" Not coincidentally, Doug Zartman was the voice actor for both Marathon's BOBs and Oni's Comm Troopers.
- The word rampant had existed before Bungie, but the specific concept of "rampancy", referring to an AI that goes out of control and acts with free will, was coined and subsequently developed by the Marathon team. The three/four stages of a rampant AI are Melancholia, Anger, Jealousy, and Metastability. An egotistical level of self-awareness accompanies the development of the AI's personality. The tirades of the Deadly Brain (only seen in the subtitles) are a reference to this, as shown by Shinatama's statement, "Clearly, it's gone rampant". However, a rampancy in Marathon takes place when an AI is exposed to large amounts of data for a long enough period of time. Here, the Deadly Brain is a disembodied human brain, and it is essentially just going crazy because Konoko "decoupled its core logic" (how exactly does one do that to a human brain, anyway?).
Oni and Myth[]
Forklifts in the Warehouse are labeled "BALOR", and Balor is the name of a Celtic god, but it is also the name taken by the incarnation of "the Leveler" in Myth.
A number of ambient themes from Myth: The Fallen Lords and Myth II: Soulblighter were reprised in Oni:
- Heart of the Stone (from Myth, reprised in Myth II as Gonen's Bridge)
- Smiths of Muirthemne (from Myth)
- A Traitor's Grave (from Myth)
- The Deceiver (from Myth II)
See Music/Myth for details.
Halo and Pathways Into Darkness[]
The aliens who inform the U.S. of the "waking god" are the Jjaro, an ancient alien race that is featured heavily in the Marathon and (as some fans believe) Halo series, although they are never mentioned by name in the latter. Many concepts of the Jjaro were made into the Forerunners in Halo.
Halo and Marathon[]
There are also connections which are not directly spoken, but many believe. Although it is never directly stated, the Marathon character is rumored to be a cyborg, formed from the dead bodies of soldiers. This character feels as if he has done certain things before, or as if he has dreamed about them. These 'certain things' match up well with nearly identical events which the main character from Pathways experienced.
Halo Universe[]
• There are MJOLNIR Mark IV cyborgs in Marathon, there is the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor in the Halo series.
• The Assault Rifle in Marathon 1 was named the M.75, and its successor in Marathon: Durandal and Infinity has the designation "MA-75B". The Assault Rifle in Halo has multiple variants and multiple designations including MA-5B in Halo:CE, MA-37 in Halo: Reach, and seemingly the assault rifle in Halo Infinite bears the designation MA40. Halos assault rifle designations appear to be Marathon references.
• The Marathon AI Durandal, is named after a mythical sword. Curtana, sometimes known as "Cortana", is a sword which bears the inscription: My name is Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyeuse and Durandal.
• The Plasma Pistol is much like the Zeus Class Fusion Pistol from the Marathon series, which also shares a vibrating overcharge shot.
• Grunts are similar in design to the generic Pfhor fighters, both being gray-skinned with gangly limbs, with unprotected heads but wearing masks over their mouths (though this is a loose comparison).
• There is a UNSC ship classified as Marathon-class Cruiser.
• There are clear parallels between the Hunters from the Marathon franchise and the Hunters from the Halo franchise, epecially the Hunters that appear in Marathon: Durandal and Infinity. The Hunters from Marathon shoot rapid fire green energy blasts from a weapon attached to their shoulder, feature a shield attached to both arms rather than just one, and after Durandal feature spikes on their back that resemble the ones on the back of Halo's Hunters.
• The Sharquoi were internally referred to as Drinols during Halo 2s development before they were cut from the game. The name drinol was associated with the Hulk enemies from the first Marathon game. There are slight resemblances between early renders of the Sharquoi from Halo: CE and the Hulk from Marathon. But the Halo 2 concept art depictions of the sharquoi look nearly identical to the hulks from Marathon.
• Bastion, a Forerunner shield world, was managed by three ancillas, just as the UESC Marathon was managed by three AIs in the first game.
• The multiplayer game "Oddball" is derived from Marathon's "Kill The Man With The Ball", which had the same objective.
• In both Halo and Marathon, there is a company called Misriah that is located on Mars.
• A secret level in Marathon Infinity was named "Hats Off to Eight Nineteen" (after the initials of Hamish Sinclair (H=8 S=19), a dedicated fan). 819/7=117 (Master Chief's service number and a 7 reference).
• Marathon 1 takes place in a ship that is orbiting Tau Ceti IV, and there is a system in Halo called the Tau Ceti system (although that star does really exist).Halo: Combat Evolved[]
• The campaign begins with John-117 awakening from cryo sleep after a massive battle much like it did in the beginning Marathon 2: Durandal, where the Protagonist woke up after cryo sleep from a massive battle.
• Carol Rawley, call sign "Foehammer" is named after a level in Marathon: Infinity called "Foe Hammer".
