Every once in a while, we like to feature players from the community who share their gaming hobby with a larger audience. Streaming your adventures live on the Internet for others to enjoy is a growing global phenomenon. We captured one of these streamers and had him talk about his experiences in Destiny. This one goes by the name Teawrex, and fancies himself some sort of dinosaur. We’ll put his name to the test.
Ok, sit down over there and start talking. Tell us a little about yourself and how you fit into the Destiny Community.
Teawrex: Sure! First off, my name is Sam, but most people know me as Teawrex. I've been streaming since 2013 and been a part of the Destiny community in game and on Twitch since launch! For a lot of folks, my channel is a place where we can enjoy the game together every day. Whether it's by doing something crazy like collecting all the Exotic Class items or simply playing some Crucible or PvE activities together. The completionist in me makes some really silly decisions in regards to how I spend my time in game nowadays. I'm finally getting close to having all the Emblems and Shaders! Essentially, I'm just a lover of Destiny who wants to share my enjoyment of the game with as many people as humanly (or dinosaurly) possible.
“Dinorsaurly” is my new favorite word, even though it’s not really a word. Anyway, where do you call home on the Internet?
Teawrex: Home for me is definitely my Twitch channel. It's been an insane thing that I'm proud to have been a part of for the past few years. I've made so many friends and met so many amazing people that I used to idolize that I am now privileged to call my peers. My channel is basically the internet equivalent of building your dream house filled with everything and everyone I could have possibly wanted, and it's growing every day. I also make dumb Tweets.
We love watching you on Formal Friday. What Subclass do you play, and which weapons do you prefer?
Teawrex: Since launch, I've always been a Warlock main. For a long time, I had three of them filling my character slots. As for which Subclass is my favorite? I'd have to say that after the most recent set of updates, I'm in love with my Voidwalker “Dunklock” again. I still love to dabble in using tickle fingers with Stormcaller or lighting everyone on fire in Mayhem with Sunbreakers and Solar grenades, but Ram-lock is just too fun. The weapons though, oh man that's just impossible. I've been trying to complete all the weekly Crucible Bounties every week including the weapon related ones, so now I have a weapon of every class I enjoy to use! I'm still looking for a really fun Fusion Rifle to use. If I was FORCED to choose to bring something into the Crucible though, I would use my most recent Grasp of Malok, Party Crasher+1 Shotgun, and my year 1 friend Zombie Apocalypse would be there to join me.
I’m not 100% sure that “tickle fingers” is the official name. What sets you apart from the other Destiny streamers out there?
Teawrex: I have a really strong focus on community, conversation, and sharing my love for a kickass game, but my strongest asset that sets me apart is definitely my love of strategy and theory crafting. With Rise of Iron coming out really soon, I'll be answering questions like an auctioneer for a while so folks who aren't on top of things can still be informed! Another thing is the conversations I love to have about the design philosophies in game. I love hearing people's ideas and opinions about how the game could be better, and that's the beauty, and sometimes beast, of the Destiny community. Everyone has really strong feelings about this game they enjoy, and I do my best to try and expand my own horizons on what I think about Destiny instead of just snuffing out what they think might be a better idea than my own! I guess as a last thought on where I sit in regards to the rest of the amazing Destiny streaming folks, I really do want to get to know you. That's why I love streaming so much. I get to talk to folks from the UK, Canada, Germany, literally ANYWHERE on the planet, and that is amazing. Also, can I mention it's really weird having to think about what makes me special or different from other Destiny casters when it's already so diverse and awesome?
I too share your love of hearing others opinions on how to improve Destiny. On the subject of sharing special moments with other people in the community, what was it like growing up with Professor Broman as a brother? Do you have any stories you can share?
Teawrex: Oh man, if I had a dollar (even a nickel) for how many times I've been asked if he and I are related, I wouldn't need any money from my stream to live the rest of my life. That's for sure! So first off, for people who don't realize, Professor Broman and I are actual brothers. We share a tattoo we got together shortly after my 18th birthday that my parents were convinced was fake until I finally told them around Christmas time... months later. Now, as for stories? Not a lot of them come across well over text, but one of the most memorable ones for me was this game he liked to play with me. It was called the "How close can I get to punching Sam in the face without actually punching him" game. Ben was really good at that game until one time he lost that game. I too lost that game, but I won a messed up nose as a consolation prize.
As a fellow little brother, I know those feels. Bros will be bros. You were part of the crew that were the first to defeat Oryx. Tell us about that experience. Do you plan to attempt World First for the upcoming Rise of Iron Raid?
Teawrex: Hands down, our world's first clear for Oryx was certainly something. It's probably going to be a highlight of my life for quite a long time. Originally, we weren't really going for first at all. It's a fun thing to keep tabs on and see where you stack up, but my Raid team and I have always been about enjoying the game, not being the best at it, as evidenced by thousands of hours of sub-perfect gameplay and bad jokes. Getting the confirmation though, and seeing Oryx float off into the distance, was really something that'll stick with me. The really odd part about streaming the Raids when they first come out is the immediate feedback you get from your chat as soon as anything happens elsewhere in the directory. People would come in and tell us that someone got past Golgoroth, or that someone finally figured out how to climb up to the sisters and steal their auras. With that in mind I want to give a special shout out to VersusTheStream and his team for coming so close to us at the end.
For those that don't know, his Fireteam wiped to what I'll call the 0% surprise. Our chats exploded letting us know that victory had been snatched from their fingers immediately. It just so happened that not shortly after we too found ourselves at the 0% surprise and were prepared. I'll never know if it would have tricked us or not since I can't change the past, but I'd like to think that even without that knowledge I would have yelled at anyone in our Fireteam if they had for a second relaxed until we got that sweet sweet Grimoire completion window to pop up. As for the RoI Raid, I think you can expect the same attitude out of myself and my team as last time. We'll be gunning for world first to fun, not first to finish, just like always.
I will never forget the screams from around the Studio as Oryx climbed back up. VersusTheStream’s Fireteam took that bit of theater really well. Movies taught us villains are never dead the first time. Is there anything you would like to add or change about Destiny?
Teawrex: One thing I would love to see added to Destiny is more types of long-term rewards. A few things like that exist in the game such as the Exotic Class items from Factions, but I'd like to see that expanded. Maybe a special Emblem for when you have capped Grimoire, or a sweet Shader that lets folks know that you've come out on top in over 1000 Rumble matches. Just something for folks who are really into the game to sink their teeth into, but doesn't prevent players with less time from experiencing the core gameplay. Also, I'll say this in caps so you can know I'm shouting this at my computer, IN GAME READABLE GRIMOIRE PLEASE. I'm a big lore junkie with this game and just want to be able to see it all as soon as I get it in game. Fingers crossed I might get my wish in Rise of Iron!
Go check out Teawrex’s channel sometime. I’ve been there, and it’s a fun place to hang out.
We have many more community members to be the subjects of our focus. If you have any suggestions for who we should write about next, share it on our community forum with the #Community Focus tag.