Destiny 2 players are currently mourning the impending demise of the game, as its final major content update drops in June. While it’ll still be playable for the foreseeable future, many in the community are lamenting the fact that there will be no more new raids to conquer and no new destinations to visit.
But me? I’m currently feeling despair over the fact that I’ll no longer have silly pieces of fashion to chase after. And not just the spiffy armor pieces I was able to slap on my Guardian–in real life.
For the uninitiated, some progress in Destiny 2 through certain events unlocks prizes in the Bungie Rewards Store–a subset of Bungie.net‘s actual merchandise store, where you can buy Destiny stuff ranging from t-shirts and mugs to gun replicas and collectible busts. When big events happen in the game, they often come with unique merchandise that’s only available for purchase if you complete some in-game activity or quest. The more notable the achievement, the better the item you’re eligible to purchase. The best of these were limited, custom jackets tied to the release of Destiny 2’s most difficult content: its six-player raids and three-player dungeons.
For regular endgame players, this meant that there was always a new jacket to look forward to with each expansion, and for me, that was a fashionable highlight with the release of each new chapter in the series. Beating a raid boss within the first week of the raid’s release earned you the right to spend cash on a jacket to show off your triumphs, and Bungie typically offered some killer fashion to stand out from the pack. If you didn’t finish the raid or dungeon within its release window, you couldn’t get the jacket, making each one a very special item limited only to players who were willing and able to put in the time to brave Destiny 2’s biggest challenges.
It might sound absurd that you’d have to spend a weekend–or several, in the case of The Final Shape’s infamous raid–just to unlock the privilege of giving Bungie money, but there was just something so satisfying about a tangible reward. Destiny 2 jackets are designed to fit right in with the aesthetic of Bungie’s universe, with the Salvation’s Edge, Vault of Glass, and Deep Stone Crypt jackets being instant head-turners. These jackets aren’t just comfortable and versatile–I wore one to the top of Table Mountain on a chilly, misty day, and it was perfect–they’re also beacons to fellow Destiny 2 Guardians.
It’s not perfect, but by and large, Destiny 2 has a terrific community of people who are always ready to lend a hand and join you to take down paracausal forces of darkness. In real life, wearing one of these jackets and being spotted by a comrade-in-arms is always a treat, and talking shop with someone who has braved some of Destiny 2’s greatest challenges is always a treat. It has happened several times to me in the past while I was decked out in my comfy raid gear, and I’ll still proudly wear these jackets with pride.
This is going to be a gap in my life that I hope Bungie plugs with Marathon rewards. So far, the Bungie Rewards Store has zero Marathon-related items, a crying shame given just how strong the extraction shooter’s art direction is. And for players who overcame its notoriously difficult endgame content? They deserve to bask in their glory while wrapped inside a wearable collectible.
Time will tell if that changes, but for now, my Destiny 2 raid jackets will serve as a cozy reminder of the game’s greatest moments and victories.
