The Sparrow Racing League returned to Destiny: Rise Of Iron this week, as part of the game’s ongoing holiday event, The Dawning. Naturally, Destiny players around the globe are brushing up on their Sparrow racing skills and looking for whatever edge they can take into their next SRL match. So we’ve put together a beginner’s guide for any Destiny players who might be new to the Sparrow Racing League scene or just looking for a quick refresher course before diving back in.
Getting Started
The first thing any would-be Sparrow racer should do is pay a visit to Amanda Holliday , the shipwright on the top floor of Tower Hangar. Holliday also doubles as the Sparrow Racing League bounty and quest-giver, so you’ll want to visit her on a daily basis (or as close to it as you can manage) throughout Destiny’s holiday event. Make sure you obtain the “Speed Kills” quest -- which is only obtainable during The Dawning -- and then get to racing. Sparrow Racing League matches can be accessed via the Weekly Featured playlist.
Tips
Bumping can be an effective strategy but it’s not going to help you make any new friends
Driving through gates increases your speed and skipping them decreases it. But skipping a gate can be worth it if the necessary adjustment would increases your chance of crashing
Equip a Sparrow Racing League helmet and/or racing suit if you have one
Get a Sparrow that can perform tricks if you don’t have one already
Finding the best “line” through a track can often be just as important (if not more so) than finding ways to increase your average speed on courses you struggle with.
YouTube tutorials are a great source of information for anyone struggling to identify the best route through a specific course
Perform tricks frequently to earn more lateral boost and (as a result) keep your average speed up.
Properly using the lateral boost, to minimize brake usage on sharp turns or line adjustments, is absolutely vital.
Practice makes perfect
Tricks performed after the end of Sparrow Racing League match still count towards the 100 tricks you must perform to earn “Tricky” in The Dawning record book
Rewards
Treasures of the Dawning are the hot new item to grind for in this month’s Destiny: Rise Of Iron holiday update. The chests drop pieces of several new armor sets, for each Guardian class, along with other Dawning and SRL-themed items. Treasures are earned by completing quests, finishing challenges from The Dawning record book and/or purchased from the Eververse store. Head over to reddit for a detailed breakdown of what to expect from Treasures of the Dawning, including a look at the brand new Snow Angel set via reddit user MawDesigns.
Here are all of the Sparrow-related objectives from the Dawning record book:
In It To The Finish - Finish 25 Sparrow races.
Precision Racing - Hit 1000 gates.
Tricky - Land 100 tricks.
Speed Bumps - Kill 50 enemies.
Red Racer - Beat the 'Campus Martius' course par time.
Maximum Velocity - Beat the 'Infinite Decent' course par time.
Sand Speeder - Beat the 'Shining Sands' course par time.
Slalom - Beat the 'Haakon Precipice' course par time.
How To Perform Tricks
First, you’ll need to make sure your Sparrow is capable of performing tricks. The easiest way is to head to your favorite patrol zone, get some air and hold the right trigger on your controller. If you have a trick-enabled sparrow, you’ll be able to perform a barrel roll. Performing tricks is as simple as pressing one of the four buttons on your directional pad. As long as you have enough air, your Guardian will perform a trick. If the maneuver is completed before your Sparrow hits the ground, you’ll earn a small amount of extra boost. Figuring out the timing, and frequently performing tricks, will often be the difference between winning and losing.
Destiny: Rise Of Iron is currently available on PS4 and Xbox One.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Destiny news throughout what’s left of 2016 and however long Bungie supports Destiny in the years to come.
