Also, definitely getting a Stargate baddies vibe from the Hive.

- The Fallen are space pirates either cast out from a greater civilization, or refugees from one that splintered through civil war or was shattered by some other means, perhaps even by the Darkness itself.

- The Hive also seem to be what's left of a race. In this case they used (dark? as in Darkness?) power to preserve themselves but it doesn't sound like there will be any more of them in our solar system than those who came or who are born / grown / whatevered here.

- The Vex too have this subtle air of desperation about them. They may be able to transverse time and distance, but their descriptions have them as worn and not at all new or off the assembly line. I get the sense that they, like the others, are here because either the Traveler, or the remnants of Humanity's Golden Age are essential to their survival.

But the Cabal. They seem to be an empire that is not broken. Instead they seem bent on domination and seem to have the means and manpower to achieve it. It feels to me that they are in our system not because they have to be like the other races, but because they want to be. If my speculation is even close then the Cabal are an intriguing and dangerous twist on the state of the other three races!

the Cabal have always felt a bit boring to me

Even after learning that they bleed oil? This to me inspires mystery. Why would they bleed oil? What sort of creature are they, exactly? Are they so in love with the military industrial complex that they subject themselves to slow, painful transfusion that replaces their own organic blood with fossil fuel?

Excellent.

I, for one, would like to get lost once in a while. My best Minecraft experiences come from being entirely lost for sessions on end before finally figuring it out.

I don't know why but the Cabal have always felt a bit boring to me. There has been an element to each of the enemy races that has made them feel a little unique or fresh, except for the Cabal. Hopefully that's just because I'm missing part of the picture.

But huge, militaristic empire is just.. meh. The theme seems to be, by definition, boring.

Yeah I definitely feel like the Vex and the Fallen sound the most exciting to me. As shown in my original fan fic I put on here, I love the idea of time traveling robots. Especially when it turns out they have something of an organic component. For some reason that makes me think of Lavos from Chrono Trigger. (I may have a time travel obsession)

I don't know why but the Cabal have always felt a bit boring to me. There has been an element to each of the enemy races that has made them feel a little unique or fresh, except for the Cabal. Hopefully that's just because I'm missing part of the picture.

But huge, militaristic empire is just.. meh. The theme seems to be, by definition, boring.