EDIT: Reddit post made - https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/75p1lc/constructive_criticism_towards_the_token_system/ This is my constructive criticism of the Token System, and why said system is flawed. No insults, no attacks, just the pure type of feedback that Bungie is looking for. Let's get started. Why and how is the Token System flawed? Because of three key reasons. One, because it ruins the pacing of the game, and two, because it implements an unnecessary middleman between playing the game and rewards for doing so. Activities tend to last 10-20 minutes on average, depending on the activity, and you don't get actual loot from completion at the end. Instead, you get a small handful of tokens to take to someone for maybe an engram. It takes an average of 20 tokens in order to rank-up the faction, and some tokens take much longer to acquire than others. Plus, once you finally to reach twenty, the loot-pool is so diluted that the chances of you getting what you actually want are very slim. So, what’s the solution for the Token System? For the most part, removal of the system and changing how faction-leveling works entirely, with a few exceptions. Here are some universal solutions, as well as solutions for each faction/activity: * Universal - Adding rotating inventories to factions, where you can buy armor, weapons, and shaders for legendary shards. This gives faction reps more meaning, and more use for shards. Then, instead of one faction engram upon rank-up, bring back the choice between an armor or a weapon package. This makes the loot-pool much less diluted. Lastly, allow faction progress to be tracked from the in-game menu. * Strikes (Zavalla) - The problem is that strikes tend to last 15-20 minutes on average, and you don't receive any loot from the chest at the end, only tokens. The solution? Make weapons, armor, and planetary resources drop from the chest at the end of the strike, while removing tokens. Instead, every strike and challenge completed should boost your reputation with the Vanguard. This way, you receive rewards upon completion while still earning reputation for leveling up the faction. * Meditations (Ikora) - The problem here is that we only have three meditations per week to do, and maybe we just want to replay story missions for fun. Solution? Make Ikora who you speak to if you want to replay any story mission, then have three of them marked for heroic difficulty. Completion of the three heroic missions should then result in the level-up engram. This would make Ikora no-longer a faction you level up with, but someone who gives a weekly quest to complete three heroic story missions for a reward. * Crucible (Shaxx) - The problem stems with how punishing the state of the Crucible currently is, and how little rewards you get from it. No-one likes solo-queuing against a stacked fireteam, getting absolutely stomped for 10 minutes, and receiving a single token. Not to mention it takes twenty tokens in order to rank-up. Solution? Bring back post-match rewards, and have each challenge completed as well as your performance in the Crucible contribute to the Crucible faction. Increasing the drop chance at the end would keep players playing, while their actions contribute to the faction in the background. * Trials of the Nine (Emissary of the Nine) - The token system actually sort-of compliments Trials. You get gear after three, five, and seven wins as well as after going flawless, and tokens after every win. Essentially adding more opportunities to get Trials gear, which is good. The best change would be the armor/weapon engram choice mentioned before. * Iron Banner (Saladin) - The problem here is very similar to Crucible, where matches take too long for very little payout, and is made even worse because there are no post-match drops. Solution? Add Iron Banner post-match rewards like in D1, and make it so that wins/losses and performance automatically contribute toward the faction, with less required for rank-up. Lastly, give Saladin a rotating inventory to buy from, like Efrideet back in D1. Maybe two armor pieces, two weapons, and both shaders? * Gunsmith (Banshee-44) - The problem here isn't with the how you level up the faction, as dismantling gear for Gunsmith materials is simple and functional. I'd say the issue is the Gunsmith Engrams, and I have two possible solutions. Instead of one engram with a large loot-pool, maybe add a variety of Engrams based on different manufacturers. Looking for a specific Hakke SMG, choose the Hakke engram. Looking for a certain Omolon sidearm, choose the Omolon engram. Alternatively, maybe add a choice for a Mod engram, where you get 2-3 random legendary mods? * Patrol Zones (Devrim, Sloane, Failsafe, and Asher) - The problem here lies with how unreliable getting tokens on the planets actually is due to loot cooldowns, and how some events give little while others give more. Solution? Remove planetary tokens and replace them with a new system. Remove the loot cooldown, and add planetary resources to the chests with a slightly increased chance for engrams. Then, add resources and planetary loot to the loot-pool for public events, patrols, high-value targets, and lost sectors. Lastly, instead of tokens, have your actions automatically contribute to the faction, and be able to turn in various planetary resources for more reputation. * Factions (Jalaal, Lakshmi-2, and Hideo) - Honestly, this is the only time that the token system actually works perfectly. Tokens are easy to obtain, and you can get a lot of loot from the engrams. Only changes I would suggest would be to remove the thirty engram cap, the armor/weapon engram choice mentioned before, and letting them sell shaders. * Leviathan Raid (Benedict 99-40) - The problem here is that nothing sucks more than finally completing a part in the raid, only to receive a little bit of glimmer and some tokens. The solution? Keep tokens around, but have guaranteed shader, armor, and weapon drops for each main encounter (Dogs, Baths, Gauntlet, and Boss). Keep Benedict around for Legend of Acrius quest, and maybe let him sell the raid shaders? TL;DR - Token system is flawed and needs to be heavily changed around, or removed entirely, depending on the faction. Instead, completing events that give tokens need to be faction contributions made in the background, while token drops themselves are replaced with actual loot drops. This would remove the middleman between playing the game and the loot we should be earning for doing so. Thank-you for reading, and please give me your feedback!