• Marathon 2: Durandal has a level named "If I Had a Rocket Launcher, I'd Make Somebody Pay," Halo: Combat Evolved has a chapter called "If I Had a Super Weapon..." in the campaign level Assault on the Control Room.
• On the back part of the Halo rocket launcher it says "SPNKR" which is a reference to the Rocket launcher of Marathon, the "SPNKR X-18 SSM Launcher".
• The boots and chest plates worn by the Marines were inspired by the ones worn by the Marathon's protagonist .
• The Covenant light markers seen in the campaign levels The Truth and Reconciliation and Two Betrayals bear a resemblance to Pfhor staves.
• The Bumblebee pilot who appears in the ending cutscene of the level The Pillar of Autumn and the beginning cutscene of the level Halo wears a helmet similar to that of Marathon's protagonist.
• Sometimes Grunts or UNSC Marines will shout "They're everywhere!", similar to the BOBs of Marathon.
• After killing a Flood combat form, PFC Chips Dubbo on the campaign level 343 Guilty Spark may say "Oh God, I recognized that one. That was Bob!" in reference to Marathon's Born on Boards (BOBs).
• In the game's tags, Master Chief is referenced as "Cyborg".
• The flamethrower in Halo PC has a similar name to the flamethrower found in Marathon : 7057 = TOZT
• The Flood resemble the Zombie Pfhor, an enemy which was cut from Marathon 2 during its development.
• On the level "Pillar of Autumn," a few bulletin boards can be found near the bridge. One paper on the bulletin boards mentions a "3 Speed Manual Transmission Colony Ship" for sale, which is a reference to the Marathon level, "Colony Ship for Sale! Cheap!" as well as terminal text in Marathon, which also mentions a manual transmission colony ship.• Alex Seropian once stated in the Spring 2002 issue of Xbox Nation magazine (pg. 63) that the main character of Marathon was the first incarnation of Master Chief and that Cortana represents the AIs found in Marathon.
'...But for Seropian, it all starts with Marathon...What they [Marathon players] didn't know is that the character they were playing was the very first incarnation of Master Chief... "I don't think you ever find that out, but it's the same character," Seropian says. "God, we've never said that before, but it's completely obvious. Cortana isn't in Marathon, but there are three A.I.s in there that came from the same stylistic story line."'
Matt Soell later discussed the subject with Seropian, who clarified that he did not actually know the truth about anything.
Marathon Logos
• The logo of the game has the Marathon logo between the "a" and the "l" of the word Halo. The logo appears in roughly the same place in relation to the word Halo on the front cover and spine of several books published by Tor Books including Ghosts of Onyx, Contact Harvest, The Cole Protocol, and Halo: Evolutions. More recent reprints of these books however have not included the symbol.
• When selecting a difficulty in campaign mode the Marathon logo is visible on the shield.
• If one brightens the gamma significantly on Halo: Combat Evolved for PC, one can see what looks like the Marathon symbol etched in the background of the first loading screen.
• The Marathon logo can be seen on both sides of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn.
• Captain Jacob Keyes has the ship's emblem of the Pillar of Autumn on his uniform, which is the Marathon logo.
• Captain Keyes' pipe has the Marathon logo on the very tip end of it.
• The Marathon logo can be seen on the Warthog's dashboard panel.
• The main chamber of Alpha Halo's Control Room is, when viewed from the top, is shaped like the Marathon logo.
• 343 Guilty Spark has the Marathon symbol around his eye and on his eye in the first and third game.
• The center of the island that houses the Cartographer is shaped like the Marathon logo.
• The Marathon logo is on the front of the Spirit's cockpit.
• The Marathon logo is visible on the orange part of the Plasma Grenade.Halo 2[]
• In the opening cinematic of the level Cairo Station, Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood mentions the "United Earth Space Corps," Marathon features the Unified Earth Space Council, and both of them share the UESC acronym.
• The Elite rebellion against the Covenant parallels similar events in the Marathon series. In Marathon, Durandal convinced a group of S'pht to rise up against the Pfhor who enslaved them; and after Durandal's disappearance in Marathon 2, the rebel S'pht found themselves stranded together with a group of humans on a hostile world (similar to the Elites' predicament on Delta Halo).
• The player's main goal in Halo 2 is to stop the Covenant from inadvertently destroying all life in the galaxy with the Halo installations; in Marathon Infinity, it was to prevent the Pfhor from inadvertently releasing a galaxy-destroying chaos being.
• There is a chapter in campaign level The Great Journey named "Delusions and Grandeur". Marathon Infinity has a network level named "Delusions of Grandeur".
• Sometimes Marines say "Thank God it's you!", which is what the Simulacrum BOBs say in Marathon.
• Some Marines can be heard saying "Eat it, boy!", possibly referring to the Marathon 2 level named "Eat it, Vid Boy!"
