Destiny 2 redefines the loot system with tokens. They serve as the main source of loot in the game. Is this a curse or a blessing? We get to the bottom of it!
Bungie has changed the way we earn loot in Destiny 2. In Destiny 1, loot was mainly acquired through random drops after activities or targeted purchases with legendary marks.
Destiny 2 does everything differently in this regard. Random drops are rarer (or non-existent as in the Iron Banner), instead, Guardians earn tokens that can be exchanged for random loot at vendors and factions.
The community is upset, as the token system represents one of the only ways to get loot at all. When tokens take the most prominent role in virtually every activity, boredom sets in.
A term has already spread in the community: “The Token King”.
Read in this article why I still consider the token system to be a sensible innovation that just needs adjustments.
Players don’t like the token system
The importance of tokens in Destiny 2 only revealed itself slowly and in three steps.
- There were almost no random drops after completed raid phases in the Leviathan Raid, but loot for tokens, and only after the first successful completion of the raid. Since tokens also did not drop any loot that increased power levels, disappointment was high.
- When tokens were introduced in the Trials of the Nine and Iron Banner, the community was fed up. After all, the emissary of the Trials of the Nine carried loot based on the number of victories.
- This is completely absent from the Iron Banner. In fact, you can earn Iron Banner gear only through tokens. There are no more random drops after individual matches. This takes away the excitement for many players; there are no more surprises. The fact that loot earned through tokens does not provide power-level advantages caps it off.
Collecting discount tokens instead of earning epic loot
The well-known streamer Gothalion expressed his feelings about the tokens in this tweet:
Free translation: If you have to pay for everything with tokens, you don’t feel like an epic warrior plundering valuable treasures, but like a discount coupon collector.
Tokens are not sexy!
The tokens primarily have an image problem. No Guardian wants to deal with game chips or peddle them with the factions. We are god-slaying time conquerors, not customers at Ceasar’s Palace.
Just renaming the tokens with an individual graphic would help calm the spirits. Why don’t we collect flux compensators in the EDZ, which Devrim Kay desperately needs, in exchange for loot?
If I were to receive gilded honor medals for a victory in the Iron Banner, it would create a whole different bond than throwing game chips around.
Bungie’s motivation is clear – the tokens have high recognition value and provide especially new players with good orientation. But in the long run, they mainly offer one thing: boredom!
Why the token system is still sensible
I say the token system is a sensible change and helps especially players with more than one character. To understand this, let’s look back at Destiny 1. If you wanted to buy loot from the various factions, you needed legendary marks. These were limited to 200 (across the account).
If you wanted to buy something, you had to plan well – the available offers from the factions were expensive. Even if the opportunities to earn marks were generous, spontaneous purchases were not possible.
Level-ups with the factions were considered an additional source of loot. Each package earned this way provided you with a random selection of faction-specific items. However, these level-ups were character-bound. Each Guardian leveled up the factions with the character they were currently playing.
And this makes the token system better with Destiny 2. You can now play with the character you want, but redeem your tokens with a different figure. This significantly increases planning. You can now also weigh exactly which faction you want to level up, depending on what you’re playing.
In Destiny, I sometimes didn’t even notice whether I had a rank-up with a faction. If you had two rank-ups without collecting the reward package, the first package was lost for you. In Destiny 2, you decide for yourself when you want to rank up with a faction!
Regarding the Trials of the Nine and the raid, the tokens also represent a good opportunity to complete your equipment or to send loot to a character that hasn’t participated in the activity at all.
Tokens should be a supplement to the loot system, not the core
The token system makes sense, but unfortunately Bungie has clearly overshot the mark with the implementation. Tokens should complement the loot in Destiny 2, not replace it. Activities should be the main source of loot, not a vendor in the Tower.
Meaningful adjustments to the token system could include:
- Increasing loot drops in all activities
- Limiting tokens as currency for targeted, weekly rotating items at the factions
- Rank-ups at the factions reward with equipment that the player does not already have (Smart Loot)
Whether tokens perform the rank-up or an experience system is introduced is irrelevant. Through the measures mentioned above, the basic idea of the tokens can be maintained, but the main source of loot should once again be the activities.
What do you think of the token system in Destiny 2? Curse or blessing? Let us know in the comments!
