There's a lot going on in the latest edition of This Week at Bungie, which isn't terribly surprising given that the Destiny 2: Warmind expansion drops next week. But one new feature, called the Prismatic Matrix, stands out as particularly interesting. The Prismatic Matrix is a new feature coming in season 3 that's aimed at improving the experience with the Eververse Trading Company, the in-game store that sells cosmetic items for real money.
As it stands, there are a couple of ways to get items out of the Eververse store: A small number of items are directly purchasable each week with Bright Dust, and the whole catalog will also drop from Bright Engrams, which are earned at level-up, and Illuminated Engrams (which as far as I know are simply a season two renaming of Bright Engrams) which can be purchased from the store for real money. But engrams are entirely RNG-dependent, and so relying on them to score a particular item can be an exercise in frustration and expense.
The Prismatic Matrix is meant to alleviate that hassle somewhat by providing a more direct and predictable path to specific items, and reducing the number of duplicate item drops. It will contain ten Eververse items from season 3 that will rotate on a weekly basis: The first "well-rested" level-up of each week will enable one free use of the Matrix—that is, one item drop—and all items will be on a "knockout list" so you shouldn't run into any duplicates.
It obviously won't lead to a sudden deluge of Eververse items, but Matrix drops will come on top of the existing Eververse acquisition channels. Bright Engrams will continue to be earned with each new level and be purchasable in the store, and more Prismatic Matrix activations can also be purchased for 200 silver each. (500 silver goes for $5, larger quantities offer increasing discounts.) The Eververse Store will also offer an increased number of items available for purchase with Bright Dust, from 14 to 18, meaning you'll have a (very slightly) better chance of being able to pick up that sweet Exotic ornament you've been eyeballing for weeks.
The Eververse Store has been a sore point for a lot of Destiny 2 players pretty much from the start: Prices are high, the selection isn't great, and real-money loot boxes aren't exactly in vogue right now. This looks like a step in the right direction, and Bungie suggested that more could be on the way. "We want to continue experimenting and evolving Eververse to improve player experience, and give more paths to earn Eververse rewards," it wrote. "Please give us your feedback once Season 3 begins, as we’re dedicated to improving these systems moving forward."
Destiny 2: Warmind launches on May 8. Destiny 2 itself is available for the really good price of $12 right now in the new Humble Monthly Bundle.