• The multiplayer map Foundation is based on the Marathon "Thunderdome" level.
• The multiplayer map Gemini is based on the Marathon level Duality. This is supported by the map's description, mentioning the "ancient duality of the Covenant..."Marathon Logos
• Once again, the difficulty shields have the Marathon symbol.
• The Marathon Logo can be applied as a 'decal' to the multiplayer emblems or flag.
• The Marathon logo can be seen on various doors located in campaign levels and multiplayer maps that take place on Delta Halo.
• The Forerunner Enforcers' shields make up a Marathon symbol.
• A Marathon symbol can be seen on the M90 Shotgun's silver casing.
• The Oddball skull has the Marathon logo in its eye socket.
• If one gets outside the multiplayer map Burial Mounds, the rubble by the "ribs" has a large piece of debris engraved with the Marathon logo.
• On the multiplayer map Midship, the Marathon symbol can be seen on Africa (best viewed with scope).
• On multiplayer map Headlong, in the building which houses mostly human weapons, if one looks at the second floor from above it makes out the Marathon Logo.
• When viewed from above, the circular courtyard and the small ditch which the water runs along makes up a Marathon logo on the multiplayer map Ivory Tower.
• When the Halo 2 saved games are viewed in Windows Explorer, they have the Marathon Symbol over the basic file icon.
• When opening the "About Sapien" window in the Sapien world editor, a Marathon logo with a nerd's head can be seen.
• This seems to be only found in the Halo: The Master Chief Collection version of the Halo 2 Mod Tools and is also the only version of Sapien throughout the MCC's mod tools that use the Marathon logo in the "About Sapien" window, the rest using an image of 343 Guilty Spark.Halo 3[]
• The Campaign begins with John-117 awakening from a massive battle in an enemy space station, in the presence of his allies, near a water treatment plant. This mirrors the beginning Marathon 2: Durandal where the Protagonist awakens from a massive battle on an enemy planet to continue fighting with his allies in the Waterloo Treatment Plant.
• The Halo 3's first level shares its name with the first level of Marathon.
• The way the Brute holds Gunnery Sergeant Reynolds captive on Sierra 117 is possibly a reference to the L'howon chapter screen.
• The personnel in Crow's Nest wear uniforms like those of the BOB's from Marathon.
• On the last cutscene of the level Floodgate, when the Arbiter is bringing human weapons, a Flamethrower and a Rocket Launcher, are held in the same position as the Cyborg's picture from Marathon Infinity.
• A fictional company, Traxus Heavy Industries is introduced. Traxus IV was the name of a famous rampant AI in Marathon's universe. Additionally, in the level The Storm, Traxus IV can be seen etched on the glass panels in the warehouses.
• The Brute Mauler was probably based on the shotgun from Marathon, which was also dual-wieldable.
• Some Marines sometimes say "Thank God you're here!", which is a reference to Simulacrums in Marathon who says "Thank God it's you!" in presence of the player.
• Grunts scream "He's/they're everywhere!" referencing the BOB's line in Marathon.
• Flood Combat Forms occasionally say "Melancholia, Anger..." as a reference to the three stages of Rampancy, a reference to the error with AI in Marathon.
• The three stages of rampancy are again referenced by in one of Cortanas messages, in a quote lifted straight out of the Cortana letters. "There will be no more sadness, no more anger, no more envy!"
• The design of the golden hologram on Epitaph was inspired by the S'pht Compilers from Marathon 2: Durandal.
• The level editor in Marathon: Infinity is called Forge. Halo 3 shares that name of its map editor.
• There is an achievement for accessing all the Terminals in the campaign, called "Marathon Man".
• On July the Fourth, the phrase "B-B-Q at BOB's Place!" which can be seen on the Forerunner wall of Valhalla which is a reference to BOB-B-Qing, when the player kills many of the BOBs in Marathon.Marathon Logos
• Just like the previous two games, the campaign difficulty shields have Marathon symbols on them.
• Just like in Halo 2, players can use the Marathon Logo as his/her multiplayer emblem.
• In the settings menu, the picture of the Spartan has the Marathon logo on its shoulder when it is highlighted.
• On the Spartan Insignia, there is a gold Marathon logo.
• The Marathon logo appears on the sides of all of the Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser.
• There is a distorted Marathon symbol on the table of the Shadow of Intent's bridge.
• The elevators on The Covenant and The Ark have the Marathon symbol on their control panels.
• Just like in Halo: Combat Evolved, the Control Room of Installation 08 resembles the Marathon symbol.
• The weapons are often decaled with Marathon logos.
• The MA5C Assault rifle has a Marathon logo on its butt plate. This is already confirmed by Kevin Paul when the MA5C Assault rifle appeared in the Halo 3 Announcement Trailer.
• The BR55HB SR Battle Rifle has the Marathon logo on its optical sight.
• The M6G has the Marathon logo on the grip near the back.
