Destiny's worlds are amazing and vast but tragic in the sense that we will never get as much as we are told about. And fair enough. This is a game that will obviously have limitations. And honestly that is why it is tragic. But I, and I would assume many other people, would love to visit these locations in game and learn about their backstory in such greater depth. Therefore, when a new expansion patrol comes along, or a crucible map set in a location we've yet to visit, comes out, I get excited to hear about the story behind each of these locations. So, this was going to be more of a discussion/rant about the lore locations and the reality that we’ll never get to go to them all, but in researching the many references and mentions of locations, I have chosen to focus on talking about them. I will more than likely forget certain locations and I would highly appreciate it if people could comment the missing locations and where in the lore they are mentioned/what pieces of concept art show them. This will also be a multiple part series as I cannot fit everything into one post, and I would rather not make this post extremely long, so this post will focus on Earth. Now.... [u][b] Earth:[/b][/u] [b]Old Russia:[/b] The main location of the Exodus Launch sites. The Cosmodrome of Old Russia stands as a testament to Humanity and to its marvel at ingenuity. From the Divide, to the Devil's Lair and round to the crash site of Exodus Blue, The Cosmodrome was home to both the House of Devils and the House of Kings, and the initial invasion force of the Hive and eventually the Taken. Then we have the Plaguelands quarantined away from us for years, hiding the fall of the Iron Lords, a place of great horror. The entire region has a fascinating Connection to the Warmind Rasputin, with his Bunkers, Warmind Array Satellite and the SIVA replication complex all located very close by. Very fitting that Felwinter, a resurrected Sidhartha Golem, set up shop nearby at the Vostok Observatory atop Felwinter's Peak. And South of the Cosmodrome lay the Caspian Sea, which saw Jagi’s Host was last seen walking towards after the Battle of Twilight Gap. [b]EDZ:[/b] The European Dead Zone. A place lost in time. (theorised to be) Sitting on the borders of Germany and Switzerland, this location has shown to be overrun by various threats over time. The House of Devils (at least in the D1 version of Widow’s Court) and afterwards, the House of Dusk occupying the area around the Shard of the Traveler; The Red Legion have held up multiple bases within the area and the Taken forces stick around the area, drawn to the Light of the Shard. Within view sight of the Shard lies the Farm. A refugee camp and settlement separate from the location of the Last Safe City. The run down town of Trostland has a very olden day feel, likely inspired, or possibly even built in the early Golden Age or maybe even before that. The Olden Feel spans from Trostland, through the Salt Mines and down towards the Sludge. Even areas like Widow’s Court and the Emerald Coast have this vibe from a place lost to time. From here, the rest of the Earth Locations don't have much known about them; as they've been exclusively only been referred to in the lore/through idle chatter of vendors. [b]Old London:[/b] This location is one of the many we have yet to visit in game. During the Dark Ages, Lakshmi-2 watch Old Russia be burnt by the Eliksni House of Devils. Lakshimi-2 Idle chatter: [quote]"Another war story? I was there when the House of Devils burned London."[/quote] [b]Old Accra: [/b] Not much is known about this location. However, from a line Ghost says during D1, we can heavily imply that the Capital of Ghana contained an archive of information building. The Archive: [quote] This place is amazing. It's bigger than the archives in old Accra.[/quote] [b]Brasilia: [/b] Little is known about this location. Rahool claims (in a separate piece of idle chatter that I cannot find the exact quote of, and it’s really bugging me) that Hunter’s scoured the Capital of Brazil in search of loot, retrieving engrams for the cryptarchy order. Rahool idle chatter: [quote]"Brazilian from the morning of the Golden Age. What a hopeful text." [/quote] [b]Tibet: [/b] A lab in Lhasa, Tibet; the original location of the device integrated into the tech used by the FWC to see into the future. Not much else is known about this location, but it’s very possible that it was heavily modified to be an area of science given what was found there by the FWC. Ghost Fragment: Future War Cult: [quote]RECORD 343-CHASM-7890 We have applied certain refinements to the Device. Novarro found records of a prototype of the Device at a Golden Age laboratory in Tibet, and Hari's team retrieved what was left of it. We are the first to see it operational in who knows how long. Too many subjects come back damaged. Mad. We are grasping at straws. What do you think, little Ghost? END RECORD[/quote] Ghost Fragment: Vex 5: [quote]What I’m doing here in Lhasa isn’t science. It’s unethical, secret, and shameful. And after what happened in Ishtar, dearest Chioma, I know you’d be furious with me for getting involved. Forty years isn’t far enough to forget a day like that.