Drifter

This article is about the Gambit host. For the Crucible map, see The Drifter (map).

The Drifter
Biographical information
Other name(s):	Finch Todd Dredgen Hope Eli Germaine Wu Ming Rogue Lightbearer VIP #1315 Driftwood Rat (Eris Morn) (Saint-14) Peasant (Emperor Calus)
Homeworld:	Earth
Species:	Human
Gender:	Male
Hair color:	Black
Eye color:	Blue (Brown?)
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Pilgrim Guard (formerly) Shadows of Yor (formerly) Gambit
Rank:	Gambit Handler
Class:	Lightbearer
Notable info:	Host of Gambit and Gambit Prime One of the oldest surviving Lightbearers Wielder of Stasis

“

The name says it all.

”

The Drifter is a rogue Lightbearer who hosts Gambit and acts as a vendor for Gambit-related items. He is a traveler that has explored the far reaches of the Sol System and beyond, collecting machines, gadgets, and trinkets along the way.

Biography

The Dark Age

"Haven't seen shooting like that since an Iron Lady named Efrideet ruined my bar. The Dark Age was wild times."

— Drifter

During the Dark Age the Drifter was revived by a Ghost, who ushered him towards the Last City. The Drifter, not being keen on the Traveler's Light, headed in the opposite direction. Dying of starvation, the Drifter was reduced to crawling upon the ground, continuously being revived by his Ghost, and continuously regaining consciousness hungry. The Drifter eventually found his way to a small and starving village in the East, where he gained a new life as a normal citizen - keeping his Ghost and Light hidden, but performing minor miracles when nobody was around to provide small amounts of food.

At some point, the Iron Lords appeared, offering the town a deal they couldn't refuse. The leader of the Iron Lords' group, Lord Dryden, offered the town multiple months' worth of supplies and food in return for the use of the town as bait to draw out a Warlord known only as the "Red Man". The town accepted the terms, and they were able to survive through the winter. However, when one of the townsfolk tried to escape out of fear of the Iron Lords' plan, they were captured by the Red Man and his fireteam, tipping the Warlords off to the town's location. When the Warlords arrived, the Iron Lords ambushed them, and the resulting battle razed the town to the ground as the Drifter's Ghost watched from afar. When the battle was over, the Drifter honored the townsfolk by giving their bones a burial.

Sometime later, the Drifter owned a bar under the shadow of Felwinter Peak disguising himself as a man named Wu Ming (still keeping his Light a secret.) The bar was ruined when Lady Efrideet got into a fight with a group of Warlords and shot it up, the Drifter paying her for the work after the job was done.

After the gunfight, the Drifter walked up Felwinter Peak to have a conversation with Lord Felwinter. The Drifter informed Lord Felwinter about the event of the town, what Lord Dryden did and that Lord Dryden broke the code of the Iron Lords by involving Lightless people in their conflicts. Felwinter, skeptic of his claims, asked how the Drifter could prove his claims. The Drifter's Ghost appeared and sent various pieces of evidence (audio and video) to the Ghost of Lord Felwinter. Felwinter then asked the Drifter to leave, asking his Ghost to prepare his Iron Banner loadout.

At some point during the Dark Age, the Drifter was in a crew with the Risen Otto, Thalia, and Ayrin. This crew would perform heists on Warlord territories, with Otto accompanying the Drifter to respond to any security detail, Thalia picking off any remaining lookouts, and Ayrin providing the escape using a kitbashed bomber aircraft. In one such heist against the Warlord known as the Wake, the crew stole some supplies, encountering no resistance other than a poorly-trained civilian militia. The Drifter later commented that his crew could have easily "kept on like that for centuries."

The Drifter was opposed to the Warlord Rience and requested that his fellow Risen Cenric, Jaak, Otto, Ayrin, and Thalia stop doing business with him. He later spotted all five meeting with Rience in the Warlord's territory and decided to eliminate them. After buying them five rounds of drinks at a bar to lure them into a false sense of security, the Drifter was told by Cenric that he had never liked him but was feeling fond of him now. Smiling in anticipation of killing the treacherous Risen, the Drifter noted Cenric was a smooth talker and wondered if he had said those same words to Rience. As the other Risen fell quiet, Jaak lied that they had cut the Warlord out as requested, but the Drifter revealed that he had seen them all in the valley meeting with Rience. Cenric demanded he speak plainly, and the Drifter declared them all rats and swiftly drew his assault rifle while stating there was only one thing to do to rats.

Friendship with Orin

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A World of Darkness

"I think I mentioned we're all raving psychos at this point. Well, we did what all measured raving psychos would do. We thought we each had been betrayed by the others. We drew on each other. To this day, I'm not sure how many of those guys drew intending to kill. But I'll tell you this. I was the only one who walked out."

— Drifter

At the dawn of the City Age, the Drifter and a subset of his crew set out to leave the Sol system, in search of something "greater than Light" due to the conflicts that Light had created on Earth. They traveled for centuries, eventually finding a cold, desolate planet which gave off an energy that seemed to repel Light, much like the exotic weapon Thorn. The Drifter and his crew landed with the intent to study this energy and render it portable, although the Drifter felt that humans were not supposed to be on the world. The extreme cold of the planet took a toll on the Lightbearers and caused them to occasionally freeze to death and require Ghost resurrection, yet the Drifter and his comrades were hopeful they could find something useful and confident in their skills to survive the planet.

