Big changes are coming to Destiny 2’s monetization model now that Activision is out of the picture.
Earlier this year, Bungie kicked Activision to the curb. They broke their contract with the publishing giant and took the Destiny IP with them along with Destiny 2, having since learned their lesson with Microsoft and Halo.
Since this will be the first year the Bungie has had full control of Destiny, they want to make big changes. They’ve already announced a new expansion, Shadowkeep, will arrive for Destiny 2’s anniversary, but they also want things to change with respect to the game’s monetization. Activision’s money-grubbing ways aren’t how Bungie wants to do things, and so the pay-to-win portion of the Eververse is out of here.
In an update posted to the Destiny 2 website yesterday, Bungie outlined their plan to reform the Eververse, starting with purchasable armor. Come September 17th, all Eververse armor will be converted into Universal Ornaments, which is basically a fancy term for cosmetic items you can place over top of any legendary armor. You’ll have the cool look of whatever Universal Ornament you install, but you’ll retain the original legendary armor’s stats and perks.
Previously, the only way to obtain Bright Dust was to dismantle Eververse items. That’s set to change too. Come September, Bright Dust will become a reward for completing Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit bounties. Instead of getting Bright Dust from dismantling Eververse items, you’ll get Legendary Shards and Glimmer.
This means that right now is the best time to stock up on Bright Dust before the change goes through. Expect a mad dash from players as they all buy up whatever items they can to stock up on Bright Dust before September.
Bungie plans to roll out these Eververse changes along with the new Shadowkeep expansion for Destiny 2’s anniversary on September 17th. Along with the new expansion, Destiny 2 will get a “New Light” free-to-play mode which will allow anyone to download, install, and play the base game completely free. They’ll also be able to do the Leviathan raid, and any expansions will have to be paid for.