Guardians: The group of Lightbearers that protect the City and travel the system repelling alien threats. Guardians are split into three classes: Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans.

Hunters: Renowned for stealth and speed. Hunters prefer swift strikes with sharp blades rather than brute force.

Warlocks: Described as "warrior-scholars." Warlocks wield the Light like casting spells and make an effort to understand their enemies.

Titans: This is where brute force comes in. When Titans hit, they hit hard.

The Speaker: A Guardian that claims to have a mysterious connection to the Traveler. The Speaker guides newly revived Guardians in their quest to put an end to the Darkness.

The Vanguard: A group of three Guardian leaders representing each of the three Guardian classes.

Commander Zavala: The Titan Vanguard and Vanguard Commander. Zavala is an Awoken who took on the position of Titan Vanguard after the legendary Titan, Saint-14.

Ikora Rey: The Warlock Vanguard. Ikora is a human who replaced Osiris, one of the more controversial figures in the City's history.

Cayde-6: The Hunter Vanguard. Cayde-6 took over from his best friend, Andal Brask, following the event of the latter's death at the hand of Tanniks, a notorious Fallen bounty hunter. Hunter Vanguards are chosen according to a Vanguard Dare instead of popular election like Titans and Warlocks.

The Exo Stranger: A figure who does not seem to belong to the present time, she is enigmatic and brings warnings of future conflict.

Amanda Holliday: Human mechanic and Tower Shipwright, Amanda keeps the Guardians' ships and Sparrows ready for action.

Lord Shaxx: A legendary Titan who fought for the City since the Dark Age and now runs the Crucible, an activity where Guardians go up against each other in teams.

Master Rahool: An Awoken Cryptarch who works in the Tower deciphering engrams for Guardians.

Banshee-44: An Exo with the most recorded memory reboots to date. Banshee is the Tower Gunsmith, providing Guardians with the weapons they use to push back the Darkness.

Mara Sov: Awoken Queen of the Reef, Mara prefers to maintain distance from the Earth City.

Uldren Sov: Loyal brother to the Queen, Uldren would sooner kill Guardians than help them.

Petra Venj: Queen's Emissary. Petra was exiled to the City as punishment and looks to get back in the field.

Variks: The scribe of House Judgement, Variks allied with the Awoken during the Reef Wars to bring down Skolas.

Master Ives: Cryptarch of the Vestian Outpost.

Brother Vance: A devout member of the Cult of Osiris, Vance provides Guardians with passage into the Trials of Osiris.

Osiris: The former Vanguard Commander and Warlock Vanguard, Osiris was exiled for his obsession with the Vex.

Eris Morn: A survivor of Mare Imbrium, Eris was part of a six-man attempt to descend into the Hellmouth and defeat Crota. After her entire fireteam was killed, Eris was trapped in the Hive tunnels until good fortune allowed her to finally escape.

Toland the Shattered: A Warlock as obsessed with the Hive as Osiris was with the Vex, Toland was part of Eris' fireteam. Left behind a journal on the workings of the Hive.

Rasputin: Warmind of Earth. A military AI that predicted the Darkness' arrival in the system. Remained dormant throughout the Dark Age and City Age.

Iron Lords: Counterpart to the Warlords - the Guardians that plagued humanity during the Dark Age. Their base is located in the Iron Temple on Felwinter Peak in the Cosmodrome.

Lord Saladin: The last Iron Lord that remained after a conflict with Rasputin.

Shiro-4: Vanguard Scout on Felwinter Peak. Close friend of Cayde-6 and Andal Brask.

Crota: Hive God, Scourge of Mare Imbrium, and son of Oryx.

Oryx the Taken King: Hive God and father of Crota. Oryx gained the power to Take from communing with the Darkness.

Asher Mir: Awoken Warlock and highly regarded scholar. Asher is rather short tempered and doesn't welcome social interaction but should he choose to offer wisdom, it's a good idea to pay attention.