Editing Randal, the Vandal

{{Tabbed infobox
|title1 = Main
|content1 =
{{Character infobox
|name = Randal, the Vandal
|variant = Fallen
|othernames = Reaver Vandal <br> Randall the Vandal <br> Rahndel, the Perfected <br> Nightmare Reaver Vandal
|image = [[File:RandalInfobox1.jpg|300px]]
|homeworld =
|birth =
|death =
|species = [[Fallen]]
|gender = Male
|height =
|mass =
|hair =
|eyes =
|affiliation = [[House of Devils]] <br> [[House of Exile]] <br> [[House of Dusk]] <br> [[House of Salvation]] <br> [[Devil Splicers]]
|rank = [[Ultra]] <br> [[Major]]
|class = [[Vandal]]
|sn =
|notable =
}}
|title2 = Cosmodrome (D1)
|content2 =
{{Boss infobox
|name = Reaver Vandal
|image = [[File:RandalInfobox3.jpg|300px]]
|species =
|faction = [[House of Devils]]
|rank = [[Major]]
|class =
|mission = [[Patrol]] the [[Forgotten Shore]] 
|gender =
|height =
|mass =
|weapon = [[Shrapnel Launcher]]
|ability = High Durability <br> Rapid Movement <br> Summon Shank <br> Fallen Melee <br>
}}
|title3 = Wrath of the Machine
|content3 =
{{Boss infobox
|name = Rahndel, the Perfected
|image = [[File:Rhandel the perfected infobox.jpg|300px]]
|species =
|faction = [[Devil Splicers]]
|rank = [[Major]]
|class =
|mission = [[Wrath of the Machine]]
|gender =
|height =
|mass =
|weapon = [[SIVA]] [[Shrapnel Launcher]]
|ability = High Durability <br> Rapid Movement <br> Berserk Mode <br> Fallen Melee <br> Splicer Seeker
}}

|title4 = EDZ (D2)
|content4 =
{{Boss infobox
|name = Reaver Vandal
|image = [[File:RandalInfo3.jpg|300px]]
|species =
|faction = [[House of Dusk]]
|rank = [[Major]]
|class =
|mission = [[Patrol]] the [[Sunken Isles]]
|gender =
|height =
|mass =
|weapon = [[Shock Rifle]] <br> [[Wire Rifle]]
|ability = High Durability <br> Rapid Movement <br> Fallen Melee <br>
}}

|title5 = Nightmare
|content5 =
{{Boss infobox
|name = Nightmare Reaver Vandal
|image = [[File:Nightmare Reaver Vandal.jpg|300px]]
|species =
|faction = [[House of Dusk]]
|rank = [[Major]]
|class =
|mission = [[Patrol]] the [[Sorrow's Harbor]]
|gender =
|height =
|mass =
|weapon = [[Molten Welder]]
|ability = High Durability <br> Rapid Movement <br> Fallen Melee <br> Vandal Dash
}}
|title6 = Cosmodrome (D2)
|content6 =
{{Boss infobox
|name = Reaver Vandal
|image = [[File:Randal d2 cosmodrome.jpg|300px]]
|species =
|faction = [[House of Dusk]]
|rank = [[Major]]
|class =
|mission = [[Patrol]] the [[Forgotten Shore]]
|gender =
|height =
|mass =
|weapon = [[Shock Rifle]] <br> [[Wire Rifle]]
|ability = High Durability <br> Summon Shank <br> Rapid Movement <br> Fallen Melee <br>
}}
|title7 = Grasp of Avarice
|content7 =
{{Boss infobox
|name = Reaver Vandal
|image = [[File:Randal grasp.jpg|300px]]
|species =
|faction = [[House of Dusk]]
|rank = [[Major]]
|class =
|mission = [[Grasp of Avarice]]
|gender =
|height =
|mass =
|weapon = [[Molten Welder]]
|ability = High Durability <br> Rapid Movement <br> Fallen Melee <br>
}}
}}

'''Randal, the Vandal''' is a [[Fallen]] [[Vandal]] located in the [[Forgotten Shore]] that appears as [[Reaver Vandal]]. Due to the Vandal's exceptional health, he caught early ''[[Destiny]]'' players off guard and was then affectionately nicknamed "Randal the Vandal" by the community.

He has since gone onto become the longest running Easter egg within the ''Destiny'' series due to his ongoing reemergence.

