Category: Bungie News

Our focus this week is a on a site providing valuable intel on opponents you face in Trials of Osiris. This team of developers harnessed the magic of the Destiny API and used it to create a tool that shows you what you’re up against on your way to the Lighthouse.

Please meet Destiny Trials Report.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what your role is in the Destiny community.

DTR: Hello! We’re Vlad and Mark, the two developers behind Destiny Trials Report. We aim to build the ultimate companion for Guardians trying to reach the Lighthouse. Primarily this means that you can look up your opponents to have an idea on how they will play and how good they are. Among other things you see their loadout, kill/death-ratio, and how they did so far this week.

We spoke before back in the Destiny 1 days. What have you all been up to since then?

DTR: Judging by the header image of our previous Community Focus we’ve definitely improved our visual style since then. Besides that we have been busy rebuilding the site a couple of times, most notably for Trials of the Nine.

While Trials was away we managed to fill the deep void with a Guardian Theater inspired the PUBG site which shows you the reaction of every streamer you killed or were killed by. It felt dirty working for a different game though, so we were very happy when the return of Trials was finally announced. We started from scratch one final time and that resulted in the site that is live today.

Glad to have you back. I assume your team has probably changed up over the years. Want to introduce everyone and have them share their favorite subclass and weapons?

DTR: Vlad takes care of everything server-side, crunching all the numbers to make sure everyone has a flawless count and headshot ratio to show off with. He still misses the days when No Land Beyond used to rule the Crucible, a gun that fit perfectly with his Gunslinger.

Mark (Marruk) takes all that data, combines it with stats from the Bungie API and tries to make it look as pretty as possible. He finally got the Mountaintop last week (thanks Momentum Control) and feels like it isn’t overpowered at all and needs absolutely no nerf whatsoever for sure. The “linear-rocket-concept” matches great with his middle-tree Striker.

We also receive a lot of help from Dan (cowgod77) and Joel (LeBrometheus) in the form of advice and perfect Twitter-GIF-replies.

Choosing the proper GIF reply is an art. What have been some of the biggest changes you’ve made to the site since we last talked?

DTR: While the core of the site is still pretty much the same as it was four years ago, we’ve definitely improved on making it a way smoother experience. With every iteration, and we’ve had a few, we used a bunch of experience that we gained from building the previous one. The stats haven’t really changed over the years, but the amount of loading indicators and subtle animations have. 

But all our users really cared about was dark mode, so we added that as well.

I too love a good dark mode. What were your biggest challenges while building your latest version?

DTR: Dealing with cross-save functionalities was quite the challenge. We put a lot of work into making sure our autocomplete reflects the in-game name for cross-save accounts. It also complicated the way we previously obtained platform-specific stats since a single account can be used on every single platform on a single week of Trials. These are only a few of the issues preventing us from releasing weekly and platform-specific stats on the front page but we are extremely close to shipping those features.

Another big challenge for us was displaying the Armor 2.0 mods. We couldn’t simply show all of them, that would clutter the interface too much with irrelevant mods that might not even be active. Instead, we have some complicated (and ugly) code that categorizes all armor mods to match them with a subclass or weapon type that needs to be equipped. If both the mod and the item they work on are equipped we display them together, including a way to find out more in case you somehow manage to forget the difference between “Invigoration,” “Recuperation,” and “Innervation.”

Yea. Cross save has introduced a lot of fun challenges, but definitely worth it. Any other future plans you’re working on you want to share?

DTR: At the moment we are working on improving the “home” section of the site, showing more stats on every Trials week that passes. Once that is finished we want to reintroduce some fan favorites from Destiny 1, like in-depth leaderboards and opponent history. Maybe even Variks will make a comeback to challenge Guardians in the ways of old…

We’re also secretly working on a spin-off site called Guardian Report, a lookup site that also works with other Crucible modes as well as Gambit and raids. Don’t tell anyone yet though.

Your secret is safe with us and our readers. Where can we find you on the internet?

Anything else you’d like to add before we let you go?

DTR: We’ve been doing this for five years now and the response has always been very positive from the community, thanks a lot to everyone for that.

Stay positive, safe, and at home everyone! Go play Trials or something.

Thanks for stepping into the spotlight of a Community Focus again and we really appreciate you offering up a badge to help support the charity effort!

This week at Bungie, we prepare for rivalry.  

Announced earlier this morning, Guardian Games is fast on approach. Beginning April 21 at 10 AM PDT, the games begin. Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks will compete to prove which class is the most dedicated in Destiny 2.

Your entry into the competition begins with a visit to Eva Levante. Each Guardian will receive a class item to adorn while taking part in competition. Bronze, silver, and gold medals will be available to earn daily, each of which will focus on specific game modes. To earn medals, equip your new class item, defeat enemies, pick up laurels on the battlefield, and advance your quest for the medals you desire.

We fully acknowledge that class populations are a little lopsided. Hunters are so fabulous with their capes that there are indeed more of them than Warlocks or Titans. To help offset this (so Hunters don’t steal the show every day), medals will be weighted slightly per class to maintain an even playing field. We aren’t fiddling with the numbers to force wins on alternate classes – Hunters could still take this entire thing if they put enough effort in.

Now, about those class items. At daily reset, your Cloak, Mark, or Bond will update to reflect what placement your team has taken. As an example, if Titans took the “W” for day one, their Mark will update with a wonderful gold sigil. With Warlocks in second and Hunters in third, their class items would be updated to feature silver and bronze, respectively.

So, what’s the ultimate prize? At the end of the event, your daily placements will be combined for a final score. Depending on your team’s standings, your class items will be locked to their respective placements for the remainder of the year.

If you’re looking for more ways to represent your class, Eva has you covered. Each week, you’ll be offered a free quest to earn an Exotic Ghost Shell, one themed to each Guardian class. Complete this quest every week to collect all three!

