[quote]Now it's just contradictory. Why can't Bungie see this? It's clear as day.[/quote] Because this isn't a game design issue. Your analysis is SPOT ON, from a game design point of view. I tried arguing this same line 6 months ago. Trying to warn them that this would grow into a game-breaking problem....and it has. Bungie realizes that its slowly breaking the game (by their constant attempts at half-measures to "fix" the problem). What's going on here is very simple. This is one of the few situations in life where "Hanlon's Razor" does NOT apply: Hanlon's Razor being [i]"Do not attribute to malice what can be more easily explained by incompetence. " [/i] Bungie isn't doing this because they don't understand that it will break progression. [b]THEY ARE DOING IT MALICIOUSLY [u]**BECAUSE**[/u] THEY UNDERSTAND THAT IT BREAKS PROGRESSION.[/b] You see, Bungie has problem that they lack the character (as an organization ) to own up to. They simply don't have the means to keep this game supplied in an adquate amount of loot. Go look at your Collections Tab. Eveyrthing from Year 1 is basically irrelevant because of fixed rolls (weapons) or lack of perks (armor). ...and they only have added a tiny amount of new loot for Year 2. So the loot pool simply isn't deep enough to support a conventional end-game loot chase. [b]But Bungie--despite the lack of loot---still wants us to keep playing. [/b] So the question is how do you get people to GRIND away at a game----like its a loot game---when it actually doesn't have any real loot to chase? Simple: You BREAK THE GAME. You break progression and its relationship to player time investment (Milestones)...by slathering the system in randomness, and limit the number of drops so that the game no longer responds to more play time with faster progression. (You basically slap a restrictor plate on the game's progression engine). THEN you break the means by which people can consolidate the progression they've already achieved. (cores). So you can force them to have to play with whatever drops rather than allowign them to freely choose what they wish to play. So you force them to have to grind in order to RECOVER the ability to use the loot they already have. LASTLY, you keep constantly raising the level cap. That way the game NEVER has a stable end game. You never reach cap for very long....and expose the game's lack of end game loot to chase. ...and the player never really manages to fully reconsolidate his previous position, or restore the use of his old builds. Result: [b]You keep people grinding away in an essentially UNENDING mid-game item level grind.[/b] You trap them in it by denying the free use of the loot they already have...until they finish the item level grind to cap. ...and then you quickly raise the cap so you kick them back down to the mid-game, and the grind starts all over again. [b]In short, you trap people in the mid-game. [/b] You call that mid-game, the "end game"....and you condition people to get used to frustration and unpredictable "rewards" (that is progression). Only one problem. This emotion that defines this kind of unpredictable reinforcement is FRUSTRATION and anger.....not fun. Which is why its generating such passionate pushback from the player base. Because anyone who is actually LIVING in the Present Moment (rather than only looking at anticipated reward) realizes that this isn't fun....and its a -blam!-ing hamster wheel that doesn't go anywhere, and doesn't give you anything. You just grind away at a loot game that keeps you grinding by chasing after a loot mirage that you can never catch. Like a racing greyhound chashing after a mechanical rabbit it can never catch. But at least the greyhound enjoys the running......