Since this seems to be such a hot topic, I want to point out some things I've noticed about whether or not Raids should include MM. Quite frankly, Bungie's design to not include MM will be something that hinders the enjoyment of the process initially, but over time will prove to be the better solution. This will not include a TL;DR, if you're interested in this subject you'll be interested in what I have to say, because I haven't seen it on these forums yet (and I've been looking). So without further ado, let's begin the climb... By including MM, it allows you access to the Vault of Glass at a moments notice, just click a button and in a few minutes you're there. Not including MM limits your exposure to the Vault itself. This is one big difference I'm going to focus on. I'm going to (probably not so briefly) talk about how (1) MM will eventually become a detriment to the overall experience, (2) how making MM an option will only further contribute to the detriment of the experience, and (3) why Bungie is doing it the way they are. These are my own personal opinions based on my experiences accomplishing (and failing) some of the various challenges issued by Bungie in the past, so please don't take this is solid fact, but keep an open mind. 1. MM may help you right now, but not in the long run. Sure, it would be awesome to be able to just select that MM button and watch as all the available fireteam slots fill up with other guardians looking to do this raid. But then what happens? Depending on how many people have headsets, you might be able to develop some sort of plan of action, but for the most part, you're just going to want to head in there and start shooting stuff. It's understandable, there's fat loots on the other side of the enemies, and the quickest way to get there is through the path your bullets carve. Now that I'm actually talking about it, this sounds kinda fun, but let's find out what happens next. You and your randoms (note: not your fireteam) progress pretty swiftly through the first couple sets of baddies. This is starting to seem like no big deal, until the next room when you all rush in leaving Lady Luck behind, and you wipe. Bummer, that's kind of a mood killer. Aaand, somebody quit. Great, they saw a wipe early and saw the inevitable failure and don't want to waste their time. I get it, except... Now you all have to quit, because you probably won't be able to find a replacement in time before someone else quits, then someone else, etc. Oh well, it was just your first time in, next time you'll get a little bit further. So you click that search button again, and go for try #2. It may go better than your last run, it may not. But you have an idea of what to expect in the first couple of rooms already, because you've already been here. You can start shooting at enemies the moment they become available because you remembered that jerk that spawned off-screen to the right a ways. You progress a bit, and you maybe make it further than you did on your first run, or maybe not. It doesn't matter because you'll just end up wiping at some point, and someone will inevitably rage quit. So you hesitate on searching again. You begin thinking randoms can't be trusted to pull their weight on a raid. The idea of failing with randoms again begins to cause the idea of raiding itself to leave a sour taste on your tongue, and you begin to question if the gear is really worth the hassle of putting up with randoms. 2. Which brings me to my second point. Now let's say you've made a few friends by now, and they all happen to be online and willing to try out a raid with you. So you all gather up and venture forth to the Vault of Glass to embark on this challenge. When you all reach the first room, you stop and turn to your friends and say "This is what you can expect...". Now, without ever having set foot in the Vault your friends already have a leg up. While this can be a good thing (knowledge is power), your friends won't get to discover it for themselves, like you did. You begin noticing the higher levels of teamwork your friendship carries over your times with randoms, but it still seems like the beginning section is becoming a run-of-the-mill type area, and though it's nice to be here with people you get a long with, it's getting boring already. With as much time spent in the Vault as you have by now, just being there has lost its charm. The sense of wonder is gone, and you've been raiding less than a week. Even if you stick with it, the raid becomes a competition of slamming your face against the wall of opponents and eventually you'll find a weak spot and break through to get your fat loots, and there's no sense of reward or accomplishment with that style of gameplay. You finally got what should've been yours a long time ago. It's a thing you feel entitled to, for whatever reason you choose. You finally got it and it's about time, too. This entitled mentality is one I believe Bungie is trying to avoid. 3. Therefore, by keeping your access to the Vault limited (by not including MM), everyone you raid with is someone you already have some sort of trust with going in. More likely than not, you've played some strikes or some PvP and you already know your playstyles mesh well together. You'll get to explore, you'll plan, and you'll execute said plan [i]together[/i]. You'll succeed, you'll fail, you'll rally up and regroup [i]together[/i]. Everything that happens in the Vault is something that gets to be experienced [i]together,[/i] forging the bonds of friendship even stronger than they were before, because everyone is contributing to the success of the fireteam (note: not [i]your[/i] team). And when you and your friends finally down that last boss together, and you all get something dreamy, and you're dancing on the corpses, you'll be shouting "We did it!" instead of "[i]I[/i] did it!". Every time after that, when you see your friend shoot that Hand Cannon you helped him earn, you'll be entitled to a little bit of pride every time that gun explodes a Fallen's domepiece because you know where that gun came from. You weren't alone with a bunch of randoms you'll never talk to again. You were there with your friends, together. To sum up, MM allows you to explore the Vault at your leisure which takes the suspense and sense of wonder away from the place. Having it as an option also allows you to do this, plus provide spoilers for your noobish friends, thusly robbing them of the sense of wonder and mystery you had when you were there for the first time. Forcing you to play with a premade party means you won't have as much general access to the Vault, which helps encourage the Vault to stay new and fresh and exciting, and provides intangible rewards beyond the fat loots you've earned by overcoming intense and difficult challenges and obstacles together. I think I know which experience sounds like the most fun to me, and in this regard, Bungie is correct in how they are doing things and I hope they never bend on this. [quote]Well that's great and all, but how does it really affect [i]you[/i] if I can search through MM and you decide not to?[/quote] *Joins a Crucible match* You were killed by Soandso using Thorn. You were killed by Whatshisface using Thorn. You were killed by xXx360triple420noScOpEXxX720fadeawayjumperxXx using Thorn. You were killed by... It can affect me. If any of Bungie's previous games are any indication, Bungie loves telling a good story. They want to share that feeling with us, and they want us all to have unique and interesting stories in regards to how we got our gear. "I thoughtlessly facerolled tough opponents with randoms who happened to be able to out-shoot a stormtrooper," doesn't sound like an interesting or unique story to me. I apologize for coming across a bit brusque there, but the value of an item can be increased by the story attached to it, and Bungie's not about to let people tell shitty stories that deface the value of the hard work of another guardian (or group of guardians) who earned that same piece of gear in a more unique and interesting way. Here's an example: During Reach, Bungie liked to issue All-Star Challenges where they would generally submit a category for a screenshot for you to take, and if you submitted a photo that fits whatever criteria they were looking for, you were awarded with an All-Star Nameplate that you could use in-game. [url=http://halo.bungie.net/Stats/Reach/FileDetails.aspx?fid=6208882&player=Zinastin]I submitted a photo[/url], it appeared in the slideshow and I was awarded the Nameplate. I was ecstatic, and I had a story to tell if anyone was interested to hear it. Literally 1 week later, the All-Star BTB Playlist gets announced, where if you play a game (I think it was just 1 game, might have been 3) in this special playlist, you'd be awarded the same Nameplate I just got. After the playlist was over and everyone had received theirs, I stopped wearing mine because it no longer had any sense of value to me. It was kind of a bummer that no one cared any more how I got the All-Star, because the assumption became acquisition through the easiest means; the playlist. This is exactly what MM will do to the overall Raid experience. It will rob the people who put in the effort to dominate a Raid of their stories. If you've never seen it, I recommend you watch the movie 'Interstate 60' to help gain deeper understanding of the value of an item having a story. *Doffs the harness and climbing gear* Thanks for reading all the way through this (if you did), and see you starside.