I have posted in other people's threads regarding my proposed solution to fix the ever-frustrating light progression system in TTK. A few people have either responded to my posts or pm'd me stating that I should make this its own topic. I have done this months ago, but I am not sure it got the attention necessary to actually get serious consideration from the Community Managers or the Dev's. Maybe now things have changed. We are all familiar with the problems of the current infusion system. Not only do we not get 1:1 infusion transfers, meaning if an item is 10 light higher than the item you are infusing it to, you do not get a +10 increase in light. This, compounded with the fact that we have double-layered RNG for several items, including Raid items and challenge items, and the absolute dearth of 320 items available, and you can understand why the light level system in TTK is a problem. Even IF you DO get a favorable 320 drop, unless you have several "stepping stone" items, that 320 item isn't worth to you what its light level indicates it should be worth. While there is some definite downside to the current infusion system, there is one aspect which is actually really good. People seem to really like the ability to take ANY set of armor and basically be able to make it reach the light cap. This was not true in prior DLC's. For all Y2 newbie players, you had to have raid gear or iron banner gear previously to hit the cap. All other gear would only get you within a level or two of the level cap. The trick here is how to fix the infusion system to keep what we like, but get rid of what we don't like. There have been several discussions on how to address, this. Those solutions include adjustments to the RNG, guaranteed light level drops for certain activities, or fixing exotic light levels at specific tiers. They all have their merits, but IMO, that is not the direction I would like the game to go. Even if they implemented those changes, the game would still suffer from several ailments. First, progression would still be dictated somewhat by RNG, because you still need a specific kind of item to drop at the appropriate light level in order for it to be useful to you. Secondly, the availability of 320 items in only a small amount of activities forces players into game modes which they would otherwise not play. Thirdly, people actually complain that this might reduce the grind too much! (I know it sounds ridiculous, but I have actually heard this argument). I believe the best overall solution to this is not to change or adjust the RNG or to make tiered drops (aka "smart loot" - which, btw, we allegedly already have). Rather, we need to change what it is we infuse our gear with to increase its light level. Enter motes of light. I propose that rather than infusing gear with other weapons or armor, that the system be changed to allow direct mote infusion to increase light level. Insert 1 mote into a single piece of gear to raise its light level +1. This system fits the lore of Destiny, it is very simple and intuitive, and it can be perpetuated endlessly so long as the Destiny game is still in existence. As I see it, this would be a major improvement in the following ways: 1. This ends RNG's ability to affect our light progression. Rather than relying on RNG to give us a favorable drop, we can use motes we earn to increase our light level. Motes are earned, at minimum, every time you level up post--level 40, so you are guaranteed a minimum baseline of progression. What this means to gamers is that we can pursue whatever activity we want, and so long as we are gaining experience, we can progress to the cap, and we can do so at a steady rate. This also respects the time we have invested in the game. 2. It instantly makes all past DLC's relevant again without having to increase difficulty level. Why? You can break down gear and then exchange the materials for motes of light at the Speaker. 3. It places greater value on a current commodity that is undervalued. Motes of light are overlooked because they really only do two things. You can instantly unlock all perks for a weapon, or you can use them to level up your faction. Not only will this infusion system start soaking up the excess motes that are out there, but people will actually be happy to get that 2-3 mote drop after a crucible match! 4. The current abundance of motes of light means people can level up several sets of gear to Max light level for different purposes. Even if they only really like one set of armor, they can take chances on leveling up weapons which they might not otherwise keep due to the difficulty of infusing it to a high light level. This creates more weapon diversity, as gamers will have less pressure to take "safe" weapons that they know are good or would be fun to use. While I am sure that some people would say that this would allow Y1 players to instantly hit the cap because we have 1000's of motes stored up, and the game would be too easy, to those people I would say this: "If you put 100's or 1000's of hours into this game, then you have earned those 1000's of motes, and you have earned the right to get a head start." For those who do not agree with that sentiment, I would propose this compromise: 1. Exotics will drop at 280 light. ALWAYS. This is so that Exotics will always remain highly sought after for the instant boost in light level they would initially provide. 2. Legendary items ALWAYS drop between 180-220 light, based on RNG. 3. Legendary items in the Nightfall always drop at 250. Period. This is so that getting legendary items in the Nightfall does not feel like you are losing. [b][EDIT] There has been several posts taking issue with these starting light levels. I wanted to edit this post to make it clear that I have made these suggested starting light levels for items based off of my current stock of motes of light (~3k worth) and the need to get much of the excess out of the system prior to the next installment of Destiny. It is important to keep in mind that [u]this was only a suggestion on how the system could work, and these starting light levels could be adjusted as the community sees fit,[/u] OR, it could even remain still subject to RNG. If you have an issue with the starting light levels, please make it clear where you think a fair starting point would be. But please do not let the argument of what light level items should drop at under this new system detract from the central issue, which is that RNG's influence on our light progression needs to be reduced or eliminated. [/b] The tiers in which exotics and legendaries can be adjusted to suit community desires and the Dev's concerns, but the basic principals of my system and argument still hold true. I think it would help bring back a LOT of the fun to the game, as players could just do whatever they wanted to do, rather than what they HAVE to do (or feel like they have to do). And your time spent playing this game will be adequately rewarded, even if you get NOTHING that tangibly helps increase your light level. A couple of other things worth mentioning: 1. We need to bring back elemental primaries. Almost everyone wants them and thinks it is a big mistake that they dropped these from the game. Rather than coming out with elemental primaries as rewards for specific activities like Trials or the Raid, just let people customize their favorite primary weapons with an elemental core. The solution is simple. Etheric Light + elemental core bought from the gunsmith for glimmer (I'd suggest 20k glimmer) + a kinetic damage weapon = your weapon with elemental burn. So simple. And it keeps the Prison of Elders relevant without adjusting difficulty! 2. People also complain about having to leave Y1 gear behind. Full disclosure, I LOVE my year 1 gear and I do not think Y2 gear can match it. So I would propose that inserting EL into any Y1 item will make it infusion-ready but will not change its current light level. This will allow players to level up Y1 gear with the same system, but they will have more grinding to do if they choose to use Y1 gear due to the lower starting light level. If you do not want to use your Y1 gear, you do not have to. And you are not harmed in any way because you still have the ability to choose Y2 gear. But if you DO want to use Y1 gear and put the effort into it, you can power it up to current light levels. This creates even more options for gamers. [b]The TL;DR version: [/b] [spoiler]Changing from weapon/armor infusion to direct mote of light infusion will benefit the game by allowing for a more linear progression model, it decouples light level progression from RNG, it will create greater gear diversity, and it will make all previous content relevant without having to put any work into adjusting their difficulty levels. Finally, it will allow players to pursue what they really want to pursue in this game, rather than feeling like they HAVE to do a specific activity, regardless of whether or not they enjoy it. Elemental Primaries and Return of Y1 gear for all! Options are fun! [/spoiler] Please respond whether you would support a shift to direct mote infusion over the current system. [Edit] Don't forget to like if you agree!