Bungie's encouraging Destiny 2 veterans to tank their Power level to help struggling new players

Destiny 2
(Image credit: Bungie)

With new Destiny 2 players treading water after being automatically dropped into the Dares of Eternity activity, Bungie's formally calling on veteran players to purposely drop their Power level and matchmake with fresh Guardians to lend a hand. 

Earlier this week, players rallied around a Reddit post which described Dares of Eternity as "a burning hell" for new players unfamiliar with Destiny 2's combat and enemies. To help soften the blow, the poster added, "in [a] small D2 community in my country, entering the [Dares of Eternity] after downgrading their own Light levels to help these new people has become a trend."

"Appreciate the report," repliedcommunity manager Cozmo. "We have sent this issue over to the team to look into. Hopefully we can make New Lights' first interaction with the fantastic horse a more positive one." 

Community manager dmg04 has now put out an official call for "Operation: Save the New Lights," as some players have dubbed the plan in honor of Destiny 2's free trial. The replies to dmg04's post are filled with screenshots and reports from players who pulled low-level gear out of their armor collection and successfully grouped up with newer players through the game's Power-based matchmaking system. The fashionable but weak Festival of the Lost masks are a popular choice, and they've essentially become a badge of honor for New Light sherpas. If you see a Guardian in a chicken mask and green armor in Dares of Eternity, just know they're doing their part. 

As dmg04 explained, Dares of Eternity has also tripped up some returning players who took a long break from Destiny 2, but the activity has primarily been an issue for all-new players. Ignoring its Power requirement, Dares of Eternity is simply one of the weirdest activities in Destiny's history, and it's literally the first thing new players will experience since thanks to the game's current onboarding process.  

Dmg04 says Bungie has "some fixes in the pipe" but that they won't arrive for a week at least, so the studio's planning to step up Operation: Save the New Lights by offering an exclusive emblem to incentivize high-level players to participate. "Won't be overly restrictive in how it's handed out," dmg says, "but would love to give thanks to those who lend a hand (and also apologize to those who were caught in the crossfire!)" 

Speaking of exclusive Destiny 2 emblems: don't miss this little gem which was hidden in some weapon teasers.

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.