Additionally, a new Exotic Machine Gun will become available during this event. We look forward to seeing what mayhem this tool of destruction will inspire when you get it in your hands.

Eververse will also have some items in store for the event. A single Finisher will be available for Silver only, while all other items may be purchased with Bright Dust as they appear on the storefront. As a note, all Guardian Games weekly/repeatable bounties will grant Bright Dust to match previous Seasonal events.

Guardian Games begins upon the weekly reset – this Tuesday at 10 AM PDT. Make sure to launch your game a little early to grab the required Update 2.8.1. More on that in the Player Support Report below!

Guardian’s Heart Update

For those that may not be up to speed, for this fundraising effort we’ve partnered with Direct Relief, who will work with a network of providers across the globe to deliver the supplies that healthcare workers need. This includes basic personal protective equipment, including gloves, masks, gowns, and face shields. The hospitals where they work will also receive food covers, prescription medication, portable oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and other intensive care unit equipment.

To help raise awareness and share some of the community action, we’re hosting a series of Bungie Bounties for as long as this fundraising initiative lasts. This isn’t restricted to North American Guardians, mind you. This is a worldwide effort, so we’ll naturally have some international bounties for you to chase. We’re getting some final details together for the full calendar. Stay tuned to find out who you’ll be chasing over the next week.

Problem Children

It seems that Guardian Games kicked off a little early for some Exotic items in our game, in terms of competition. Telesto, Winter’s Guile, and Wormgod Caress are eyeing the top spot for “biggest problem child” in our sandbox. The Destiny Player Support team has an update on their standings.

This is their report. 

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Next week, Guardian Games kicks off with the release of Destiny 2 Update 2.8.1. Please see below for the rollout timeline.

Straight to Home Video 

Movie of the Week:  Fourth Horseman Rides Again

Honorable Mention: 200 IQ Tether

If you’re a winner, make sure that your Bungie.net profile (and any profile of someone that contributed) is included in the description of your video. Without that key piece of information, we’re unable to slap that rightfully deserved emblem on your collections tab.

So, we come to a close on another TWAB but we understand that there are some topics that weren’t covered on here that you may have strong desire to know more about. Eververse, Trials improvements, our plans to address FOMO, tackling the bounty problem, and more. There are also questions like “What about feeling like players can’t play their way? What about Ritual weapons, anti-cheat improvements, etc?” .

We’ve been having frequent syncs to talk through these issues and more. Many of them require a long-term plan with short-term mitigation to help ease the pain. The last thing we want to do is over-commit to changes that ultimately may be reversed, or sign the team up for work that leads to crunch. We don’t want to make promises we know we can’t keep, so to speak.

Over the next few weeks, we hope to solidify some plans and get them communicated out. We’re looking at what can be accomplished in Season 11, which is coming much faster than many of us can believe. Some topics will be tackled in Season 12, as they’ll require larger scale systematic changes.

Thank you again to everyone that’s been giving feedback on Destiny over the years. This train never stops, and we hope to share our next steps with you soon. Until next time, we’ll see you out there in the wild.

Cheers,

-dmg04

As the world responds to the outbreak of COVID-19, many of us have been urged by our local governments to stay home. Containing the spread of the virus is one of the best things we can do to protect our fellow humans. If you are a gamer, you’ve been training for this moment for your whole life. If you possess the heart of a Guardian, however, you might be wrestling with an urge to do more!

In response to these trying times, Bungie is excited to announce the Guardian’s Heart fundraising initiative. In partnership with Direct Relief, and in collaboration with our community, we want to bring the full might of the Bungie community to support the healthcare workers and frontline responders who are confronting this global healthcare crisis.

Our Partners

According to their own Mission: “Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies – without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay.”

We have worked previously with Direct Relief to provide aid to survivors of a devastating earthquake in Nepal. We knew we would want to work with them again someday, so we created an in-game emblem using their colors (more on that below). For this fundraising response initiative, all the money that we raise as Guardians will go directly to them.

The Beneficiaries

Direct Relief will work with a network of providers across the globe to deliver the supplies that healthcare workers need. This includes basic personal protective equipment, including gloves, masks, gowns, and face shields. The hospitals where they work will also receive food covers, prescription medication, portable oxygen concentrators, ventilators, and other intensive care unit equipment. 

Your Reward

Click here to make your donation to Direct Relief now!

Please Note:

Player Support Documentation

Players will receive an email within one week after completing their donation that will contain the emblem code and instructions on how to redeem the code on Bungie.net. 

Destiny 2 Item Code Redemption:

After redeeming the emblem, players will be able to pull the emblem from their in-game Collections under Flair > Events.

We may have to stay home, but there is a lot we can do as a community to support the heroes who are still going out into the world every day to care for the sick. Guardians have proven to be a tremendous force for good in the world and your generosity in supporting others in the fight against COVID-19 is inspiring. Thank you. 

 Tuesdays. You know them well. The days where your pursuit of loot and power begins anew. Depending on the status of Daylight Saving, our internal alarm clocks go off around 10 AM Pacific, sending us on a search for what’s going on in Destiny. Without fail, the subject of this week’s Community Focus has been quick on the draw, providing infographics with pinpoint accuracy.

So, Niris, tell us a bit about yourself. Who are you, where did you come from, and what do you do out there in the “real world?”

Niris: Hello everyone! The name is Nic, but you can call me Niris. Or Nic. Whichever you like. Some of you may already know me as “the Destiny infographic guy.” Out here in the “real world” I design user interfaces and experiences, which is kind of what led me to creating all of the infographics I’ve designed for Destiny.

