In Destiny, an employee has now commented on Xur’s inventory, the Agent of the Nine. This is said to be determined randomly, but it is known beforehand what will be available.
Small talk puts Community Manager in a bind
A clip from November 2014 is circulating on the internet. At that time, Bungie’s Community Manager David Dague (DeeJ) was hanging out with Guardians in a casual setting, and one recorded the conversation. DeeJ was asked whether Xur’s selection was “random.” DeeJ humorously replied that it was not random but followed a “plan.”
He himself had already asked the people responsible during the Sunbreaker issue, and received the response: “Are you asking as a Community Manager, with a legitimate concern, or are you asking as a Warlock who wants a helmet?”
Deej then said: “Everyone is worried about the Sunbreaker gloves for Warlocks.”
And the “others” then: “That won’t be a problem anymore.”
It’s quite clear in the video that DeeJ meant this as a funny anecdote.
The longing for Gjallarhorn causes conspiracy theories
But now this clip appears in the Bungie forum and gives us a statement about Xur.
According to DeeJ, Xur’s selection is random (“Xur is randomized”). However, at Bungie, they know in advance what he would offer. That is “the plan” that DeeJ spoke about in the video. Occasionally, Bungie can perform a miracle, like during Christmas, when they forced Xur in Destiny to stay longer. But otherwise, his inventory is determined by the same chaos as the other loot drops in Destiny.
For DeeJ, these conspiracy theories about Xur are a sign of how much the Guardians long for Gjallarhorn. Questions about Gjallarhorn are the most common type of questions that reach DeeJ. Even more frequent than questions about a larger vault. But that is outside of his control.
DeeJ promises to do his utmost to speak with the people who work on the code so that Xur becomes valuable again in the future.
However, Xur’s inventory has not appeared particularly random on a broad basis in recent weeks. The discussion revolves around whether the new DLC items are weighted more heavily, to the detriment of the old exotics (like Gjallarhorn). The reasons why this topic is so hotly debated, you can read in this article.