The Drifter's crew found a series of abandoned monolith-like structures on the planet, which they discovered contained strange, amorphous shadow-like creatures imprisoned in cryogenic suspension. They determined that these entities were the source of the Light-repressing fields and that they shared some characteristics with the Hive, although the Drifter regretted not having a scientist among his crew who could study them better. They soon discovered that not all of the creatures were imprisoned in the monoliths and that some roamed out in the wild. One night while they slept in the frozen wilderness due to it still being warmer than inside the cryogenic monoliths, a member of the Drifter's crew froze to death but was unable to be revived by his Ghost due to the proximity of one of the creatures. This loss angered them, but it also increased the Drifter's determination to find a way to take the creatures off-world as they could change conflicts between Lightbearers forever. However, the crew also started becoming paranoid due to how unlikely it seemed for one of the creatures to be in close enough proximity to prevent resurrection, particularly so soon after they had realized the potential to weaponize the creatures.

Not long after this first death, the Drifter and his crew moved into one of the monoliths to get better protection against the roaming creatures despite the cold. The Drifter continued examining the technology within the monoliths to try and understand the cryo-technology but was unable to figure out how it worked. Tempers began rising, which only worsened when a second member of the crew died due to the proximity of one of the wandering creatures. Some members of the crew began to believe one of the others had lured the creature close, although the Drifter thought the creature itself had deliberately only killed one of them as a warning to leave. When one of the Lightbearers drew his gun, the Drifter warned them all that the next time one of them did that he would kill them all. A little over a year after they arrived, only the Drifter and three others remained and their ship had ceased working due to the cold. The cold had killed them thousands of times and their paranoia had begun turning into insanity. As they settled in for another night in a monolith, they all suddenly lost their connection to the Light due to Dominus Ghaul entrapping the Traveler in a cage. However, they each believed that the others were responsible and drew their weapons. Unsure if they really intended to kill each other, the Drifter still lived up to his promise and murdered all three of his remaining companions. Angry and seeing one of the frozen creatures seemingly watching him, the Drifter flipped it off and contemplated that he was now alone and stranded.

The Drifter's Ghost 'snapped' at this point, informing the Drifter of a way they could capture the creatures. The Drifter asked how they would do such a thing, as the creatures were undoubtedly dangerous. His Ghost told him of a set of modifications they could perform on his shell, but that they would require components from other Ghosts - the Ghosts of the Drifter's deceased teammates which had now scattered across the icy planet.

Drifter hunted these Ghosts, being sure to stay away from the Shadow Creatures as much as possible. The Drifter, having killed the Ghosts to obtain their parts, began the modification process of his own Ghost, trying not to freeze to death before the process was completed. With the modifications complete, the Drifter's Ghost could see and emit light and energy in spectrums no other Ghost could - eventually inspiring the tech used in Gambit banks, Motes, and Portals.

Return to Sol

After escaping the cold world, the Drifter returned to the inner solar system on a new ship dubbed The Derelict with a massive object from the Nine in tow and had acquired a small Taken army in a pocket dimension which he could control using Motes of Dark. His goal was to go to the Last City and start a competition he dubbed "Gambit" which would generate Motes of Dark and also recruit Guardians into a new crew.

Constructing the Sundial

Prior to meeting the Guardian, the Drifter was hired by Osiris, to Sagira's chagrin, to consult the construction of the The Sundial. Drifter had Ghost gather data, and after reading the statistics and inspecting the core, he confirmed that it would work. However, he warned Osiris there were no guarantees that he would find the exact moment in time required to rescue Saint-14. After that, he left to return to the Tower, and told Osiris that he would return to collect his payment.

Gambit with a Lone Gunman

The Drifter became associated with another group of Lightbearers who leaned toward the Darkness known as the Shadows of Yor until he had a falling out with Callum Sol. Following this the Drifter encountered the rogue Gunslinger Shin Malphur, who had begun tracking the Drifter after learning of his connections with the Shadows, whom Malphur was hunting. During their first chance encounter in a neutral location, the Drifter told Malphur some of his story but left out his name, asking only to be known as the Drifter while Malphur told him to call him "pal". The Drifter bragged about all the places he had travelled outside of the system, claiming he had gone to the Luvial Crux, the Shift Chasms Below Elios, and the Fourth Tomb of Nezarec and seen the Idols of Lower Sul, the Treasure of Exodus Prime, and the Solar Engine of Dead Star-Six, although Malphur was unsure how truthful any of those tales were. He also claimed the object his ship was hauling was an artifact with a mysterious origin that "may be" powerful. Sensing that Malphur was unsatisfied with the answers he was giving, the Drifter changed the subject by mentioning Callum, knowing that Malphur's obsession with killing the Shadows of Yor would divert his attention.

At some point after coming back, the Drifter met Emperor Calus in his real form. The Drifter asked if he and Calus would be fighting over Guardians now, and Calus replied that (his) Shadows were his. The Drifter took that as a "yes" and spoke about how "everyone is crazy, now." He tells Calus that the Cabal emperor is not even Cabal anymore, and leaves on his Sparrow.