• The Brute Mauler has the Marathon Symbol on its hilt over where the character holds the weapon. One may need to look down in light to see it properly.
• Forerunner monitors, including the one located on the ceiling of the multiplayer map Cold Storage, have the Marathon logo on their eyes.
• The Security Helmet in multiplayer resembles the helmet that the main character of Marathon (who works in security) wears. It also has a Marathon symbol on its forehead.
• The Recon helmet in multiplayer has Marathon symbols on its sides.
• The yellow hologram on the multiplayer map Epitaph has a Marathon logo on the circular part.
• On the multiplayer map Snowbound, the Marathon symbol can be seen imprinted on the planet in the sky.
• The center of the multiplayer map Guardian is, when viewed from above, similar to the Marathon logo.
• On the multiplayer map Heretic, Marathon symbols reflect off the surfaces of the interior walls. They are also visible on the side-of-the-room walls' shield.
• The body bag, a ', has the Marathon logo imprinted on it.Halo 3: ODST[]
- The avatar used to represent the AI Tycho from Marathon was added to the list of emblems under the same name as the AI. It is also the second emblem to be added to Halo with affiliation to Marathon.
Marathon Logos
- Around the game, garbage of the original Marathon box-art can be clearly seen throughout the game.
- The difficulty shields, yet again, have the Marathon logo imprinted on them. Halo 3: ODST is the last Halo game by Bungie to have the Marathon logo-imprinted difficulty shields.
- At the very start of Uplift Reserve, the Marathon logo can be found.
- In the HUD Menu the Marathon logo is behind the Triad logo.
- Before entering the elevator in the campaign level Coastal Highway, if one jumps above the circular structure near the door, it makes the shape of the Marathon symbol.
- The Marathon logo is visible on Veronica Dare, Avery Johnson, and the Rookie's backpack.
Halo: Reach[]
Bungie avoided the use of the Marathon symbol in Halo: Reach, presumably due to property rights issues with Microsoft. The symbol has been removed from the emblem gallery, the difficulty icon shields, the hull of the Pillar of Autumn and replaced with the Seventh Column on Captain Keyes' ID patch. The symbol in the eye of the Forge Monitor has also been changed.
- At the end of the level Long Night of Solace, ATC 1 shouts, "They're everywhere!" This is an iconic line of the BOBs in the original Marathon.
- On rare occasions, enemy NPCs known as "BOBs" may be encountered by the player. This name is a reference to the BOBs of the Marathon series, humans who were born onboard the titular colony ship.
- A symbol that resembles the Marathon logo can be found on the seat of the Wraith's plasma cannon turret.
- While not appearing fully in the actual game itself, the whole symbol can still be seen in early concept art owned by Microsoft. In a scene depicting UNSC forces on the move, the golden decal is located on the right-most Spartan, on his/her upper left chest plate.
Other Halo Media[]
Halo: Legends
The Babysitter
- A symbol is seen on a rock when the whole waterfall is visible, as well as inside the waterfall at the base.
Halo: Evolutions
- In the short story "Human Weakness" written by Karen Traviss, we see a new perspective on Cortana's interrogation and imprisonment by the Gravemind. This story makes the reference to the three stages of rampancy in the dialog from Halo 3 much more explicit and seemingly canonizes the concept of three progressive stages to rampancy within the Halo universe for the very first time.
Halo: Glasslands
- Some Sangheili believe that "Demons" are actually corpses reanimated through artificial means to continue fighting as supersoldiers. This is reminiscent of the battleroids from the Marathon trilogy. Likewise, battleroids are brought back from the dead to serve as physically and technologically augmented supersoldiers. The player character is a Mjolnir Mark IV battleroid.
- While the 'Reclaimer' glyph was altered due to legal reasons with Bungie and 343 Industries, the design still bears a large resemblance to the original Marathon symbol.
- Rampancy is a major feature of Halo 4's plot.
- In the opening cinematic of the Spartan Ops episode Invasion, a Marine yells, "They're everywhere!"; this is a notorious line spoken by the BoBs in the original Marathon but also the Grunts throughout the Halo series.
- The original Marathon symbol is seen on holographic panels in the final Spartan Ops chapter of Key. This might also just be coincidental.
- The overall design of the Prometheans appear to be inspired by the S'pht. Upon 'death', the bodies of the Promethean warriors would dematerialize into data particles before completely disappearing.
Halo and Oni[]
- Oni is the abbreviation of the government organization, Office of Naval Intelligence.
- The Covenant Banshee in Halo: CE sounds similar to Oni's Screaming Cannon.
- The Covenant Wraith airborne plasma round sounds similar to Oni's Screaming Cannon.
Destiny and Pathways Into Darkness[]
- There is a Warlock Grimoire card that says, "We have found new ways to weaponize curiosity. Pathways into the darkness."