My story starts out a little sad, but I promise it has a happy ending. When Destiny 2 launched in 2017, I was taking care of my mother in hospice. It was an incredibly emotional and tough time and video games with friends were the only thing keeping me together. I needed something consistent to keep me busy during that time in my life. Something that I could count on doing every day or week without fail. Based on my experience with Destiny 1, I knew I wanted to do something within the community, I just didn’t know what yet. I knew I was good at presenting a lot of information in an easily digestible format, so in October 2017 I designed my first Weekly Reset infographic. If I’m being honest, the graphics started as a coping mechanism for myself, but grew into something much more along the way.

Since then, I’ve gone on to design an infographic for just about anything you can imagine in Destiny. Heroic public event activations? I got you. Need a refresher on how the Gambit UI and strategy works? Got you there too. Oh, you don’t know what times to shoot for in Master Nightmare Hunt Time Trials? Look no further. I love being able to gather detailed information surrounding specific activities in-game and make them super easy for players to understand.

Now, in the two and a half years since starting, the infographics have been featured in Forbes, Kotaku, and Gamerant. We built a Discord Bot (Servant of Niris) that services 2,500+ servers with the infographics and I haven’t missed a Weekly Reset since October 3rd, 2017. Needless to say, Mom would be proud. =)

(P.S. “Consistency kills competition.” To anyone out there who needs to hear this: if you find yourself going through a tough time, find something that you can do consistently to feel good about yourself. Keep doing it. Keep moving forward no matter what. You’ve got this.)

It’s inspiring to look back at the choices you made to get you to where you are today. Let’s dive deeper, what got you into Graphic Design?

Niris: I started doing graphic design about 12 years ago when I was a turntablist/DJ and putting out mixtapes left and right. It wasn’t very cost viable for me to keep paying to have artwork done for every single cover on everything I put out, so I decided that I’d give it a shot myself. Shortly after that I began to create posters, flyers, and all sorts of things which then led me to a marketing job. These days however, I’ve found my love and passion in UI/UX design and I’m hoping to maybe lend those skills to the Bungie team someday.

I’ve always had a bit of jealousy towards those who have an artistic touch. Twelve years of progress really shows in your work! How about Destiny? What led you here?

Niris: I’ve always been a fan of Bungie. Sometimes without even knowing it. I have memories of playing Oni on one of my very first PC builds after high school. The time I spent huddled around an Xbox with three of my friends playing Halo into the wee hours of the morning is something I’ll never forget either. So when a friend hit me up in the summer of 2014 talking about a beta for Bungie’s next project (shoutout to you Pebey!), I knew I had to get in on it.

Let’s be honest… There’s no better shooter than Destiny. The guns and the space magic really fulfilled that power fantasy for me that other games couldn’t. I played the ever-loving crap out of D1, but for some reason, I never got into the lore much or even “building” up my Guardian to its max potential. I mean, I never even raided in D1. It was a really cool shooter that I got to play with my friends and that’s all I really cared about at the time. 

Fast forward to now and I’m completely enveloped in everything. I’m obsessed with other creators’ content. I watch lore videos, read all of the books, and farm activities for hours looking for that one perfect roll on a gun. I’ve even done three day-one raids at this point and I don’t see it stopping any time soon.

Let’s get down to business. This is one of the most important questions you could ever answer while having the spotlight on you. What class do you call home, and why is it a Hunter?

Niris: ‘Lock life all day, baby!

For me, it’s the utility and diversity that a Warlock brings to a fireteam. I love that I can throw down a Well of Radiance or switch it up and chuck a Nova Bomb whenever I feel like it. Pair that with some of my favorite class Exotics in the game and it’s a recipe for fun. Who doesn’t love running around with Devour, a Recluse, and Nezarec’s Sin?

I’m also a Hunter on my days off and am warming back up to my Titan after we’ve had some time away from each other.

Alright, I’ll give you a pass. Without Warlocks, space magic wouldn’t feel as… magical. Anyway, thanks for stopping by! It’s always fun getting to know our community a bit better. Want to give a shout-out to the community before we wrap up?

Niris: I would just like to send a resounding “thank you!” to the entire community. I’ve made so many friendships and shared experiences I never would’ve imagined all because of this game. The Destiny community truly is the best community. <3

Lastly, please be kind to yourself and each other. Patience is a rare currency we could all use a little more of right now as we navigate through these ultra-weird times.

Enjoy the weekend, and we’ll see you next week.

-dmg04

This week at Bungie, the final bunker opened.  

A third and final Seraph Bunker has opened on Io. The new Bunker points players to partake in the Seraph Tower event and new Legendary Lost Sectors on the Jovian moon. Guardians also made a new discovery in the bunker about Rasputin’s efforts to track our enemies. 

We’re one month into Season of the Worthy and we’re not done yet. Grandmaster Ordeal is only a few weeks away, but before we share more on that, let’s talk about a new charity initiative coming up next week.

Making a Difference

As the world responds to the outbreak of COVID-19, many of us have been urged by our local governments to stay home. Containing the spread of the virus is one of the best things we can do to protect our fellow humans. If you’re a gamer, you’ve been training for this moment for your whole life. If you possess the heart of a Guardian, however, you might be wrestling with the urge to do more! 

This is the question we’ve been asking ourselves at Bungie:

Is there something more we can do to help the real-world heroes who are confronting this crisis head on? 

We’ve arrived at an answer that we think is very exciting. We’d like to share it with you – and even welcome you to join us in helping to make the world a better place. On Monday, you’re invited to join us in our game rooms to talk about it. 

Bungie’s COVID-19 Fundraiser 

Monday, April 13 

10:00 AM Pacific 

Players of Bungie games have never backed down from a fight. We’ve banded together to support the survivors of floods, earthquakes, and wildfires. You may even have a memento to commemorate the role you played in some of those initiatives. On this occasion, when it seems like the world needs help more than ever, we have an emblem to mark the Guardians in our community who choose to throw their lot in with our efforts.

On Monday, we’ll reveal how you can earn this emblem to display proudly in game. We’ll talk about this charitable call to action, who will benefit, and the impact that we will have together.

Join us for the conversation. Join us to make a difference. 

Grandmaster 

In a few weeks, we’ll debut a new difficulty selection for The Ordeal called Grandmaster. It will test your fireteam’s coordination, communication, builds, and skill like no other activity in Destiny to date.  

Here’s a look at a few of the goals we had when approaching Grandmaster after we saw how the rest of The Ordeal was received: 

To attempt Grandmaster, you will need to be Power Level 1025 which is 15 Power above the Pinnacle cap but will be 25 Power below the activity which will be set at a Power Level of 1050. We’re also going to have something similar to the Contest mode we introduced for Crown of Sorrow. You will gain no extra advantage for being higher than 1025. We wanted to require a mixture of pinnacle rewards and artifact power to get you prepared for this, but not make you feel like you had to put in a ton of extra hours over-leveling the activity.

We’re introducing some new modifiers along with some familiar ones, including Extinguish (if your team wipes, it sends you back to orbit) and Limited Revives (you start with a small pool of shared team revives and you get more every time you kill a Champion). We don’t want to spoil everything, so there are a few other wrinkles we’ll let you discover when it goes live.

Does this sound like a worthy challenge so far? We hope it does, and as a reward, you’ll have increased chances of being awarded Exotic armor and Masterworking materials. But the main draw of the mode is the new Seal and title available for beating each of the Grandmaster Ordeal Strikes once during the Season: Conqueror. We want this to be one the most challenging titles to get, but we want it to be approachable for anyone to try who puts in the time and dedication with their team during a given Season. 

Grandmaster Ordeal will begin on April 21. 

Iron King 

The second coming of Iron Banner for this Season is already upon us. Lord Saladin will be setting up shop at the top of the Tower and you’ll have another shot at finishing the quest and earning the new Bow. 

Bonus Valor gains are also enabled throughout the week.

Iron Banner and bonus valor begins at 10 AM PDT on April 14, running through 10 AM on April 21. 

Weekly Challenge Accepted

Pleas welcome in the Player Support team with the latest on known issues we’re tracking. 

This is their report. 

TRIALS WEEKLY CHALLENGE UPDATE

Last week, we released Destiny 2 Hotfix 2.8.0.2. As part of the hotfix, we resolved an issue where Trials of Osiris Weekly Challenges were not being reset properly. We believed the issue would be resolved later that week when Trials of Osiris went live, but the issue persisted, causing players who didn’t have their Weekly Challenge to not receive any rewards on their third, fifth, or seventh win.

Starting this Friday, April 10, all players are expected to have their Weekly Challenge available to them when Trials of Osiris becomes active.

CLAN CREATION AND EDITING

Players may notice that they are unable to create or edit their clans in Destiny 2. While we investigate this issue, players can still join or leave Destiny 2 clans at any time.

PC CRASHING UPDATE

On Tuesday, we worked with Valve to issue a small update to Destiny 2 on Steam that should resolve a crashing issue players have been receiving. This small update is also helping us to determine what is causing the BEAVER error code to appear more frequently.

BEAVER ERROR CODES

Since Season of the Worthy began, we have been seeing a significant increase in the following error codes: ANTEATER, BEAVER, BEETLE, and WATERCRESS. While we continue to investigate the cause of these error codes, we have implemented fixes that have helped reduce the number of BEAVER errors on Steam, which you can see illustrated in the chart below. We understand how frustrating and painful it can be to receive this or any error code, and we’re working intensely on further mitigations.

KNOWN ISSUES

While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help Forum:

• Fully upgrading any Seraph Bunker sometimes doesn’t unlock the associated Warmind Security Triumph. This issue is expected to be resolved in our next update.
• Warden of Nothing doesn’t give platinum rewards if one of the Unstoppable Champions is killed by a train.
• The Dynamic Charge perk doesn’t activate on Symmetry if shot through Citan’s Ramparts assisted Assault Barricade.

For a full list of emergent issues in Destiny 2, players can review our Known Issues article. Players who observe other issues should report them to our #Help forum.

Showtime

Movie of the Week:  I Collect Motes Not Deposit Them

Honorable Mention: Don’t Tell Zavalla

If you do end up winning, please make sure you put a link to your bungie.net profile page so we can send you the emblem.

We’re looking forward to the charity stream next week. It’s always a pleasure seeing our community show off the amazing things you can do when given the opportunity to support a great cause. Guardians truly share some of the heroic qualities of their in-game counterparts.  

<3 Cozmo 

Ask her nicely and Erika Ishii will sing songs from the famed Broadway show “Hamilton” for you… only with a twist. Specifically, she’s got her own Destiny-themed version of the musical’s song “Dear Theodosia,” with lyrics centered on everyone’s favorite Warmind.

Dearest Rasputin

What to say to you?

You’re my Warmind, you have a Russian name

When you came online you launched warsats

And it warmed my heart

As the new voice of Ana Bray and with an ever-growing resume of on-camera and voice acting roles under her belt, Ishii is no stranger to performing. If you’ve played games like Shenmue III, Fallout 76, Smite, or seen anime films like Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, you’ve heard Ishii’s work. As a host with shows on Geek & Sundry and Nerdist, Ishii is deeply immersed in the world of geek culture. She’s also a big Destiny fan (and a Warlock main, in case you’re curious), who told us that getting the role of Ana was “a real honor.”

“My agent, if she has really good news for me, a lot of times she’ll call me to deliver it in person, and so she did,” Ishii recalls. “There was a lot of screaming and crying, definitely.”

We recently caught up with Ishii in her home in Los Angeles, where we talked about what she wanted to bring to the role of Ana Bray, how her career has progressed, and what it’s like to hear her own voice in a videogame.

How did you prepare for the role of Ana?

I was very fortunate that there was already this wealth of lore. The game has been out for a while. I played Destiny 1, but I hadn’t had a chance to play [Destiny 2] yet. The Bungie guys were so sweet and they sent me codes to pop in [and] play some Destiny. Also I watched some “Let’s Plays” to catch up on lore and any background information I might need.

I make playlists for almost every character I play, and there’s definitely an Ana playlist. 

What kind of music made the Ana Bray playlist?

When I make a character playlist, it’s songs that define who they are, how they feel about events or others. Of course there’s stuff from the Destiny 2 soundtrack. And then a lot of songs about her isolation; there’s a couple of songs from my favorite artists Vian Izak and Juniper Vale — “The Astronaut” and “The Expanse.” It has a lonely and hopeful feeling to it.

I would listen to it before I went to sessions or in between session weeks to keep fresh. Music is a huge touchstone of how I get into character or formulate and focus character.

Right tunes, right frame of mind. Makes sense. According to your Web site, you’ve got a musical background.

Most voice actors I know are musical. There’s something about the rhythm and the musicality of phrasing and performance and breath control that I think music prepares you for. People who are drawn to music are also drawn to voice acting. It’s very common. 

What were the Destiny recording sessions like?

It was just so much fun. It was criminal amount of fun. It’s really just getting to play; I feel so lucky to get to do this. 

Voice acting presents a unique challenge as far as acting goes, because you have to imagine everything yourself. What are the weather conditions like? Are you speaking to someone who is far away from you, or close? Then you have to layer all of the physical conditions on top. [Things like] how are you feeling? What is your character trying to get across? Is your character an expert on this topic? There’s so many elements you need to keep in mind while you’re performing. It’s a wonderful, exciting challenge.

Are there any specific challenges to building a scene?

What was your vision for your Ana performance? How do you relate to her?

I think every character that you play you find something of them in yourself, or put a bit of yourself into them. Ana is inquisitive and I think she really wants to help in the way that she best knows how. Exploring your past and your history — whether it’s in an undiscovered “sci-fi” sense, or just you as a person — is difficult. That was something that was interesting to explore.

What’s it like to be part of the Destiny cast?

I still can’t believe that I got to join this cast. That cast is stacked. Some of the greats of voiceover and on-camera. Such incredible actors that I get to say I’m in an ensemble with. A lot of people that I looked up to, or were idols of mine. I’ve joined the ranks and it’s unbelievable to me.

I love seeing the diverse and really rich characters of the world of Destiny. The fact that [Ana is a] queer Asian woman was kind of huge for me. I identify as pansexual. It’s really amazing because that’s not something you get to see a lot in media; queer women of color. That felt very significant to me. 

Have you played the game since you’ve been in it?

Not yet! I want to jump back in, especially since I was power leveling my Warlock before the season dropped. Now that [my performance is] in, I’m a little nervous. It’s odd hearing myself; most artists are very self-critical but I haven’t jumped in yet.

We’re sure the fans are loving it. What’s it like to hear YOUR voice when playing a game or watching a movie you’re in?

I was in the Gundam movie [Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative] and I got to take my mom to the screening premier of it. And the first time a character speaks, [it was] just an out-of-body experience. I was like “Oh, that’s me!” That happened in the trailer where Ana has those lines. It didn’t feel real seeing her mouth move and my voice come out of it. It was so wild. I have friends who play Destiny. They would send me clips and say, “I heard you in my living room!”

What has your path to voice-over acting been like?

I feel like no VO actor has the same story. Everybody comes from different backgrounds. I did on-camera acting for a long time. I always wanted to do voice over. I grew up with cartoons and videogames. One day I made the decision that I wanted to do VO specifically for videogames because it’s this new exciting medium that we have growing up in our lifetimes. Imagine being at the advent of cinema and getting a chance to make films. I wanted to be part of performing for this exciting new narrative medium. 

Was there a game that served as your inspiration?

I grew up with videogames. There have been so many incredible performances by legends and pioneers. I think it was playing The Last of Us that I decided, “Oh for sure, this is what I’m going to do.” 

I was always so scared to do it because it’s a different skill than on-camera acting. Other than the different techniques you need to learn, there’s a financial investment involved with it; paying for a demo, paying for classes, workshops and everything you need to be ready and have a calling card and show that you’re serious in the industry.

But it was playing The Last of Us that I said, “Yeah it’s worth it to me. I want to make art like this. I want to be a part of this medium that I really love.”

I was very fortunate to have a lot of good mentors, friends, and colleagues that gave me opportunities. I was lucky to have a lot of background that prepared me for a lot of those opportunities when they arose. On-camera acting, improv, [and] music helped so much. 

It’s really truly wild to me that I get to do my dream job.

—

In the near term, Erika will be narrating the new Vampire: The Masquerade novella that’s due for release this summer, and she looks forward to her next opportunity to jump back in the role of Ana Bray.

Thanks to Erika for spending time with us. 

Our focus this week is a streamer and a Destiny completionist who specializes in helping people – both IRL and in-game. In addition to raiding with her fellow Guardians and somehow managing to finish every challenge, Triumph, and Seal in Destiny, she works a demanding job as an emergency room nurse.

During this time of international concern, we thought it was important to introduce you to an inspiring member of the Destiny community who’s not only helping Destiny players make the most of their experience, she’s also helping people in the real world. Please meet iLulu.

Thanks for joining us. Please take a virtual seat and tell us a little bit about yourself and what your role is in the Destiny community.

iLulu: My online name is iLulu (formally known as: Lulusoccer) and I go by Melissa outside of gaming. I’ve been a part-time streamer for almost five years now with a main focus on Destiny. My passion for the game started with the Beta on the PS4 and has been ongoing since. I’d like to think my role within the Destiny community focuses more on teaching raids and completing end game content within my community. We just hit our 100th+ Garden of Salvation clear with 63 Sherpa completions! 

We play with any type of gamer, [including those who are] new to the series or raid masters. We’ve got some great “helpers” in this community that are willing to help anyone. I’m also very much a completionist in the game with a max Triumph score and all Seals acquired. Rivensbane is still one of my all-time favorite Seals.  

I’ve only done one Seal and can only marvel at how you were able to get them all. We appreciate you being brave and continuing to help others, especially now with so many people sheltering in place. Can you tell us a bit about what it’s like being nurse right now and what you’re doing to keep your spirits up?

iLulu: I’ve been a pediatric registered nurse for 10 years this May and a year ago I decided to pursue Trauma Nursing and am currently working in a Level 1 Pediatric Emergency Department. Nursing has always been an evolving field with changing practices and advances, but currently processes are changing every day to try and keep nursing staff, patients, and families safe. 

I feel like all nurses right now are dealing with the stress of constant change and some fear of what the next month will look like. None of us knew a few months ago that COVID-19 was going to drastically change healthcare/daily life as we knew it. We have to adapt not just as nurses, but as a society. I work with an incredible group of people and we are committed to continuing to provide the best care we can, given the circumstances. I absolutely love working in a busy ER – you could call Destiny and nursing my passions in life. I couldn’t imagine not doing either of them! 

In order to stay positive with everything happening, I make sure to take time for myself outside of work. Streaming is a part of that and Destiny has always been a great way to de-stress. I’m also looking forward to other various games coming out soon. One thing I’ll encourage all of you to do, though – please, stay home. Go online to see your friends, meet up in the Tower, but let’s keep as many people safe and healthy as we can.

Well said. We’re glad Destiny provides a way for you to get away from everything and we appreciate the great work you’re doing. You obviously play a lot, what has been your favorite Subclass and weapon?

iLulu: Nightstalker Hunter has always been my favorite since it was introduced back in D1. She gets the majority of my playtime … Even with the nerfs! 😉

One of my favorite weapons in D2 for PvE has always been One Thousand Voices. I don’t use it as often anymore but always loved how unique it was and [the fact that] it came from one of the best raids in Destiny 2. I’d be lying also if I didn’t mention Recluse … considering it’s almost always equipped for PvE stuff. However, I’m still a Hand Cannon girl at heart! For PvP when I use a controller, I have a god-roll Service Revolver and Mindbender’s Ambition that I enjoy running. Learning MnK for PvP I’ve been using Rose a lot, I feel like it has a pretty easy learning curve! 

Fully agree on One Thousand Voices; it feels like you are calling in an air strike. Tell us about your channel, what kind of content can we find there?

Glad to see you’re already prepping for Grandmaster. It’s going to be tough. Where can we go to find you on the internet?

iLulu: Here are links to all my channels:

What’s been your favorite Destiny moment over the last few years?

iLulu: I can’t pick just one specific moment. Some parts of Destiny that I love though are the blind raid races, the hidden puzzles, and teaming up with friends I’ve met over the years. I also love the personal satisfaction feeling of completing a challenge I was working on in the game. These include the Triumphs, Seals, or low-man raid challenges. 

This game has also given me so many opportunities – from meeting friends/people outside of the game, to traveling out to the studio. I had no idea when I started D1 it would change my life so significantly. I have so many specific moments that I’ll treasure throughout the rest of my life. These moments may mean nothing to others, but I know when I’m 80 I’ll look back and say, “Yeah, you lived a great life!” My advice to everyone out there: It doesn’t matter if people find what you do to be “silly,” “dumb,” or “stupid” – the real question is, are [you] living life how you want?

That’s a great way to see the world and live your life. Hope we’re all still gaming when we’re 80. Anything else you would like to add before we let you get back?

iLulu: Adding to that last statement, we are all just Guardians in this world, all trying our best to navigate the thing we call life. Can we all just be a little less judgmental to one another? We categorize people before we even know them. From the disconnect between “streamers” and “casuals” and “PvE players” and “PvP players,” life is not this black and white. Most people are somewhere in between. I really want to encourage people to talk to each other. Not everyone is going to like everyone along the way and we are for sure going to have different opinions but respect goes such a long way in the world.

Very true. Be excellent to each other. Even when we disagree, we can still respect others.

This week at Bungie, we look towards Io.

So, you’re a few weeks into your seasonal journey. You’ve cleared the EDZ Bunker of Fallen, and have been taking the Hive to task on the Moon. You’ve reclaimed The Fourth Horseman, and maybe even completed its catalyst. So, what’s next?

Tuesday, the final Seraph bunker will open on Io. New Seraph weapons and seasonal mods enter the mix, giving you more options to build your monster-killing machine. Later in the month, Guardian Games will kick off some good old-fashioned Guardian rivalry, accompanied by the Grandmaster Nightfall difficulty. 

This week, we’ll be parsing through some feedback we’ve been seeing since the season launched, and discussing next steps for emblem stat trackers.

Focused Feedback

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been watching the conversation about Season of the Worthy, and more specifically Trials of Osiris. We wanted to walk through the topics we’ve been exploring and give some basic thoughts on what we’d like to approach in the future. Some items below may be addressed in the coming weeks, but other may take a season or more to tackle. We’re having meetings and discussions daily to determine the best course of action. In the meantime, it’s important to us that you know your voices are heard.

Card Rewards

We’ve been discussing feedback around a lack of incentive for players to go Flawless. We understand that some players have found the first few games to be more lucrative, which we’d love to shift to the later games. Early card token farming, as some would call it, is something that we are very interested in solving. We want to make sure that every Destiny player who wants to play Trials has something to show for it at the end of a weekend.

Additionally, we’ve seen feedback that the Flawless chest isn’t comparable the rewards associated with grinding out Nightfalls. This is something that we’d love to improve upon. There are quite a few ways we could approach this, and we’re currently discussing what would be the best for Trials in the long run.

Disconnections

We’ve been investigating an issue that prevented us from enabling rejoin options when Trials first launched. The short version: A player’s score could reset if that player left and rejoins the match. Since we’ve resolved this issue, we are currently planning to enable rejoin in Update 2.8.1.

Additionally, our teams are continuing to investigate the rise in error codes since the launch of the season. This is one of our top priorities, and we’ve made some progress in identifying the issue. What’s left is developing a fix and testing it. We want to take the appropriate time here to avoid introducing any further issues into the game.

Fair Play

We’ve seen reports from players that have encountered cheaters in Trials over the last few weekends. What follows is a quick update on what we’ve been doing to improve your experience, and what we’re discussing internally for future improvements. To restate the note in the intro, some of these items may not be addressed for some time, as we’re in early conversations, but we wanted to give you an update of what’s going on behind the scenes here at Bungie. 

And if possible:

I know that some of you out there may find the statement of “We’re listening!” to be a repetitive cliché of community management, but the first step toward taking action is to listen. We’ve been collecting your feedback and looking to fully understand the root of the perceived issues that are being discussed by players in the wild. Your voice is important to us, and helps us as we walk the path to what’s next in Destiny 2. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on our plans as they become more concrete, and we thank you for your continued feedback on the game.

Speaking of the future, let’s talk about Stat Trackers.

Back on Track

At the beginning of the season, changes were introduced to stat trackers to give players more ways to express their achievements in Destiny 2. We introduced weekly Seasonal and Lifetime trackers, and these were completely optional to those who might want to have a clean emblem. With this overhaul, previously featured trackers were removed. Players were quick to highlight this as a pain point, which we’re eager to address. This week, we have a list of the stats we’ll be bringing back in Update 2.8.1, which is coming later this month.

We understand that there may be a few stats that are still not present that you’re interested in returning. To be clear, we have a hard cap on how many stats can be listed on emblems, so we want to make sure we have room to grow in the future. Please continue to give feedback on what you’d like to see, and we’ll keep you in the know of what our plans are.

Under the Magnifying Glass

No stone is left unturned when Destiny Player Support is on the case. When issues begin to trend, they disperse troubleshooting articles, but also dig deep to diagnose the issues. 

This is their report. 

HOTFIX 2.8.0.2

On Tuesday, March 31, we released Hotfix 2.8.0.2 to the world. While maintenance was underway, we incorrectly noted two items in the 2.8.0.2 patch notes:

Spinning Up

Look, I’m biased towards Omolon weapons. Hard Light was one of my first Exotics back when Destiny first launched, and it’s fun to see it take the spotlight for a season. That said, Auto Rifles in general are pretty hot right now. This week’s winner takes Suros for a spin, making some great plays in the Crucible.

Movie of the Week: The Suros Simulation

Honorable Mention: Honey, I’m good…

The days and weeks are beginning to meld together. As our local weather station put it, we’ve entered the month of “Maprilay.” The sun continues to rise and fall, but it’s becoming a little difficult to keep track of what day it is. Thankfully, we have Destiny 2 to bring us together during these times of isolation. Sometimes, the only thing I have to remind me of what day of the week we are living is this every-Thursday mainstay blog article. 

I’d like to take a moment to highlight the Essential Workers of the world. While we’re all in this together, we couldn’t do it without you. You are all Legends in our eyes. You’re helping to keep the world spinning in times of crisis, and we cannot thank you enough for your efforts. 

We’re cooking up some initiatives on our side to amplify the good in this world. More on that soon…

Much love,

Dmg04

News | Bungie.net”> News | Bungie.net”>

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Guardians can count on Zavala. The stoic commander of the Vanguard is always on hand for an encouraging word (and some fresh bounties) each time they visit the Tower. With Season of the Worthy, Zavala has his hands full, fighting alongside Ana Bray to save the Last City from the Almighty’s deadly collision course.

It begs the question: With all of this turmoil going on, how does Zavala relax? We already know that (according to Destiny lore) he likes his knitting and crocheting. But this week, with the introduction of the Fourth Horseman Exotic quest, Guardians learned about a new personal passion for Zavala: slinging iron and getting a good cardio burn, accompanied by sick beats and a most unusual trainer.

This is the story of the Shaxxercise mixtape. 

[Fitness-related spoilers ahead! You’ve been warned, Guardian!]

The first step in the Fourth Horseman Exotic quest is to visit Zavala’s office, located in a lower level of the Tower Wall. Once you gain access to his office, continue through the back labyrinth of rooms and hallways, make your way into the Vanguard Vault, and continue your search for the famous Exotic shotgun. However, those Guardians who spent time rummaging through Zavala’s office this week eventually found a secret sitting high on one of the shelves – a mixtape of workout music, complete with motivational encouragement from everyone’s favorite Crucible host: Lord Shaxx himself.

So how did this mixtape come about in Season of the Worthy? Like many things, it started as a conversation between friends…

A Passion for Hard Work, I Like That

Bungie’s Kareem Shuman loves his job. As a technical dialogue designer, Kareem works on the Audio team and his job is to help make sure that the dialogue that is written, performed, and recorded sounds as good as possible in the final game. Think of Kareem as a shepherd for the content that makes up the dialogue audio experience. “Music and sound design and dialogue all have to share the same space,” Kareem said. “It’s my job to get [dialogue] across the finish line, sounding good, and delivering on the fiction and the experience.”

While hanging out one night during a Destiny 2 Crucible session, one of Kareem’s friends commented on how supportive and enthusiastic Shaxx is. She wished she had someone like Shaxx yelling at her when she was trying to stay motivated at the gym.

They laughed about it for a few minutes, but when Kareem came into work the next day, he couldn’t stop the idea from knocking around in his head. He wondered if he could turn the joke into something real in the game. 

How would you make a workout mixtape real in Destiny 2? 

One thing was for sure: a project like this would require work from across the studio. Like all other aspects of Destiny’s development, this would be a team effort, with input and creative ideas from every department, even down to figuring out if a “Shaxx mixtape” was something that Destiny lore could even support.

“I had to talk to [the] Narrative team and make sure they were okay with Zavala having a Shaxx mixtape,” Shuman said. “I didn’t want to step on anyone’s fictional toes.”

Narrative was fully behind the idea, which meant it wasn’t as crazy as he’d originally thought. Still, to bring this project home, it would take creativity, it would take communication, and it would take teamwork.

But first, it would take some music.

This Is It, Show Me What You’ve Got

The next step was to bring the idea to Bungie music director and composer Skye Lewin, who was immediately onboard. “My first reaction was [that] I laughed out loud and said, ‘Of course we can, let’s do it,’” said Lewin. He brought in Bungie composer Josh Mosser, and the two began discussing which music they could use for the mixtape. They were looking for the kind of tunes that, as Mosser said, would get Guardians in that “I want to get pumped up and run around in Destiny” mindset. 

Shuman also provided the music team with a handful of previously recorded Shaxx voice lines that could be used as motivational inserts while the music was playing. He had spent a good deal of time querying the content stores, looking for Shaxx dialogue (many of which Guardians might recognize from the Crucible) that would work and were funny to boot. It didn’t take long for Mosser to get inspired. 

“I literally sat there and imagined, ‘What would Zavala do at that point?’” Mosser said. “How would he go through a workout? Would he be high intensity the whole time, or [would] he need a moment to take a break?” After carefully editing the music selections and strategic voice drop-ins, Mosser came back to Shuman with the roughly eight-minute mix that ran the gamut from pounding beats to more contemplative moments (perfect for a brief mid-workout cooldown), all perfectly complemented by Shaxx’s intense vocal stylings. The mixtape consists of numerous separate bits of music, all carefully edited together to tell the “story” of the tape.

“One of those pieces could have been 14 minutes by itself,” Lewin said. “So we’re taking musical excerpts, making sure they flow from one piece to the next and then timing the dialogue around the music so the two work well and they tell the story in a way that’s funny.”

Lewin was especially pleased by Mosser’s choice to use the theme from the Ghaul fight for the heart-pounding climax of the mix. “It’s like the big payoff for your workout,” Lewin said.

If you ask the team which Shaxx line is their favorite, the vote is almost unanimous – Shaxx furiously demanding for the listener to calm down (“Relax more. I SAID RELAX!”); a moment that is perfectly accompanied by a momentary easing of the musical intensity. 

With the music and voice lines in a good place, there was still the matter of getting it all to work in the game. 

You’re Halfway, Hold Strong!

At this point, Shuman had what amounted to a big audio file, complete with the various tunes and Shaxx voice lines edited into place. A single audio file worked in theory, but there were drawbacks to implementing it in the game, including the need to create separate audio versions for all the languages supported by Destiny 2, as well as making it difficult to integrate with the game’s subtitles system.

The solution was to tie the music to a system called a “dialogue table” which contained all of the selected lines of Shaxx dialogue. Once the player interacted with the mixtape object in the game, the music would kick off and a timer would start, essentially sequencing Shaxx’s voice lines based on timing determined by Shuman in the dialogue table. Now, you could have the music and the voice lines play in perfect synchronization, plus it could be more easily localized and subtitled. 

Now, how were Guardians going to find this mixtape?

One Final Push, Guardian

Eve Campbell, Bungie senior world artist, loves surprises in game worlds. “My favorite thing with any video game is finding secrets. If I play any game that, when I swing a sword and I accidentally hit a wall and the wall disappears and there’s a chest, I freak out and I have to hit every wall for the rest of the game.” 

That love of surprise has served Campbell well when creating Zavala’s office and the labyrinth that lead to the Vanguard Vault. Having also worked on missions like Zero Hour and the Banshee-44 workshop pathway for the Leviathan’s Breath quest, this was comfortable territory for her. Designing Zavala’s office was also a chance to expand on the character a bit more. After all, how someone decorates their private spaces can say a lot about them as people. 

Remember how Zavala likes to knit? Look around his office and you’ll see a small knitting kit tucked away on a corner table. Or a set of trophies presented to the commander for his many heroic efforts over the years. Or the set of barbells perched improbably high on the shelf next to the mixtape. And what executive suite wouldn’t be complete with a peaceful (and interactive!) Newton’s Cradle on the desk?

“For the mixtape specifically, we wanted that to be a thing that players discover,” Campbell said about the decision to place it high on a shelf near the office entrance. “We wanted it kind of hidden away a little bit. So we ended up with a jump puzzle to discover it, just so players could have that discovery of it. It feels a little earned.”

Even Steel Needs Sharpening

It’s no surprise that Destiny players found this musical Easter Egg in quick fashion with the weekly reset. The development team has enjoyed seeing the reaction from fans – and the inevitable mixtape remixes that are surely still to come. 

Those Guardians who, in their haste to finish the Fourth Horseman quest, missed it at first can take solace and know that the musical treat is still there, waiting to be found, tucked high away on the upper shelf of Zavala’s office. 

Just look for the barbells.