Destiny 2 introduced a new (and stylish) mode of transportation: the Skimmer, a hoverboard enabling mid-air grinding and flight without any physical support.
The Skimmer swiftly captured the attention of guardians due to its sleek design and its ability to swiftly traverse lengthy sections of the map. Notable examples include the segment between the second and third encounters in Prophecy and the sparrow section in the HyperNet Current Strike, although the sky is the limit in terms of potential usage.
Mastering Grinds with your Skimmer
The Skimmer operates akin to an enhanced sparrow. While its flight capability is its primary allure, another significant advantage is its absence of fuel consumption when boosting. Instead, the Skimmer’s fuel is reserved solely for jumping or grinding, enhancing its efficiency in traversing maps.
Firstly, ensure you have the correct key bindings after acquiring your Skimmer. Hover over the Skimmer in your inventory to view the assigned buttons. In our case, it was linked to the Crouch binding, although it may utilize different inputs depending on your primary and secondary buttons. Initially, X initiated flight for us, and Control initiated grinding before we adjusted it.
Prior to flight, it’s essential to have Toggle Crouch keybound instead of Hold Crouch. Holding the crouch button does not function correctly, although Bungie is addressing this issue. If you encounter difficulty flying or grinding with your Skimmer, ensure you have a designated button for Toggle Crouch and verify your bindings are correctly configured.
Once configured, double-tap the assigned button to initiate flight. The timing for initiating grinding is somewhat precise, but a double press has consistently worked for us thus far. Avoid holding the button, as this will cause your guardian to abruptly start and stop the motion.
Be cautious of your guardian’s movement; tilting the Skimmer’s tail to the left initiates an animation that hindered our attempts at grinding when mistimed.
Jumping depletes fuel, and grinding/flying consumes a portion of your reserves. Maintaining a grind gradually depletes the fuel gauge, providing ample time for map traversal. You can adjust your direction mid-air using your camera and movement keys.
Keep in mind that, at least with a mouse and keyboard, the jump key will not terminate your flight. If you’re grinding, pressing Space does nothing, and while atop your Skimmer in Destiny 2, pressing Space will dismount instead of jumping. This adjustment may take some acclimation, as it deviates from the typical jump key function in most games. To dismount mid-air, you must utilize the Skimmer’s designated jump button again (Control in our case).