- The name of the Titan Mark, "Year 1993" is a reference to the year that Pathways was published. It's flavor text says, "A pattern made famous by the restoration of ancient Golden Age tomes."
- In Destiny: The Taken King (2015), a character named Cayde-6 tells the player, "I was gonna send you off with a pithy joke, but Eris started droning on about the ‘Pathways Into Darkness' or some damn thing… Got distracted. Anyway, one more beacon to go, if you’d be so kind."
- The Flights of Shadows consumable to change a Guardian's respawn animation has the flavor text, "Are you the dream of a sleeping God? Or the nightmare of a dead one?" In Pathways, as the players fights their way through the pyramid to try and get a sleeping God back to sleep, the monsters the players encounter are "the dreams of the sleeping god" that grow more powerful as the god begins to awaken.
- The Dreaming God from Pathways crashed on Earth and become unconscious, similar to the Traveler coming to Earth to take refuge and then becoming unconscious.
- Destiny's story may be an inverted retelling of Pathways' story, told from the perspective of the monsters.
- the Traveler = the Dreaming God a.k.a. the W’rkncacnter
- the Darkness = the Jjaro
- the Guardians (player characters) = the monsters in the pyramid and the sentinels
- the Vex, Fallen, Cabal, Hive = the Germans, the Cubans, the Americans, and the “surviving” marine (player character), (and possibly the player character in Marathon Infinity)
- the Solar System = the mysterious pyramid
Destiny and Marathon[]
- Tycho is a location in Destiny. An AI in Marathon is named likewise.
- The Fate of All Fools exotic weapon gets its name from the latin phrase, "Fatum Iustum Stultorum," which was carved into Lh’owon’s inner moon (the ancient S'pht homeworld) by Durandal after destroying the AI Tycho. The phrase roughly translates to "the just fate of fools."
- Fusion Rifles operate on a similar principle to the Zeus fusion pistol.
- Manus Celer Dei is the name of the ship Durandal used to return to Earth in Marathon 2. It also happens to be a player ship in Destiny's game files, but was never released.
- The MIDA Multi-Tool exotic weapon is named after the MIDA political group in Marathon who briefly seized control of Mars before losing opt the United Earth Government's military. Afterwards, MIDA became a terrorist organization.
- "The Darkness" might be Marathon 2's and Marathon Infinity's W'rkncacnter (a chaotic and primordial entity (or possibly a race of entities)), based on the information presented in Destiny's Book of Sorrows lore book. From Marathon 2, Six Thousand Feet Under terminal, "In primordial space, timeless creatures made waves. These waves created us and the others. Waves were the battles, and the battles were waves." In Destiny's "XXXI: Battle Made Waves" entry, "I can see you in the sky. You are the waves, which are battles, and the battles are the waves. Come into this vessel I have prepared for you. And it arrived, the Deep Itself." The W'rkncacnter was first used in Pathways Into Darkness.
- Destiny's Rasputin makes a reference that Marathon's Durandal/Toh is his cousin in the Ghost Fragments: Rasputin 4 Grimoire, quoting Durandal from Marathon Infinity's ending screen, who says, "A MAN LONG DEAD, GRAFTED TO MACHINES YOUR BUILDERS DID NOT UNDERSTAND." Durandal ends the terminal with, "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU ARE DESTINY." Rasputin says, "I know who you are," and "[long dead, alive again, their bodies grafted to powers they and I do not understand]."
- In Marathon Infinity's level, "Eat the Path," Terminal 0 says, "There is only one path and that is the path that you take, but you can take more than one path. Cross over the cell bars, find a new maze, make the maze from it's path, find the cell bars, cross over the bars, find a maze, make the maze from its path, eat the food, eat the path. In Destiny's Book of Sorrows lore book, "L: Wormfood," it says, "[Oryx] I will go on forever. I will understand everything. There is only one path and that is the path that you make. But you can make more than one path. Break your cell’s bars. Make a new shape, make the shape from its path, find your cell’s bars, break out of the bars, find a shape, make the shape from its path, eat the light, eat the path. If I fail, let me be wormfood."
- One of Marathon Infinity's failed timelines ends in a level called "You're Wormfood, Dude," and another dream level is called "Where are Monsters in Dreams," which is similar to Destiny's Book of Sorrows "XXXIII: When do Monsters Have Dreams," which features similar prose to a Terminal in the aforementioned level.
- Elsie Bray, the Exo Stranger in Destiny, has the ability to step between timelines. It's very similar to Marathon's Security Officer's ability to "dream" between them.
- In Destiny: The Taken King's story mission, "Cayde's Stash," there is an easter egg at the end of the level where you can scan Pod #10201 that contains a "Guardian with exceptional Light." Ghost says that the Guardian had been in there for centuries, and preferred to sleep instead of being resurrected because "the last war was enough for a thousand lifetimes." Some people believe this is a reference to the Security Officer, based on Marathon Infinity's final terminal, "But you were dead a thousand times." Although, Duardo believes that the pod actually contained stosh.
