Every Destiny 2 location has a vendor associated with it, an NPC that gives bounties and advances the narrative through dialogue. For Witch Queen, it was the Ghost Fynch. For Beyond Light, it was the Eliksni Variks. In Destiny 2 Lightfall, it’s the new character Nimbus. And they are without a doubt one of the most irritating characters in the game’s history.
What makes Nimbus so annoying? They talk in a mix of 90s California surfer slang and Marvel movie snark, saying things like “Everything that’s come at us, you’re just like BAM, PEW PEW, KACHOW!” and “Osiris and Rohan can go process their differences over some fermented tea or whatever.” It’s clear what they’re going for here — a younger hero who’s optimistic and a little goofy.
Nimbus isn’t the first or only Destiny 2 character to talk like this, but they push it way further than characters like Fynch ever did. They come off as belonging in an entirely different game. It’s the same issue a lot of popular media seems to suffer from lately, of characters not taking their situations seriously. While people of course use humor to defuse tense situations in reality, the need to have constant jokes in a movie, game, or TV show can be grating.
It’s strange, because the 80s action movies that Lightfall draws inspiration from weren’t exactly like this. Sure, there were one-liners and gags in those movies, but they weren’t constant banter-fests. That’s more of a hallmark of the Marvel school of action films. Why do characters need to riff while life-endangering, world-shaking events are happening around them? Why can’t we just let a moment land?
One of the objectives for the level 7 Elite Guardian Rank is “Earn the Respect of Nimbus,” which means increasing vendor reputation with them. But honestly? That feels absurd. They should have to earn our respect. And they could start by toning their whole shtick down by like 20%.
