Keith David speaks his first words as Commander Zavala of Destiny2: "I thought I would give something to get him back"

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Keith David speaks his first words as Commander Zavala of Destiny2: "I thought I would give something to get him back"

Lance Reddick's untimely death in 2023 was felt throughout the entire entertainment world. For Destiny2 fans, the loss was particularly acute: Reddick provided the voice of Commander Zavala, the last city Vanguard commander since the original Destiny was released in 2014, and in the wake of Reddick's passage the character's fate was initially unknown, but Bungie chose to keep him, Keith David, the last city vanguard commander.

8 months after David's casting announcement, we finally saw his character's take first ・ or, more appropriately, listen — and I have to say, it hits the spot.

I am a very passed Destiny2 player, but still, this clip is just right. It's Zavala - a little more gravel, maybe a little deeper, but I don't feel like Bungie hired a copycat because the inflection and intonation are close enough to the original, they hired a new Zavala to continue the role. And while it's not a reference to Reddick, the fact Bungie chose this particular quote for David's debut came out as a truly touching tribute

and the reaction from fans has also been widely positive. Many replies on Twitter express an understandable sentiment that Lance Reddick cannot be replaced, but at least David's take based on this very short clip is on top of the money. Some people say that it sounds like Zavala is simply aged for several years, and his voice took more time. In one proper description, David's voice in the role is "a kind of different but familiar feeling.""

Before Reddick's death, Zavala was actually the last of Destiny2's Vanguards, with Nathan Fillion, who voiced Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6, being replaced by Nolan North (although he eventually returned to the role), and Gina Torres, the original voice of Warlock Vanguard Ikora Rey, being replaced by Mara Junot. 

However, these cases were essentially business decisions made by Bungie; The need to replace Reddick came under a completely different and much more sensitive situation. That's why it became essential to choose a new voice suitable for the character, and I think they nailed it.

The clip of Keith David as Zavala, assembled by the fan account Destiny Bulletin, comes from the new vidoc, which sees the next expansion, The Final Shape, behind the scenes. 

You can see the full vidoc below.

In addition to the vidoc released today, Bungie also dropped some exotic armor tuning previews, including the nerf To Cenotaph Mask. The reaction to the exotic armor change has been disappointing, especially from those who wanted the rarely used exotic to touch up (spare a thought for the gorgeous but useless blight Ranger).Yesterday, the studio also released an ability tuning preview in which Warlock's OP Well Of Radiance ate a few swings from nerf hammer.

There are also regular weekly blog posts so that you still don't want to read more official information. The most notable announcement there is that Bungie is trying to dramatically buff those limited edition "shiny" weapon drop rates with flashy animation shaders: "Starting on May 28 at 10am PT, we double the limited edition drop chances of Brave Weapons. So, when combined with an increase in weapons and token drops, you have plenty of opportunities to grab a few more cute guns with a pretty roll."And if you're wondering what God rolls for, don't worry, we've covered it in our guide. 

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