Exotics should be above all else. Why else are you only able to equip one piece at a time? With that said, the ONLY way they can truly stay exotic, is to not allow them into all PVP playlists. So to fix all the bitching is to simply have a "No Exotic Playlist" along with anything on a competitive level like iron banner or trials simply not allow exotics to be equipped. Easy peasy fix. I'm really hoping Destiny 2 has something like this.