==History==
===The Original Vandal===
The humble origins of Randal the Vandal can be traced back to the ''[[Destiny Alpha]]'' edition of the game where he is first seen idling near the northern cave of the [[Forgotten Shore]] alongside his trusted [[Shank]]. In the Alpha version, he appeared as a Level 8 "Elder Vandal" with a significantly high health bar in comparison to the other enemies in the area.<ref name= "Alpha">'''YouTube (2014/6/17):''' ''[https://youtu.be/ktbZiKKTgJY Destiny Alpha Gamplay – Timestamp 23:05s]''</ref> However he was seen as an afterthought as [[Guardians]] were power capped to Level 8 and stronger Level 11 enemies existed in the region and took no incoming damage.<ref name= "Alpha"/>

Following the release of the ''[[Destiny Beta]]'', the Elder Vandal was replaced with a Level 8 [[Reaver Vandal]]. Some [[Patrol]] missions led Guardians into vicinity of the Vandal and the cave near him would frequently spawn a chest which attracted players who wanted to farm [[Glimmer]].<ref>'''YouTube (2014/6/25):''' ''[https://youtu.be/QSJj_vpEfSI Destiny Beta Chest Hunt – Timestamp 03:45s]''</ref> During that time, the Reaver Vandal was an ordinary enemy with regular health stat.<ref>'''YouTube (2014/9/1):''' ''[https://youtu.be/WlHE4Z7_VzU Destiny Beta Explore Gamplay – Timestamp 02:10s]''</ref> He was defeated with great ease and instead a Level 5 [[Reaver Captain]] who appeared in the "Eliminate the Target" [[Public Event]] proved to be a tougher challenge and required multiple players working together to defeat the [[Captain]].<ref>'''YouTube (2014/6/30):''' ''[https://youtu.be/O3q61AKvzTI Destiny Beta Random Event – Timestamp 00:30s]''</ref>

===The Crimson Vandal===
[[File:RandalVandal1.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Randal, the Vandal in Destiny 1]]

With the release of ''[[Destiny]]'', the Reaver Vandal continued to patrol the Forgotten Shore. Due to an unknown glitch, the Reaver Vandal had a higher health stat in comparison to its Beta counterpart and began killing many unsuspecting players. His disproportionate stat soon caught the attention of Level 20 players who documented his strength by uploading videos onto YouTube titled "Level 8 Reaver Vandal" and "Randal the Vandal".<ref>'''YouTube (2014/10/31):''' ''[https://youtube.com/watch?v=ORgWPlnFlME Randal the Vandal in action]''</ref> The Vandal quickly gained infamy among the ''Destiny'' community for his notorious ability to withstand damage from the greatest of weapons such as the [[Gjallarhorn]] and [[Vex Mythoclast]].<ref>'''YouTube (2014/10/17):''' ''[https://youtube.com/watch?v=6Rp48x6puZk Mythoclast vs Lv 8 Vandal – Timestamp 00:10s]''</ref><ref>'''YouTube (2014/12/21):''' ''[https://youtu.be/1T2lmWb_cW0 Randal vs Gjallarhorn]''</ref> He was described as a "juggernaut" and a "tank" and regarded to be one of the toughest enemies of ''Destiny'' even though he was a Level 8 Vandal.<ref>'''YouTube (2014/10/19):''' ''[https://youtube.com/watch?v=Yezo1ZeOMgY Toughest Enemies in Destiny]''</ref><ref name="Poll">'''Twitter (2019/5/15):''' ''[https://twitter.com/Cozmo23/status/1128719323868962816 Most powerful enemy in Destiny history?]''</ref> Players wondered why the Vandal had the health bar of [[Valus Ta'aurc]], another enemy infamous being a bullet sponge.

Randal reached the status of a memetic Badass within the community and tales of his encounters spread throughout the Internet.<ref>'''Reddit (2014/12/5):''' ''[https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/2odzu6/too_much_epic_for_one_forgotten_shore/ Too much epic for one Forgotten Shore]''</ref> Becoming one of the first memes within ''Destiny'', players created meme images of Randal, most notably an image of Randal wielding a Gjallarhorn with two health bars. He was viewed as the true "[[Kell of Kells]]" and the actual [[Kell]] of the [[House of Devils]] among other humorous descriptions. The Shank accompanying him also became a meme and nicknamed "Hank the Shank" and "Frank the Shank".

