Destiny 2 players blast Starter Pack as borderline pay-to-win content
BungieBungie just released a Destiny 2 Starter Pack on digital storefronts, and fans are surprised to see some of the content included.
Veteran Destiny 2 players have long accepted that inviting newcomers to join the fun is no easy task. Catching up requires a time commitment that most people simply do not have.
Bungie has seemingly recognized as much, recently promising somewhat of an onboarding experience in the form of Into the Light. This “new period” of Destiny 2 will go live in spring 2024 to prepare the community for The Final Shape.
Into the Light won’t be Bungie’s only attempt at bringing in new players, either. On November 28, the studio deployed a Starter Pack on Steam, PSN, and Xbox Live but longtime fans have already labeled it a waste of money.
Destiny 2 players call new Starter Pack DLC an embarrassment
For $14.99 D2 users who buy the Starter Pack can instantly unlock three Exotic weapons – Traveler’s Chosen, Ruinous Effigy, and Sleeper Simulant. The DLC pack also boasts an Exotic ship, Exotic Sparrow, and Exotic Ghost Shell.
For purposes of gear upgrades, Starter Pack purchasers will additionally receive all of the following: 125,000 Glimmer, 50 Enhancement Cores, five Enhancement Prisms, and one coveted Ascendant Shard. Players must visit the Special Deliveries Terminal in the Tower to unlock their purchased goods.
The Destiny 2 subreddit has already said its piece, with many community members thinking the Starter Pack toes the line of pay-to-win content: “This is [a] new low, straight-up pay-to-win, they’re really desperate for money huh,” one user said.
Notably, the inclusion of Glimmer – currency for upgrading and buying items – is the biggest shock for some. “They’re actually selling glimmer. LOL,” reads one reply.
Others argue that calling it pay-to-win seems like a stretch since the featured Glimmer and materials aren’t enough to make a dent in terms of progress.
“Wow, 3 exotics, some cosmetics, and mats for £12.99! I’d say this is pay-to-win, but really it’s just a waste of money… The execs must be really worried about their gold-plated pensions if they’re pulling this embarrassing sh**,” another user said.
Bungie (via Steam)Many doubt this attempt to lure in newcomers will even be worth it long term. “So they make their reputation even worse to sell maybe a few thousand of these at best since there really isn’t new players joining Destiny 2 even. That’s embarrassing,” wrote one skeptical Redditor,
This hardly marks the first time that Destiny 2’s monetization has been called pay-to-win. Asmongold called out the title’s Battle Pass monetization earlier this year, for example.