In the MMO shooter Destiny , the merchant Xur plays a key role. Bungie now explains some details and also addresses conspiracy theories that Xur is not random.
At 2:00 AM every Friday, Pacific Time, the number of visitors to Destiny increases significantly. There is a traffic spike. It’s Xur time. As John Hopson, a player research specialist at Destiny, tells the website Eurogamer , many Destiny players in the USA set their alarms specifically for this time. Because at 2:00 AM, Xur is in the Tower.
For us in Europe, it’s 11:00 AM. Not an alarm-setting time, but also a crucial time in the weekly routine of local Destiny players. Many quickly check from work, school, university, or on the go what Xur would have.
Xur brings players back to Destiny
“We wanted exactly this rhythm”, says Hopson. On Friday, Xur day, even players who wouldn’t have played Destiny all week log in.
Xur gives the impetus for players to maybe return to the game, perhaps to be out with friends again. And that has always been the plan at Bungie.
And what about the conspiracy theories? Is Xur random?
And what about all the conspiracy theories surrounding Xur? How is his inventory determined? Is it really “random,” as the community manager once said? And if it is random, why has Xur suddenly appeared so kindly lately? Why did he bring all the items that were missing at the end of February, whether “Hard Light”, “The Heart of the Praxian Fire” or “Thunderlord?”
Isn’t that too much of a pattern to be pure coincidence?
Like with Onyxia in the past
In response to this question about randomness, Hopson says he is fascinated by how players handle “randomness.” In the past, he raided against the dragon mother Onyxia in World of Warcraft . She used the ability “Dragon Breath” and killed a lot of players. But when did she use this “Dragon Breath”? The players saw patterns ahead, speculated what could be the reason, what mechanism determined when Onyxia would activate this kill ability. The developers at Blizzard, however, said: “That is random.”
The players didn’t believe the developers. Hopson himself didn’t believe them back then, he reveals. He died so often to Dragon Breath that he was convinced there was intention behind it. His gut feeling told him: That can’t be random.
“That’s how randomness works“, explains the Onyxia-affected player years later. “We don’t believe in it. We are not biologically constructed to believe in coincidences.”
Xur is Xur
Eurogamer then asks : “So is Xur random?“ To this, Hopson is silent and smiles.
At Eurogamer, they have the theory that Bungie wants it this way. They want conspiracy theories, want discussions about Xur, want the mystery. They do not want to reveal what happens behind the scenes, they do not want to demystify Xur.
And that also seems to fit in with Hopson’s last statement: “Xur is Xur. I have no control over him.“
Which again raises the question of whether someone else has control over him.