In 2014, [[Bungie]] first acknowledged the presence of Randal the Vandal in their year end update.<ref>'''Bungie (2014/10/19):''' ''[https://www.bungie.net/en/News/Article/12472/7_Bungie-End-of-Year-Update---2014 Bungie End of Year Update – 2014]''</ref> They quickly responded to the meme by secretly having more powerful Reaver Vandals spawn in other events such as VIP Kill Target. Randal was notably spotted on the moon with the [[House of Exile]] where he spawns in the final wave of the Glimmer Extraction Public Event.<ref>'''YouTube (2015/2/2):''' ''[https://youtube.com/watch?v=6Rp48x6puZk House of Exile Randal – Timestamp 00:30s]''</ref> As more new weapons were released, Randal became a litmus test to see how powerful the weapons were. Randal was even capable of withstanding a high impact attack from the [[Celestial Nighthawk]].<ref>'''YouTube (2015/2/2):''' ''[https://youtube.com/watch?v=OC71KMwrTKk Randal vs Celestial Nighthawk]''</ref>

The release of ''[[The Taken King]]'' expansion saw Randal get nerfed in his stats. This was quickly reverted by Bungie when community outcry denounced the change and Randal returned to his former strength and continued to terrorise the Shore with his mighty presence.

===The Perfect Vandal===
The release of ''[[Rise of Iron]]'' saw the [[Devil Splicers]] gain prominence by augmenting themselves with the ancient [[Golden Age]] technology of [[SIVA]].<ref>'''Bungie (2016/9/20)''', ''[[Destiny]]: PlayStation 4, [https://youtu.be/mcywb8QTl5I Rise of Iron Opening]''</ref> While Randal continued to be a permanent feature of the Forgotten Shore, Bungie secretly paid homage to the Easter egg in the [[Wrath of the Machine]] [[Raid]].

As players defeated the [[Vosik, the Archpriest]] and [[Siege Engine]] encounters and traversed into the [[Server Farm]], unsuspecting players were greeted by [[Rahndel, the Perfected]] and his trusted Shank, now a [[Splicer]] [[Repeater Shank]].<ref>'''YouTube (2016/9/24)''' ''[https://youtube.com/watch?v=QYu9gnvpoFk Randal the Vandal Easter Egg in the WotM!]''</ref><ref>'''YouTube (2016/11/10)''' ''[https://youtu.be/YOR39wZ0gxk Rahndel the Perfect Vandal SIVA]''</ref> The Level 42 Vandal quickly proved to be a formidable foe as he was empowered with SIVA and gifted with an unusually high durability and health stat. He was stronger than his original counterpart and it took a whole fireteam to defeat him. News of his reemergence quickly spread and various articles documented the Easter egg.<ref>'''vg247 (2016/9/26)''' ''[https://www.vg247.com/2016/09/26/destiny-rise-of-iron-easter-egg-pays-homage-to-toughest-enemy-of-all-time/amp/ RoI pays homage to th toughest enemy of all time]''</ref> However, the spawn rate for Rahndel was so low that only few have witnessed the glory of the perfect Vandal.<ref>'''YouTube (2020/5/13)''' ''[https://youtu.be/J9G9XxX6xNk Randal spawn after 300 Raids]</ref> Bungie also decided fixed the bug for original Randal the Vandal.<ref>'''Polygon (2016/9/25)''' ''[https://www.polygon.com/2016/9/25/13050144/destiny-rise-of-iron-easter-egg-randal-the-vandal Destiny Rise of Iron Easter Egg]''</ref>

While it is never explained why Randal the Vandal was seen in the Server Farm, one meme commentary stated that Randal was guarding the way for [[Aksis, Archon Prime]] as he was tired of his brethren being so weak and wanted Aksis and other Fallen to reach the godly status of Randal, who was already perfect, through the technological enhancement of SIVA.

===The Violet Vandal===
Prior to the release of ''[[Destiny 2]]'', the Old Houses including the House of Devils, abandoned their old loyalties and formed a new House for the sake of survival. As the [[Red Legion]] invaded the [[Last City]] and began the [[Red War]], the newly formed [[House of Dusk]] also emerged from the shadows and quickly spread themselves across the [[Solar System]].

They established a stronghold on the [[European Dead Zone]] and clashed with the Red Legion over territory. The [[Sunken Isles]] was a major military beachhead for the [[Cabal]] and only the bravest of [[Fallen]] ventured into their territory to face them head on. An island near the [[Echion Vae]] featured one Reaver Vandal who along with his trusted Shank started killing many unsuspecting Cabal with his [[Wire Rifle]]. The Vandal also guarded a regional chest nearby and killed many players who attempted to collect its loot or partake in the Public Event near him. As players retaliated against the Vandal, they soon found trouble defeating him as he was incredibly durable. Randal the Vandal had returned with the House of Dusk. Draped in the silver and purple colours of [[Saint-14]], the greatest Fallen warrior sought to claim the territory from the Cabal with his presence alone. 

