In Destiny 2, many Guardians do not understand that shaders can only be used once. A new system is needed, that is being demanded!
In the subreddit for Destiny, the international Destiny 2 community discusses the daily news. Shaders in Destiny 2 are currently the top topic.
Several threads complaining about the new shader system are at the top of reddit and are receiving agreement and thousands of upvotes.
But why are the Guardians up in arms? What is it about?
Criticism of the new shader system
The problem with shaders in Destiny 2: Each shader can only be used once. It is a consumable item. When you apply a shader to an armor piece, only that piece of armor changes color. For the next piece of armor, you need a new shader.
Shaders are purely cosmetic items. They allow you to customize the colors of your gear. However, the appearance of one’s Guardian holds great importance for many players – and the most efficient method to obtain shaders is the in-game shop. This is upsetting many players.
A user compares the new shaders to chromatics from Destiny 1: Bungie transferred the worst feature of chromatics to the shaders in Destiny 2 – namely, that they are consumed after use. And chromatics were not well received in Destiny 1.
In Destiny 1, shaders were permanent items. In a collection, you could access all previously earned shaders at any time and use them as you wished.
Destiny 2 has now introduced three important changes to shaders:
- They can be applied to armor pieces and weapons.
- They can be applied to each piece of gear individually – this allows you to freely combine shaders and customize the look of your Guardian. In Destiny 1, a shader affected all armor pieces. Many Guardians welcome this change.
- The change that shaders are consumed after application ruins the new shader system for many.
Players Call for Boycott
A Reddit user writes that Destiny 2 has brought many “Quality of Life” improvements, but this one shader change is not in the spirit of the players. He sees the only advantage as the new shaders bringing more money into the developers’ pockets. Because those who want shaders quickly have to go to Eververse, the in-game shop.
Another user doesn’t just criticize, he calls for tougher measures: He urges Guardians not to spend a single cent on microtransactions until Bungie makes shaders “unlimited” again. His boycott is under the hashtag #MakeFashionGreatAgain. Currently (September 7th around noon), he has already gathered over 36,000 upvotes – it is the top thread in the Destiny subreddit by a wide margin.
The user lists several arguments:
- Consumable items, even if they drop frequently, are no improvement over permanent rewards.
- You collect numerous items in Destiny 2, and each requires its own shader. This leads many Guardians to wait until they find their “optimal gear” before applying shaders. Otherwise, the shader is wasted. Especially in the initial hours, when you equip new items after each mission, it does not make sense to apply shaders. And the purpose of shaders should actually be to be used.
- Moreover, it is repeatedly emphasized that Bungie only wants to take money from Guardians with this new shader system. Although there are several sources for shaders – they can also be found in chests in the open world – those who want shaders quickly and efficiently have to knock on Eververse’s door. This is seen as a rip-off.
- It is suspected that this system could become an even bigger problem with “raid shaders”. Until you have the right shaders, you would have to play the raid multiple times.
Currently, we have no statement from Bungie on the matter. However, it seems unlikely that the shader system will be changed anytime soon.
What is your opinion on shaders as consumable items?
We have addressed the topic of “shaders” in a comment here:
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