Bungie Day 2025’s mystery emblem system has Destiny 2 fans calling it “literal gambling,” slamming the developer over low drop chances and lack of transparency.
Every year on July 7, Destiny 2 players celebrate Bungie Day, a tradition started by the community and embraced by the studio itself. It’s usually a feel-good mix of charity, cosmetics, merch discounts, and community events. On one side, there’s the Bungie Foundation’s fundraising campaign, which helps support children’s health, global disaster aid, and diversity initiatives.
On the other hand, the Bungie Store Sale gives players a chance to grab some Destiny gear and even unlock digital items through past in-game achievements. This year’s Bungie Day followed the same routine: a week-long store sale and donation incentives for those who support the Foundation’s causes.
But one new addition to the Bungie Store side of things has players furious, and it all comes down to a single emblem.
Destiny Fans Call Bungie’s Mystery Emblem System “Scummy” and “Gambling”
The backlash started right after Bungie’s official Destiny 2 account on X (Twitter) posted about the Bungie Store’s limited-time sale. The deals feature up to 20% discount on items when spending a fixed amount on purchasing items.
What stood out was the mention of a “mystery emblem” gifted with every purchase. According to the official press release, “a mystery Destiny 2 emblem will be granted with every purchase, pulled from a curated pool of classic Bungie Store designs. Among them is Lockbox, a new Destiny 2 emblem, with limited quantities, making this drop a rare collector’s moment.”
What they didn’t mention publicly, but fans quickly figured out, is that Lockbox isn’t just rare, it’s random. The tracking site emblem.report reports that as of now, only 39 people have it. The drop rate? Roughly 16% per order. Players have no control over which emblem they get, and there’s no way to see what you received unless you claim it through email.
That didn’t sit well with the community. Comments flooded social media almost instantly. Destiny 2 creator Luckstruck9 said, “This feels like spitting in the face of the community. The obvious problem is having a new emblem only available through RNG. To make matters worse, you will not know what your mystery emblem is unless you’re able to claim it.”
Another content creator, SneakyBeaver, added a comment, “The mystery emblem thing is just bad. This just screams throw wallet, play the lotto & pray.” Another player, atmOnyx, acknowledged the discounts and the idea of bonus emblems but said the way it’s handled crosses a line. “I get the deals and emblems,” they wrote, “but [not being able to] choose which one you get makes this literal gambling. Really scummy way to squeeze your player base for money, in my opinion.”
Another longtime player and creator, Mislead, added, “Please can we not have gambling to get a new emblem… this is so out of touch with your community, it’s insane.”
One user, NNicx, didn’t mince words, calling it out plainly: “Gambling for emblems, how low can this company go?” Another player, Prodigy1998, echoed the frustration, saying, “Yeah, this ain’t it. One step forward & four steps back with you guys all the time.”
They took issue with Bungie labeling the emblem a “gift” while hiding it behind a random draw, calling it misleading and unfair. “While the mystery item is a ‘gift’, the fact that you included one brand-new emblem in that grouping is very scummy,” they wrote. “Like we’re talking Activision levels of scummy. 1/6 chance per purchase. No thanks.”
To make things more intense, all of this is happening less than a week before Destiny 2’s next big expansion. The Edge of Fate expansion drops on July 15, and it’s expected to bring massive changes to the game’s systems.
What do you think? Was Bungie out of line with this mystery emblem setup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