[/quote] [b]Taiwan: [/b] This location comes up in the lore once. During the Golden Age it seemed to be a facility for the “Never-Be” project, located in Taipei. Full details as for its purpose are unknown, but the project was revealed to be unfinished. Ghost Fragment: Old Russia 3 [quote] Once, when she was younger, sixty or seventy, Chen Lanshu pulled rank to get a look at the Never-Be installation in Taipei. She watched the images in the fresco and she felt... this foreboding, this enormous weight, a dread that refused to attach itself to any specific threat. And she felt it again, last year, when she was briefed on the project in Lhasa, the vision machine...[/quote] (further details regarding the project can be found in the grimoire card Ghost Fragment: Golden Age 2) [b]Old Chicago: [/b] An area that was meant to be included in D1, Old Chicago was shown at the Destiny E3 showcase back in 2013, where concept art shown revealed the location to be in the middle in a swamp, where moss, vines and plant life has claimed the buildings. Lore in recent years has seen a Hunter go into the Old city to recover a strange rifle, known to us as Graviton Lance. [quote] “Only that I found some weird gun in some overgrown tunnel back on Old Chicago. And that my Ghost was all, “THIS is why we were led here...'”[/quote] [b]Manhattan Nuclear Zone: [/b] An area of Nuclear waste; why this region became a nuclear zone is unclear. Possibilities as to what happened stem from the Collapse to disgruntled Warlords in the Dark Age. Guardians have since charted into the territory using modified radiation suits to chart the Nuclear Zones such as that of Manhattan. Thorium Holt Bond flavour Text: [quote]"This armor set was modified from radiation suits used to explore Earth's nuclear zones." [/quote] Thorium Holt Hood flavour text: [quote] "?>lenape valley extraction COLLAPSE SURVIVORS FOUND NORTH OF MNZ, RELOCATED TO LAST CITY" [/quote] [b] Appalachian Dead Zone:[/b] Next to nothing is known about this location. Other than that it’s a Dead zone located in the Appalachian Valley between Katahdin, Maine and Springer Mountain, Georgia. Mechanik 1.1 flavour text: [quote] "Get out of here, stalker." — Traditional farewell in the Appalachian Dead Zone [/quote] [b]Antarctica: [/b] As to the level of accuracy this is, Antarctica is either gone or has gone undiscovered by the Guardians/inhabitants of the City. It’s possible that Climate Change took a major effect which could explain some flooding and why large quantities of water have taken over land once unoccupied by it. Chromatic Fire lore tab: [quote] It was Wen Jie who told me. At first I didn't believe her—I mean, it's Wen Jie; she believes in moon fairies and the continent of Antarctica—but she showed me the crystals. [/quote] [b]Iceland: [/b] Iceland is an area we (the player) visit off screen right before the start of the Red War. Specifically, it seems we are sent on a mission to Mount Esja, a mountain range in Southern Iceland. It seems to be occupied by a starving remnant of the Eliksni House of Winter, where the Guardian found debris of Reef origin. Likely from the Awoken. Estival Excursion lore tab: [quote] "Report ALPHA SIX FOUR BLUE PHI. Visual inspection and scans at Mount Esja confirmed the debris came from the Reef." He paused. "We attempted communication with Awoken allies. Signals to the Queen's Wrath, the Trials beacon, and even intel source GREENRAVEN went unanswered." He sighed. "That likely attracted the enemy attention that followed. For the record, I'll take the blame—trying to call Petra was my idea." "The site was under observation by remnants of the House of Winter. Unlike many of the Fallen we've seen lately, they bore the crests and colors from one of the original Eliksni factions. They were starving and desperate. But none of them tried to flee. [/quote] [b]Hawkesbury Sea: [/b] The Hawkesbury sea is not a real-world location; however there is a location in Australia known as the Hawkesbury River. It is very possible that the river has since expanded to become the size of a sea. It is after all a semi–mature tide dominated drowned valley estuary located to the west and north of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Woomera B-5 flavour text: [quote] A flying wing favored by the Fighting Dharug, a group of Warlocks who hold the Hawkesbury Sea. [/quote] continued below: