The spirit of competition in Destiny 2 is alive and well with today’s launch of the Guardian Games All-Stars 2024 event. The annual competitive event pits Warlocks, Hunters, and Titans against one another to try and take the top step of the Guardian class podium. Last year, Titans took the win, their second in Guardian Games history, and this year’s event features new twists to spice up the competition. Additionally, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen expansion is available today as a PlayStation Plus Monthly Game and we dive deeper into the rad new Skimmer vehicle.
A new scoring system will be in place to keep everyone on their toes, including new Diamond-tier Medallions (the most valuable offered yet; earning these will help your class’s standings in a significant way, so these Medallions are limited to three per week). In addition, Guardians will be able to earn daily glow effects that come from a variety of sources, including individual achievement (such as being the “best in Tower” Guardian or showing your performance in modes like Supremacy or Competitive Nightfalls) as well as group achievements (like being part of that day’s winning class).
Focus Activities are new limited-time boosts to Guardian Games activities that will grant bonus Medallions for the winning class. These events will only be open for a few hours each day, and you’ll be able to earn rewards packages by completing them; in fact, the class that dominates a particular Focus Activity will also earn a special champions rewards package that will earn your class a bunch of Medallions for the day’s competition.
By taking part in Guardian Games events, every player can also unlock sweet rewards, including new Legendary weapons such as Hullabaloo (a new Compressed Wave Frame Heavy Grenade Launcher), a new Exotic Ghost shell, and even a new form of transportation: the Skimmer.
Gettin’ tricky with it
Perhaps the most exciting reward coming for Guardian Games All-Stars, the Skimmer is the first new vehicle option offered in Destiny since the Sparrow, and it’s available to all Guardians at no additional cost (simply pick it up from Eva Levante in the Tower after completing the first Guardian Games All-Stars quest and banking your first Medallion). All players will be able to use the Skimmer during Guardian Games All-Stars, and Guardians who complete a one-step quest during the event will be able to keep the Skimmer permanently once the Games have ended.
A sci-fi take on skateboarding and snowboarding, the Skimmer is a bold new expression of Guardian mobility in Destiny 2, allowing players to perform sweet tricks and sick grinds on their way to their next destination.
“The very beginning of the Skimmer’s development started with a simple question: What is the Guardian version of a Cloud Strider’s skyboard?” said Bungie senior design lead Ben Wommack. “Imagine a Guardian saw a Cloud Strider zipping around in the air and thought, ‘Yeah, that’s neat, but how about this!’ and pulled out something that’s cooler, more stylish, and most importantly, fun to use.”
“We wanted to make sure that we were not doing just a different Sparrow skin with a Guardian standing on top but something that really fulfills new fantasies,” said Bungie staff technical animator Matt Kelly. “The original Sparrow was a blend of a jet ski and a superbike. For the Skimmer, we took inspiration from surfing, snowboarding, and skateboarding, strapped some boosters on it, and blended that up with some space magic.
“In the time between original Destiny and now, player movement abilities when traversing spaces on foot has dramatically changed and expanded, and the gameplay space has held up well. This allowed us to be comfortable pushing the edges of what we could do by adding new verbs into vehicles as well.”
Skimmers are just as zippy as their Sparrow counterparts, and they are capable of a host of new tricks and grinds that will make travel time even more fun. Guardians will be able to pull off four base tricks that map to the emote buttons: a tre flip, a Tamedog, a 360 grab, and a 360 spin where the Guardian leaves the board. There are also four grinds: a 5-0, a boardslide, a backside darkslide, and a crooked nosegrind. In addition, the dev team has also added a variety of grounded turn dodges inspired by carving while surfing as well as some air dodges with grab spins to avoid obstacles (or slam into an unlucky enemy that gets in your way). Finally, there’s a vehicle jump ability that will launch your Guardian into the air, complete with a nice ollie grab as a finishing touch.
“We are lucky enough that we have a massive group of excited skaters, snowboarders, and surfers who were extremely excited about pointing out their favorite boarders and tricks to implement,” said Kelly.
“We also had a bunch of animators who were able to dive in and really put the polish on some amazing and difficult-to-animate moves. Inspiration was everywhere.”
One final thought to whet your Skimmer appetite. During development, Bungie testers found some creative uses for Skimmers when combined with Strand’s grapple ability. Bungie test engineer Thomas Duda explains:
“Without any design specifically going towards this interaction, we discovered during a playtest that players can grapple the hoverboard while another player is using it. A player with Strand grapple can hook on and get pulled along with the grind, and they’ll be taken wherever the grinding player steers. If you’re in a firefight that’s not going too well, a friend can glide over you, and you can skyhook your way out of there, like the scene in The Dark Knight where Batman extracts from the high rise in Hong Kong.”
Test your medal
As if competing for the glory of your chosen Guardian class isn’t enough, we also have an additional incentive for Guardians who want to embody the spirit of the Guardian Games All-Stars event. Players who complete the Gold Event Challenge by March 26, 2024, at 9:59 AM PT, will earn the Bungie Rewards offer to purchase a physical 2024 Guardian Games All-Stars Medal through the Bungie Store.
The Witch Queen arrives with PlayStation Plus
PlayStation Plus members, the threat of the Lucent Hive continues to loom, and we’re putting the call out to you all. Starting today, and for a limited time, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is available to all PlayStation Plus members as a Monthly Game at no additional charge. Now is your chance to own one of the greatest chapters in Destiny history, as you take on Savathûn herself in a desperate bid to take back the Light. Experience the thrilling campaign from the start, explore The Witch Queen’s mysterious Throne World, and test your skills against Legendary mode. All of that and more, and it’s yours to keep once you download it.
If you’re a PlayStation Plus owner new to Destiny 2 or looking for the ideal time to jump back in, don’t miss out on this opportunity to experience one of the best adventures Destiny 2 has to offer. Head over to the PlayStation Store, grab The Witch Queen expansion, and prepare for the fight ahead.