Players of Destiny 2 are exceptionally happy with the new game, though one problem seemed to surface despite being happy with nearly everything else. On the Destiny subreddit, many of the top threads have been regarding Bungie’s change to shaders, cosmetic items that color your gear. In the first Destiny, these shaders applied to your entire armor setup that you were wearing and could be changed out at all once they were earned. Destiny 2 allows players to slot shaders into individual pieces of gear, now including weapons, Ghosts, ships, and sparrows. The catch? Destiny 2 shaders are consumable items that will be overwritten should you decide to color your gear with something else, or find another item you would rather equip.
The biggest downside to this is that shaders are now inherently tied to the microtransactions. Many of the premium quality ones come from Bright Engrams, Destiny 2’s version of loot boxes that can be earned through level ups or purchased via real world money. Often these premium shaders are more than just recoloring. They will add special surfaces and textures like chrome or carbon fiber that further enhance the look of your gear. The problem with it being a one-time-use consumable is that if I use it on a certain gun, I now cannot use it again. If I only have three of this sweet magenta chrome shader, I have to choose three individual pieces of gear to color. Then I never get to change those colors again if I don’t want to lose them. What happens when I get a new sparrow I like better? Or a better gun?
Destiny 2 Director Luke Smith took to Twitter to address the shader crisis.
Shaders are earned through gameplay: leveling, chests, engrams, vendors. We expect you’ll be flush w/ Shaders as you continue to play. (1/4)
— Luke Smith (@thislukesmith) September 7, 2017
When you reach level 20, Shaders will drop more often: vendor rewards, destination play and endgame activities. (2/4)
— Luke Smith (@thislukesmith) September 7, 2017
Shaders are now an ongoing reward for playing. Customization will inspire gameplay. Each planet has unique armor and Shader rewards. (3/4)
— Luke Smith (@thislukesmith) September 7, 2017
With D2, we want statements like “I want to run the Raid, Trials, or go back to Titan to get more of its Shader” to be possible. (4/4)
— Luke Smith (@thislukesmith) September 7, 2017
While Smith has a point, one of the most exciting things about Destiny was the ability to show off your accomplishments through shaders. Even if I only completed a hard mode raid once, I forever had a shader that was a trophy of that moment. I was always changing up what shader I was using in the first Destiny. Now, shaders are as fleeting as the wind. I share sentiment with many redditors who feel that because of the impermanence of shaders, they’ll never bother to apply them for fear of Destiny’s ever changing gear loadouts whisking a beloved shader away to the ether. I personally don’t want to have to grind just so that I can occasionally throw Chatterwhite or Weldfire on my gear again.
Smith’s comments don’t seem to have calmed the angry fans on the Destiny subreddit, but at least there has been a quick developer response to the problem. It’s been less than 48 hours since Destiny 2 launched in the US, so it remains to be seen just how much of a real problem shaders become once players get into the gameplay loop of the post-campaign content. We’ll keep you updated on any further responses from Bungie.
Our Destiny 2 review-in-progress is now live, with a scored review to come after we get some time with the raid. If you want to know how to trigger Destiny 2 heroic public events, we’ve got a guide for you! We’ve also discovered that the Collector’s Edition poster hides a secret that is revealed under UV light. Stay tuned for more Destiny 2 news and updates as the launch week continues.
