There is an almost unknown Sherpa culture in Destiny 2 – and Ilias Gaming is an active part of it

Destiny 2 has a complex universe that often swallows new players as they try to make sense of the space shooter’s world. Those who seek help in the LFG system are often disappointed. Knowledge of the game and weapons are usually a prerequisite for activities there. But the Destiny Sherpas are different. They like to use their own strength to help others in the game. MeinMMO spoke to one of you.

As a Guardian in Destiny 2, you must save humanity from many threats. The ominous traveler has forged his guardians out of strength and sacrifice.

Carried on the winds of ambition, Guardians are wandering souls in search of their purpose in a warlike and complex world. They sacrifice their immortal lives in the game to serve the Traveler and, most importantly, to protect the Last City. Unless you just escaped from the cosmodrome and have no idea what to do now.

This has happened to many new Guardians in Destiny, and luckily some have encountered a “Sherpa” in their search for explanations.

In Destiny 2, Ilias Gaming is part of the German Sherpa community and not only streams Twitter and YouTube. He also regularly offers his help to Destiny 2 players.

MeinMMO spoke to him and asked why he likes to support other Guardians and doesn’t mind explaining things in detail.

MyMMO: Could you please introduce yourself to our readers? Who are you, what do you do professionally and in your free time?

Ilias Gaming: Yes, of course! I’m Roland, 34, married, father of 4 children and come from the Allgäu. I studied business law and am a tax assistant by profession, so it’s pretty boring actually. I feel like I don’t have enough free time, but when I have free time, I run regularly to get fit for a marathon. Otherwise, I really like going to the cinema and well, I’m a gamer, so I put a lot of time into it as well.

MyMMO: How did you get into gaming and Destiny specifically? Tell us something about your career.

Gaming played a role for me from a very early age. When I was 3 years old my siblings got a NES with Super Mario Bros and that’s when it happened to me. I’ve been playing Destiny specifically since the Destiny 1 beta.

I really got into Destiny when I decided to create content for Destiny 2 on my YouTube channel and to focus on it.

MyMMO: Can you explain to our readers what “Sherpa” is in Destiny? Why do you do that?

“Sherpa” is actually a term that is mainly known from mountaineering. “Sherpas” are those (mostly locals) who helped the mountaineers to scale the peaks. They carried the equipment and guided the climbers through the mountains on safe routes.

And that’s what you do as a Sherpa in Destiny. You help other players to run a raid, a dungeon or a leader. There is no matchmaking in these activities and for many it may not be possible to play these activities otherwise.

MyMMO: Why did you start with Sherpa?

There are many reasons I am currently making Sherpas in Destiny 2.

Mainly, for an experienced Destiny player like me, it’s definitely a very satisfying feeling when you’ve been able to help someone run a raid for the first time or complete their Conqueror title and then see the gratitude.

On the other hand, it is also a personal challenge. You never know how much experience a player you take with you has. Especially in a twilight on the highest level of difficulty (leader) it can become a whole level more difficult if you have to do a large part of the “work” with two people and explain something at the same time.

Another reason is that, to be honest, Sherpa streams whether in PVE or PVP are well watched and it is reflected in the viewership. I’m happy to help and on top of that it’s a win-win situation for both sides. The viewer, the streamer and the player you are helping.

MyMMO: How complex do you currently find it to explain the content and mechanics of Destiny 2 to new players?

It really isn’t that complex. But there’s just a hell of a lot that can be explained. New players are basically not taken by the hand in Destiny. You have to learn everything yourself. When I think how often I get asked where the mod XY came from in my build videos on Youtube. So you can see that even something as basic as collecting all the mods and where to get them from can be a “challenge” for a new player.

MeinMMO: Destiny 2 is increasingly catering to the type of player who only has two hours a week to play and complete activities. What impact did it have on your endgame activities and the Sherpa?

In fact, I have to say here that it actually has no effect. Of course it’s always the case with the front runner that someone can’t go because their power level isn’t high enough, but there are so many interested players that there’s actually always enough to do here. You can already tell very clearly that Bungie has simplified power leveling significantly in recent years.

MyMMO: What special events or stories happened to you during the raids?

This is often situational comedy, which is difficult to explain here. But thinking back to my last stream, those are the kind of situations where a teammate places a stasis turret right in front of you at the exact moment you’re about to shoot the rocket launcher at the champion and disintegrate yourself with it.

Or you want to be very casual and, because the Anti-Barrier Champion’s shield just broke, you step out of cover to finish him off with the rocket launcher, only to have misjudged the height of the railing. Zack you’re dead again, but with that you definitely have all the laughs on your side.

MyMMO: I think other players are only too familiar with such situations. What tips would you give someone who wants to get into Destiny’s endgame?

Watch videos and streams of others running top tier, delve into how mods/exo armor works, etc., and learn about build crafting.

After knowing theoretically what equipment is required for activity XY and knowing the mechanics/specifics, it’s time to practice, practice and practice again.

I also recommend that you do activities that are currently far too difficult. For example, trying to run a dungeon solo or playing a twilight strike solo on a higher level of difficulty. It’s not about doing the activity on your own, but about competing against yourself and always trying to get a little further, learning more and more about moving and surviving in the endgame.

Because you hardly believe it, but the movement and knowing when to break cover, which opponent to attack first and which only later, that is extremely important for the PVE endgame. If you only ever run the seasonal content and normal strikes, so never challenge yourself, then you won’t get any better in Destiny 2.

I still have a lot to learn, too, and I’m constantly watching videos/streams from speedrunners and other PVE cracks to learn a thing or two. And ideally, I can then pass on what I’ve learned to the viewers.

MyMMO: Finally, one last question. If you were granted one wish at Bungie and it was immediately changed, what would you wish for?

More content! Destiny has a large and loyal player base, one of the main reasons Destiny so often disappoints them is that they have nothing left to do at least halfway through a season (if not sooner). They would play more so many times, but then there just isn’t anything new or rewarding they can do. And I also believe that the majority of players would even be willing to pay more for good content.

Of course there are many other things that could be better, but I think that more rewarding content would be one of the most important things.

We would like to thank Roland from Ilias Gaming for the interview and wish him lots of fun and success in Destiny 2 and on Twitter and YouTube.