Bungie had yet again paid homage to the original Randal. News of his reemergence quickly spread as many articles documented the Easter egg. In some instances Randal would spawn a with [[Shock Rifle]] and his gameplay became more evasive and proved to be tougher to defeat. Many players used their new super abilities and weapons against him, but Randal still proved to be a challenge and required an intense amount of firepower to defeat.

===The Nightmare Vandal===
The ''[[Shadowkeep]]'' expansion saw a narrative where a [[Pyramid (Luna)|Pyramid]] on the [[Moon]] created apparitions of past figures and enemies to exploit the trauma of [[Guardians]] as psychological warfare. These figures appeared as [[Nightmares]] and notable examples include [[Nightmare of Skolas, Kell of Kells|Skolas]] and [[Nightmare of Taniks, the Scarred|Taniks]], but the Pyramid also exploited the Guardians greatest nightmare. 

A cave in [[Sorrow's Harbor]] would occasionally manifest a rare nightmare named [[Nightmare Reaver Vandal]]. Randal the Vandal, the Fallen boogeyman had returned in nightmare form.

While it is said that the Luna Pyramid created the nightmare of Randal, this however is not accepted by the community as they believe Randal simply wanted to go to sleep and instead created a Nightmare of his own to haunt the Guardians for fun.

===The Cosmodrome Vandal===
[[File:Guardian2.gif|thumb|right|300px|Randal the Vandal vs his nemesis]]

Prior to the release of Beyond Light, Bungie had announced plans to vault some of its content to improve the game. With the launch of the expansion the past Destiny 2 iterations of Randal such as the violet and nightmare Vandals were also vaulted to the great disappointment of the community. However, the past nightmares were just a bed time story, as Bungie announced the return of real Randal the Vandal with the return of the [[Cosmodrome]].

In one instance the mighty Randal attempted to attack a [[The Guardian|Guardian]] who was on his way to supply crayons to [[Titan (class)|Titans]] while riding a miniature red [[Sparrow]]. The Guardian grew tired of the Vandals reign of terror and decided to turn back and confront the Vandal head on and run him over with his sparrow. Humiliated in defeat, Randal vowed to return and take revenge against his now new mortal enemy who rode the mini red sparrow.

The cleaver Vandal devised a plan to lure his nemesis back to him. Armed with a [[Molten Welder]], Randal re-emerged in his final [[Ultra]] form with exceptionally higher health. He draped himself in royal black and gold armour and enlisted the help of his trusted allies Hank the Shank and Frank the Shank. The formidable trio began killing thousands of Titans to gather as many crayons as possible to store inside the nearby chest. This created a shortage for the [[Last City]] and demand skyrocketed to the point that the [[Spicy Ramen Shop]] was unable to serve its special crayon flavoured Ramen dish; a delicacy loved by Titans. Even the great [[Saint-14]] himself complained. Randal's nemesis heard the news of a secret crayon stash and ventured into the wild to help his Titan friends.

[[File:RandalVsSink.gif|thumb|right|300px|The tragic death of Randal the Vandal]]

As Randal waited patiently, he saw a red flash approach from the hills of the [[Skywatch]]. Hank the Shank confirmed with its optics that it was his old foe approaching. The three quickly hid inside their cave and braced themselves for battle. As the Guardian approached their vicinity, the three ambushed him as Frank the Shank fired passionately. The Guardian avoided their attacks and aimed for Randal, but the Vandal slid sideways after learning from his past mistake. Now with the high ground, Randal grew extremely confident as the Hunter had his back against him. His vengeance neared. However Randal underestimated the Sparrow riding abilities of the Hunter who turned back to look at the Vandal straight in the eyes. Randal began to tremble, he did not foresee this. In one quick gust, the Guardian accelerated towards Randal and his mini sparrow collided with the head of Randal the same way Saint-14 had headbutted his former Kell, [[Solkis]]. The great Randal was defeated and his two Shanks surrendered the crayon chest to the Guardian and wiped the recordings of his defeat to preserve his legacy. Instead they hired a random Vandal to act as Randal as they plotted to avenge their fallen comrade, perhaps Randal will return another day.

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=3>
Guardian2.gif|The tragic death of Randal the Vandal
</gallery>

==List of appearances==
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
*''[[Destiny Beta]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Destiny]]''
**''[[Rise of Iron]]''
{{Col-2}}
*''[[Destiny 2]]''
**''[[Shadowkeep]]''
**''[[Beyond Light]]''
{{Col-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

[[Category:Fallen]]
[[Category:Easter eggs]]