Edit: I am really happy to see such great discussion in here, but after reading various replies, there seems to be a lot of people misinterpreting my post. Let me be clear - SBMM, in a vacuum, is a [b]good[/b] thing. It promotes an even playing field where everyone has a chance to be on top and improve. I stated multiple times in my post that I am actually in [b]favor[/b] of SBMM, but it must be contained to specific playlists, like Trials or Iron Banner. The core argument that I, along with many others are making is how Bungie is [b]forcing[/b] SBMM across nearly every playlist. Revert back to having a casual connection-based group of playlists, and in addition create a ranked SBMM playlist or "league" where people can [b]choose[/b] to participate in. I am speaking as someone who is in the top 1% in terms of K/D (2.9 in Clash/Control, 3.1 in Trials) and Win%. Please do not mistake me coming off as arrogant or elitist, I am merely providing a perspective. Skill-Based Matchmaking across most/all playlists needs to go. [b]Period.[/b] My girlfriend and I use to always play Destiny together, mostly PvP, until last August when we started to do a bit of traveling together. We were thrilled to pick it back up, but already she wants to quit. We can no longer play together due to SBMM. I am posting from my new account, which I created solely to test out the new changes. I queued up with her for the first 10-15 games of my new Titan before my K/D started increasing, and we were being matched with players at her skill level. After multiple trial runs of queuing separately, the skill disparity between her games when she queued solo and with me, was enormous. When she queues solo now, she always gets at least 8-10 kills, but with me, she struggles to get 2-3. After 12 years of online gaming, I have never dealt with a system as frustrating as this. [b]A competitive, evenly matched PvP environment is great[/b], and it's one of the reasons why I love Trials in Destiny, [b]but it needs to be an optional experience where players can choose to participate in when they want to.[/b] Bungie wants SBMM? Fine, then put it in Trials where it belongs. [b]At the very least, there needs to be a [u]clear separation[/u] between dedicated SBMM playlists, and CBMM playlists.[/b] Forcing it upon every player for every PvP match is not only absurd, it’s pushing people away from the game. Is this what Bungie wants? To alienate PvPers across different skill levels? You advertised your game to incentivize playing with one another. Aside from my girlfriend, my other friends I used to play with no longer want to queue with me or even with one another due to the skill disparity. [b]The state of PvP is completely backwards right now.[/b] Originally introduced as the go-to competitive environment, Trials has now become the most laid back game type. Aside from the fact that my girlfriend can no longer enjoy playing PvP with me due to getting stomped by everyone in the game, I can barely stomach solo queuing myself. As I said earlier, I love competitive PvP, it is one of the reasons why I ran Trials so much every weekend, but having a hyper-competitive sweat fest forced on me every single game is ridiculous. After reading several topics similar to this, it’s pathetic how many players are using the “Oh look, another elitist try hard is butt hurt because he can’t roflstomp noobs anymore” card. This cannot be any further from the truth, one of the most enjoyable things for me was queuing up for Crucible to relax and try out some cool builds and weapon setups solo or with my friends. I can’t even do this anymore because every game I’m in is full of tryhards running top tier, cookie cutter builds. SBMM is also a nightmare for any good players due to how the search functions. Instead of being pure connection based, the system tries to match you primarily with players around your skill level, which are very likely in different countries. Because of this, you end up with laggy, teleporting players and a completely degenerative experience. Crimson doubles - what another great example at how terribly flawed SBMM is. My girlfriend and I were looking forward to doing doubles during this "Couples' Valentines Event." Across [b]seven[/b] games with me, she got 3 kills; every game we were matched against people my skill level. My girlfriend can't even enjoy a special event MADE for friends and couples due to SBMM. I rarely post on forums, but it really depressed me when last night, during Crimson Doubles, my girlfriend flat out said “This is it, I quit. This isn’t even fun for me anymore.” She got the game for the sole purpose of playing PvP with me. Because of SBMM, the great experience we use to share has been taken from us. I could probably go on with this for a while, but I did the best I could to condense this and keep it concise. When Destiny came out, it immediately became my favorite game. The friends and connections I have made through this game will stay with me for the rest of my life. I actually found this incredibly difficult to write, due to what Destiny means to me and how frustrating it is having that ruined by Bungie’s warped perception of how PvP “should” be.