The developers at Bungie just added more microtransactions to Destiny, a video game in which players travel the solar system hunting for new content. Get ready for level boosters.
New on the Xbox Store today are three different packs that will give you: A) a level-25 boost for your class; B) a “subclass boost”; and C) Telemetries, which are in-game that make your weapons level up faster.
As of right now the level boosters aren’t yet live on the U.S. PlayStation store, but you can see them on Xbox Live for $30 a pop. That’s thirty U.S. dollars. For a boost to level 25.
That price is, to be frank, FUCKING INSANE. If you do buy one of these items, know that you’re not even getting a fully leveled character out of it. Destiny’s level cap is 40, and the real leveling system doesn’t start until you get there. For $30, you’re just shaving a few hours off your experience, which seems... pointless? Leveling a character from 1 to 25 doesn’t take very long and is in fact rather fun.
In October, when we broke the news that Destiny would be getting microtransactions, my understanding was that they would be limited to cosmetics. Until now, that’s been the case—Bungie has only charged for emotes and collectible gear tied to timed events like this month’s Sparrow Racing League. Clearly plans have changed, and Bungie has taken another shaky step closer to a line that no Destiny player wants them to cross.
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You can reach the author of this post at jason@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @jasonschreier.