ForcedToReflect
MAY 25TH, 2024
Hello Wipers,
Looking back on the past; looking forward to the future
In January of 2020, I met Holla, Big T, and Firefly for the first time in an LFG run of Garden of Salvation. Little did I know, this chance encounter would shape a large part of the last 4 and a half years of my life. I still remember having no clue what was going on, and hearing that there were sacks (as in Vex sacrificing to the confluxes) and being completely confused about what I was doing wrong, because I thought they were saying Sax (lol). Though I threw immensely with 30 total deaths (most likely from jumping puzzles), this team decided to keep letting me raid with them, and for that I’m forever grateful.
A few months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the globe, and many of us were shut inside with nothing to do and no other method to connect with the outside world than playing video games. It was at this time that I became an avid Destiny raider and desperately wanted to get better in endgame activities. The Charlemagne bot on Discord did not exist yet, so Holla and I began operating a Google sheet that helped us keep track of what raids we were doing in a given week and who was all participating. This grind continued for quite some time, and my confidence grew slowly but surely. I found myself growing from hard carry, to competent, to helping with “sherpa runs”, to finally teaching others myself.
In September of 2021, I created ForcedToWipe with the goal and purpose of helping others learn, grow, and find a community to play and enjoy Destiny as I had myself. Admittedly, this was slow moving at first, but over time we would add a few members here and there. Most of this early growth involved seeking out opportunities to sherpa raids and bringing people through their first endgame activities. People like Anti-Barrier Screeb, Spartan, Cpn Hook, SkullBunnies, and GrandMasterSalt joined through LFG and sherpa runs. I found joy in applying the knowledge I had accumulated over the past few years and helping others experience a different level of teamwork/communication that many other games fail to replicate.
Fast forward to December 2023, nolimits and I began discussing the merger of FTW and Threat Level Midnight. It became obvious that, though Destiny was in a very rough spot, both of our clans had a similar goal and that they would - with some work and intentionality - become a natural fit.
I’ve had a blast getting to know many of the Guardians that originated in TLM, and I’m thankful for those who have made the transition over and given raiding and engaging in other scheduled activities a chance. I’m also thankful for the time that the ForcedToMods have put in to keep our weekly scheduled raid activities filled and always being willing to take the time to teach when necessary.
Shameless plug, please come raid with us in The Final Shape. There will be many learning runs, a dedicated Raid Resources Page on Discord, and we are all happy to teach first time raiders that are eager to learn!
As this is a retrospective, I wanted to share some statistics pulled from Charlemagne about our clan over the last 6 months. All stats are from January 1st, 2024 to present day.
| Accomplishments | Amount Earned |
|---|---|
| Wipers Added | 36 |
| Total Titles Earned | 125 |
| Total Guardian Rank-ups | 43 |
| Conditional Finality | 6 |
| Touch of Malice | 10 |
| Collective Obligation | 6 |
| Vex Mythoclast | 8 |
| One Thousand Voices | 6 |
| Eyes of Tomorrow | 5 |
| Necrochasm | 6 |
| Divinity | 2 |
| Buried Bloodline | 11 |
| Lost Sector Exotic Drops | 104 |
| Charlemagne Reported Raid Clears | 114 |
| Charlemagne Reported Dungeon Clears | 181 |
In the future, I would like to post more long form content here to share with the clan as a whole. I am thrilled with the growth, but I will admit it can be difficult to find hours in the day to spend with everyone. Please feel free to reach out to me, or any of the Mods if you have questions or would like to join a raid but are feeling a bit hesitant for any reason. We are happy to find the right group and setting to ensure everyone gets to experience the end game together.
Take care of yourself, Guardians. Adventure awaits in the Pale Heart.
- Sax
