Jun 22, 2015 - DeeJ

When you commit to a Public Event out in the wild, every Guardian you see is your friend - in theory, at least. You join forces to coordinate fire on hostile invaders. Through collaboration with total strangers, you win.





When you enter the target-rich environment of the Crucible, it’s a very different story. Those same strangers turn their guns on you and your team. That doesn’t mean that some of your enemies don’t secretly love you. There are combatants on the prowl who care deeply about the competitive landscape of Destiny. Some Guardians want every player to have an equal shot at victory – all the better to provide them with an exciting match.





Take this player, for instance, who has invested tons of effort into making everyone more capable of pleasing Lord Shaxx, Lord Saladin, and Brother Vance.









Who are you? What’s your preferred subclass?





TV: Hi, I’m Ryan Wright, but around here they call me : Hi, I’m Ryan Wright, but around here they call me TrueVanguard . Husband, father, avid Destiny gamer. And I primarily enjoy throwing purple space magic at people.





Good, man! Where can we find a Voidwalker like you?





TV: You can find me on : You can find me on YouTube or on the forums here at Bungie.net. I’m a forum junkie. You can also find me on Twitch and Twitter





How would you describe the role you play in the community?





TV: I provide players with the resources they need to improve their overall competitiveness in the PVP arena. This has been the focus of my channel since its genesis. The reaction from the community has been overwhelmingly positive and, frankly, quite humbling. The channel offers a wide variety of videos, including:





You fool! Why are you helping other people win? The Crucible is no place for mercy.





TV: You’re absolutely right! Which is why I push my hardest in every match and expect the same from the competition. But off the field (so to speak) it’s in everyone’s best interest to help create the most competitive atmosphere possible. That means taking gamers who are asking questions and giving them all the tools necessary to become as competitive as they can be. The competition may become fiercer in the Crucible, but everyone’s overall experience is enhanced - including those who repeatedly find themselves on the losing side and wish to taste victory occasionally as well. Ultimately, we just want everyone playing the Crucible to be able to enjoy their experience.





You sound like a player who has thought a lot about the competitive ecosystem. What’s been your experience as an online warrior?





TV: I’ve been playing competitively since Halo CE revolutionized PVP. That was back when trash talk was from one couch to the next, not over the mic. I’ve been enjoying a wide variety of shooters since then, including delving rather deeply into the competitive Halo 3 environment, Battlefield 3 and 4, and even Team Fortress 2. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some pretty great people along the way. Many of them now enjoy Destiny competitively too.





There are a lot of familiar arenas on your list. I bet you and I have crossed paths (and swords) before. Are you a member of a clan? What are your preferred methods of building a Fireatem?





TV: I’m a member of : I’m a member of Team Resolute , an amazing clan that you may have heard of in a previous spotlight. ClawMan invited me in to join their ranks a few months ago, so I’m one of their newer members, relatively speaking. When I make a Fireteam, usually I check the Resolute LFG or scroll through my roster and see who’s on and about. I’m lucky to have some awesome friends in various different sub-communities in Destiny, including some DOD guys, Safe Gamers, Dames, Invigorate players, Podcasters, Streamers, and ’Tubers. The community is full of incredible people. Making a good Fireteam is never difficult.





Pop Quiz Hot Shot: You’re playing Elimination. It’s three against one. Your teammates are on the other side of the map? What do you do?





TV: That’s literally my favorite scenario in PVP. What I do is pepper the enemy with a shot or two, just to aggravate the hive. Then I cut and run. I watch the radar carefully to make sure one isn’t taking a different route to head me off. I run through a choke point of some kind, maybe a doorway or a tight hallway, then I pull a quick 180, aim my trusty Longbow and wait for them to come into the sight picture. Using choke points makes target acquisition pretty easy. With some accurate shooting, you can take out the competition as they pursue. Sometimes, you can try to isolate the players and instead of going 1 on 3, you go 1 on 1 three times. I like my chances at winning 3 one on one engagements over my chances at going toe to toe with 3 wielders of the Light simultaneously.





I just hurl grenades wildly and put on a good show for the people in the deadbox to make them think I tried. Your approach sounds more… strategic. Let’s put those insights to work. What’s on your Crucible wish list?





TV: There are a number of things that I would love to see in the Crucible! First and foremost, the ability to make custom matches. We do lots of scrimmaging, and it’s a pain to do the whole song and dance to get in the same match together.





I’d also love to see the ability to make premade load-outs. My Trials setup isn’t the same as my control setup which isn’t the same as my Skirmish setup. Sometimes in the middle of the game, you have to adjust to the competition and swap some things around. It takes you out of the game for a few seconds, which is no good. If I could, with one click, switch from my “Claws of Ahamkara” Pulse Rifle build to my “Nothing Manacles” Hand Cannon build, that would be the bee’s knees.





Maybe we could see some elaboration on sidearms?





Lastly, general balancing issues. Give those exotic Hand Cannons another good, hard look.





We take a good, hard look at the sandbox every day. Feedback helps, so keep those voices loud.





The next time you find yourself getting your ass kicked in the Crucible, remember that it’s all just fun and games. The player on the other side of the line could be a nice man like this, and he might have some videos out there to pass on that which he has learned.





“Fight back!” – Lord Shaxx