The problem withDestiny 2’s transmog system is that it is treated as a grind that spans multiple Seasons of the game. Out of the 10 individual armor pieces players can unlock in any given season, each season inDestiny 2adds at least one 5-piece armor set to the game. The current capacity for how players unlock cosmetic armor pieces inDestiny 2makes for a slow process, and the time and effort required don’t match the quantity or quality of the rewards.
Players often resort to monetized cosmetics due to how easily accessible they are compared to the natural method of collecting cosmetic armor ornaments inDestiny 2. The uniquearmor sets from the Eververse storeare in good standing inDestiny 2, but the natural method leaves much to be desired. While the roots ofDestiny 2’s transmog system may be too deep to dig up at this point, there’s still plenty from recent games that could influenceDestiny 2’s cosmetic systems for the better.
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What Destiny 2 Could Learn from Diablo 4’s Transmog System
Transmogrifying armor inDiablo 4and previousDiablogames is a fairly simple and inexpensive process. Players must obtain the desired gear by any means necessary, and then scrap the equipment to unlock its appearance. One of the biggest things thatDestiny 2could make use of fromDiablo 4’s transmog system is how Legendary items are treated.Diablo 4’s Legendary items are the analog toDestiny 2’s Exotic gear, thoughDiablo 4gives players a lot more freedom when it comes to cosmetics for top-tier gear.
Most Exotic armor and weapons inDestiny 2have a few options of ornaments to apply, which act as cosmetic overhauls unique to the related gear. However, inDiablo 4players can interchange the appearance of every Legendary item universally with the appearance of other Legendaries of the same item type. UnlikeDiablo 4’s Legendaries though,Destiny 2only allows players to equip one Exotic armor and weapon at a time. Even though there is already a system in place forExotic ornaments inDestiny 2, letting players interchange the appearance of Exotic gear could be an interesting change.
How Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Sets a Good Pace for Earning Cosmetics as Rewards
Star Wars Jedi: Survivorhas one of the simplest systems for changing the player character’s cosmetic options, due to the process and variety having a lot less depth than games likeDestiny 2orDiablo 4. The different cosmetic options for outfits, hairstyles, droid parts, and weapon parts all come from variouscollectibles inStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. Most cosmetics can be found in hidden caches and rewards from completing puzzles around the different planets in the game. The rest ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s cosmetics come from in-game vendors who use planetary treasures as currency.
WhatDestiny 2could learn from howStar Wars Jedi: Survivorgives players cosmetics is that, likeDiablo 4, unlocking each cosmetic is its own challenge without the added steps of paywalls and time gates. To unlock Legendary gear appearances as universal armor ornaments inDestiny 2, players need to complete a bounty and use the rewarded currency to purchase each individual ornament. Otherwise, players can buy a select few cosmetic sets fromDestiny 2’s Eververse microtransaction store. The problem with the transmog bounties inDestiny 2is that there is a limit in place of 10 bounties per character per season, and many players are critical of how convoluted this process is, as opposed to being a worthwhile challenge.
When it comes to armor cosmetics inDestiny 2, the process for obtaining these items is generally too demanding for casual players. The main grievance that the community has with cosmetics is the time gate that stretches out the process into a substantially long commitment. Given how cosmetic items have no inherent advantages inDestiny 2, the collection process is ultimately trapped in an outdated system that could take some pointers from other games.
Destiny 2is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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