Cosmetic items make gaming so much more fun, and as the push for increased character customization takes firm footing (especially in the online gaming industry), developers are constantly creating new skins to engage their player base. Shaders are Destiny 2's method of changing gear texture and color, and like most items in multiplayer games, these tools vary in their rarity. Many shaders in Destiny 2 are relatively easy to come across through the Eververse in exchange for Bright Dust, Crucible matches, opening chests, and raids. However, a few are almost impossible to obtain in Destiny 2's gameplay, with only a tiny percentage of players having these shaders in their inventories.
Grinding for these items was a tall order, as the conditions for their unique activities proved a bridge too far for many gamers to cross. Due to their rarity, developer Bungie brought some old inaccessible shaders to Destiny 2's modern era for a limited time, giving players another run at getting them, either through Vanguard Ops and other traditional modes or the transmog vendor. While a sizeable portion of these shaders can be earned by completing their corresponding activities in-game, a select few can only become available after players donate to Bungie's charitable causes, and unsurprisingly such items constitute the rarest cosmetic items in Destiny 2.
Small Luminance
The crown of the rarest shader is currently worn by Small Luminance, only in the possession of 0.2% of Destiny 2 players. The reason for its rarity is the price tag -- it is only available to those who donate $10,000 to the Bungie Foundation. There are only a few other skins available in Destiny 2 with no reported sighting -- Hearts of Gold, Principled Porphyry, and Argent Champion -- all of which can only be unlocked via donations, similar to Small Luminance. The exotic skin was first added to Destiny 2 in 2022.
Terrachroma
As promotional material for an issue of the Japanese gaming magazine Weekly Famitsu, the Terrachroma Shader is a skin that needs purchasing to be used in Destiny 2. Terrachroma first came to the game in late 2021 and is owned by roughly 0.5% of Destiny 2's player base.
3 Connections
3 Connections is another special offer, although players could only gain access to the shader by watching a live stream on Bilibili, a Shanghai-based streaming platform. Due to the strenuous procedure to get the item, it became one of the rarest shaders in Destiny 2, with only about 1% of players having this skin in their arsenal.
Opaline Shatter
A Season 20 introduction, Opaline Shatter was added to Destiny 2: Lightfall's raid, Root of Nightmares, which took place on the terraformed ship of the Witness. Although Root of Nightmares was considered one of the game's easier raids, Opaline Shatter was a reward that required players to complete every encounter without any fireteam member dying, which is a nigh impossible task. As a result, only about 1.5% of Destiny 2 gamers have this cosmetic item.
Sundered Flesh
Flawless Raids are the mark of a true Destiny 2 master, and Sundered Flesh is the reward for completing the King's Fall Raid without dying. Destiny 2's Season of the Plunder marked the raid's return to the franchise, and the sheer length meant most players fell by the wayside, with only 1.96% of Destiny 2 players gaining the Crux of the King victory.
Divinity's Caress
Divinity's Caress is another shader that required a Flawless completion, just like Opaline Shatter. Every fireteam member needed to stay alive throughout the Vow of the Disciple Raid before getting the Risen From the Deep triumph containing the shader. A meager 3% of players can boast of the Season 16 addition.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