Return to the City

Starting the Gambit

"Nothin' kills a Guardian faster... than another Guardian. Woo! Get ready to be bad guys!"

— The Drifter

With Shin's approval, the Drifter returned to the Last City and set up shop in an alleyway by the bazaar. Soon after his arrival, he introduced himself to The Young Wolf and explained the rules of Gambit to them. Not long after establishing himself in the Tower, news arrived in the Last City of Cayde-6's death at the hand of Prince Uldren Sov of the Reef. The Drifter spoke with the Young Wolf before they departed the Tower to hunt the Prince and told them he had heard the two of them had been good partners, which the Drifter considered a rare thing and that he had thought Cayde preferred working alone. He advised the Guardian to not let Cayde's death weigh on them and that everyone, including himself and the Young Wolf, had a bullet with their name on it somewhere in the universe and that all they could do was go out on their own terms. The Drifter also suggested that they vent their anger by participating in Gambit matches.

Owing a favor for The Spider, the Drifter employed Guardians on a job to retake the Prison of Elders on behalf of the mob boss. He also provided tactical support during the strike against Variks' malfunctioning Servitor within the prison. At the end of the strike, Drifter noted that they could collaborate more together at some point in the future.

Leveling the Playing Field

"I finally have an answer to the man with the Golden Gun. And it's something you and me built together. What do you say we call it Malfeasance? Sure, I shot bigger guns. But this thing is weaponized heat death…pure atrophy. and it's my key to freedom from HIM. Fact is, you don't outdraw that Gunslinger. No one can. But my entire crew - armed with THIS? We don't have to outdraw him. We just have to get our shots in. He dies, too."

— The Drifter

After the Young Wolf defeated an Ascendant Chimera while playing Gambit and recovered its seething heart, the Drifter met with them and took the Heart, remarking that they could use it later. Noting the Young Wolf's reliability and skill, he asked them to track down Callum Sol, claiming that the Shadow had stolen something valuable from him. The Drifter suspected that Callum was dead due to not having seen or heard of him in a while. Callum's ash outline is found in the Dreaming City; a final audio recording from his Ghost hinted that Shin Malphur killed Callum for joining the Shadows of Yor.

Using the parts stolen from him, the Drifter and the Guardian finished their creation: Malfeasance, a hand cannon powered by the Taken energy in its weapon core. Wielding it as a countermeasure against Shin Malphur, the Drifter officially counted the Guardian as part of his crew.

Upgrading Gambit

The Making Of Gambit Prime

To test Gambit Prime, the Drifter hired a Titan named Joxer, a regular in Gambit who was good at invading. He explained that he was setting up a new version of Gambit, how regular Gambit has been a training ground for it and he wanted Joxer to test it. Joxer brought up the Guardian, claiming that the Drifter favored them, to which the Drifter asked why people always assumed he had a liking for them. Joxer mentioned they built a gun together, but the Drifter countered that making Malfeasance took more than just the two of them, that many Guardians have one now and it wasn't his fault he kept missing the shot. Joxer got angry, but the Drifter calmed him down by saying he likes the Motes he gives him, with or without Malfeasance. He then complimented Joxer's Invading skills and asked him to test Gambit Prime. Joxer wasn't enthused by the name, but agreed to take the job.

The test was successful for the Drifter, even though three Guardians had been permanently killed. Joxer was incensed that he didn't stop the Taken even though he could have. Despite that, the armor the Drifter supplied worked perfectly. He paid Joxer, including his dead teammates' cuts, and offered more work. Joxer refused to work with him anymore out of disgust, but the Drifter let him keep his Invader armor. After Joxer left, he reviewed the data his Ghost collected, impressed at the results.

Prime Opportunities

"Y'all helped me get Gambit going. And for that, I'll be forever grateful. But I've expanded my operation. I call this new scam Gambit Prime. Consider it a down payment on a dream. Give it a try, hotshot. You were my inspiration."

— The Drifter

After several successful trial runs, the Drifter introduced Gambit Prime to the Guardian as a role-based, single-round evolution of Gambit. Unlike regular Gambit, Gambit Prime utilized counterfeit Primevals of the Drifter's creation from the acasual energy of the Haul, his Gambit banks full with Dark motes, and sheer force of will; the most prominent having the likeness of the late Oryx and his son. During this development however, the Drifter's actions eventually reached the prying eyes of the Warlock Aunor Mahal of the Praxic Order, who has been after the nameless Lightbearer in his illicit schemes of tempting Guardians with the unscrupulous power of Darkness. Having been barred by the Vanguard from investigating, she called upon the Guardian to monitor the Drifter instead and report their findings.

Games of the Nine

"Nah, nah, nah. Not good. They're giving you visions too."

— The Drifter

When the Young Wolf visited the Drifter again, their Ghost mentioned a vision from the Nine and Orin that showed them the card game where the Drifter had been gifted the Haul from the Nine. The Drifter was alarmed about the Nine reaching out to them and that they had gotten another glimpse into his past, stating that his deal with the Nine was risky and warned them not to trust the Nine or what had become of Orin. He asked them to ignore the Emissary if they approached them again and to leave the situation to him to deal with.

