I may be wrong, but I think it's a programming loop. Ever notice how when you were 333 and you decrypted an exotic, it gave you a 334 or 335 item? At 334 it gave you almost always 335? But at 335, the software is trying to fulfill the requirement of decrypting at a higher light than the character, but it can't because the player is at the max. It gets a "null" response, yet still trying to produce a decrypted item result. So, when trying to decrypt 1 level higher (like being 333 giving a 334 item), it trys to go to the next level 336, it can't and gets a null response, and bounces back 1 level to from 336 to 335. No problem, the player is happy. But when it randomly selects to decrypt 2 levels higher (like being 333 but decrypting a 335 item) it tries to go to 336, it can't and gets a null response, so bounces back 2 levels from 336 which becomes 334. I'm probably wrong, but I'm gonna do all my exotic engram decrypting at 334, so if the software randomly selects 1 level higher, it becomes 335. If it randomly decrypts an item 2 levels higher, it'll try to go to 336, can't, and bounces back the excess 1 level to 335. Idk if this will work, but I do know a few things for certain: 1) the game is required and programmed to produce an exotic engram at a higher light than my character. 2) at 334, there is a level that exists which is a higher light... 335. Since 336 doesn't exist, but 335 does, this will meet the programmed requirement of producing an exotic at higher light than the character. EDIT: Apparently at 334 you can still get exotics decrypting at 334. So much for bungie saying that exotic engrams will always decrypt at a higher light. I don't know what to say.