Bungie reveals Destiny’s microtransactions – just the tip of the iceberg?

Destiny developers Bungie may have dug themselves a shallow grave when they announced microtransactions will be coming to the Tower last week. Tess Everis, a merchant accessible in The Last City who previously dealt in “Special Orders,” will be selling unique emotes (among other mysterious items) starting Tuesday, October 13th, 2015. 

Eighteen never-before-seen emotes will be available on day one.

These are entirely optional to acquire and are purely cosmetic. Optional is good in this case as players will buy these emotes with Silver, an all new currency that requires real money to purchase. There is no word yet on how much the emotes or the Silver will cost, nor any news on what the emotes look like. Bungie will release this information on Tuesday when players can find Tess in the tower.

Is the announcement of microtransactions the end of Destiny as we know it? Bungie doesn’t think so. Although fans of the game may fear that Tess will begin to sell essential items for quests or raids, Bungie makes it very clear in their announcement that this is not the case:

  “[…] you won’t lose a Crucible encounter or fail to clear a Raid because you didn’t have the right Eververse Trading Company emote equipped.”

This may stand for the emotes but what about any other mystery gear Everis might bring to the table?

“Initially, Tess will offer eighteen brand new emotes.” Initially being the key word we’re worried about. The most obvious sales for future Eververse Trading Company wares will likely be Armor Shaders, Emblems, or Ships. Items that don’t affect gameplay. However, there will always be a constant fear of Artifacts, Ghosts, Vehicles, Armor or Weapons becoming available for purchase. 

In theory, microtransactions seem like a good idea, until the developers get a little too greedy and start selling game changing items. 

Destiny fans in particular are afraid of microtransactions because of the sheer amount of money the game requires in the first place. The original game, multiple expansions, “Year Two” A.K.A. The Taken King. Destiny is an expensive game to stay up to date with, and the presence of microtransactions may drive consumers up the wall.

Of course, this is simply speculation and might not warrant alarm at all.

Bungie seems sure that players will never need Eververse equipment to complete a task in the game, other than being stylish, of course. Players should visit Tess at her new store the next time they drop by the Tower.

Players should also expect to see a small amount of Silver deposited to their accounts as Bungie is giving players enough Silver for “an emote or two” to pique everyone’s interest.

Additionally, we know that Silver will be an obtainable in-game resource in small quantities, without real money. But, by the sounds of it, it might take months to collect enough Silver to purchase these emotes.

Destiny’s Eververse Trading Company appears in game on Tuesday October 13th, 2015. Expect to see an article here, concerning Silver pricing as well as in-game item pricing.