Three weeks later, the Drifter confronted the Young Wolf about their continued visits with the Emissary in the Unknown Space. He asked them to promise to stop visiting her if he explained who she was, and proceeded to tell them about how Orin was a Reefborn Awoken who was close to Queen Mara Sov before dying and being reborn as a Guardian. She eventually went looking for the Nine to gain power and got it, but was transformed. The Drifter declared that her past no longer mattered and that she was no longer who she had been, just like him, and made another demand that they stop investigating.

The Young Wolf ignored the Drifter's demands and continued to seek information from the Emissary and the Nine. After six more visits, they learned of the Drifter's true past with Orin and the Nine, and of the warning given to him about the Black Fleet's imminent arrival. The Drifter angrily confronted them once more, noting that he had killed people for less, but admitted that he was in over his head with everything that was happening and that his own interactions with the Nine had just confirmed his deepest fears. He warned the Young Wolf that they need to set aside their dogma and understand that Light could not defeat the coming Darkness on its own, but that the key to salvation lay in Gambit.

Choosing Sides

After finishing the first Reckoning Mote, the Drifter gave the Young Wolf two choices, side with him and be a part of his crew, or side with the Vanguard and work with the Warlock Aunor Mahal in trying to find something to incriminate the Drifter.

Siding With The Drifter

If the Guardian sides with the Drifter, he will be extremely pleased and excited with their decision and tell them to go talk with the Spider as he has an item called "The Jerky". The Young Wolf will then head to the Spider's Lair and discover the Spider is selling many different illegal items including "The Jerky", a Ghost in a cage, a replica Gjallarhorn, and many other items (however they are only able to buy "The Jerky"). Once "The Jerky" is purchased from Spider, it'll lead the Guardian to Titan where several supplies the Drifter requires lie. The player will replay the Adventure "Thief of Thieves". Afterwards, the Drifter will ask the Guardian to talk to him, face to face. He'll then tell them to go to the Derelict to find a tape that sets up the beginning of a scavenger hunt all over the European Dead Zone. These tapes will tell the Guardian the Drifter's past and reveal some more about his personality including his time in the Dark Age, his distrust of Ghosts, his time in the Shadows of Yor, his fear of Shin Malphur, the Warlock Aunor, who has been after him for some time, and even a foreshadowing comment that a second Collapse is coming and that Reckoning is only a preparation for it. After all the tapes have been collected, the Drifter will request the Guardian's presence one last time, where he'll then explain how he has many enemies and that he has seats for people who'll escape the impending apocalypse with him. He claims he has a seat reserved for the Guardian and hopes that they will be with him when that day occurs. He then rewards the Guardian with a package of Gambit loot, ending the quest.

Siding With The Vanguard

If the Guardian sides with the Vanguard, the Drifter will be disappointed but respect their decision. He tells them that they are wrong about him. Afterwards, they are instructed to use a terminal in the Hangar to send a message to Aunor Mahal, who then instructs them to place bugs around the Drifter's area of the Annex. Once all three bugs are placed, the Guardian must return to the terminal to monitor them, and they'll hear the Drifter tell someone to visit the Spider. When they visit the Eliksni crime lord, he will request a bribe of 50,000 Glimmer, which must be paid to continue the quest. When the Spider receives his payment, he will direct the Guardian to Titan, where they must replay the Adventure Siren Song. Toward the end of the quest, Drifter will start talking to the Guardian, wondering what they're doing on Titan. After the adventure, Aunor requests that the Guardian goes into Gambit or Gambit Prime, where the player must bank 50 Motes to continue. The next step is to get 25 kills in the Crucible. After finishing those steps, the Guardian must return to their Hangar terminal and then search the Drifter's ship, the Derelict. The player will find the path lined with explosives and have to either destroy or navigate around them all to reach the Drifter's first tape, leading Aunor and the Guardian to believe that the Drifter has selected a protégé. From this point on, the quest is identical to the Drifter's side: a scavenger hunt around the EDZ to find the other tapes. After all the tapes are found, the Guardian must return to the Drifter and speak with him one more time. He tells the player that he's only doing what he has to to survive and he won't let anyone stop him from doing so.

The Drifter will sometimes call the Guardian a "snitch" when a Gambit or Gambit Prime match begins or ends, and when they approach him in the Tower.

The Guardian Games

"Look at that, a Vanguard-sanctioned holiday using Gambit tech… Not sure Eva ran that one by Zavala. All the better for me."

— The Drifter.

With the Almighty bearing down on the City, Commander Zavala decided to hold a competition between the three Guardian classes to keep spirits high during the crisis. To facilitate this, he enlisted the help of Eva Levante, who in turn convinced the Drifter to repurpose his bank technology for the Games, presumably unbeknownst to the Vanguard. Guardians would then visit the Drifter to register themselves to participate in the Games.

The Arrival

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"Hey, I know everything's gone whackadoo out there. It's not everyday a paracausal Pyramid shows up on our doorstep. But Eris is looking into the Darkness. And I'll be helping with that."

— Drifter

Around the time the Black Fleet arrive in the inner parts of the Sol System, the Drifter is approached by Eris Morn for help in hearing the messages the Pyramid was broadcasting. After a private exchange, the two agree to work together. The Drifter contributes to her mission by enhancing one of his Gambit banks so it can store the dark power put out by the Pyramid. Using supercharged Motes of Darkness gathered by Guardians, he built and powered two new machines. One device is made to decode engrams tainted by the Pyramid's power into new tools for Guardians, while the other charges and focus the power of a seed from a Tree of Silver Wings so Eris can receive the Pyramid's messages.

