This post probably won't be seen by Deej or any Bungie staff, but on the very off chance it gains any traction, I figured I'd lay down some thoughts on the new weapon upgrade system (and maybe dabble in other areas as well). This isn't meant to be a rant, just some honest feedback from one who (mostly) enjoys [i]Destiny[/i]. First off, I'm [i]mostly[/i] okay with the new tier of Legendary/Exotics that have higher base damage, but the way to upgrade pre-DLC Exotics bothers me (and I mean upgrading, not leveling the perk tree). Players have to wait for Xur and hope his RNG sells the weapon they want to upgrade. Whether acquired through a bounty or by RNG, it's annoying that RNG (always, RNG) will be a deciding factor in upgrading an Exotic. The decision that Xur cannot simply upgrade any pre-DLC Exotics that players already own seems arbitrary and feels tedious. [i]Destiny [/i]was frequently marketed by developers (and maybe too much PR?) with player choice, both in how they play and how they appear. So while the option to upgrade Exotics into the next, higher damage tier is wonderful (and I absolutely mean that), that makes the decision to impede player weapon preference with Xur's RNG even stranger. Players can only upgrade already acquired Exotics, so the argument that players are technically reacquiring or purchasing the upgraded version isn't justified. Second, why aren't Legendary weapons included in this process? People are just as attached to their Legendary weapons as their Exotics (this tends to happen since you can only equip one Exotic at a time), and now the influx of new Legendary Vanguard/Crucible weapons have outclassed pre-DLC Legendaries indefinitely. Yes, the PR spin is that pre-DLC Legendaries are still effective in combat, but they're undoubtedly less effective. Why wouldn't the post-DLC Legendaries just be a different class (e.g. Rare, Legendary, etc) if pre-DLC Legendaries couldn't be upgraded to match? This also circles back to player preference, and I'm certain many players would prefer to utilize upgraded versions of pre-DLC Legendaries to some of the new ones, regardless of the work required to re-level them. What's the harm if they already own the weapons? Is the purpose of Destiny only to buy newer, statistically better weapons from vendors? Introducing new vendor weapons is great and promotes player choice, but if the newer Legendaries are always statistically superior with no way to upgrade older Legendaries, isn't the player's choice clearly weighted toward the newer ones? Obviously player choice is important to me. I understand the need for armor/weapon progression and that's why Legendaries are better than Rares in stats, damage, and perks. But these post-DLC Legendaries are better only in damage (though to be fair, it's a marked increase). For players to buy these new weapons, they should stand on their own merits (e.g. Impact stat, Reload stat, perk trees) instead of the max damage stat. Again, the inability to upgrade pre-DLC Legendaries similarly to the Exotic system seems strange and cheapens the experience of ever leveling one. I should note that while I would prefer Xur's RNG to NOT factor into upgrading a pre-DLC Exotic weapon's tier, the actual process of re-leveling said weapon doesn't bother me. If it's a weapon I like (such as my beloved Hawkmoon), I will enjoy re-leveling it. This enthusiasm would obviously apply to upgraded Legendary weapons... if that ever happens. Lastly, since It seems that this post is centered around player choice, here's a feedback-comment on armor: everyone looks the same. The best armor choices are very few and anyone in the level 29-32 range will look nearly identical (even the level 20-28 appearances begin to blur). I remember watching pre-release videos on how much time and care went into Destiny's weapons and armor. It's a shame that most of that beautiful work is ignored in favor of stats, but that's how this game is built. [i]Diablo III[/i] eventually included an option for players to transmogrify their armor, effectively keeping their stats/perks but changing their appearance into whatever they preferred. I would absolutely LOVE Bungie forever if this kind of thing came into play. I say this is long-term feedback for a reason: I understand with the number of armor pieces designed, the task may even be impossible... but something similar would be greatly appreciated. Then again, I suppose the appeal of much of the crazy, high-level Raid gear is how different and specific it looks. So maybe the transmogrification idea would never fly. But more choice is always appreciated, and currently, the best non-Raid armor can be bought from the Vanguard leaders and the Lord Shaxx; that's only four armor sets per class. Pre-DLC, that number was ten (since the factions included two armor sets each, but now they're obsolete). But some of the coolest armor (IMO) was Rare, or even Uncommon. Allowing Exotic/Legendary armor to look like some of the lower level armor pieces would drastically change player appearance and allow for increased variance. There's a lack of individuality in Destiny's universe, and it'd be nice to see a change to that. (Keep in mind I'm excluding Exotics and Iron Banner and other Event-based gear in this appearance suggestion on the basis that such rewards are inconsistent and rather special in their own right) That's really all I have to say... The DLC was fun, but incredibly short. If I hadn't already bought the DLC by purchasing the Limited Edition, I don't know if I'd consider the content worth $20 (1/3 the price of the full game...). Again, I have no idea if anyone will read my lengthy, opinionated feedback, but to those who took the time, have a great day!