Destiny and Halo[]
- The Hive are similar to the Flood. The Cabal are similar to the Brutes. The Fallen are similar to the Elites.
- In Destiny: The Taken King's story mission, "Cayde's Stash," there is an easter egg at the end of the level where you can scan Pod #10201 that contains a "Guardian with exceptional Light." Ghost says that the Guardian had been in there for centuries, and preferred to sleep instead of being resurrected because "the last war was enough for a thousand lifetimes." Many believe this was a reference to the Master Chief, although, Duardo believes that the pod actually contained stosh.
- A building on Mars resembles Master Chief's helmet.
Destiny and Myth[]
- In Myth, the force of the Light and the Dark battle for control of an unnamed mystical land. The Dark are led by Balor and six lieutenants, the Fallen Lords. The Lights are led by the Nine. The Nine appear in Destiny as enigmatic cosmic beings of unimaginable power and dubious humanity.
Destiny 2 and Halo[]
- "Whispers on Io" appeared in players' feed one day on Io. Players had to complete a specific public event and kill a Taken boss to enter a portal and begin the mission. This may be a reference to Cortana in Halo 2 when she tells the player and the UNSC crew that she heard, "Whispers, coming from Io."
- During the Forsaken campaign, the Fanatic says to your character, “Death is your shield … but it is the Scorn’s sword.” This is a reference to Cortana telling Master Chief, "I am your shield. I am your sword," in Halo 3.
- EDZ's Gulch area vaguely resembles Halo: CE's Blood Gulch multiplayer map.
- One room in the Cabal base during the Red War campaign uses a layout that is almost identical to one of the rooms in Halo 2's Cairo Station mission.
- In the Tangle Shore's Boil area, an images of what appears to be Superintendent's face appears.
- In the Last Wish raid, a specific wish from the Wishing Walls will shoot confetti and make noises out of headshots, resembling the Grunt Birthday Party skull.
- The Empty Tank Lost Sector on the Tangled Shore is sort-of like a nightclub, perhaps referencing Club Errara in Halo: Reach.
- In the Ace in the Hole mission, one of Cayde's voice lines says that the player has always been the strong, silent type, which is what Mickey says to the Rookie in Halo 3: ODST. There is also an achievement in the Master Chief Collection of ODST called "The Strong, Silent Type." This could also be a reference to Master Chief.
- The Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack was a celebration of Bungie's 30 years in gaming, with several references and callbacks made to their other games. Halo references include:
- Forerunner exotic - Shaped like the Halo: CE pistol and a reference to Halo's Forerunner race. The catalyst for Forerunner add an extra perk to the weapon that will throw a Halo frag grenade on the ground that can give a jump boost to the player, similar to Halo's grenade jumping. The name of the catalyst is "The Rock," which may be a reference to Sergeant Johnson in Halo 2's Metropolis level when played on Heroic where he says, "When i joined the corps, we didn't have any fancy-schmanzy tanks. We had sticks! two sticks, and a rock for the whole platoon - and we had to share the rock!"
- Magnum Opus Quest for Forerunner - A reference to Halo's Magnum weapon. The icon for the quest resembles the UNSC logo. During the Forerunner quest the text, "This cave is not a natural formation," appears. Cortana says this in the second level of Halo: CE. Additionally, The Cyro Pod you have to open to resembles Halo's stasis pods. When Banshee gives you the weapon, he says it "kicks like a warthog."
- Dead Man's Revenge ornament for the Dead Man's Tale exotic - A reference to Halo: Reach's DMR weapon. The reticle on the ornament is similar to DMR's.
- GJNKR ornament for the Gjallarhorn exotic - A reference to Halo's rocket launcher, the SPNKR, with is a reference to Marathon's rocket launcher. The design also resembles the Halo's Spartan Laser weapon.
- BXR-55 Battler weapon - A reference to Halo 2's and Halo 3's Battle Rifle-55 weapon. BXR is also a reference to the controller button combo you can use in Halo 2 with the Battle Rifle to one-hit kill opponents in multiplayer. The icon for the frame is a reference to Misriah Armory, the Halo in-universe manufacturer of the Battle Rifle.
- Blunt Execution Rounds weapon trait - Similar to BXR, this trait allows players to increase their weapon's handling and damage after using a melee ability.
- Perpetual Motion weapon trait - A callout to Halo's playstyle and aim assist which kicks in when the player is moving.
- Retraced Path linear fusion rifle - A reference to either Halo's Covenant sniper rifle or Halo: Reach's focus rifle.
- Half-Truths and The Other Half swords - Each sword is a half of the Covenant energy sword. Half-Truths could also be a reference to the Prophet of Truth dying to an energy sword in Halo 2.