During a meeting with the Guardian, the Drifter informed them of his alliance with Eris, and how he believed he had a way to learn the secrets of the Darkness quickly. He wished to use the Haul to travel into the realms of the Nine and ask them what the Darkness was, believing that they might hold the answers. Eris, listening in on the conversation, demanded to know what he was doing, declaring that she would not let him deal with the Nine without being involved, a condition that the Drifter had no issue with.

Darkness of Europa

With the advent of Eramis's army of Fallen and their discovery of Stasis, the Drifter forms a tenuous fireteam with Eris Morn and the Exo Stranger. Together, they utilize Stasis and seek to encourage its measured use amongst the Vanguard, as a tool to ensure survival in the upcoming events. In the Dark Future experienced by the Exo Stranger, the Drifter was lost to an "endless pursuit", and this team-up appears to be an attempt to avoid this.

Exploiting his skills with tinkering and technology, the Drifter assists the Guardian in utilising a Fallen blueprint to craft a gun that can weaponise Stasis, known as Salvation's Grip.

Return of the Nightmares

As of the discovery of the importance of Egregore in the schemes of Darkness, the Drifter begins working with Eris Morn to uncover the secrets of the fungus. Eris chastises the Drifter for owning some on the Derelict and never mentioning it, but he nonchalantly replies that nobody ever asked about it. When pressed by Eris about where he obtained it, he is reluctant to reveal the location, though agrees he would take Eris if they used her ship, to which she objects. As Eris appears tired of his evasiveness and motions to leave the Derelict, he tries to keep her around by revealing that Egregore seems to interact with Pyramid technology when burned correctly, resonating with it for an unknown reason.

The Drifter and Eris then travel to the Europan Ziggurat to perform an experiment based on the information given by the Drifter. They encounter the Exo Stranger's "strange, floating companion" at the Beyond camp, which the Drifter distrusts and questions, only for Eris to ask him to leave it alone.

After their experiment confirms some form of link between each Pyramid, which speaks to something beyond them, the Drifter and Eris travel to the Sunken Pyramid in Savathûn's Throne World to perform another experiment. During their time together there, the Drifter's real personality becomes more noticeable to Eris. Under "that layer of grime" that consists of the Drifter everyone knows, he displays "nobility", evidenced in his patrolling of the area and asking his altered Ghost to keep an eye on Eris while he's gone.

After the experiment concludes, Eris and the Drifter share a meal prepared by the Drifter. She supposes he has cooked Screeb stew, as her imagination can only reach that possibility upon what she knows of him. However, the Drifter is offended and states he would never prepare such food for her. Instead, he reveals it is "crawdad" soup, or some close relative of the shrimp, found within the swamps of the Throne World. The Drifter's desire to eat anything and everything is once again made apparent. However, Eris agrees that this time, the "thick greyish-brown potage" is actually good.

A Pirate's Life

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Return to Titan

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Preventing the Final Shape

Drifter joined the Coalition forces for the final stand against the Witness. The army attacked the Witness, severing its hold over the Traveler's Light and in a direct attack, struck at the Witness directly, unmaking it with a tremendous surge of Light. At last, the War against the Witness was over, with the Coalition and the people of the Last City rejoicing.

Personality and traits

"WHY DOES IT DO THIS?
He's afraid.
OF DEATH?
Of everything.
SO IT KILLS.
He hates violence. He hates it so much that he'll murder anyone who tries to inflict it on him."

— The Nine and the Emissary

Whether making jokes or making threats, the Drifter never loses his smirking, irreverent temperament, or his affable manner of speech. He shows particular enthusiasm as the host of Gambit.

The Drifter sees Light and the Traveler with distrust. Having lived through the age of Warlords, he has personally witnessed the worst that the Light can do, even when wielded by nominally heroic figures like the Iron Lords. Perhaps as a result of this, he views the Light and Darkness as being equivalent in terms of the risks associated with their use, with both forces being equally useful as tools or weapons and also equally likely to corrupt or bring harm to their wielders.

The Drifter himself resents being a Lightbearer, feeling that his immortality and power have cut him off from some kind of essential humanity. As such, he has never gotten along with his Ghost and treats it solely like a tool, even actively rejecting any help it volunteers. He envies the survival instinct of regular people: with only one life to spend, they live far more vitally than Risen who do nothing but throw away an endless number of their own in constant warfare.

Even beyond the Light, the Drifter is a suspicious and secretive figure. The only side he's ever on is his own. At various times, he has associated himself with the Shadows of Yor (who he grew disillusioned with and renounced), their "nemesis" Shin Malphur (who he planned to kill), the Spider (a frequent business partner), the Vanguard (which tacitly approves of his experiments with Darkness), and the Nine. The trauma of losing loved ones during the Dark Age has left him uninterested in forming any more close relationships, though the Guardian is a notable exception. According to the Emissary of the Nine, underneath the Drifter's duplicitous nature and history of violence, he is secretly afraid of everything, including violence itself. He will do everything in his power to avoid having violence inflicted upon him, including kill.

