Alright, so I just got done reading through the December update in it's entirety. For the most part, if was what I expected. Sunbreakers are getting nerfed, challenge mode is a thing, and Tess Everis is going to sell her emotes in bundles that are not as "predictable" as buying them up front.
Wait, what was that last part again?
[quote]Before we go, here’s a final shopping tip: If you see something you like on the Eververse store – something you’ve been meaning to pick up any day now – this is a good time to grab it. The December Update will refresh the inventory available from Tess. She’ll put the stuff you see now in some bags you can still acquire with some Silver, but their contents will be less direct and predictable.[/quote]
So basically what you're saying is that we'll still be giving you actual, real-life money for items, but we won't even be able to know what we're buying until after the transaction is complete. Is this seriously going to be a thing? Did Bungie see how well 343i did by selling REQ Packs in Halo 5, and now wants a piece for themselves?
Now, this could all just be a case of terribly unclear wording (which has happened before), and maybe the emotes come bundled together in groups instead (I.e.: emotions, sports, reactions, etc...), which I would honestly be fine with, as long as the price stays relatively low.
However, from the way it was worded, it totally sounds like after the update I could be handing Bungie anywhere from $5-$20 and getting the exact same emotes I've already acquired (or none at all), which is totally not okay.
Seriously though, if someone from Bungie could reply to this and let us all know what exactly is happening, that would be great.
As a Destiny fan since launch, and someone who has purchased emotes in the past (and would like to continue to do so going forwards), I would like to know the full details of how the new system will work [i]before[/i] it is implemented, not after it's too late.
Best regards,
-Z
[u][b]Edit:[/b][/u]
After reading some replies, I have three new questions:
1: When buying these RNG Eververse packs, is there a possibility of getting duplicate emotes, or will they 100% be ones you don't already own?
2: Will there be new emotes available?
3: Will the refund system still be a thing?
[b][u]Edit 2:[/u][/b]
Just got off work, and wow, this is trending. Looks like a few more people than just me have the same questions. :P
That being said, the general consensus of commenters is that there will be new emotes come December, which will be directly purchasable, while only the old ones will become RNG. While it wasn't really mentioned in the update, I can find that pretty easy to believe, but until I hear directly from Bungie, I have no idea whether it's true or not.
Regardless of the theorised "new stock" at Eververse, the fact that the old Emotes seem to be going RNG is still far from ideal.
As one commenter put it:
[quote]I don't order a pizza HOPING to get the one I want. I order a pizza the way I want it. So with this RNG.. If I'm buying with real money, I want what I want... Not some random purchase. Just sayin..[/quote]
[b][u]Edit 3:[/u][/b]
After reading [i]even more[/i] comments, someone has brought up the possibility of the old emotes working like the Eva Levante's emblems and shaders, which are directly purchasable, but change from time to time. While this is better than "bags" (whatever that means), the current system works just fine, so I fail to see why they couldn't just add another page to the Eververse store, similar to how the vault and kiosks work.
Unless we get detailed feedback from Bungie saying otherwise, we're forced to assume that the old emotes will be sold in bags similar to the Festival Of The Lost loot bags, but only for actual money, which really doesn't make me feel any better about this.
[u][b]Edit 4:[/b][/u]
So another day has gone by, and guess what? We have sparrow racing! Isn't that great? They even announced the microtransactions already!
Prepare your wallets guardians, looks like we're in for another Festival Of The Lost style event, complete with limited-time gear that provides no benefit, is most likely RNG-based, and therfore costs more than the game itself to acquire one item you really want, if you're lucky.
I'm honestly done trying to get a reply at this point, so this will be my final edit. My only advice to you is to spread the word, and whatever you do, don't buy any RNG microtransactions from Tess. Maybe if we make our opinion known with our wallets, the RNG element will cease being a thing.
Probably not, but we can hope, right?
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I hope it's to make way for new emotes, and not just "this is the new system"