Destiny has never been averse to microtransactions. In the first game, players could use real-world money to purchase cosmetic items like emotes and weapon ornaments from the in-game Eververse Store. So while you may not have had as flashy of a Guardian than if you’d pumped extra hard-earned dollars into the game, you still wouldn’t be outmatched in a gunfight.

Destiny 2‘s microtransactions, however, are changing the formula, and it could very well tip the balance in favor of people who are willing to pay.

Tess Everis and her Eververse Store have returned for Destiny 2. You can find her at the Farm social space, but you can only purchase Bright Engrams from her after you reach level 20. Bright Engrams can be earned in game after reaching level 20. At that point, instead of leveling up once you fill your XP bar, you’ll simply be rewarded with a Bright Engram.

However, if you want to skip the grind, you can simply throw down some cold hard cash for the in-game currency, silver, that lets you purchase Bright Engrams. You can pay $5 for 500 silver, $10 for 1100 silver, $20 for 2300 silver, or $50 for 5800 silver in either the Xbox or PlayStation Stores, depending on your console of choice, with Bright Engrams costing 200 silver for one, 500 for three, or 800 for five.

These microtransactions wouldn’t be such a big deal if Bright Engrams only included cosmetic items, but some players are annoyed because Bright Engrams can also contain mods for character abilities or weapons. More specifically, some of the mods shorten the cool-down period for your powerful subclass abilities. On top of that, mods like decreased weapon recoil and a higher damage resistance are almost blatantly pay-to-win.

That being said, you can certainly earn Bright Engrams purely by playing the game—it will just take a little while longer. On top of that, decrypting Bright Engrams rewards you with random loot, so it’s possible that people who spend $50 on silver just to get that O.P. weapon mod might only end up getting shaders and emotes. It’s not exactly a direct method of buying stronger gear, but it’s still flirting with dangerous territory the first game went to great lengths to avoid.

Destiny 2 is available now for Xbox One and PS4, with a PC release coming on October 24th.

Posted: Sep 09, 2017 8:18 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: http://www.egmnow.com/articles/news/destiny-2-is-going-to-have-to-prove-its-not-pay-to-win/