It’s no secret I’m not in love with Destiny 2 the way I was with the first Destiny. Before the Warmind expansion released, I hadn’t played much since I completed the Osiris expansion late last year. It’s like Bungie took so much of what made the first game great (to me) and shoved it as far in the proverbial dumpster as they could. I know they’ve been working to make changes, but certain choices (e.g.: the $10 Iron Banner exotic emote) let me know they are still far removed from the mark.

That being said, one thing (or a series of things, rather) in the Warmind expansion has proven to be my favorite thing in Destiny 2, period.

Sleeper Nodes.

Sleeper Nodes are basically collectibles that play into various objectives from the expansion.

I am a sucker for theatricality in games.

Sleeper Nodes make me feel magical.

The Nodes, when you happen across them without the requisite item to access them, are dormant and silent. They are diamond-shaped and sleek.

During the course of the expansion, you collect Resonate Stems from various activities. Four Resonate Stems can be combined to create an Override Frequency. Each Override Frequency will open one, and only one, specific Sleeper Node. In the description of each Override Frequency, there is a hint as to where that specific Node is located.

Once you go to the specified place and you are relatively close to the Node, you will hear music playing. Sometimes it is classical, sometimes it is exotic, but it is always dramatic and beautifully out of place. As you get closer to the active Node, the music gets louder, your screen starts glowing amber, and your controller begins to vibrate. Once you find the proper Node, you find it glowing and “singing.”

In the approach to each, I find myself going slowly to savor the experience. I like to spend time with each Node. I enjoy each piece of music and the experience of uniting the Frequency to the specific Node. I never want the experience to end, so I wind up standing next to the Node, just listening. After I finally choose the “collect loot” option, I use my favorite emote: gratitude. I like to thank each Node for glowing and singing to me.

There are 40 nodes to collect and I have 33, I believe. With each Override Frequency you craft, there is a chance it will be a duplicate, so collecting all 40 is a bit time consuming, but I’ve never been unhappy to revisit an old friend Node.

So, even though I’m still underwhelmed by Destiny 2, those Sleeper Nodes fill me with joy every time.

Thank you, Bungie, for nailing at least this one thing for me.

With that I ask: what will you be playing this holiday weekend? I’m going to dive in to Detroit: Become Human (it arrives today!) as soon as it gets here, and I will probably be trying to play some Iron Banner in Destiny 2.

Please be safe out there, friends. Cheers.