In Destiny, the Sparrow Racing event is a major occasion. More details are known, such as the race tracks and rewards.
Tomorrow evening will mark the first time that Bungie launches a “real event,” as it has been more cosmetic in nature up to now. Halloween 2014 had just a nice graphic effect, and Halloween 2015 already had a bonus Crucible map and all sorts of commotion in the Tower. But for the Sparrow Racing that starts tomorrow evening, they have really come up with something exciting. This has become clear in the last few hours: This is not just a bit of color, but alternative gameplay content.
The Race Itself – Sparrio Kart
The race itself has already taken on the nickname “Sparrio Kart,” running similarly to the cult hit “Mario Kart” in a Destiny variant: It is 6-player death matches. You can either race against your friends or through matchmaking against strangers.
Racing takes place on two race tracks Campus Martius on Mars, which is the beginner’s track, and Infinite Descent on Venus, the advanced track. Mars has more enemies and obstacles, but Venus is more challenging with its curves, shortcuts, and jumps. Both tracks have been redesigned. And it is warned: The aliens will shoot at you; they want to join in.
On Venus, it will always go downhill, and a portal will take you back up at the end.
The goal of the races is to always hit the “gates” because they give a speed boost. It is helpful if competitors miss their gates, and a good shove can help.
On the tracks, in addition to annoying NPC enemies, there are also other obstacles, like giant death wheels. The usual stuff.
Which Sparrow you choose should not make a difference for the race. As long as everyone is using legendary Sparrows, no one should have an advantage. If someone uses a “Tumbler” Sparrow, they cannot rely on some of the “normal” moves, but instead, they replace them.
Players will see a speedometer displayed while they drive.
The Rewards – What is Known So Far
The rewards are heavily based on the known loot system so far.
As with normal activities, there will be random rewards at the end of a race. These are not tied to the place you finish. To reward “performance,” there are the bounties. Rewards at the end of races include light particles, strange coins, “Racing Gear”, engrams, and horns.
The “Horns” function like the masks from the Halloween event. You first receive the various horns in blue, which can then be made “permanent” by upgrading them with a material. A bit silly to say, but: The different horns make different sounds. There are bicycle bells, foghorns, and little melodies.
Speaking of horns, the vendor for the event is Amanda Holiday. You can purchase items from her, and there are bounties like “Catch 60 Gates.” There will also be reputation points, like those known from other vendors, and a quest series. As you increase your reputation, there are reward packages, new quest steps, and better rewards.
PlayStation players receive an “exclusive quest” that culminates in this Sparrow:
By the way, there is supposed to be a PlayStation-exclusive armor set offered as an “alternative” to the normal one at the next Iron Banner.
Further rewards from the races, as far as known and reported:
- Various Sparrows
- And especially “Racing Gear,” which consists of items that are only needed for the race – these are the colorable suits that make a big impression. They have perks that are relevant in the race. These include helmets, chest armor, boots, gloves, and class items. These suits are therefore not usable for combat.
- The Sparrows will have their own horns; this is a new item slot.
It Seems the Racing Gear Can Go Up to 320 and Be Used as Infusion Fuel
And the surprisingly unshaven community manager DeeJ said in this interview that there is gear up to 320 to be earned. However, it is still not known exactly how this will happen. During the event, placeholder items were apparently used – they had defense values of 3.
It could be intended that up to 320 “Racing Armor” will drop and that it is used as infusion fuel for your “real items.”
Additionally, further items related to the race will come to the cash shop, which is being controversially discussed is a 1,000 Silver item, a “Record Book,” that includes advanced bounties and unlocks rewards. We will have to see if this will actually come to the cash shop on Tuesday.
The event itself is free for anyone who owns The Taken King. It will last until December 29. The start time is expected to be tomorrow evening when the patch is rolled out, which also changes the weapon balance, brings 15 Exotics and changes the Titans.
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