The impending death of Cayde-6 in Forsaken seems to have deeply affected the Guardians. Many players even cursed the Hunter leader at the start of Destiny 2.
Players of Destiny 2 have experienced an emotional rollercoaster with Cayde-6: The Hunter leader became incredibly popular with the Destiny 1 expansion “The Taken King”. However, in Destiny 2, his ongoing humor began to grate on some Guardians. Cayde’s impending death in Forsaken seems to have changed the mood in the community once again.
Popular Character in Destiny 1
Vanguards with little depth: The three Vanguard leaders, Zavala, Ikora Rey, and Cayde-6, were mostly there in Destiny 1 to assign quests and distribute rewards to players. Even then, the Hunter leader Cayde distinguished himself with his little jokes, which provided a nice contrast to the more serious figures of Zavala and Ikora.
The star in the expansion: In the first major expansion for Destiny 1, The Taken King, Cayde’s role was expanded. His escapades accompanied the Guardians throughout the expansion and lightened the serious theme of the addon, the fight against the Hive god Oryx.
Players enjoyed the new Cayde, who always had a joke on his lips and didn’t take himself too seriously. The Hunter became a “comic relief,” a device that lightens serious situations with humor. At the time, it was exactly what Destiny needed, and players gladly accepted the character’s new direction.
Overly Present in Destiny 2?
Cayde also the star in Destiny 2: Bungie continued with Cayde-6 as the jokester in the sequel Destiny 2. However, the circumstances were different: Right from the start, a new enemy appeared, who was supposed to represent the ultimate threat to the Guardians and the Last City of humanity. However, this grim situation was quickly stifled.
Cayde himself made fun of the villain Ghaul in promotional videos for Destiny 2 even before its release, so he is still known in the community as “Gary.” The entire PR of Destiny 2 seemed designed around Cayde-6 and his antics.
Too much humor in the game: This situation continued in the game, as Cayde had a seemingly funny response to every problem. Too much for some players, who accused Bungie of simply taking away the Hunter’s character from Destiny 1 and increasing the humor factor by 100 percent. Inappropriate for many who had hoped for a serious and tragic theme in Destiny 2.
Soon, Cayde became the subject of many discussions in the Destiny subreddit. He was said to be too annoying with the new game, ruining the tragic mood of Destiny 2, or his jokes felt “forced.” Many players had become tired of Cayde.
Forsaken Changes the Mood Again
Players want to hold on to Cayde: After the story trailer for Forsaken, which shows the presumed death of Cayde at the hands of Uldren Sov, the community was shaken. Apparently forgotten were the times when Cayde’s jokes were “too embarrassing, too forced.” Suddenly, players couldn’t get enough of the Hunter and wanted to savor every remaining moment.
They built him a shrine at E3, took screenshots with him in Destiny 2, and are already planning their revenge on his murderers. Some even doubt whether Cayde is really dead and stays dead, even though Bungie keeps insisting it. Even the actor Nathan Fillion, who voices Cayde-6 in the English original, doubts that the Hunter will say goodbye in the upcoming addon.
Whether Bungie planned it this way or not: The news of his inevitable death seems to have dissolved all criticism of Cayde’s character into thin air.
Are you also struggling with Bungie’s decision to let Cayde die? Or were the Hunter’s jokes too much for you as well?
