Destiny 2 players struggle to adapt to ‘awful’ The Final Shape economy changes

How much Glimmer do you have?

A guardian stands next to the Failsafe A.I. in the H.E.L.M in Destiny 2.
Image via Bungie

A major change that came to Destiny 2 with The Final Shape expansion this month involved a simplified economy system based around a few key resources, but three weeks on, players are struggling to adapt to the changes that have seen Glimmer become the primary resource.

Recommended Videos

The Final Shape did away with Legendary Shards entirely, with just about every item, craft, or upgrade in some way now costing Glimmer—a resource that has been ignored for the better part of Destiny 2 as a whole as it served little purpose. As a result, players are finding it frustrating to refill their Glimmer after depleting their stocks. “I feel the overall state of the economy is significantly worse sense [sic] the removal of Legendary Shards,” one player said on the Destiny subreddit today.

A Ghost in Destiny 2 with the Glimmer Booster mod displayed.
Once you clear the season pass, switch to Glimmer Boosters—you’ll need ’em. Screenshot by Dot Esports

They went on to add that ways of farming Glimmer are “incredibly scarce” and that after a full dungeon clear, a Grandmaster Nightfall, and a few other endgame activities, they still lacked the Glimmer for a single weapon or Exotic armor focus. “I really think Glimmer gains across the board need to be drastically increased.”

Bungie had added ways for players to earn extra Glimmer in the lead-up to The Final Shape, with some adjustments dating back a year in advance. As other players were quick to point out, completing heroic public events and ensuring Glimmer Ghost mods were equipped goes a long way to restoring spent Glimmer.

Completing Overthrow activities in the Pale Heart and finding planetary mats using Ghost Detector mods have also been suggested as great ways to refill on Glimmer. After hitting season pass 100, most guardians—including myself—are switching straight from XP to Glimmer mods and extra Legendary gear drops after Ritual activities. Even if the weapons and armor aren’t any good, they can be simply dismantled into Glimmer and Enhancement Cores.

Another player suggested hitting up Xur for Strange Engrams, which cost one Strange Coin each and can reward Upgrade Modules and Enhancement Cores. This saves you from spending your Glimmer on these other materials so you can keep it for the enhancement or craft itself.

In short, while playing any activity in Destiny 2 gets you Glimmer, there are many ways where you can more efficiently boost how much Glimmer you receive—it’s just going to cost you a little time and effort!

Author
Image of Nicholas Taifalos
Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com