This is basically quest given exotic (legendaries) which is counter intuitive, since everyone would run the same quests to get the same weapons and ruin the diversity and rarity of said exotics. It would take away from the glamour of actually obtaining one of them legitimately through raids or a hundred hours of pvp.

Bungie has always been able to hide their deepest secrets under some kind of fan-proof mist but surely them mentioning the Vidmasters isn't a coincidence. I am truly up for a challenge like the Vidmaster challenges but still want to be able to achieve some pretty epic gear through other sources which with Bungie I have no trouble to think that they will make that happen through either Multiplayer, Co-op, or some other awesome game type in Destiny.

I doubt it. They want Destiny to have diversity, so telling people how to get the best gear seems counterintuitive. Even if there is a difficult challenge, involved, there will still be tons of people with the same exotic weapons, which will reduce their value significantly.

Interesting, By "learning" from vid master challenges... I don't think that is to say they are going to emulate a past game, that many didn't like. I think many found the 'grind' of earning that award boring, repetative and a very unenjoyable way to yield an achievement. The immersion was low and only really attracted a die hard fan. In fact, I would dare say they have said they do NOT want Destiny to be a grind for rewards, and they want Destiny to have a greater immersion for a wider audience. From my understanding, I think the comment of "learning" from the vid master challenges" was saying much more about what they are not going to repeat. I think they are saying they have learned from past mistakes and they are NOT going to make the same mistake twice! + + + For a hypothetical example, to get Thorn, an immersive rewarding experience could be something far greater with no grinding if the challenge was presented something like the following - and my read is that they are after this kind of experience with Destiny, I think it captures a wider scope of players attention, and keeps more players engaged in progression and reward and the fictional universe as well: - Main quest will never take you to various NPCs, you have to get off the beaten path and explore. - One such location is THE REEF - When you progress far enough in Main Quest, you can Leave Earth and get into orbit around Earth - Exploring, you encounter THE REEF and dock - On foot, exploring and clearing a path of carcasses, you encounter an NPC, the QUEEN OF THE REEF - She is a BOUNTY NPC - She gives a myriad of BOUNTY MISSIONS - BOUNTY's 1-9 result in your ship being upgraded, allowing you to travel further, various gear upgrades, and leveling along the way - One such BOUNTY she gives, (let's say its #10 after completing 9 before) is a mission to go to Charlemagne's Vault @ MARS - Traveling to Mars, you clear a path and explore various locations on the planet - Each location on mars has buildings, but any of them can be explored in great detail uncovering many new areas, buildings, etc - You eventually find a building in a location to explore underground leading to Charlemagne's Vault (the Vault) - The Vault requires you to clear out the baddies - After doing so, there's a puzzle - think Indiana Jones - to solve - After doing so, a pedestal pops up from the floor, and Thorn does indeed sit upon it, ready for your taking - Return to THE REEF and talk to THE QUEEN OF THE REEF for your BOUNTY and mission #11 Again, this is all speculation... but it eliminates the idea of a grind, adds in scavenge hunting, galaxy exploration, location finding, discovery of new map locations, combat, uncovering NPCs, puzzles / challenges, and ultimate reward... and no grind whatsoever. To me, from what I've heard / read, something like this is where they are headed with Destiny. Cheers,

You are of course forgetting one thing. This is not Halo.... Please stop trying to make Halo. It's new, it's shiny, it's unknown.

I am not so sure, only because Bungie continues to emphasize how Destiny will be compatible with casual players and 'core' enthusiasts alike. That being said, the number of exotic weapons and armor would comprise of a shorter list for those not ready to perform the more challenging vid-master style challenges. I do not think Bungie would create an environment where only veteran skull-hunting vid-masters are the sole type of players who can access exotics. That would take a large amount of enjoyment of unique gear away from the people who do not have the time nor the skills to be able to experience all that Destiny has to offer, especially considering the lack of an Auction House. I also believe that once you get that exotic armament, you will not be able to simply "farm" to get more of them. (Another way Bungie may choose to separate Destiny from the MMO genre.) So I do not see a situation where other players will be able to gear up those without the desire and skill to get the gear themselves, although you can always assist your Fireteam.