One of the Drifter's most notable eccentricities is his constant hunger. He starved to death repeatedly during the Dark Age and would always be revived still hungry; this seems to have developed into a fixation with food, which has developed further into a complete willingness, even eagerness, to consume Fallen, Hive, and Cabal, and to drink Vex radiolarian fluid. He particularly enjoys eating Hive. At one point, he described Motes of Dark as "delectable."

Another of the Drifter's eccentricities is his lack of name. He refused to adopt a name when he was first risen and has since gone by and discarded several others. These include Germaine, Eli, Dredgen Hope, and Wu Ming (which can be read as "Nameless" or "No Name" in Mandarin Chinese). "The Drifter" itself started out as a nickname given to him by other people.

The Drifter is pessimistic about humanity's continued survival. He foresees a second Collapse occurring in the near future and ultimately is interested only in surviving or escaping it.

Quotes

In Gambit Match

• "Back to action hotshot. Be notorious!"
• "Embrace the Darkness."
• "Taken Blocker to the other side. You're a horrible person."
• "You just sicced a Taken Blocker on your fellow Guardians. Don't tell the Vanguard!"
• "Primeval's compromised. Burn it down!"
• "Hahaha! I'm sorry, were they saying something?! 'Cause they're dead now!!"
• "Hostiles at the Pit!"
• "Incoming hostiles at the Canal!"
• "Hostiles incoming at the Slums!"
• "Medium Blocker outbound!"
• "Hey, you fight dirty. I like it."
• "Portal's up! Go look em' in the eyes."
• "You're invading! Make a mess!"
• "Guardian down!"
• "That's two!"
• "The executioner's come to town!"
• "Ten seconds and I pull you back!"
• "Woo! Are you having fun yet? I am!"
• "Your ally's invading!"
• "Hey, hey, easy there! I think you got em'! Haha."
• "Opposing team, do better!"
• "Giant blocker outbound! You're a terrible friend, but you'll get paid!"
• "They're cryin' 'cause you slapped those motes right out of their hand!"
• "Did you wake up pissed today or something? I like it!
• "Drifter's hungry!"
• "Heeey you're a Dredgen, now fight like one!"
• "YEEAAH! High Value Target eliminated."

Derelict Ready Room

• "Cayde's dead, and I need more guns, one step forward, one step back."
• "Alright, mavericks. Ready to see what we're fightin' today?"
• "Alright, alright, alright! Let's see what we got!"
• "Fallen on the horizon!"
• "Ever hear of a Fallen, name of Variks, the Loyal? If he's so loyal, where's he now?"
• "Cabal on the field!"
• "Ever been up to the Leviathan? Cabal can be a HOOT! Still gotta fight'em."
• "If I were here when Ghaul took the Tower? I woulda waited for you to do you, brother."
• "Cabal culture is all military these days. Used to be they were easier to kill."
• "You, me, and the crew oughta loot the Cabal Emperor's Athenaeum Worlds."
• "The Cabal shield can plate your starship. Or be your coffee table."
• "Hive! Bring a sword."
• "You can burn Hive guts for a fire in the wild. It's toasty!"
• "You ever have to fight a Thrall barehanded, you grab the skull and squeeze."
• "It takes about a hundred of Shaxx's Redjacks to take down a Hive Knight. Why does he bother building 'em?"
• "I like to set Hive on fire to hear the crackle and pop."
• "Think you can eat a Hive Knight? Those're the questions you ask yourself on the frontier."
• "Vex on the field!"
• "Ever pull a gun off a Vex arm? Don't bother. It won't shoot anymore."
• "All that bleeding-edge tech and the Vex use it to simulate junk. Such a waste."
• "Vex have that soft spot at the center. Bet you could cook that - eat it."
• "Scorn approaching!"
• "Never trust a Scorn! They're little balls of instinct. Shoot first, talk to it later."
• "I don't scare, but when it comes to the Scorn…I bring an extra gun just in case."
• "Mark my words. One day I will find the courage to eat a whole Scorn."
• "Dark Ether in Scorn can't be controlled. Not even with Motes. Get rid of 'em."
• "Motes of Dark have no effect on Scorn - not even with all that cursed Ether inside."
• "The Scorn depress me just by existing. Look at 'em. Ugh."
• "Scorn have no endgame. Nothing to lose. I can relate."
• (flicking jade coin)"Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!"
• "Prepare for transmat!"

