Because Destiny 2 is a looter shooter, it also comes with distinctive traits of the genre like multiple gear options, each with different rolls and stats that make them unique to a degree. Players can also customize their builds in various ways thanks to Destiny 2's Exotic items and the fact that each character can carry up to three weapons - one in the Kinetic slot, one in the Energy slot, and one in the Heavy slot. There are also mods to factor into the equation, and they can drastically change the way Destiny 2 is played if gamers combine different mods that belong to the same category, like Elemental Well mods and Warmind Cell mods.
Another reason why mods are so important is that Destiny 2 has a seasonal model that comes with new storylines and content on a regular basis. With every new Season comes a selection of rotating mods, including Champion mods and ones that provide other beneficial effects or debuffs on enemies, like Breach and Clear or Particle Deconstruction. However, each mod in Destiny 2 costs a specific amount of armor energy, which each piece of armor has depending on how upgraded it is. The way armor works in Destiny 2 is that each armor piece has a certain elemental affinity that determines which mods can be slotted in it, and that can be problematic for build customization.
What is Armor Affinity in Destiny 2
Armor affinity in Destiny 2 is something that each armor piece in the game has, and every new armor drop comes with a random elemental affinity - being either Void, Solar, Arc, or Stasis. This affinity can be changed at any given time outside of activities where gear is locked, but it does have a cost that depends on the energy of the armor piece, as it costs more materials and currency the higher the energy of the armor piece. Given that players will always try to Masterwork armor pieces due to their intrinsic +2 bonus to every stat in the game, it's important to note that changing an armor piece's elemental affinity at that point costs an Ascendant Shard, among other things.
Ascendant Shards are relatively common for players who consistently run Master and Grandmaster Nightfall Strikes in Destiny 2, but they are limited to 10 in the inventory and 10 in the Postmaster. Furthermore, not all players engage with the high-end PvE content, and many struggle to take any piece of gear to Masterwork, let alone changing it around on a whim depending on other build changes. It's also worth noting that changing an Exotic armor piece's elemental affinity costs three Ascendant Shards instead of one, making it even more expensive for every player.
This is important since Masterworking a specific armor piece seems fine until players have to make some adjustments to their characters, as they will then realize they have to pay a rare, limited currency to test something out or have a better build. The current system is not very friendly towards anyone, be it Destiny 2 veterans or new players alike, and it should change before the big December patch drops.
Why Masterwork Gear's Affinity Will be a Problem in Destiny 2
With the 30th Anniversary Pack that's coming in a little over a week, Bungie is aiming to make cooldowns on abilities and Supers differentiated based on power and tiers, and the end goal is to increase variety in Destiny 2 builds. This means that changing one's build on the fly in the game is going to be problematic, as even selecting a different grenade or Super will likely require different mods and armor pieces to make it work smoothly - with the main issue being armor affinity. If players like using a grenade that's normally on a low cooldown compared to others as a way to spawn Elemental Wells, switching to a different grenade with a longer cooldown for any reason would also mean that those Elemental Wells will be generated less reliably.
As such, it might be necessary for those Destiny 2 players to change their build around in a way that either focuses on something else, like Warmind Cells or Charged with Light mods, or stop caring so much about grenades altogether. This example is particularly useful because it highlights how armor affinity can be critical to both options, considering that most combat style mods (Elemental Wells, Charged with Light, and Warmind Cells) all require a different elemental type based on what they do and which ones are meant to be used. For instance, stacking Elemental Well mods like Well of Ordnance, Bountiful Wells, and Explosive Wellmaker is a solid strategy, but it does require three armor pieces with Solar affinity.
If players were to change armor pieces due to switching their builds around, or if their mods needed to be changed to different elements, then three Solar pieces would probably do more harm than good. As such, Masterworking gear in Destiny 2 shouldn't be punishing to a degree for all players. Rather, it should be made free at all energy levels to promote build diversity. Ultimately, offering players another tool to make more diverse loadouts is always a good thing, and in this case, it's even more vital because of how limiting the system feels.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.