Destiny 2's Year 6 of content has not been immune to issues and controversies from the get-go, with the Lightfall expansion being received poorly across the board due to its underwhelming delivery of the marketed "Our end begins" tagline and too much of a focus on Strand. The campaign was also deemed bland in terms of storyline for two main reasons, with the first being that every NPC and the main character themselves all seemed to be aware of what The Veil was despite the players actually being out of the loop. The second reason was that many players didn't feel like the Cloud Striders, Nimbus and Rohan, were either likable or well-developed, and although Nimbus has been hit by controversies left and right, a new one emerged with Festival of the Lost.

One of the main issues with Nimbus as a character was that they felt out of place in the dark narrative Lightfall and its following expansion were trying to deal with, and that may be because they became a Cloud Strider at a very early age mixed with personality traits that made them "over the top" in the eyes of players. Another point was that Destiny 2's Nimbus identifies as non-binary, with which some players took issue rather loudly, claiming that the game is going "woke."

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Why Destiny 2's Nimbus Mask is a Controversial Festival of the Lost Item

The most recent controversy surrounding Nimbus comes from Destiny 2's 2023 edition of Festival of the Lost, the yearly Halloween event where players can collect and wear masks from various in-universe allies and enemies. Among them was the Nimbus mask, which was quickly used as a meme of sorts by players who weren't fond of the character when Lightfall launched and maybe still aren't, especially considering they haven't gotten much of a chance to shine ahead of The Final Shape.

An example is that players hate the mask so much that use the act of wearing it as a "punishment" for failing in-game challenges, as a way to make fun of the character. Other players were happy with the inclusion because Nimbus is a positive representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in gaming, which is nice to see and something Destiny 2 hasn't been short of with recent releases. However, for this exact reason, the Nimbus mask from Festival of the Lost was also deemed as "terrible," suggesting that Nimbus' non-binary identity is the main thing being under attack here, not even the character themselves.

This is similar to what happened when Nimbus was first revealed, as Bungie immediately made clear that the character identified as non-binary and was referred to in-game with they/them pronouns. Some players are very sensitive to LGBTQIA+ content in games, to the point that they make it their personal crusade to be as loud and vocal about it as possible, at times even harassing developers and voice actors. It may not be something new for the industry, but it goes to show that even something as simple as a Halloween mask in Destiny 2's Festival of the Lost can trigger all sorts of responses, especially unwarranted ones.

Destiny 2's Nimbus may not have been a perfect character and maybe needed a bit more time in the oven, but this doesn't mean that they can't grow on players or that they can't be accepted for who they are. With the context in mind that Cloud Striders only live up to 10 years after they undergo the procedure to bio-enhance their bodies, Nimbus' naive and overly positive behavior can be a beacon in a game where doom and gloom can prevail when it comes to its storyline. As such, a controversy surrounding the Halloween mask of this particular character is all the more out of place, considering the joy the holiday can bring.

Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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