[b][u]THIS POST IS BEING EDITED CONSTANTLY TO ACCOMMODATE FOR THE PLAYERS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED INFORMATION TO THIS THREAD.[/u][/b] Here is all the information gathered I have on Space AIDS, SpaceTDs, colorful [i]bees[/i], etc. - Here are the 5 buffs that you can potentially transmit: [b]Brilliance 3.2[/b] (green) [b]Glory 2.1[/b] (white) [b]Splendor 2.6[/b] (yellow) [b]Magnificence 2.0[/b] (blue) [b]Fortitude 3.1[/b] (pink) - It doesn't matter how many you have, all grant the same amount ([b]37.48% XP bonus[/b]). - The buffs do [b]stack with XP boosters[/b] such as Reputation boosters or Focused Light. Ex. Focused Light + one of the buffs = [b]100.16% XP bonus[/b] (credits: [b]MunkFishy[/b]). [b]Do I need to play with others in order to get the buffs, and how can I transmit all 5 of them?[/b] - Some people have gotten it while playing with others who don't have the buff, but this was when the ground zeroes of the event started. You should play with others who have the buffs. [b]If you want all 5 at once, you should preferably play with Guardians who have all 5 on them.[/b] Make sure to use a clean character who doesn't have any of the buffs. Reasons why is answered in the next question. [b]Can I get the rest of the buffs even if I'm already infected with only 1-4 buffs?[/b] Despite a number of people claiming that they have received the rest of the buffs after they received 1-4 of them, an overwhelming number of people have tried doing so with no success. It seems that [b]once you get infected[/b], the buffs you have are permanent (until launch day) and [b]you cannot get any more afterwards.[/b] [b]Is there a way to further increase my chance to transmit a buff?[/b] There seems to be an RNG (random number generator) for transmitting the buffs from someone who already has them, whether it be killing them in Crucible, or collecting their Orbs from them both in Strikes and Crucible. You just have to keep on playing either playlists with others who already have the buff(s). Remember there is no particular method to transmitting the buffs, RNG plays a substantial role here. [b]What's the best way to catch these Space AIDS?[/b] For [b]Crucible[/b], [u][b]Private Matches[/b] seems to be the most efficient way of transmitting the buffs.[/u] [b]Mayhem Clash[/b] is my preferred choice because you can pick up your Orbs, or kill opponents who already have the buffs with your Supers. The acquisition of the [b]Payback[/b] medal on a Guardian who last Super'd seems to transmit the buffs more frequently. [b]Mayhem Rumble[/b] is also a fast and viable way to infect others as you just constantly kill each other with Supers. Bannerfall seems to be the easiest place because it is decently small and is easy to locate the center where you can gather for kills. Coordinate kills to your liking. For [b]Strikes[/b], play the [b][u]Taken War Heroic Strike[/u][/b] playlist constantly and grab as many Orbs as you can. Despite the numerous Defender Titan's Ward of Dawn "[i]protection[/i]" jokes going around, all Orbs have a chance of transmitting the buffs from that Guardian. [b]How long do I have these SpaceTDS? Forever? God I hope so because they are wonderful![/b] I and many other Guardians still have their buffs when they first got it/them on Friday and Saturday, so they might last until Rise of Iron launches (Tuesday). However, it may not actually be a good thing. Reasons why in the story theory below. [b]How does this relate to Destiny or Rise of Iron?[/b] As mentioned in the dialogues on the [url=http://www.bungie.net]Owl Sector[/url] website, the Owl Sector is an organization that first responded to the "[b]tech mites[/b]" swarming around some of the Guardians who have travelled to the [b]Dust Palace[/b]. They issued a quarantine, keeping Guardians in medical centers and away from the City. However, clearly as you can see in the game (and the website's dialogue), Guardians don't really care as they see it as a positive thing (hence the buffs) and still want to venture out in the system. On the flip side, it can potentially infect other Guardians. Storywise, this could be related to SIVA. [b]How the hell does this relate to the story in any way?