As Destiny 2 players celebrate long-awaited character customization, Bungie stresses "we don't have any current plans to monetize this" – or add a way to change races

Some 10 years after the release of the original Destiny, Bungie is finally giving Destiny 2 players a way to redo their character's appearance, whether they're painfully tired of the edgy Hot Topic model they created a decade ago or simply fancy a new hairdo. In a follow-up comment to GamesRadar+, a representative for the developer affirmed that this customization will remain free according to "current plans," and also clarified that it doesn't have plans to add a way to change your race (origin).

"We're excited for players to be able to change their Guardian's features such that they can continue to express themselves anytime, anywhere," Bungie said. "We don't have any current plans to monetize this feature. Additionally, we don't have plans to allow players to change their starting origin." 

This clarification is important for a few reasons. Firstly, Destiny 2 is no stranger to monetizing how your Guardian looks, from transmog fees that can be bypassed with a credit card to Eververse shaders and armor sets. Secondly, it's actually fairly common for MMOs to let players adjust their character's basic features for free – hair and eyes and so on – while offering a paid way to redo them from the ground up. Think of Final Fantasy 14's $10 Phial of Fantasia, which lets you turn your cat girl into a bunny boy or whatever your heart desires. 

With the initial rollout for Destiny 2 character customization not offering a way to redo your origin – to turn an Exo into an Awoken, for instance – this made me wonder if Bungie might eventually add such an option, and that in turn made me wonder if that option might cost some money. Alas, there are no plans for race changes, but hey, at least customization is free, unlimited, and finally, finally here. Well, almost here; the feature will arrive in an update coming later this year but before the launch of The Final Shape. 

Destiny 2 director casually announces a change for The Final Shape that players have wanted for 9 years: shader icons that actually make sense.