In the back half of 2021, Destiny 2 has been handling a lot of content. With the delay of the game’s The Witch Queen expansion to February 2022, Destiny 2 has been running one of its longest seasons yet with Season of the Lost. The in-game Bungie 30th Anniversary event gets closer, and the Halloween event Festival of the Lost is in full swing. Even though many fans understand the fact that Season 16 and The Witch Queen's delay is largely because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, one aspect of the month-to-month and week-to-week Destiny 2 experience that has left players unhappy are season passes.
The majority of, if not all, free-to-play games use a season pass at this point. Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone have them, and Destiny 2 is no different. What many fans have started discussing is what feels like a lack of content when it comes to Destiny 2’s season pass. In the past, new dungeons that were released wouldn’t cost players extra money, and it was expected that they would be a part of seasonal content, but the current dungeon debacle in Destiny 2 has changed that. As a result, this added incentive to getting a season pass is no longer there, and Destiny 2 will need to adjust the perks of the paid season pass for many fans to feel that it’s worth it.
Fancier Cosmetics For Destiny 2
There are several key ways that the season pass can be made more worthwhile without dungeon content, though. This would result in the season pass for Destiny 2 resembling what some people consider a kind of video game industry standard. This means things like more unique cosmetic items, as well as an increase in upgrade materials and other key in-game items.
Even though the latter is already somewhat present in current season passes, they rarely justify the money necessary for a season pass. The boosts received from gameplay activities are beneficial, but don’t feel unique or rewarding enough. In contrast, more exclusive armor and weapon ornaments could help the season pass in Destiny 2 feel like a purchase that is worth it, and the 30th Anniversary Content shows that cool ornaments are doable in the game.
Other free-to-play games already have this approach, with Apex Legends skins being a hot topic amongst fans. If Destiny 2 were to put its best foot forward when it comes to armor ornaments within the game’s season pass, their sales could even increase beyond season pass sales before The Witch Queen. Much of the exclusive loot in the game is heavily coveted, and as it is Destiny 2 should show its cosmetics more love. Better weapon and armor ornaments in season passes is a straightforward way to address both scenarios at the same time.
A similar option, that would work best in tandem with better armor and weapon ornaments, is a greater number of shaders. The first Destiny game has incredible shaders in its loot pool. Fan favorites like Glowhoo from the Crota’s End raid in The Dark Below wowed players and felt like a worthy raid reward. Likewise, many fans would love to be able to don a shader that makes their Guardian look like a Taken once again. Providing similar aesthetics as these to season pass holders is something that could not only entice the community, but encourage players to purchase season passes, whether as a bundle or for specific seasons in the future.
Flexible Season Passes In Future Destiny 2 Seasons
Apart from new cosmetics, Destiny 2 should also consider making its season passes more flexible. While the current ecosystem of activities and gameplay is designed to thrive through the use of the Destiny Content Vault, that doesn’t mean season passes can’t be ranked up outside of their respective time slots. This approach is one that Halo Infinite will be using, and has already resulted in a lot of positive attention from fans. This is something Bungie could adopt to alleviate the feelings of FOMO with even more Destiny 2 content being vaulted in 2022.
The community has floated the idea online in the past, and it makes sense why. Some unique rewards and items already come with season passes in Destiny 2, as well as features that benefit the overall player experience. Using this approach would provide an avenue, and reason, for players to access past content like old weapons and armor ornaments, while also improving their quality of life in Destiny 2.
On top of this, less valuable items might increase in value when collected as multiple season passes are leveled up. This could make poor weapon roles and common upgrade materials easier to collect after multiple seasons, and would also incentivize new players to buy into Destiny 2’s season pass model.
Silver in Destiny 2 Season Passes
Other options to upgrading the season pass in Destiny 2 come in the form of some of the most valuable items available to players. While high-tier exotic weapons in Destiny 2 have been introduced to season pass holders in the past, for more casual fans, there are other items worth getting: Silver, Ascendant Shards, and Exotic Ciphers. While difficult to get, Ascendant Shards and Exotic Ciphers can be obtained in Destiny 2 through standard gameplay, but Silver cannot.
Adding Silver into Destiny 2’s season passes would likely benefit the game in a couple of ways too. Fans in the past have openly discussed some of the resentment they harbor towards the Eververse store in Destiny 2. While it’s the main source for ornaments and other items, it can sometimes feel like a barrier between some of the cool cosmetics players would like to see introduced into the game. Including Silver in the season pass could lessen some of the resentment that these players might feel, and also encourage more exploration into what Eververse has to offer.
Simultaneously it would help season pass holders feel valued by Destiny 2 for spending their hard-earned money on it, outside of major expansions. As it is right now, this isn’t quite the case. While previous seasons have included incredible stories and additions to Destiny 2 lore, activities like Astral Alignment’s Legend Difficulty haven’t felt as unique or rewarding as they could. Letting season pass holders know they’re valued in other ways could help lift the Destiny 2 community’s spirits and relieve some of the stress that comes with trying to develop and introduce new game modes every few months.
Destiny 2 is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.