Xur’s horse of the nine is a real mystery in Destiny 2

Bungie’s 30th anniversary event for Destiny 2 The release of the Dec. 7th edition is rapidly approaching and Bungie has begun to tease players with screenshots. Bungie’s latest reveal, a screenshot it tweeted on Thursday, showed Xur, the series’ mysterious merchant that trucks Exotic goodies around the worlds each week, standing next to a celestial horse.

Naturally, this raises many questions. There’s a horse in Destiny? Is that Xur’s horse? Is Xur a mare girl? They were genuine questions, and I was able to answer them.

But as Polygon’s Destiny expert, and as a fan of the Destiny series since its debut, with thousands of hours in the game across multiple platforms, let me tell you: Stop asking me questions about Xur’s horse, Mike (or whoever). It is impossible for me to help. There is no one who can. There is no one who can provide the answer you need about Xur horses.

Here’s what I do know: The Xur horse first appeared with the launch of Destiny 2. Before Trials PvP was put on hold and returned as the revamped Trials of Osiris, the mode was called Trials of the Nine. Instead of pleasing Saint-14, it was all about climbing the tower of the very mysterious Nine (more commonly styled as “IX” in Destiny) by killing your way to the top.

Image: Bungie via Polygon

Flawless Players (seven wins and no losses) at Trials were given an exclusive emblem called “You Are Worthy” which was transported to a private room. Players who spent time in the room were able to catch a glimpse of the starry horse as it ran around. Now that Trials of the Nine is gone, Bungie still uses the horse room from time to time; it plays a small role in Season of the Drifter in 2019 and is the final loot room of 2020’s Prophecy dungeon.

So that’s where we’ve seen the horse before, but that doesn’t answer the question: Why a horse? I don’t know. I told you there would be no answers for you, and the past 200 words haven’t changed that. While there are some fan theories out there, none of them is supported by any textual lore evidence. But that’s not particularly surprising when it comes to the Nine.

The Nine are still mostly a mystery to Destiny players, despite Xur being revealed as their “emissary” within the first few days of Destiny’s life back in 2014. The 30th Anniversary Event seems like it’ll involve them pretty heavily, which means we may get some answers around their past, their purpose, and even the horse. But I wouldn’t hold my breath. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Nine had their very own PvP mode. They also have a whole season and a dungeon built on them. ThatWe still don’t know much. Bungie appears determined to keep this group as secret as possible.

We know that Xur and his horse will make an appearance in the 30th Anniversary pack, and that they’ll both appear in a new room (a big step for the horse!) But that’s it. We’ll definitely find out more when the pack launches Dec. 7, but how much more is really anybody’s guess.

But finally, we’ll leave you with a quick horse FAQ, where I answer Polygon staff questions about the horse as best I can:

Q: What is the Destiny Horse?

: It’s almost certain, but who knows?

Q: Can I ride the Destiny horse as a Sparrow, but not like an Sparrow?

: This is probably a horse for dressing up. Maybe it’ll be an NPC and you can talk to the Horse?

Q: Can Xur ride on the Destiny horse, or is it a different breed?

: Maybe? Xur seems to have a very bad back so it is likely that his days of riding are over.

Q: So I can’t buy the Destiny horse?

: The horse has been spoken for. I’m not even sure if Xur owns the horse. The horse might not be owned by anyone. However, you could buy the whole pack to have more time with your horse.

Q: Is it possible to shoot the Destiny horse in the wild?

: It is possible to shoot ByThe horse