It's testament to just how quickly a popular video game can work its way into pop culture and online communities that just weeks after Destiny hit store shelves, it was already producing some truly memorable memes. The most famous of which was undoubtedly the 'Loot Cave' discovered by players; a literal cave which spawned nearly endless enemies. Players caught on, began grinding by exploiting the system, and the rest is history.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the developers at Bungie crashed the party, removing the Loot Cave in a mandatory update. But as proof that you can't un-ring a bell, players soon discovered another 'cave' through which they could speedily raise their rank, even stretching the 'Loot Cave' title to a set of 'Loot Stairs.' Thankfully, the developers have shown that they, too, can have a laugh at the unforeseen aspects of their own game.

In the most recent update, players who now return to the original Loot Cave - found in Earth's Skywatch location - can see just a sliver of the remains left behind by the endless hordes of enemies, slaughtered by a horde of Guardians. Disturb those remains with an on-screen prompt, and a chilling, ghostly voice provides a warning: "A million deaths are not enough for Master Raoul." A reference to the Cryptarch present on the game's Tower, and the man who sells or decodes the many Engrams players farmed in the now-defunct spawn point.

Destiny Rahool Loot Cave Easter Egg

All things considered, it's a pleasant surprise to see Bungie willing to make a few jokes at their own expense, since the discovery and popularity of the Loot Cave exploit led many others to take shots at the practice, and the studio indirectly. This easter egg - and the cryptic statement it makes - would be a lot harder to swallow if the developers hadn't realized that the Engram system was broken, and issued a fix. Not many game systems pulled right from MMO/RPG genre can be so wildly punishing as to warrant their own parody Twitter account.

After all, this is the same company that packed their previous property - Halo - with as many easter eggs as any AAA game could without sacrificing actual time and resources. Destiny has contained far fewer to this point, but perhaps there's a chance that the success of the game's launch could grant the development team a little freedom to spice up the grind. Especially if the company plans to be supporting the game for the foreseeable future (and beyond).

It's also a compliment to just how dedicated and enthusiastic the early Destiny community has proven to be, since it seems only a matter of time until the next unpredictable quirk or practice emerges to get die-hard players scrambling online, and casual observers wondering just what kind of game Destiny is actually trying to be. We'll keep you updated when the next one crops up, but for the time being, we've got to go see Rahool.

Follow me on Twitter @andrew_dyce.

Source: Jonty Alphaville