Tower

• "Why is that idiot always yelling? He should go into the Crucible."
• "I know the Vanguard know about that maintenance frame, so what are they waiting for?"
• "Sometimes I forget you've killed a god or two." (Could also be referring to Xol)
• ""Yeah, I was around with the Iron Lords. They always surprised me by not dying… Over and over. None of them could shoot worth a damn, except Lady Efrideet."
• "Eh. Never mind. Shut up. I can't take sass right now."
• "All the tech I use in Gambit]] I built. Kit-bashed, mostly."
• "How about some Gambit? You're just standing there."
• "Motes go in the bank, got it? And I'll make sure you get paid."
• "Get me those Motes and I'll make you rich, brother! I promise."
• "Guardians are always welcome aboard the Derelict."
• "Been to the Reef lately? Heard it's gone to hell."
• "What do you need? Talk to me."
• "C'mon, c'mon! Who's up for Gambit?"
• "Motes out there just waiting, sister|brother. Go get some."
• "Shaxx doesn't need to hear about the Gambit, alright? You do you"
• "Good to see you alive, sister|brother."
• "I've built the bank to contain exotic energies. And release them."
• "There's things out in dark, that only the dark can overcome. Trust me."
• "You find any Motes out there, you bring them to me."
• "Hey, hey. Don't go tellin' the Vanguard about this. You'll get paid."
• "You lookin' to do business?"
• "Make any wishes lately? Ha!"
• "You've got somewhere to be? How about some Gambit?"
• "I leave for a couple centuries and everything is a mess."
• "Where do Primevals come from? Ascendant Plane. Oldest Taken I could find."
• "What did you do out in the Reef? Something feels off."
• "Is the Awoken Queen back? What's going on out there?"
• "Heard you took out Prince...what's his name?"
• "Hey! So are the rumors true? You are the one who took out Prince… what's his name?"
• "Did you kill Prince…Udu? I don't really care, but everyone's asking. Gotta blend in."
• "So, Cayde's out. Surprised it took this long."
• "Playing hero in the Reef, huh?"
• "Let's do business."
• "I skip what goes on here between you and me, alright?"
• "The things I've killed you wouldn't believe. You've seen what the Derelict draggin'?"
• "I didn't know Cayde well. Knew I didn't like him."
• "I got a lotta enemies. All of them want me dead. And that's fine, I'm still here. But there are a few…em…just a few, that I might need some help with some day. Just saying."
• "I'm older than you think, kid. Got some spring in my steps still. That's all."
• "I gotta raid one of those Tex Mechanica foundries at some point. Closest thing to a Dark Age piece you can get. I know he has. I see no sure at your gun from him."
• "I've been thinking about taking the Derelict to the Dreaming City. Gambit could use some new warzones. No bigger warzone than that this days."
• "See any Ahamkara bone out there. I don't have any specific in mind, just wondering how they might be, what kinda stews I can make."
• "What did my crew find out there? Well. The Derelict's draggin' part of it. The bank, the portals. All my tech is only possible thanks to…I'm saying too much."
• "I pay you, young bloods, partly, 'cause you crazy. And I like it, when you crazy in Gambit. But I pay you to keep quiet too. Don't go mouth that off to the Crucible Handler or the Commander. It will be a real quick way to get this operation shut down."
• "The bullet always comes when you are not moving"
• "If I see you, that means I got you!"
• "Sloane's as tough as they come. Reminds me of yours truly… ha!"
• "You gonna eat what you catch? Maybe you could… save some for a friend?"
• "Turns out it was a long-girl in the soup all this time. Honest mistake."
• "All she's seen, Sloane might get some mileage out of a chat or two with Eris. Worked on Big Blue, didn't it?"
• "Hanging out with a bunch of Titans has a way of making a fella feel small. All that looming…"
• "Shoulda seen Zavala's face when I told him this Gambit tech was gonna come in handy. Made it all worthwhile."
• "Nothing like a common enemy for bringing people together. Spit is the glue that binds us."
• "Hey, I've done more than my fair share of tomb diving. Pyramids… Tormentors… I'm leaving that stuff to you."
• "Looks like we made it through after all. Don't go thinkin' I'm surprised. You know I always bet on you."
• "You eye-ballin' me? I thought we were pals! Ha!"
• "All coming down to the wire, hero! Hope you've figured out what it is you want out of all of this."
• Told you all along the dark times were on their way. Here we are! Didn't think I'd still be here, did you?"
• "Mara Sov's finally picked a side, huh? You know what… I'll take it. She hits hard."
• "Come on up, brother/sister. I'm sure we can help each other out."
• "Tough time to be a lone wolf out there. But there you go, sniffing for trouble. [chuckles]"

Decision Point

• "Hey, hey. Let's be straight with each other. I know the Vanguard's watching me. Probably want you to snitch, am I right? [laughs] If you're considering, I get it. Ol' Drifter likes to play both sides, too. But think about it. You stand with them, you're a dead man/woman walking. Gambit's pissed off a whole lotta dangerous people. You stand with me, I got your back. Trust. So what'll it be?"

Siding with the Vanguard

• "You're pickin' the Vanguard over me, huh? [chuckles] You punk. But every man's/woman's got to have a code. I get it. I got one, too. Out of respect for principles (and a righteous fear of Ikora's big-ass shotgun)… you do you, kid. But, I'm gonna change your mind about me. Whoever, or whatever you think I am… You're wrong. How's that suit ya? Snitch."

Siding with the Drifter

• "Hahaha! You got grit, kid. I admire a man/woman willing to risk the trust of everyone who's ever been kind to him/her. But lemme set the record straight - you're choosin' to walk with a monster. Monsters survive. Trust. People change. Priorities change. Stick with me, and you'll see that. Now. As a symbol of our new partnership. I need a favor from ya. Got a shipment waiting in the Tangled Shore. Pick it up for me. I'll tell Spider you're comin'."

