Destiny 2 players will no longer be able to access the $15 starter pack thanks to one pay-to-win item

Two characters fighting
(Image credit: Bungie)

Destiny 2 has waved goodbye to one of its most controversial starter packs just a day after the new season begins. 

The new Destiny 2 starter pack in question was $15 and contained exotic items. While these items aren't exactly meta-defining, they are meant to be higher-rated than the usual weaponry players would start with. There's also a chance that these weapons could quickly become meta and very powerful after a balance change or two, which is yet another reason why they have no place in a starter pack. 

Regardless of the pay-to-win implications of filling a starter pack with tons of powerful items, the truth of the matter is that the wording of this particular pack is what has players up in arms. 

"Calling it a "starter pack" is actually more egregious, [in my opinion], because it's language designed to manipulate new players who don't know any better into buying a bunch of c***, they don't need and can get from a few hours of gameplay and a visit or two to Xur," one Reddit user said in a thread

While a $15 purchase may not seem like much after all the expansions and seasons, you're looking at a price tag for Destiny 2, which is already nearly $150 for the full experience. At that point, Destiny 2 is no longer a free-to-play game, and there shouldn't be any more encouragement for new players who haven't found their footing yet to spend even more cash on top of that.

Luckily, all of these issues haven't gone entirely unheard. Bungie released a statement on Twitter announcing that the starter pack for Season of the Wish has been pulled from stores. "We’ve heard your concerns and agreed that there are other parts of Destiny 2 that new players should want to dive into first before chasing these Exotic weapons, cosmetics, and upgrade materials," Bungie said.

The developer also announced that players will no longer have to go back to Blind Well, a Guardian-initiated activity, once a week. Although it will be a requirement for every player in week 6, and completionists will be able to finish a Seasonal Challenge tied to the public event.

For other fantastic games, be sure to check out the best multiplayer PC games as well as the best MMO games which are available to play right now.

Elie Gould
Features Writer

Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications. 

Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they've taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased. 

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