I promise you now, this will have no negative affect on anyone. If you don't like this idea and it actually got in the game, it will not detract from your playing experience in any way.
They could have multiple leaderboards that if you rank in the top 500, you get a blue in top 50 a purple, and in top 5 an exotic.
Starts fresh each week.
Could provide a way to easily showcase your prowess.
Can only collect one item of each rarity per week.
If you are on more than one leaderboard for the same rarity, you get one item with a chance for it to be of higher tier from the one you were higher on and 1-3 materials for each other leaderboard you are on.
Getting materials does not take away an item from the total given out. If you are number 52 on the leaderboard and three of the players above you get materials because they were higher on another leaderboard, you will get a legendary item.
This is a maybe?
Instead of a purple reward for levels 1-19, they could get a scaled down version that is better than blues but not by much. Once the player reaches level 20 this can be upgraded to level 20 legendary weapon by the gunsmith for glimmer and a bounty.
You must complete 1-3 crucible bounties to complete this quest.
[spoiler] could go 2-6 vanguard bounties instead. More than # of crucible bounties because this is a crucible weapon anyways.[/spoiler]
There could be multiple divisions based on level so that average players can win at too.
Could have different divisions:
Each division will have it's own leaderboards.
Lvls 1-10 (white to blue rewards)
10-19 (green to purple)
20-26. (Blue to gold)
27-32. (Blue to gold, better gear than 20-26)
20-32 (lvl and weapon damage counts)
(More people get rewards and top few (few, keep in mind, this is only one piece a week for people who get screwed with raid rewards) can get a piece of raid tier gear + an exotic)
Could make it so that once you make it to the next bracket, you get a reward but you cannot go back down to prevent people from removing gear to beat up players with their superior weapons.
Ideas for leaderboards so far:
Top, all in one game:
Kills
Points
Precision kills
Precision kills over nonprecision kills
Flags captured
Assists
Kills with white weapon
Kills with green weapon
Kills with blue weapon
Funniest death or kill
Longest multikill
Most kills using only primary
Most kills using only secondary
Most kills using only melee
Top, all games played that week:
Kdr
Enforcer medals
Most bounties completed
Win/loss ratio
Best with vehicles
I think this could fix the PvP loot system and provide players a way to really earn their gear by beating out other people, though RNG is still a factor. You still can get really horrible legendary gear this way but it is better than 20 k 0 d and you get another Achilles shader. People at least get gear based on how well they play and how much effort they put forth.
Feel free to leave more ideas and constructive criticism.