Bungie claims that they want Destiny to feel balanced. However, the recent and upcoming strings of patches do something that absolutely kills a games potential to be fun. They are making everything balanced, by making nothing special. There are many ways to balance a game, but I fear Bungie is taking the simplest route which is to bring everything closer to being even in power and approach. This is bad for Destiny in the longer run because it already lacks variety. When you want to balance something, in the traditional sense, you make sure each side is equal in weight but this isn't always the answer. As a graduate in design, I’ve learned that visual balance can mean different proportions, quantities, hierarchy, or position. It usually creates things much more interesting when using a combination of those tools than simply treating everything the same. Bungie has been attempting to correct some of the issues with various nerfs and buffs, but I think something fundamental is happening that Bungie hasn’t quite noticed yet. All of these changes are not necessarily helping the game at a macro level (most notably the upcoming patch that changes Aetheon’s behavior but I’ll touch on that later). The macro level in this case, is the composition of the game. Bungie, currently the way things have been rolling out, have been treating symptoms of a bad composition. For example, auto rifles being overused is a symptom of a greater issue. If you notice from the recent nerf (albeit justified, they were too good), people still used auto rifles almost exclusively. Why? Well, they certainly aren’t as powerful anymore so what could be the reason? In my observation, the larger problem is the variety of maps and how the niche that scout rifles (and pulse rifles) are supposed to fit in. Scout and pulse rifles are supposed to fit somewhere in the mid to long range combat, but the maps hardly ever allow for that. Most of the long range battles are commanded by sniper rifles, leaving scout rifles being dominated by snipers and under performing even at mid-range. Nothing is wrong with the gun itself, but its niche is too narrow when compared to how auto rifles, fusion rifles, and shotguns function. So the problem in this case is that the map variety in PvP don’t allow for other rifles to thrive. Another example: Bungie closing down loot caves. Loot caving is a symptom, but all Bungie has done is cover it up. The larger problem at hand is a poor system of reward and input. If people are putting in a lot of work in Crucible and Strikes but get nothing substantial for the time put in, why do so much work? Why not stand still for hours and get the same result? While they’ve increased the yield of the reward system recently, it’s not enough. Operating on randomization is the laziest way to give rewards, in my opinion. When someone is dominating in Crucible, only to see the last person on the losing team get an exotic, that’s discouraging, discouraging because all his hard work means very little. If there’s no incentive to do well, there’s no incentive to play longer, and eventually no incentive to play at all. Let’s look at the change to Aetheon. His warping is becoming randomized to promote team synergy, or rather, everyone being able to perform a role at a moment’s notice. This kind of a change doesn’t exactly opposite of that, by “balancing” the last way we can differentiate our characters and abilities. Those at Bungie, don’t have designers doing coding, producing, scripting, etc. (at least I hope not, but it might explain a lot of flaws). You have designers hired to specially design just as we have Titans that provide support, or warlocks to dish out crowd control. By making everyone do everything, you’re breaking apart the best part of your game, forming a team designed to balance out our flaws and shortcomings. It’s called strategizing. People are flying through the raid much faster than you anticipated and that is a symptom, a symptom that the game lacks lasting content. This is your biggest problem, that no nerf, buff, or baby bumper will solve. This is why you’re struggling to balance this game, because there isn’t enough to work with. This is why I have to write this out to you Bungie, in hopes that you see it and take something from a gamer that wants this game to be spectacular, because it is not quite there yet. This is like taking a teeter-totter and shortening the board and lowering it to the ground; it can be balanced but it isn’t fun when you can only move a few inches up and down. There can be no answer to the call if the call is muffled, and my call feels muted. For those that read and respond to this, I am not an expert, just a simple gamer who formulated these ideas and notions from playing the game and my experience as a designer. If I am completely and utterly wrong with anything I’ve said I am willing to be corrected.