So I wouldn't be surprised if no one from Bungie read this or that no one cares about this, but it's just some opinions from someone who likes talking design and business. Bungie, you're being far too short sighted with Destiny that it's almost laughable that you want this to make it for 10 years. "We have the numbers that show-" that you're game is being exploited and you found out too late because you didn't think about how your choices could be abused. You feel like you've done well until you look on YouTube. The amount of videos on how to Solo Crota, cheese the bridge, the kneel glitch... these are things that could have been found through testing. Granted, Crota will still be solo'd. I personally still plan on soloing Crota at some point when I have the time to sit down and do it, and I am waiting until after the patch the completely gets rid of the cheese ways to do the raid. Personally, I like the update from today about all the changes, since it doesn't effect me in the slightest. Lets talk some design, and look at your upgrade path. You've completely undercut the first two months of the game with the first DLC by making level 30 and raid gear pointless, as it is completely possible to undercut Vault of Glass by going straight for Rank 3 Vanguard and Rank 2 Crucible, which will earn you level 31. You have removed the barrier for entry to the next phase of the game and given it up. There isn't any reason to earn anything now because you can get the upgraded versions if you wait until the next DLC the way you are doing the upgrade path. You could have simply added the requirement to complete VoG on hard to unlock the new vendor gear, and we all know you could have done that. You simply decided it wasn't a good idea, which in all reality would have made the game worth playing. [b]Solution: Make it so there is some progression. VoG Hard should be completed before you can get level 31 from a vendor. Crota's End on Hard should be completed before the next set of vendor gear unlocks. For those who are complaining that this makes it harder to obtain higher level gear here is a news flash: that's the point.[/b] This opens up something people have wanted - trading. You really want to be level 31 but can't seem to beat VoG on Hard? Then make a deal with a player who can do it. Make marks / glimmer trade-able as well as items so that there is a marketplace to add a value to the items. If Jagex can pull it off with RuneScape I'm sure you'll be fine... or at least we'd hope. This would also make a viable marketplace for the older exotics. Someone may not have Ice Breaker yet but you have two of them, one of which is still the max of 300. You could trade it off rather then break it down for nothing (Exotic Shards have lost all value to me already) or you could sell it off. This makes the game more interactive. The issue is that trades would have to require some sort of way to meet specific players, so making a trading hub would be best instead of rolling out hundreds of different updates in order to force things to work. Now that we've talked Upgrade paths, lets look at balance. I've noticed things with the new weapons, like how most of them resemble the lesser used legendary weapons in the past. If you don't believe me compare "Up For Anything" with the Epilogue. Now compare it with Galahad-E, or Grim Citizen, or SUROS. It's an artificial balance. A lot of the new shotguns are getting heavily reduced ranges as well, to make them what they were meant to be. The problem with this is that those older weapons still exist, which tips the scales. I know there is a base line system - if their wasn't this game would have been dead in the water. The variables for the combat system themselves could have been changed to deal with this, but let's face it weren't visually appealing as they give false promises. Maybe it's time to revamp the old gear to resemble the balance changes you are trying to make, because lets face it they aren't going anywhere. Finally, last bit of advice. Re-doing the same thing over and over again isn't smart. Iron Banner has lost all appeal to most players other then the bonus EXP you can get from bounties, which in all honesty isn't that tempting now that we have Eris to work on. I'm not spending 7000+ glimmer on 33 light gear that we've had available for 4 weeks. I'm not going to buy it even if it gives 36 light because it won't be helpful at all for the hard mode of Crota. If people still need gauntlets and boots at this point, I don't know what to tell them because with 100 marks per week on both sides it's completely possible to have them already. Now, you can either decide if this is the adventure style game you were supposedly aiming for or the extended version of Call of Halo: War of Destiny. Words of wisdom for those who complain about the grind or that it takes time - that is the point of an adventure, as there is no point if everything is handed to you. Real life is the same. SIDE NOTE: I know people are going to talk about Matchmaking for things like Nightfall and the raids. I wouldn't suggest it for the raids. With the easy, cheese routes taken out it does require communication that you won't get with a random group. Nightfall wise, until it is changed that instead of going to Orbit it takes you back to the beginning, matchmaking would make the Nightfall process longer. If you can be on the forums to complain about matchmaking, you have the ability to make a topic and find people to play with.