So yes us MMO players know that bungie went about a terrible way of trying to balance the game. And we also know that its had many flaws with the way its presenting its randoom loot, gear, and story system but we must not forget one important thing. Bungie caters to pvp... Yes this is bungies first mmo attempt so its not surprising its failing in many aspects of the mmo world. Its top game (halo) was pvp oriented and I personally loved it. The reason I loved the halo universe was because of the books honestly. It was thanks to them that the game story was so superb to me. I do acknowledge that Destiny lacked in game story through cutscenes making us literly just do random things for no reason. But I love that it's constantly looking for advice through its community. So bungie here's my feedback on the matter; the pvp is superb as expected from you. Gun fights and pvp is your area of expertise! Love it. But when it comes to the actual mmo aspect... you severely are lacking. The loot system was terrible to begin with but that got fixed so I am thankful. The game has levels though... if you intend to use these levels in pvp it will never be perfectly balanced simply based on rarity and usability of gear. If this are the methods you choose to implement quit trying to balance pvp by ruining pve. Most mmos are centered around pve with an optional pvp. For cruciable simply lower the stats so that no weapon is over powered in terms of damage output. This allows for people to familiarize themselves with the weapons they like during pvp and pve. You changing a weapons mechanic so drastically just... upsets everyone. Especially something that isn't easy to acquire. For pve leave weapons as is. Or if possible enhance them (damage wise) but don't mess with how a weapon operates (like shortening distance or reducing any of their features) simply make newer better ones. Mmos reach caps but gear and weapons can make certain caps useless with effective abilities (such as your armors light in Destiny's case). But versatility should be a factor as well. Say I want to cater to defense because of my play style? Well if the best gear is raid gear and its the only one to get me to lvl 30 then I'd be stuck with whatever stats it caters to and thus my ability to customize is gone. To solve these issues, as I'm sure you are going to if not not have already read, simply seperate pvp damage output from pve. Thats it. Dont nerf, change, or enhance a weapon. Simply seperate their damage output. This way we still have the same feel for the weapons in both pvp and pve and we arent one shoted by a body shot from any gun in pvp but can take down low level mobs with ease. For those that truely wish to see what their best gear can do should go into the iron banner where gear matters. Not as an event but as a normal thing for those wanting to test their full gear against one another. This would be the ideal balance everyone seeks. So bungie, work on your mmo side a bit more since this is what you created. I still have high hopes for your game just listen to your community and maybe higher someone that knows a thing or two about mmos lol Peace ^_^v