Today is the day that it finally came in the mail! I have been joking about this for awhile now to personal friends and co-workers. Particularly since I kinda sorta had to rush my way through Mass Effect: Andromeda so that I could get back to Destiny, strictly for the purpose of completing this final record book.

Joking aside though, this is a pretty amazing concept that Bungie has put out. In most cases, if you’re a fan of a thing, be it a sports team, musical act, or other property, you show your fandom by purchasing collectibles, attending events, and purchasing clothing items like hats, jackets, and of course the ever popular t-shirt. For the most part, everyone has access to the same array of designs via their online store, live events, or various retail outlets. To set oneself in a different group, you may see someone wearing different designs that are only made available to those who are employees of supporting companies. We’ve all seen the variations on the standard “employee polo”, and t-shirts have been given the same treatment. The only way to know if this is one of those “Special” shirt designs is to simply be in the know and be able to recognize that a particular design is from a non-retail origin.

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Got it in the mail, so obviously I had to take a picture of it!

In the case of the Age of Triumph t-shirt promotion, you earn the shirt in a much different way. This was done by completing various milestones in their final Age of Triumph Record Book, which is soon to be closed. For tips on how to quickly finish yours off if you are more of a solo player like I am, see my previous post all about it. It is this key difference, the fact that it has to be earned in some way, that will make a huge change in the way it will be seen in public. The person wearing this shirt is not just a fan of the property. They’ve moved up to some form of a super fandom!

If you have been following Destiny and how the game connects with its community, this move makes absolute perfect sense. This game is heavily dependent on sociability. You go on missions, patrols, patrols, and raids with your friends. If you do not have any friends that either engage in certain activities or not enough friends that play the game, an entire ecosystem has evolved in which you can seek other players out and even, in many cases, find new friends to meet up with again!

With that in mind, seeing someone with this shirt should signify a few things:

  • They are a proud gamer
  • They are a fan of Destiny
  • They a such a fan of Destiny that they completed enough of the game to get this t-shirt
  • They are fairly social
  • They will know that other fans of the game are social as well
  • They will most likely enjoy a brief strike up of conversation about the game at a moment’s notice
AoT Completion
Book complete! From my apparently tilted grip on my phone…

The social aspect has even taken on its own jargon and code words. Fans of the game are called Guardians, as in what the heroes of the game are called. Thus, new comers to the game are affectionately referred to as “Kinder-Guardians”. Those who help people with Raids or other difficult aspects of the game are called “Sherpas” in reference to the indigenous people of the Himalayas that act as guides for others. There’s also an assortment of YouTubers, Podcasters, and Streamers that dedicate their shows to Destiny, and the public seems to still want more.

Therefore, if you see someone wearing this shirt (or heck, even me) chances are that you’ll be able to shout out a random Destiny quote and it will be returned with either a call of approval or another Destiny quote. Just, try to be mindful that the game has since seen a continuous rise in playership, so not everyone will get the “That ice bucket came from the moon” reference.

Wow…I am a bit surprised that I recalled that from the depths of my own memory!