[b]What are thoughts on the updates Bungie has made to PvP, has it improved play?[/b] Not significantly, no. One of the main concerns in PvP is "balance," and amazingly, Bungie still hasn't gotten this right. In Destiny 1, we faced a problem in which one weapon would be pretty OP (i.e. SUROS, Vex, Thorn, etc), to which the appropriate response is to nerf [i]that[/i] weapon specifically. Instead, we saw Bungie apply sweeping and unnecessary nerfs. The fixed-roll system was supposed to alleviate that, but two months in, we're at the same point as in D1: a small number of weapons are extremely powerful, while everything else ranges from solidly mediocre to bad. Add in the overall increased TTK, the decreased ability recharge, lack of subclass options, and the general nerf to grenades, and you get an arena that strongly favors overuse of the few powerful guns (Uriel's, MIDA, Last Hope being the big offenders) as well as teamshooting. It's bland and unoriginal. [b]At this point in D2, how does the new weapon system (kinetic, energy, power) stand up verse D1's system?[/b] I personally like this system more, but I agree with those people saying to do something about shotguns, snipers, and fusion rifles. One issue I had in D1 was in Crucible, overuse of Secondaries was frustrating. Why even bother using your Primary when you can grab a Shotgun, run around and annihilate people, then load up when the ammo refreshes? The ammo changes [i]sort of[/i] fixed it, but it still didn't feel good because the "solution" felt really contrived. The other issue was in PvE, which basically favored: snipers, snipers, and more snipers. I like the fact that the new system encourages a lot more diversification (barring limitations imposed by poor balancing). An alternate system might be a four-weapon system, or just buffing shotguns, snipers, and fusions to be in a good place compared to swords and rocket launchers (I think the key here is ammo economy). [b]Do D2 game modes really fit 4v4 play?[/b] There's a lot more that goes into this question than just "does Clash work as 4v4," because things like maps and the aforementioned TTK and such play a big role. Inherently, I think all of the gamemodes work fine as 4v4, but other issues make them less than enjoyable. I'm alright with playing 4v4 every once in a while, but I'd like to see the return of 6v6 and 3v3 options as well. [b]Lack of power and ammo in Prestige level play[/b] Ammo is really a non-issue IMO, but the lack of power does bug me some, especially on the side of supers. I get that you shouldn't just OHKO a boss with your Nova Bomb, but it seems like that even a lot of mobs are pretty comfortable soaking up half or more of your super. Grenades, too, are embarrassingly unhelpful in Prestige gameplay, and even when I run grenade-spam Voidwalker, I find that it's generally just easier to run-and-gun and occasionally toss a grenade to clean up anyone I missed, rather than leading with the grenade and mopping up with my firearms. [b]Is D2 too extreme casual to hard core?[/b] Yes. Initial sales depend on casuals, but longevity depends on hardcores. I think we've seen plenty of examples on the forums of how this game is far too pro-casual and has largely neglected its hardcore audience. [b]Thoughts on balance, kill times and the Bungie ethos on weapons[/b] I mentioned it a few times already, but IMO, there are two major types of "balance." First is Absolute Balance, in which everything is "just right" all the time, with no major strengths or weaknesses. For the most part, this is what Bungie appears to be pushing for in D2, but the problem is that it removes variety from the game. The second is Mutual Imbalance, in which a weapon does have possibly unbalanced advantages but also bears downsides that overall create a balanced weapon. A good D1 example is Black Spindle, which could deal absolutely outrageous DPS but required you to consistently and quickly land crits, at the risk of a major cut to your DPS. It was still perhaps a little stronger than weak, but it captures the idea. These kinds of weapons allow for variety and some truly interesting interactions in both PvE and PvP play, but it's largely been eliminated in D2. [b]Will D2 be a reverse of D1's backward power creep?[/b] We can hope