- Ragdoll emote - A reference to Halo: CE's death animation. When used, text for the emote says "[player] flies like a brick," which is a reference to Sergeant Johnson saying, "For a brick, he flew pretty good," during Halo 2.
- Burnished Reed shader - Similar to Master Chief's color scheme.
- 7 Ancient Skulls in Eternity - A reference to Halo's skulls that are found in almost every Halo game. Each skull references one of Bungie's past games.
- "This skull is ringed with a nimbus that blinds you with its majesty." skull - The Ancient Skull found in the Valley on Eternity. A reference to Halo's Blind Skull, and a reference to the Prophet asking the Arbiter if he was blinded by Halo's majesty.
- Anniversary Pose emote - A reference to Halo: Reach's armor lock ability.
- Pink Mist ornament for the Malfeasance exotic - A reference to Halo's Needler Covenant weapon, and to Halo 3's medal, "Fear the Pink Mist," which could be obtained by killing five enemies with the Needler. Malfeasance has to hit a enemy five times to blow it up.
- Cellular Division transmit effect - A reference to Bungie's old intro in the first few Halo games.
- Sidearm Smackdown finisher - A reference to the Halo melee animation with a Magnum.
- Birthday Blade finisher - A reference to Halo's energy sword.
- Equator Ghost shell - Has a rotating ring around Ghost.
- Hive Smasher ship - Resembles Halo's Warthog vehicle.
- Mud Caked Monstrosity sparrow - A reference to Halo's Mongoose vehicle.
- The Elegant Guard shell - A possible reference to the Honor Guard Ultras in Halo, particularly in the color scheme.
- Titan Ringwalker armor ornament set - The name alone is a reference to walking on a Halo ring. One shoulder pad is a reference to Halo's Needler Covenant weapon. The Titan Mark resembles Master Chief's shoulder pieces. The Ringwalker Greaves have a pattern that resembles Forerunner architecture. The Helmet also vaguely resembles either a Halo marine helmet or Master Chief's helmet.
- Sweaty Confetti weapon mod - A reference to Halo's Grunt Birthday Party skull.
- Warlock streetwear armor ornament - Resembles the Arbiter's armor. The bond is a blue Halo ring.
- Vidmaster Seal - A reference to Halo 3's Vidmaster challenges and to Marathon's Vidmaster Challenge.
- Valley area rock formation - Resembles part of the Silent Cartographer mission in Halo: CE.
- The Seat of Power emote - Could be a reference to an image found in Halo 2 matchmaking of marine's on a couch using controllers.
- Inspired Eidolon sparrow - A reference to the Ghost vehicle from the Halo series.
- Eager Edge sword trait - This trait gives player the ability to sword lunge, similar to Halo's Energy Sword functionality. The icon for the trait is the Energy Sword's reticle.
- Golden Tricorn weapon trait - A reference to Halo's "golden triangle of gameplay" which was a rule to the three core parts of gameplay to win: guns, melee, and grenades. The traity gives a damage buff for each of these in Destiny 2, and gives a 3x stask if a player gets a skill using all three.
- A firing Halo - If you take a BombtenderDare Core from the beginning of a Cabal run in Dares of Eternity and throw it at the thin shaft at the top where you can see a Seventh Column symbol, a beam comes down through it and it resembles a classic Halo beam firing, and above it are two contrails that remind the player of a Halo ring outline.
- Flaming Helmet - The Tiger ornament lights up on fire when surrounded by enemies, similar to the Flaming Helmet from Halo games.
- You Think You're Big Time? ornament for the Xenophage exotic - While the ornament resembles Marathon, it also has the Marathon logo on it, which was called the Reclaimer symbol in Bungie's Halo games.
- Pardon Our Dust grenade launcher - The reticle resembles Halo's grenade launcher.
- The lore of the Warlock armor, Resonant Fury Robes, mentions a "blessed oblivion" and "a breaking of a vaulted ring."
Destiny 2 and Marathon[]
- The Almighty bears a striking conceptual resemblance to the Trih Xeem super weapon in which the Pfhor empire uses as a last resort to quell revolts of subjugated races by igniting early supernovas in star systems (which Halo took inspiration from).
- On this postcard we can see Cetus constellation near the Leviathan.
- The Duke MK.44 bears resemblance to the .44 Magnum.
- A patrol mission that can be obtained in areas where the Fallen roam is named "Low-Flying Defense Drones". "Beware of Low-Flying Defense Drones" is the name of a Marathon campaign level.
- The MIDA Mini-Tool lore tab appears to both reference and expand upon Marathon's backstory. The lore tab features a first person narrative that references Battleroids and reveals that Bernard Strauss was able to salvage an ancient A.I construct from a ship that crashed on Mars. Additionally the name MIDA itself is likely a reference to the MIDA revolutionary government that temporarily occupied Mars.
- Players can activate a wish in the Last Wish raid, granting them a mechanic similar to the Grunt Birthday Party skull throughout the Halo games.
