Black shield and a white septagon means it is a thread with recent posts. Grey shield with a white septagon means people are 'liking' the thread. Blue shield with white septagon means a lot of people have 'liked' the thread. Empty shield means a lot of people have disliked the thread. Gold shield means a Bungie Employee made the thread. Half blue half white shield means a lot of people have both liked and disliked the thread.