[2022] Community Focus - Critbuff

Welcome to our newest Community Focus post! Are you someone who tosses everything into their vault during their Tower runs with the hope that you will “sort it all out later?” Anyone? Just me? Well today, we are chatting with someone who has helped me figure out which weapons to keep when I accidentally fill my vault up for the second time this Season, Critbuff!  
Hey, hi, hello! Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. Let’s start up with who are you, where are you from, and what got you into content creation? 

I’m Critbuff and I currently call Hawaii home, but that will change soon as my family and I close shop here and move back to the mainland for my next, and final, military assignment. I moved a lot for the U.S. Army over the last nineteen years, but if I had to call any specific city or place my “home,” it would be St. Louis, Missouri.  

I got into gaming when I was very young with the Nintendo Entertainment System back in the mid 1980’s. I was inspired to become a content creator after I started using YouTube as a tool to learn more about Destiny. I watched guides and weapon reviews from other creators and thought I could provide a unique perspective of my own to help other players make decisions about what they might want to use in the Crucible. 

Leaving Hawaii sounds a bit sad, but also coming back to the mainland will probably make it a bit easier with the time zones. So, how did you find Destiny and when did you start playing? 

I discovered Destiny while my wife and I were visiting her friend. The friend’s husband was running around in the Crucible on an Arc Blade Hunter. The gameplay immediately caught my attention, but more than anything it was the way the world looked. The characters, the Crucible arenas, seeing the Vault of Glass for the first time, and the user interface all caught my attention. 

I didn’t start playing the game until shortly after The Taken King’s release. I started as a Warlock when I saw how amazing Nova Bomb was (and still is). While I started with the vanilla Destiny for XBOX, I quickly upgraded to The Taken King expansion after just a few weeks of playing the game. 

We started around the same time! I also love that you started on Warlock. :)  
So, what kind of content do you create? 

A little bit of everything, but I suppose I’m best known for my weapons reviews. Rather than rushing to get a video out on everything new, I take the time to get 1,000 kills in the Crucible before I release an official “review.” People always ask me why I wait to get that many kills before I make the video, but the truth is it takes time to learn all the ins and outs of a weapon. 

I also do first impressions videos of the first 100 kills, and I’ll make the occasional PvE build video too. 

  I think it is really neat that you go out and use the weapons that much before you review them. Personally, I toss it if it doesn’t feel right after shooting it at a wall, but I think I may need to adjust my testing process.  
Alright, you kind of touched on it before, but main character and favorite loadout? 

I’m a proud Warlock main! There’s no going back after you say “yes,” to the dress. I know it’s not the new hotness anymore, but I still love playing Shadebinder in the Crucible and PvE. The Osmiomancy Gloves and Coldsnap grenades are perfect for punishing overly aggressive players and yellow bar enemies alike. 

Stasis truly is such a fun subclass, I love that! What kind of vibe does your channel maintain? 

My YouTube channel is about gaming as a parent with a full-time job. I spend more than 40 hours a week at my job as a senior public affairs non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. I create content I hope is helpful and relatable for other Guardians who also have families to look after and work to get done. 

A know a lot of players who don’t like using the meta. My videos are there to help them find out about that new Auto Rifle that might not have the best time-to-kill, but it’s got character and it’s fun to use. At the end of the day, it’s about finding out what works for you, and that’s not always the meta. 

That last sentence is exactly why I haven’t taken off Outbreak Perfected since I acquired it (minus a short break with No Time to Explain because [swoon]). 
Anything you are looking forward to?   

I’m very excited to see what this Season’s story has in store for us! It’s all spooky and it’s touching to see the main cast of characters confronting their Nightmares. I deployed to Iraq multiple times in the early 2000’s and Afghanistan, too. I know what it can be like to live with some of the things Zavala has undoubtedly endured and seeing him achieve closure this Season (hopefully) is therapeutic for me, too. 

Where can people find you? 

I’m on YouTube and Twitter. I post as many videos as I can, but due to work and the nature of my content, regular scheduling doesn’t always work out. 

Any final thoughts? 

This one’s for Hippy (aka Liana): 

 

A lot of people assume pirates prefer to be in the Navy. But they actually prefer the Arrrrrrrrmy. 

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Alright friends, that wraps up this week’s Community Focus! Make sure you go follow Critbuff on Twitter and YouTube and check out their content! And if you missed last week’s Community Focus with Liana and Adrienne Fiore, you can do that now.  
Thank you again for sharing your favorite humans and creators with us, we truly love getting to know them!  
*high fives*  
Sam