- The New Pacific Arcology on Titan may be a reference to the "New Pacific Reprise" track from Marathon's original soundtrack. The track is first heard during the player's first time aboard a Pfhor ship.
- The Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack was a celebration of Bungie's 30 years in gaming, with several references and callbacks made to their other games. Marathon references include:
- Marathon armor sets - The Titan armor resembles the Pfhor Hunter, the Warlock armor resembles the S'pht Compiler, and the Hunter resembles the Security Officer.
- Wastelander M5 shotgun - A reference to the WSTE-M5 combat shotgun.
- All Four Barrels finisher - A reference to Marathon's dual-wielding double-barrelled shotguns.
- GJNKR ornament for the Gjallarhorn exotic - A reference to Halo's rocket launcher, the SPNKR, with is a reference to Marathon's rocket launcher.
- Unixûrsal Voyager exotic ship - A reference to the UESC color ship.
- Vidmaster Seal - A reference to Halo 3's Vidmaster challenges and to Marathon's Vidmaster Challenge.
- Spark from Bone ornament for the Trinity Ghoul exotic - A possible reference to the S'pht. The crest on the bow looks similar to the S'pht's head crest.
- You Think You're Big Time? ornament for the Xenophage exotic - The body, the barrel, and the name are a reference to the level of the same name from Marathon Infinity. There is also a Marathon symbol on the ornament.
- "This skull bears an inscription: DURANDAL WAS LAUGHING" skull - The Ancient Skull found in the Valley on Eternity that references Marathon's final screen's last line where the AI Durandal was laughing and dancing through the wreckage of a Pfhor scountship.
- Titan Ringwalker armor ornament set - One shoulder pad resembles a shoulder cannon for Pfhor Hunters.
- The Witness' power to move or transport planets is very similar to Marathon's Jjaro race (or individual), which possessed high-quality cyborg technology, such as that used to create the S'pht, as well as a star-destroying weapon known as the trih xeem, the ability to move entire planets by warping space around them as was used by the S'pht'Kr, some sort of time manipulation technology, and the ability to imprison the W'rkncacnter. The Jjaro were first used in Pathways Into Darkness.
Destiny 2 and Pathways Into Darkness[]
- The Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack was a celebration of Bungie's 30 years in gaming, with several references and callbacks made to their other games. Pathways references include:
- Pardon Our Dust grenade launcher - The phrase "pardon our dust" is a reference to one of PID's levels, "Please Excuse Our Dust," and the grenade launcher resembles the M-79 grenade launcher from PID.
- Cedar and Ash ornament - A reference to an item from PID called the Cedar Box, which allows you to regenerate any type of ammo in the game by putting one type inside the box and letting time pass.
- "This skull tells no secrets unless you can speak with the dead." skull - The Ancient Skull found in the Valley on Eternity. A reference to the yellow crystal you can speak to the dead through.
Destiny 2 and Myth[]
- The Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack was a celebration of Bungie's 30 years in gaming, with several references and callbacks made to their other games. Myth references include:
- Hero of Ages sword - A reference to the Berserks who use claymore sword.
- "This skull is from a mythical war against the Fallen Lords." skull - The Ancient Skull found in the Valley on Eternity that references Myth's Fallen Lords.
Destiny 2 and Oni[]
- The Bungie Store went retro with a 90's homepage and included the phrase, "Optimized for Konoko Web Browsers." Konoko is the name of the protagonist in Oni.
- The Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack was a celebration of Bungie's 30 years in gaming, with several references and callbacks made to their other games. Oni references include:
- Daodan Surge modifier - A reference for when Konoko enters the Daodan state from using a Hypo to exceed her maximum health, which also increases her melee damage.
- Frictionless Roadrocket sparrow - Vaguely resembles Konoko's motorcycle.
- "This skull has its origins in a dark future... or an uncertain past." skull - The Ancient Skull found in the Valley on Eternity. A reference to Oni's tagline, "A dark future ... an uncertain past ... no one left to trust."
Destiny 2 and Operation: Desert Storm[]
- The Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack was a celebration of Bungie's 30 years in gaming, with several references and callbacks made to their other games. Operation: Desert Storm references include:
- "This skull was pulled from a tank lost in an ancient, arid war." skull - The Ancient Skull found in the Valley on Eternity.
Destiny 2 and Minotaur[]
- The Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack was a celebration of Bungie's 30 years in gaming, with several references and callbacks made to their other games. Minotaur references include:
- "This skull is from the depths of a legendary maze." skull - The Ancient Skull found in the Valley on Eternity.
Destiny 2 and Third-Party Crossovers[]
While the 30th Anniversary expansion wasn't an official collaboration, it did include many callbacks, references, and inspirations taken from Bungie's former games that they no longer own, including Halo, Oni, and Myth.
For a full list of references, click here.