PCGamesN -Destiny 2 microtransaction loot affects gameplay (Destiny)

by CyberKN , Oh no, Destiny 2 is bad, Tuesday, September 05, 2017, 09:00 (2720 days ago)

Some Destiny 2 microtransaction loot gives you a gameplay advantage

Thanks to Destiny 2's regional midnight console launch, and the fact that servers are now live and can thus be used by anyone with an early physical copy, dozens of streams are already broadcasting gameplay. Watching one, we spotted that the microstransactions store is selling items that directly affect gameplay.

Destiny streamer KingGothalion was inspecting the possible contents of Bright Engrams, which can be purchased for Silver, Destiny's real-money currency, at microtransactions store Eververse.

The possible contents of Bright Engrams include the following:

Ability cooldown armour mods: "Chance to contain an armour mod that decreases the cooldown of one Arc, Solar, or Void subclass ability." Can affect Super, grenade, or melee abilities.
Character stats armour mods: "Chance to contain an armour mod that slightly enhances a character stat." Can affect resilience (increases shield HP), mobility (increases movement speed), or recovery (shields regenerate faster).
Weapon stats armour mods: "Chance to contain an armour mod that slightly enhances the weapon stats of an equipped Primary, Energy, or Power weapon." Can affect handling (equip speed), stability (recoil strength), and reload speed (obvious).
Elemental weapon mods: "Chance to contain a weapon mod that changes the element of an Energy or Power weapon."

There's no question that these mods confer a gameplay benefit. Changing the elemental property of a gun is how you'll pop certain enemies' shields in PvE, higher stability equals more accurate shooting on any gun, and lengthy ability cooldowns were a key point of feedback from the console beta.

It's important to point out that, after you reach level 20, Bright Engrams will drop whenever you gain a new experience level (like Motes of Light did in the original game), meaning that you can earn an unlimited number during the course of normal gameplay. There may be other sources, too.

Silver doesn't seem to be listed on PSN or Xbox Live yet, but we know how much it'll cost thanks to a GameStop flyer unearthed by Hunticeland on Twitter. According to that:

1000 Silver + 100 bonus costs $9.99
2000 Silver + 300 bonus costs $19.99
As for Bright Engrams, according to KingGothalion's stream, here are their prices:

One Bright Engram costs 200 Silver
Three Bright Engrams cost 500 Silver
Five Bright Engrams cost 800 Silver
Besides the gameplay items, the possible contents of Bright Engrams seem to be all cosmetic, but they've been hugely expanded compared to the original game. New items include transmat effects and Exotic sparrows, ships, and emotes.

Well, I guess now we know why ability cooldowns were so long in the Beta.

And before anyone says "But you can earn them by grinding", I know. I can read.

Make sure you buy your season passes, folks. /s