Destiny 2’s 30th Anniversary Pack feels very scummy

I love Destiny 2. It’s the game that I’ve put in well over a thousand hours in. I’ve experienced almost every single major piece of content in the entirety of its lifespan and have seen it change immensely over the years. I’ve always loved introducing people to this world myself and others have inhabited for years now, as I’ve always felt that the series has a lot of cool shit to offer.

However, there’s something that hangs over the game that keeps it from being an easy sell in my opinion.

Monetization.

Now, this isn’t a new topic for Destiny 2 in particular, as the monetization practices introduced in the game have always held some scrutiny. But this time, it really feels like we’re heading towards a breaking point with the most recent announcement of Destiny 2‘s upcoming 30th Anniversary event that seems to be testing the waters for some truly concerning developments.

Gjallarhorn? $25 please!

A Hunter holding a Gjallarhorn from Destiny 2's 30th Anniversary Pack, presumably.
I wonder how many disconnects we’ll get upon seeing this monster back in the Crucible
Credit: Bungie

The Gjallarhorn is one of the most legendary exotic weapons to ever exist in all of Destiny. Back in the day, it was what Anarchy is to the game now; powerful, efficient, and the definition of a god-killer, the Gjallarhorn was THE weapon to grind various activities for. And it’s with all this well-known history that Bungie dropped the reveal of Gjallarhorn’s return to Destiny 2 in a quest that will be available during the upcoming 30th Anniversary event.

By the way, that quest (as well as some other stuff) is gonna run you $25. Pretty nifty right?

Let’s get something straight. I fully believe that the devs at Bungie deserve to be paid for the crazy amount of work that is put into the game; all of the content that has become well-loved over the years is because of many talented, hard-working devs that probably don’t get much sleep. However, locking this legendary, sought-after, beloved weapon behind a $25 paywall is pretty scummy in my opinion, and that decision solely falls on the shoulders of the people above those actually making the game.

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What makes it scummy is because it most definitely plays to the nostalgia of veteran players and the goodwill of newer players. If you go on Steam right now, the 30th Anniversary pack is available for pre-order and is also available in a Witch Queen deluxe pack that will run you $100. You can absolutely bet that plenty of hardcore players bought into that particular pack as soon as the pre-order page was available, which was pretty soon after the livestream of Witch Queen ended.

The thing that makes this worse is that we’re expected to drop this cash in the midst of a new season that we’ve already shelled out $10 for. Destiny 2‘s seasonal model is pretty unfriendly for people who don’t feel like keeping up with the game 24/7; if you missed a season, you’re teased by seeing the activities still be present on the directory but are locked behind a paywall.

If you want to play the content of previous seasons, you need to shell out money for the deluxe edition upgrade of Beyond Light, which contains the Season Pass. That’s an extra $30 you’d have to shell out just so you can experience the excellent Presage mission or the Hawkmoon quest.

There’s no way to buy previous seasons individually, so you’re expected to drop a sizable amount of money to experience things that are going away after the year ends anyway. So the fact that we are expected to drop close to the price of three whole seasons for a weapon and an extra dungeon that won’t be in the game for very long is pretty insulting for long-time fans.

READ MORE: Destiny 2: The Witch Queen details revealed

An unfriendly face

Destiny 2's Witch Queen and 30th Anniversary Pack bundle.
Wow. You can really smell the money through the screen
Credit: Bungie

I’m pretty familiar with Bungie’s MO when it comes to monetization. It started with the introduction of Silver way back in the Rise of Iron days of the original Destiny and has evolved with the current iteration of Eververse. We’ve had our rough patches with Eververse in particular, as it’s felt like Bungie has leaned more towards putting all the coolest stuff behind a paywall. It’s felt like Bungie has tried to alleviate that aspect of Eververse a little, but now with this $25 Gjallarhorn shenanigan, it feels like we’re slipping into some dangerous territory.

Destiny 2‘s 30th Anniversary Pack is indicative of a scary trend that is getting uglier as time goes on; the seasonal model is already a pretty tough sell for many but with stuff like this, Destiny 2 has just become an even harder sell for new players. As of right now, Destiny 2 is riding high with tons of players and hype for The Witch Queen expansion, but the stench of Bungie’s monetization schemes is ruining the hype for me personally.

It’s just so unfriendly for the consumer. Even if they make this content free in the future, you’ve only burned the players that threw down the $25 in the first place, so there’s no winning here really. Again, I love this game. I love the memories I’ve made ever since The Taken King was brand new and have loved the best moments in Destiny 2, which I’d argue was when we still had every planet and all the original raids. This new thing Bungie is trying out with the Anniversary event, however, only reveals where their head is at regarding the future of the franchise.

If Destiny 2‘s future is in danger because of the 30th Anniversary Pack’s potential to introduce a scummy way to monetize the game, then we only have our excitement and Bungie’s greed to blame. Don’t feel ashamed if you’ve bought it though, I’m not trying to call you out. Believe me, I was so close to throwing down those $25 for the pack. But I couldn’t support this particular business decision. Bungie, please reconsider the trajectory you’re taking here. It can only lead to more pain for the series in the future.

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