Last Wish quotes

• "Hey, what the hell is this? Is that you, brother/sister? Oh. Heh. I see. You've made a friend. A friend that you can wish to. Haven't you heard? Those things never give you what you ask for. You're crazy, my friend. Seems like I'm stuck in yer head for a while. What're we doin' today? Huntin' your wish friend? I'm game! Woo!" - After successfully inputting Wish 10
• "Hey, you did great back there. Were those Tech Witches? Been a long time since I seen one o' them up close. You hang with strange company, my friend." - After defeating Kalli
• "Dreaming City's easy on the eyes. That's what's messed up about it, if the stories of its construction are true." - At the beginning of the Shuro Chi encounter
• "I don't ever wanna mess with you when you're in this mood! And hey, that Tech Witch sure is a somber lady, huh? "Tear out its heart"? Whew. Terrifying. I like her style." - After defeating Shuro Chi
• "That... is one beautiful prison. The Reefborn Awoken, man. You had to have some stones to do what some of 'em did. And now she's free. You and this Ahamkara have a bond now, don't you? I can feel it. You be careful, brother/sister." - Between the Shuro Chi and Morgeth encounters
• "Well lookit that. Another Taken wants you dead. Shucks. They'll never forget what you did to their king. You show 'em how little that means to you, yeah?" - At the beginning of the Morgeth encounter
• "Woo-oo! You really gave that Ogre a beating! And you used his own power to do it. Here I thought you City folk were soft. Come play Gambit some time. We'll have some fun." - After killing Morgeth, the Spirekeeper
• "Is that a locked vault? I love locked vaults. What's inside? Come on, open it." - At the beginning of the Vault encounter
• "Six Lights in a dark place. Really brings me back." - At the beginning of the Riven encounter
• "Woo-hoo-hoo! All right, all right, all right! Let's see what kinda treasure this Riven's been sleepin' on." - At the beginning of the Heart of Riven encounter
• "Oh man. You live a hard life, brother/sister. You think those Techeun knew I was here? If they did, I couldn't tell. Story o' my life. I started today wonderin' what you're like out here, away from Gambit. And now I know: you are insane. If I wake up in your head again tomorrow, I'm taking a bullet. And so is my Ghost. Naw, haha. I dig it." - After completing the Last Wish raid

Gameplay

Destiny 2

The Drifter serves as both the handler and vendor for Gambit.

Faction armor

• Ancient Apocalypse Armor (Hunter)
• Ancient Apocalypse Armor (Titan)
• Ancient Apocalypse Armor (Warlock)

Faction weapons

• Dreaded Venture
• Bygones
• Pillager
• Bad Omens
• Trust
• Distant Relation
• Hazard of the Cast
• Parcel of Stardust

Pinnacle weapons

• Breakneck: Kinetic Auto Rifle – Obtained after completing Before the Storm from the Drifter during Season of the Forge.
• 21% Delirium: Arc SUROS Machine Gun - Obtained after completing By Your Bootstrap by completing the Notorious Hustle triumph from the Drifter during Season of the Drifter.
• Hush: Solar Combat Bow - Obtained after completing Hush, Little Baby from the Drifter during Season of Opulence.

Ritual weapons

• Exit Strategy: Kinetic Submachine Gun - Obtained after completing Clean Getaway from the Drifter during Season of the Undying.
• Python: Void Shotgun - Obtained after completing Get Closer from the Drifter during Season of Dawn.

Trivia

• The Drifter's ship appears in-orbit wherever a Gambit match is set, such as the Emerald Coast.
• The Drifter is performed and voiced by Todd Haberkorn.
• The Drifter mentions that he once had Gjallarhorn. This, however, may be a counterfeit. Evidence of this exists in the allegiance quest where the Spider sells (unpurchasable) replica Gjallarhorns.
• According to Shin Malphur's description of the Drifter, he doesn't adhere to traditional descriptions of classes, as per Malphur he "has long since shed any pretensions of class or the limitations therein." Therefore the Drifter doesn't belong to any specific class in the game, "not by common understanding anyway."
• The Drifter's line of "Transmat firing!" has become a meme in the Destiny community.
• The Drifter collaborated with Shin Malphur to create Gambit, but, while he knows who Malphur is, he does not know that the man he works with is Shin.
• The Drifter also shared a rivalry with Emperor Calus over the Guardians and their allegiance, despite sharing similar apocalyptic and nihilistic beliefs regarding the Darkness.
• Right next to the Drifter in the Tower are Cabal and Fallen helmets, as well as a bag of Vex construct parts.
• Should one have previously sided with the Drifter during the Allegiance quest, he handed out extra candy during the Festival of the Lost 2019 as thanks for "not being a lousy snitch."
• In the intro cutscenes for Gambit, the Drifter's eyes are blue. However, in the Beyond Light teaser trailer, his eyes are brown.
• Despite Saint-14's return during Season of Dawn, the Drifter will sometimes still speak of Saint as if he is dead at the beginning of Gambit matches against the Fallen.
• Bungie has confirmed that the Drifter is the first pansexual character identified in Destiny.

Gallery

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  The Drifter on the Derelict before a Gambit match.

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  Render of the Drifter's snow mask in Beyond Light.

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  The Drifter in the Ether Tank.

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  The Drifter showing Eido a Skeleton Key.

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  The Drifter in the Ether Tank with Eido and Mithrax, Kell of Light.

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  Drifter handing a drink to Eido.

Non-canon appearances

Rising Timeline

Main article: Wu Ming/Rising

List of appearances

• Destiny 2: Forsaken (First appearance)
• The Hidden Dossier (Mentioned only)