Discord has started rolling out its internal currency Orbs to everyone. Combined with the platform’s quest system, users can earn Orbs by watching ads on Discord. You can then use the currency to purchase exclusive dips for your profile, including badges, effects, and avatars. You can also exchange Spheres for three-day nitro credits and anything else you can buy in the Discord store.
Sometimes developers will also offer currency in exchange for simply trying out their game or completing a specific in-game challenge. Other rewards include exclusive profile decorations, which can only be obtained by completing a specific quest. The fastest way to start earning Spheres is to click the “Open” icon in the Discord sidebar and then select “Quests.” There, you’ll see all the promotions that are currently running on Discord, as well as recently completed ones. If you want to earn Spheres, be sure to check back often, as Discord often adds and removes new quests.
The online reaction to Spheres has been pretty much what you’d expect. When Discord first announced the creation of the currency, most people on the Discord subreddit were either lukewarm to the idea or outright hostile to it. However, the company claims that users are generally supportive of it. Discord refers to a survey it conducted before it began rolling out Orbs to beta testers last May. In September 2024, the company found that 82% of users surveyed would like to earn virtual currency on the platform, with almost half of respondents saying that virtual currency would improve their overall experience.
In June, Discord CTO Stanislav Vyshnevsky told Engadget that the company sees Orbs as a way to give players something in exchange for their time and attention, as well as to help game studios discover new games. During my testing, I found that the system is pretty easy to ignore if you don’t care about your profile settings, and they are not required to access the core functionality of Discord.