[/b] [b]SIVA[/b], the main antagonist of Rise of Iron, is a Golden Age nanotechnology purposed for furthering...well Golden Age technology. As you can see in the recent [url=http://www.bungie.net]Launch Trailer[/url], the Iron Lords are fending off what seems to be nanotech swarms, which also resemble the tech mites swarming around Guardians' heads. These tech mites can be related to how computer viruses are spread (or any virus in general). The tech mites could be SIVA proxies or trojans, possibly unleashed by a located SIVA cluster which led to the infection of Guardians. The proxies are disguised as a good thing, and because of that, other Guardians might want it too. In the short term, [b]it's a wonderful weekend for Guardians[/b]. However, when the DLC launches, because so many Guardians have already transmitted the disease and have already entered the Tower (or inside the Wall), SIVA would've already infiltrated the Cosmodrome substantially via tech mite proxies (thus ushering in the DLC's arrival). The dialogue on the Owl Sector site seems to watch how we as players, not Guardians, respond to the infection, i.e. dancing, desperately wanting the infection and trying to infect others, etc. As some users who have commented on this thread have already mentioned, Bungie could be observing how we act as players and incorporating that into the actual game. [b]How did this all begin?[/b] No known origin point has been isolated, but the earliest recorded instance is when a player was streaming Destiny on Twitch and received the buff(s) along with a message in chat by the user of [url=http://www.bungie.net]owl_sector[/url] that informed the player that they have detected a foreign threat in the player's game and are trying to solve it. [b]So, WTF is the Owl Sector?[/b] The [b]Owl Sector[/b] seems to be an organization that first responded to the "foreign threat" that began to infect Guardians. In the Vanguard, Ikora Rey is the most involved, coordinating her Hidden with the Owl Sector to find out the true nature of the tech mites. Their true purpose is unclear; but we do know that there is a connection between them and [b]Clovis Bray[/b], a science organization located on Mars and the creator (or co-creator?) of SIVA (which could possibly explain how SIVA could've broken out when Rise of Iron launches). Their website shows the map of the entire world and the frequent appearances of buffs which seem to correspond to the continents, while also providing backstory of the infection. [b]Has Bungie done something like this before? ARGs and whole infection idea?[/b] They have done ARGs for Halo and Destiny in the past, and they are quite well-known for it. In terms of the story, if you're familiar with the Flood's origins from Halo, then you may have a better understanding of what's going on. Long story short, the Flood arrived in the Milky Way via containers of seemingly harmless powder. Ancient, technological, spacefaring humans retrieved these containers floating in space, researched the powder, found no harmful effects on the powder, and began applying it to their domestic pets. The powder seemingly granted increased physical efficiency, but after decades(?) the powder began to mutate the pets and became the first Flood-incorporated species (which then led to the Forerunners, the Halos, and all that thunder). This tech mite infection could be very similar to the origin story of the Flood. [b]What will happen if I have any of the buffs when Rise of Iron launches? Will I be quarantined from the Tower? WHAT IF I CAN'T ACCESS MY VAULT?![/b] There are only speculations as to what these buffs will mean when Rise of Iron launches. A few have speculated that this is a new game mechanic to prepare for the Raid, similar to previous DLCs. OR that this is simply an XP Boost weekend to prevent players from edging their Guardians on Reputations before launch. Again, these are speculations. Any meaning of the buffs and Owl Sector is entirely to the discretion of Bungie and the Architects. [b]Deej has also made it clear on his Twitter that [u]Guardians will not be locked out of the Tower when Rise of Iron launches.[/u][/b] You're gaining a new social space, not losing one. And your vaults will be completely safe. In the meantime, that is all for now Guardians. Prepare to become an Iron Lord when [b][u]Rise of Iron[/u][/b] launches on [b][u]Tuesday, September 20th[/u][/b]. Horde those Engrams, collect those Legendary Marks, make peace with Eris about her ship, and watch those tech mites. If you have any more information on how the buffs work, or any thoughts on my interpretations of how the story will go in terms of this mysterious outbreak, please comment below. [b][u]THANK YOU[/u][/b] all for contributing to this thread. Personally, I think that's why the Destiny community is so awesome because despite our differences, we come together to try to figure out the things that need to be figured out. All your story theories referring to SIVA, the City's quarantine, etc. are all incredible; those who helped clarify the buffs and how they work, I know it's frustrating trying to figure this out and is a tedious struggle, but your diligence shows your commitment and dedication to the game and is ultimately helping unveil their methodology. For these reasons, I'm sure Bungie appreciates all of you to the greatest extent, and so do I. Keep your eyes up Guardian, Rise of Iron is just around the corner. <3