Polygonreportedrecently that data miners had found evidence of a new “Refer-A-Friend” initiative to be implemented into a futureDestinyupdate. While factual details are getting mashed up with speculation at this point, all indications are that this is going to offer rewards and other incentives to people who help newcomers through first-runs of Destiny.
This strikes me as a fascinating concept, and one which might look toDark Souls 1andDark Souls 2for direction. In both those games you can join theHeirs of the Suncovenant, and receivesunlight medalsfor helping other people in coop. Collecting the medals reaps powerful rewards in the form of weapons and spells. Players who love Souls' games for coop adopted this covenant as their own, referring to themselves as the Sunbros. They are, arguably, the most-memed faction of the game, with their figurehead being the noble and doomed figure ofKnight Solaire. Sunbros represent the symbolic essence of fellowship that informs a lot of Dark Souls, contrasting with many of the invasion covenants.
If Bungie wishes to tap into this same spirit, I have a few words of advice: look to Dark Souls.
Spend any time around Bungie’s forums (or reddit, etc), and LFG sites, and you’ll notice what can only be described as a nasty attitude toward “noobs” evolving among segments of the community. It ranges in degree, but at its worst, can see people imposing all manner of restrictions on those looking to join raid parties. It can cover everything from gear and light level, to experience. In short, the grinding nature of Destiny’s mechanics have forced people to look for the path of least resistance when doing events. Nobody wants a weak link dragging them down. This sort of attitude is anathema in Dark Souls. I’ve been invaded and wrecked by people who then offer to drop a sign and help with the boss.
Imagine if you will a world in which veteran Destiny raiders, specifically those who have completed the current raid at least once, get admitted into unique “sherpa” covenant that rewards unselfish play. Imagine a similar type of medal being offered for helping people beat each sub-boss and the end boss. Like Dark Souls sunlight medals, these sherpa-medals would be a collectible of some sort, leading to rewards of unique (and very desirable) weapons. Imagine the Vex Mythoclast having been such a reward…players would have been trampling each other to help the less fortunate.
Granted, the rewards in Dark Souls, while excellent, are not the reason people join the Sunbros. This is something going back to the early days of Demon’s Souls on PS3, when regulars on the Playstation forums first started sharing tips on how to beat this wonderful and terrifying game. Destiny does not always engender that same mindset, and it would be naive to think that a spirit of camaraderie would blossom overnight. But if nothing else, it would motivate otherwise self-interested players to reach out and offer help to those who are up against the wall.
I can see the posts on LFG sites now: “Looking for noobs with no experience and crappy gear. Please help…I NEED THAT REWARD GUN!” It would almost bring a tear to my eye.
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