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As many self-proclaimed Guardians would attest, Bungie is more in touch with its fan base than the majority of other game developers around today. Instead of hiring someone in-house to improve the relations between themselves and gamers, the studio scouted Destiny devotees online, and hired Chris "Cozmo23" Shannon, once the game's Reddit moderator and now Bungie's Community Manager. Not to mention, a lot of long-time players would argue that some of the reveals for The Taken King during yesterday's Year 2 stream namely the promise of doubled vault space and its old exotics upgrades was an indication that Bungie is intent on remaining close with its audience, and has been paying attention to the wishlist of their most wanted features.

Bungie's Weekly Updates are also a big part of maintaining that symbiotic relationship between the studio and Destiny fans, and today's briefing not only gives folks an in-depth explanation of the action-RPG's forthcoming exotic blueprints system, but it also addresses the Year One legends that stuck by the game since the very beginning. As a thank you to those players, Bungie has put together a trailer that highlights the rewards Year One VIPs will be receiving.

A little over a month ago, Bungie teased each VIP reward with an older Weekly Update in a possible effort to enact a bit of damage control for Creative Director Luke Smith's somewhat flippant comments about The Taken King's price value. While the recompense for Destiny's veteran players were then displayed in an image, as the footage at the top of the article shows, the studio has now given fans the opportunity to see them in action.

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As previously reported, the VIP rewards in what's called the Founders Fortune Pack will include a brown and yellow Brave Ghost Shell, a black tiger-striped Be Brave Emblem, an Old Guard Shader, and an onyx S-34 Ravensteel Sparrow. Should Destiny fans not be able to watch the video, we've compiled them above in a gallery of pictures for convenience's sake.

According to Planet Destiny, the rewards will be available in the Tower as early as The Taken King's day one launch. In order to receive them, players must have had a Level 30 Guardian or played both The Dark Below and House of Wolves before August 31, 2015, in addition to having played any version of The Taken King prior to February 1, 2016.

The offering of fresh swag and a nod of appreciation is certainly a nice touch on Bungie's part, and although the bounty won't actually affect gameplay mechanics in any way, it's still cool for those receiving the bonuses to have the exclusive content to set themselves apart. However, it might give VIPs the psychological edge they need to intimidate other players in the Crucible's two new multiplayer modes.

At any rate, gamers are hyped for The Taken King to arrive, and once it becomes available, those Destiny fans ought to be filled with glee when they finally get their hands on a copy. And with a couple more livestreams scheduled to discuss the upcoming expansion's content before it releases, there's no telling what surprises Bungie still has in store.

Destiny: The Taken King is set to release on September 15, 2015, for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: Bungie