The pool of excuses to write about Destiny seems to get shallower with each passing month, now that we’ve entered the long stretch between Destiny: Rise Of Iron and the Destiny sequel expected to ship next fall. And the bits still grabbing the community’s attention don’t always lead to positive discussion. But the Destiny community hasn’t given up on the shared-world shooter. And those of us who love real life video game achievements, the self-imposed challenges that have been popularized by Twitch and YouTube personalities, are reaping the benefits this week.
On Monday, Destiny player and YouTuber ManoDestra777 published a 54-minute video featuring himself, alongside A Sleepy Kitten and Terminator J, completing a flawless (9-0) Trials of Osiris run. For those not well-versed in Destiny’s PvP scene, the three-man squad took on nine other teams in matches where fallen players can only be resurrected by their teammates and the first side to fall loses. And they emerged from every encounter victorious. On its own, Mano’s feat is certainly admirable. But hardly the sort of thing we’d typically write about. However, the feat becomes significantly more impressive upon learning Destra accomplished what most of the community can’t while playing Destiny with a drum kit from the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band.
It’s the third time Destra, who spoke with iDigitalTimes via email, has overcome a challenge that would stump the average Destiny player while using the drum kit. The flawless Trials run might be the hardest of his three tasks, which include runs through two of the game’s six-person raids, too. But that’s not even the worst of it. Obviously, any Destiny player, even one with hundreds of hours of experience, would struggle when relying on such a radically different input device. But by limiting himself to four drum pads and a kick pedal, Destra gave up his ability to perform several basic movements.
He couldn’t strafe left or right, slide behind cover or walk/run backwards. And Destra could only “press” one button at a time, stripping his ability to move and shoot simultaneously. But even with these obstacles, it only took the group two attempts -- with the second forced only by an untimely disconnect during warm-ups -- to finish a flawless Trials run.
“The run itself, for me, was only difficult because I basically had a 60% handicap,” Desta said. “The guys I was running with had to do most of the heavy lifting and I thank them for trying this with me. I at least got a kill in every game, one game even going positive, even killing a Self-Resurrecting Warlock when they used their super.”
Obviously, having help from a pair of experienced Destiny players helped out. But we’re not here to rain on Mano Destra’s parade. There’s enough to be downtrodden about in 2016. Let’s enjoy watching a fellow gamer simultaneously excel at a pair of tasks most of us would struggle to perform independently. Who knows? His performance in the Trials of Osiris might inspire you to earn your own trip to The Lighthouse.
To see ManoDestra777’s feat, grab yourself a snack and check out the full 54-minute video of his flawless Trials of Osiris run with A Sleepy Kitten and Terminator J. Then drop by his YouTube page to see him take down Oryx and (soon) the Wrath of the Machine raid using his drum kit.
Destiny: Rise Of Iron is currently available on PS4 and Xbox One.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Destiny news throughout the rest of 2016 and however long Bungie supports Destiny in the years ahead.
