I'm addressing this to anyone that feels so inclined to comment or read...but also to DeeJ. I'm hoping that I'll get some response that I can take back to my clan to show that we have much more to look forward to (I realize he can't make promises but just the notion that he's listening I think would help). It's a titch long, so please bear with me.
I am currently in the middle of a Hangouts discussion with the majority of my clan and the general consensus is the same as some of those on these forums: We need more. Without it, the repetition is going to push us out. Our discussion started with one clan member stating that he's tired of doing the same missions. He enjoys playing with us but there's no reason to really grind anything because the next DLC will allow him to just purchase his way to the top again.
I think he has a truly valid point.
The other main topic is a lack of new areas to explore or missions to do. The patrols are pretty repetitive and the spawn points for the enemies are always the same with pretty much the same enemies each time. Based on this discussion, I submit to Bungie a list questions/feedback in order to help keep my entire clan active (and others, I imagine).
1. I realize that you're likely hard at work on the next dlc...but why not slowly add new areas or even a planet as part of an update? Maybe a part of the Reef is now playable? I don't even think it'd need to be a set in stone mission but just an area to explore. Or open up more in Old Russia. The point is, we are generally pve players and we love exploring. Let us do so. Remove the invisible walls and let us climb around, find new caves and spaces...maybe even be able to set up our own base of operations somewhere (whether it's the tower or somewhere else).
2. Are there any plans to do more with the ships? We like them, though we do make fun of the lack of variety and colors. I see people all over the forums asking for more than just a loading screen. Maybe the ships can give us buffs? Like if you have the Ketch Me If You Can, you get a boost to agility.
3. Don't let people buy their way to the next light levels...PLEASE. This is something that we feel should be earned just as it was when the game originally came out. There could be a few ways to do it, but it shouldn't be terribly easy. This game is about "becoming legend". To be a legend, you must do something legendary. We feel that the raid gear tweak that is supposed to prevent you from getting duplicates is great. I bet more people would attempt the raids if they felt the loot was worthwhile and not a 50/50 of shards versus yet their 4th set of gauntlets (true story).
4. Add reforging through something like the gunsmith so that we don't need to regrind our old weapons/armor each time a new DLC comes out. Heck, while we're at it, why not add a bunch of new perks and let us design our own weapons/armor (within reason)? Is there a reason why such a futuristic world doesn't have tracking bullets? Or a gun that you can post as a sentry weapon? Or an attachment to your ghost that allows it to assist in the fight?
5. Speaking of ghosts, let us do more with them. Right now, they are becoming a joke. Let us personalize them more. I see so much potential with this sci-fi world that it boggles me that our ghost is a flashlight when he feels like it and a lockpick. Honestly, we are loud enough while we fight...why aren't we just blasting doors open and using the ghost to augment our abilities?
6. Lastly, we are a clan of ~13 or so. Generally, there are 5-7 of us on at any given point. This means that we can't all play together consistently though we really want to. We are asking that there be some mode of patrol or difficulty on the stages that permits us to have a larger fireteam. Yes, I know the raid fits 6...but there are only 2 raids. Even if there was a hardcore mode for the strikes that'd be great. Maybe Sepiks Prime could have 3 devil walkers guarding his door and he has 4x the health. I don't know...
Again, we love the game. It is great and has so much potential but we're starting to waver.
Thanks,
Trez
Edit 1: Thanks to everyone for the comments. I am a fan of constructive criticism so i appreciate all of the meaningful input that has been contributed. I remain hopeful that DeeJ will see this or a thread like it and give us some good feedback on what the top discussions are at their table. Or, at least, just a nod to say he'll bring these items up.
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Regarding your mention of sepiks prime, all he had to do to win was not open the door. 1/ Love the idea, nothing like seeing these massive and admittedly beautiful environments that we can't go to.... Adding any kind of content would increase the life of the game. 2/ Regarding ships, Honestly if all they were going to be was a cosmetic alteration to the lobby or loading screen then they could've made em look nicer. Considering the number of weapons or exhausts that they clearly have then i have to believe that they were intended for more. 3/ Buying better gear to reach higher levels... Bungie really shafted themselves with the leveling technique. Honestly of two minds about it, Yes those who do the raids and high end-game content deserve better equipment, at the same time those who don't have time to do much more than a daily each week have a right to some as well. Truly, VoG and CE should be both end-game, VoG shouldn't be invalidated by DLC1 vendor gear nor should CE be invalidated by DLC2 vendor gear. Core Story should be lvl 1-30 with VoG and CE being 30+ with gear that is better than standard vendor while still allowing people to play all of standard game without requiring Raid gear. Really believe that bungie haven't thought the 20+ leveling process and DLC increase to max level through. 4/ Honestly don't know why that guy is called a gunsmith, think they may have let his head get to large... some kind of reforging or improvement process that the gunsmith could be part of would be great. There have been a few weapons and armors that i love despite the relatively low level but can't use them because weapons are too weak or the armors don't have enough/any light on them and would render me unable to play certain aspects of this game. 5/ Ghosts/pet/lightbulb/jinx/PoS, i'm guessing there will be more sorts of ghost cosmetics, afterall the special edition gave one, something that actually makes them useful would be even better. There are some very dark parts of the game where a torch would be very handy, in many cases darker than the scripted spots where he will turn on. 6/ I imagine that reason for small fireteams has more to do with networks and limitations of the console/s playing it. However the pvp shows that some increase should be possible, and don't see why we couldn't have larger groups in some missions or patrols.