Aside from not seeing a great gamemode return what are the lore ramifications?
This update brought simple aesthetic changes to the tower, new Banners (which were changed for IB every month anyway) and flowers.
Other than that it brought a few new emotes, festive candy styled Ghost shells, EXP boosting consumables, two new shaders, and an emblem depicting the Crimson Days symbol.
So let’s look at the card
“Let me tell you the story of when the Guardians first encountered the Cabal.
It was the first days back on the frontier, when we’d finally found a way to repower the old jumpships and explore what remained of the colonies.
There were two Guardians. While both served the Light, in all other ways they were rivals. One spent his days searching forgotten places for lost treasures. The other sought ever-greater challenges in a ceaseless quest for glory.
“One day, both Guardians detected a strange signal coming from a buried city on Mars. The Warlock, hoping to find forgotten caches, vowed to keep his secret until he alone had a chance to explore the site. The Hunter, seeing a chance to earn the renown she craved, also told no one.”
Thus both Guardians walked into peril alone and unprepared.
It was not long before their paths crossed. The Warlock mocked his rival’s pride. The Hunter ridiculed her rival as a dirt-grubber. In their anger, they turned on one another …and never saw danger approach.
The Sand Eaters came in force. The Centurions jumped into range before the Guardians could react. The steps of the Colossus shook the ground. The Phalanx’s shields created a wall that no weapon could penetrate, and the Legionaries moved in for the kill.
Faced with certain destruction, the Guardians did the only thing they could. They fought. Back to back, they battled the Cabal for a day and a night. Black oil soaked into the sands until the ground was slick with death. The shields and armor of the dead littered the battlefield, but still the Cabal came.
The Guardians died, revived, and died again. Still they fought, protecting one another. With his last bit of strength, the Warlock used the Void to destroy their enemies. With her last bullet, the Hunter saved her friend from the Colossus.
At last, the battlefield fell silent. Only the Guardians stood. Abandoning their quests, they returned to the City to warn the Vanguard of the threat rising on Mars.
From that day to this, the pair have been the closest of companions. In their journeys together, they have found both riches and renown. But these things mean nothing unless they are shared.”
“Wait, I thought I’d heard this story before, but it was about two Guardians and the Hive?”
“No it wasn’t. It was about the Vault of Glass.”
“Whoever said there was only one story?”
So this card is about a male Warlock and a female Hunter who met on Mars during the very early days of civilization but the final few lines is where the real importance lies. the main story is told by one narrator to an audience, but it’s in the end that the audience speaks up questioning the story.
“Wait, I thought I’d heard this story before, but it was about two Guardians and the Hive?”
“No it wasn’t. It was about the Vault of Glass.”
“Whoever said there was only one story?”
The very last line would again be the main narrator.
So like i said, it’s really the last lines that’s important. The prospect that this isn’t the only story of a “Crimson Days” event, so to understand that i did a little off-grimoire digging and found a Shaxx quote.
“I hope you’re ready for the Crimson Days, Guardian. Every year the Tower celebrates Guardian teams of two, and so does the Crucible. Show me what you and your Crimson Bond can do.”
—Lord Shaxx
Now while this does state that every year we celebrate Crimson Days, it doesn’t necessarily mean just because we don’t see it in-game that it doesn’t spiritually happen. Keep in mind these events weren’t around in year 1.
Another quote of his is
“With proper tactics and proper execution, a Fireteam of two Guardians can fight indefinitely. The Crimson Days are a chance to revel in this fact.”
—Lord Shaxx
So we really begin to see the nature and point of the Crimson Days, it’s inspired to bring together Guardians into a team of two and show everyone how capable they can be. To form an unbreakable bond with a teammate and go on to do great things in the name of the Light and of the City.
Just who were the Guardian pair who fought the Hive? Wei and Eriana? Have we lost a convenient way to get further details on the Great DIsaster?
And what about the Vault of Glass? Kabr and Pahanin? Is this now lost to us too?
Of course Bungie can simply plug in any old grimoire card at any point in time and we’d just eat it up, but the spirit of the Crimson Days has now been lost, and it loses a bit of it’s allure.