With the introduction of Destiny: The Taken King, most players are not expecting Bungie to drastically alter their base formula. Prior expansion releases have done little to shake things up outside of adding a few modes and options, so there’s no reason to think Destiny’s fundamental makeup will change come September.

That being said, Bungie is not simply cutting and pasting their past content over to The Taken King (at least we hope not), but making slight changes to the gameplay and the customization. They’ve yet to say what specifically Destiny players can expect, but we do know that a new type of class item is in the cards.

As revealed during the Bungie Weekly Update Part 1 – wherein Bungie detailed the Destiny Year 1 VIP rewards – The Taken King will add a new type of class item that offers stat-specific boosts. Bungie wouldn’t say what exactly those stat changes might be, but it sounds as if the once-cosmetic items will soon carry a new utility. Previously, a class “mark” did little more than add a piece of flair to a player’s Destiny Guardian.

Make no mistake, Bungie promises that the new class items will still contribute towards the Guardian’s look, but they will also impact “build preferences.” Sounds to us like these class items might impact the attributes of a Guardian’s subclass, like adding multiple abilities from the same perk tree tier. Some exotic armor pieces, for example, give a subclass additional abilities to make that one more viable.

"For those looking for a little more context about Emotes and Class Items in The Taken King, we will be introducing new Class Items with stat attributes. These will provide players with another gear slot that can contribute to both your Guardian’s look and build preferences. The Class Items included in the Collector’s Edition are a welcome addition for players looking to level up newborn Guardians or fresh subclasses, but they are not the only new Class Items available in Destiny: The Taken King. This is part of our focus on making the game more rewarding and adding more variety options for players. The same goes for Emotes."

For now, it’s up to Destiny players to speculate as to the nature of these new class items, but we can expect more news on them in the coming months and we wouldn't be surprised if the boost was just for XP. If there’s one thing Bungie has always been good about it’s making sure Destiny players know what exactly they are paying for, and what new content is in the pipeline.

Interestingly enough, though, that’s what got the developer into hot water with fans; they revealed a new expansion in Destiny: The Taken King and only confirmed a $40 price tag. Not to mention, Bungie later unveiled an $80 Collector’s Edition that forced Destiny veterans to re-purchase old content in order to unlock new rewards, which included some of these class items. Now, it appears Bungie has seen the error of their ways and will offer new upgrade options for veterans. Look for more news on that soon.

How would you like to see the new class items impact build preferences?

Destiny: The Taken King releases September 15, 2015 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: Bungie