Destiny 2’s exo-dog, also called the Archangel dog, is nicknamed ‘Archie,’ according to the latest This Week at Bungie post. The dog is part of a secret, unlisted mission in Destiny 2, which requires shooting 50 drones throughout the Destiny 2 universe and then accessing a secret room in the mission Operation Seraph’s Shield. Players who interact with the dog by petting it will automatically rehome the pup in the H.E.L.M. and earn the Guardian’s Best Friend Triumph. This will also grant them the opportunity to purchase a Destiny 2 dog plush to celebrate Archie’s role in one of the best FPS games on the market.
Bungie’s blog post outlined the process of developing the dog and determining whether it would be possible for players to pet it in the popular space game, using a simulated pink human character model to test the mechanics.
The video shows an early test to see whether the game engine would support the practice of petting a dog. However, the rendering of the pink creature being pet by a Guardian spawned a series of memes and jokes, including a Reddit post titled, “Robo dog is cool, but we could have had a horrible pink goblin man living in the HELM instead.”
Dog petting in video games is a meme and even spawned a Twitter account called @CanYouPetTheDog, dedicated to answering the question of whether specific video game dogs are pettable.
In the post, Bungie confirmed that players would see more of their robotic BFF in the future.
“We know a lot of you really like Archie and are concerned about their future,” the post says. “They are leaving the H.E.L.M. at the end of the Season, but they will be returning to the Tower in Season 21 for more pets.”
As an aside, astute players noted the reference to The Tower in season 21 debunks any speculation that the location will be destroyed in Lightfall. Some lore enthusiasts suggested the sequence of events that will take place upon the Destiny 2 Lightfall release date could see the Tower social space eliminated from the game, but it appears this will not be the case.
To catch up on what else is new in Season of the Seraph, check out our Destiny 2 season 19 guide and read through our Destiny 2 Spire of the Watcher overview. You’ll also want to learn how to unlock the Destiny 2 Revision Zero exotic quest and get a preview of what’s to come in the popular free PC game with our Destiny 2 Strand subclass guide.