THE TOP 20 DESTINY MOMENTS
Standout scenes from the first two years of Destiny
1 A GUARDIAN RISES
Your first steps into this world are breathtaking. Resurrected from an unknown fate, you follow your Ghost, fighting Fallen in corridors that twist through the Cosmodrome’s wall. On the other side? Old Russia’s nebulous sky emerges, explosions painting the view with light.
2 THE LOST LOOT CAVE
Gather round, and hear the legend of Destiny’s glorious Engram-farming grotto. Guardians could endlessly gun down respawning enemies, then frolic in the resulting sparkling sea of loot. Unsurprisingly, it was soon patched – but whispers still haunt the Skywatch cavern…
3 YOUR FIRST EXOTIC
Whether it’s a Raid or Crucible drop, or a generous Legendary Engram, that flash of yellow signifies one thing: an Exotic. Each rare, iconic piece means gamechanging perks and the envy of all your friends. Always squeal-worthy – but you never forget your first.
4 FINDING XUR
The Agent of the Nine. Peddler of Exotic goodies. Stasher of Strange Coins. Ol’ Tentacle-face McGee. He goes by many names, and hunting down the elusive vendor through Destiny’s social spaces every weekend is an entertaining mission all on its own.
5 THE ARRIVAL OF THE VEX
When Bungie decides to drop a set-piece, it drops it hard. The introduction of the Vex is a stark, spectacular moment that will strike fear into the heart of even the bravest Guardian. Mysterious doings are afoot, strange ruins need exploring, and nothing will prepare you for what’s coming to Venus…
6 THE FIRST TIME YOU FIRE OFF YOUR SUPER
The first time those two, glorious words – “Super charged” – appear onscreen, Destiny changes forever. Warlock, Titan, or Hunter, you’ll never forget the first time you briefly became a god of the battlefield. And you know the best bit? It never stops being exciting.
7 THE CABAL HEADSHOTS
You’ve blown the head off a Fallen Vandal. You’ve shot the splashy white guts out of a Vex Goblin’s techno-magic fishbowl. But the first time you knock a Cabal Legionary’s skull clean off? The most gratifyingly violent death animation in the game. Grab a good scout rifle and get practising.
8 YOUR FIRST PUBLIC EVENT
Nothing beats the magic and camaraderie of a good public event. You’re out exploring, alone. The sky goes black. That dropship comes down, and all seems lost. Then a cavalry of strangers hurtle over the horizon and between you, you slay everything.
9 YOUR FIRST RAID
You won’t have a clue. It will probably take you an hour just to open the first door. But then you’ll be hooked. Immaculate, intricate, winding environmental combat puzzles with logic that can only be understood from within, Destiny’s Raids are some of the finest FPS missions you’ll ever play.
10 SCALING THE DEVIL’S SPIRE
Dizzying mile-high platforming on the towering Devil’s Spire in The Taken King’s ‘Cayde’s Stash’ quest sees you reach the very top of the Cosmodrome. A rendezvous with a terrifying, teleporting Echo of Oryx – and an unrivalled view of Destiny’s vast and beautiful world – awaits.
11 “THAT WIZARD CAME FROM THE MOON!”
A moment lost to time, this memorable section predates even Destiny. Back during the game’s Alpha, Ghost (then voiced by Peter Dinklage) uttered the notoriously deadpan line, inspiring a wave of memes and Bungie-approved T-shirts galore. A magical bit of community lunacy.
12 BACKFLIP-DUNKING THE SPARK IN RIFT
Destiny’s Capture The Flag-esque mode involves grabbing the Spark and dunking it in the enemy Rift. Walk backwards into it, and you perform a backflip dunk, earning 150 bonus points for sheer ballsy style. Exhilarating – the
true Space Jam.
13 THE FAKIN’ KING
Destiny: Raid, rinse, repeat. Right? Wrong. No spoilers – but a fakeout in The Taken King’s mission to snaffle Crota’s soul plays upon well-ingrained expectations to deliver a spit-take moment that has you scrambling for the pad. Undoubtedly one of gaming’s cleverest bait-and-switches.
14 GUARDIAN FOOTBALL
After an unsuccessful Crucible round, there’s real comfort in sloping back to the Tower with your mates and digging out Destiny’s football or floaty purple globe for a kickabout. Slide-tackling friends and hoofing it over the railing is the ultimate catharsis.
15 DANCE PARTIES
Impromptu jigs are not unusual in the Tower, and practically a requirement after felling gigantic bosses. From throwing the standard shapes to new emotes like the Carlton dance, it’s hard to beat the sheer joy of a Destiny hoedown with pals.
16 REACHING THE LIGHTHOUSE
Score nine wins and zero losses in a Trials Of Osiris run and you’ll be inducted into Destiny’s most elite club: the Lighthouse, er, family. The Lighthouse contains a loot chest that drops unique gear and Exotics. The view’s not half bad, either. Be lifted.
17 YOUR FIRST SWORD
They say “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight”, but the introduction of heavy weapon Swords was a real sensation. A chat with Eris Morn and Lord Shaxx triggers a quest where you reforge one of three deadly blades. Enjoy the positively giddying feeling of power.
18 BOOTING UP A REMOTELY SET-UP LOADOUT
Sometimes the simplest pleasures also turn out to be the most satisfying. Remotely tinkering with equipment while out and about (read: in the office) via Bungie.net or the companion app has your set-up ready for action when you next switch on your console. Sorcery? Or just wonderful efficiency?
19 CRUCIBLE VICTORIES EARNED IN THE DYING SECONDS
No other multiplayer game can touch thundering back from near-certain doom in Destiny’s uncompromising PvP arena. Turning the tide with a Triple Down multi-kill is sweetened by those final banners displaying the close-fought points in your team’s favour. Read ‘em and weep like a baby.
20 SPARROW RACES
Goodbye, playing pretend with friends on our speedy vehicles on a Patrol; hello, a real Sparrow Racing League event. We lapped opponents to win oodles of Legendary loot with relative ease. It’s sorely missed… but don’t worry, it’s returning later this year.