Bungie made a point to overhaul Destiny 2’s in-game microtransactions store, Eververse, when the game went free-to-play ahead of the Shadowkeep launch. While many agree the current version is more transparent and fair than years past, recent in-game events have skewered things a little too much in Eververse’s favour, with a large assortment of items that can only be obtained through the store. In response, Bungie outlined more major changes for Eververse in the weekly blog post. In the post, game director Luke Smith said that the balance between rewards earned through activities and those that can be bought “is not where we want it to be.” Bungie wants there to be more rewards for actually playing the game, so here’s what’s going to change in Destiny 2’s Year 4. This will kick off later this summer with the launch of a new expansion - though none of the finer details have been announced there. The biggest addition outlined in the post is the arrival of Transmogrification in Destiny 2. The feature allows players to turn any of the armour they own into ornaments that can change the look of other armour pieces, similar to ornaments bought and earned in the game. Players will have the option to use the paid currency, Silver, or other currencies earned in-game to do this. Transmogrification is expected at some point in Year 4, and is still early in development, so many specifics are being figured out. Legendary Weapon Ornaments are being removed from Eververse, as well.
Bungie also committed to delivering new armour every season. Players can earn this armour only by playing the various activities. Seasonal armour won’t be part of the Season Pass, or purchasable at Eververse. This will start with Destiny 2’s next season, Season 11. For raids, Trials and dungeons, Bungie wants every one of those activities to reward power, items and cosmetics. The developer calls those high-tier activities “Aspirational”, and every one will have at least one accessory as a reward. By the same token, Trials will get Adept Weapons. In Season 13, Trials will also get new armour, accessories and weapons. Bungie is even promising new Trials armour every year. Likewise, the next Destiny 2 raid will have its own, new armour, weapons and Exotic accessories. When Season 12 rolls around, you’ll no longer be able to buy (Eververse) ships, ghost shells, sparrows or armour ornaments whose themes are based on similar pieces from Aspirational activities. Bungie wants to improve rewards for core playlists, too, such as strikes, Gambit and regular Crucible by adding a new armour set with shaders and decals unique for every one of those activities. These yearly armour sets will begin with Destiny 2’s next expansion.
Each season will also see a new Pursuit Weapon, beginning with Season 12. You can earn said weapon by playing anything in the core playlist, but there’s also going to be activity-specific Legendary skins that only drop from each activity within that playlist. These changes raise a few questions about the game’s economy. For its part, Bungie wants to make it easier for players with one character to earn Bright Dust. Sources that reward Bright Dust will now apply to the entire account, rather than per-character. Finally, Bright Engrams are being updated as well. Bright Engrams earned in the Season Pass will include Year 3 Eververse items previously only available for Silver/Bright Dust. Bright Engrams will also have their contents updated with each new season to include Eververse items from the past three years. In other Destiny 2 news, Bungie confirmed that the game is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X, to no one’s surprise.
