Guardians are taking to Reddit to voice their concerns over Destiny 2 Event Passes, saying the space game‘s cosmetic rewards for this event aren’t worth the price tag of 1000 Silver, or about $10.
“These event cards are not worth the price they cost[sic]. $10 for a shader, an emote, a sparrow, and a transmat effect. Keep in mind this is the same price as an entire season. Just save your money,” says a post from Reddit user AmbidextrousWaffle that’s been upvoted more than 7,000 times.
Destiny 2’s base game contains a significant amount of free content, but the most hardcore players typically shell out for each annual expansion and seasonal DLC. A recent bundle that included The Witch Queen and three seasons’ worth of additional content, such as campaigns, seasonal activities, and story missions, cost about $80 (£70). The forthcoming Lightfall expansion, which players can also purchase bundled with seasonal content, will run about $100 / £80. On Steam, the bundle of silver costs $14.99 / £12.99, and includes 1000 + 700 ‘bonus’ silver.
As it stands, the fact that Bungie also charges only $10 for its seasonal DLC content may be why some players claim the Event Passes aren’t worth the cost.
The Festival of the Lost Event Pass contains some instant rewards and several rewards that players must earn throughout the event. The instant rewards include a Bobbing For Apples Exotic emote, an Exotic vehicle and a Legendary Shader. Further rewards that require players to exchange tickets include an Exotic ghost shell, a legendary emote, a transmat effect, and a ghost projection.
However, not only do players have to purchase the Event Pass with Silver, but they also have to unlock the content by earning ‘tickets,’ which involves completing challenges throughout the Festival of the Lost. Therefore, it’s possible for someone to spend money on the content and still not be able to access the items in the Event Passes before the event ends in three weeks.
Bungie unveiled its first Event Pass with this year’s Solstice event, which took place over the summer. Even then, players spoke out against the seeming disconnect between the Event Pass running at about $10 and a Season Pass, which unlocks engrams, exotics, materials, or other rewards each time a player levels up throughout the season (up to level 100), for the same price.
Some players are concerned Bungie is monetising the game in a predatory way. They fear Bungie is pushing monetisation in a way that negatively impacts the game, as many gamers claim companies such as EA and Blizzard have done in the past.
Ultimately, the Event Pass may only garner interest from people who want the specific cosmetics it unlocks. Players who aren’t interested in it can simply choose not to purchase it. Still, even though they can simply ignore the pass, it doesn’t necessarily change some players’ opinions that the game developers are trying to add increasingly intrusive monetisation practises into the games they enjoy.
Whether you’re new to the game or just want a refresher, be sure to check out our guides to the best Destiny 2 Titan builds, best Destiny 2 Warlock builds, and best Destiny 2 Hunter builds to help you create a character to take on the Headless Ones in Festival of the Lost.