Three things have happened in the last couple of weeks that have really helped to crystallize in my mind why the changes to Destiny 2 have been so poorly received by the hardcore community. Especially on the PVE side of the game. First Slayerage's video and his comedic take on the Kinetic/Energy/Power weapon system. Jon Weisznewski's interview with Crucible Radio.....and finally, the XP throttling incident. To make a long story short, Weisznewski and his sandbox team (by their own admission during the interview) made a CONSCIOUS decision to LIMIT player access to "powerful" (high-burst damage) weapons, in the belief that doing so would "improve the game" on BOTH the PVP and PVE side of the game. This was a CRITICAL error in judgement. One that shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the game, and what motivates the typical player to play it on the PVE side of the game. A pattern of critical errors that Weisznewski seems to be prone to. As a result of this decision, a host of supporting changes were made to the game, almost all of which have proven to be highly polarizing, and mostly unpopular in PVE. IOW, We're playing a game in which we have been----purposefully----DPS Throttled. We are---quilte literally----WEAKER than we were in Destiny 1. In every aspect of play. This has proven to be highly unpopular for several reasons: 1. It cuts right at the heart of the power-fantasy (super-hero x warrior-angel) that lies at the root of the PVE side of the game. Instead, for 90% of pve play, we are little more than generic space marines. 2. It cuts right at the heart of the need for power-progression that drives play in loot-based RPGs....which is what this game IS, at its foundation. Despite Bungie's efforts to make it play more like a campaign shooter. 3. The changes----along with the alteration of cooldowns, ability strength, and ammo economy----has resulted in a very stilted, and one-dimensional style of play on both sides of the game. Because other options have been purposefully cut off. 4. The changes make it difficult to introduce more powerful weapons into the game, because you've grouped so many different kinds of weapons in the power slot (in the name of limiting OHKs in PvP). So---that they all can theoretically see some usage----their damage profiles have been severly flattened out. IOW, the supposed power weapons, are also underpowered. (A point that I couldn't quite put my finger on as to why, until Slayerage talked about what effects dropping one or two very powerful weapons into the mix would likely have on the rest of the lootpool.) Bottomline, at this point the changes to the gear system are baked in to the game. But until Bungie finds a way to roll back this DPS throttling....they can make all the changes to incentives, and loot, and the game's economy all they want. They'll just be treating the symptoms of what's wrong....and not getting to the root of the problem. Bungie. You need to stop running away from the fact that this game is an RPG. Its not a very deep one....at times its not even a very GOOD one...but it is still part RPG. And every time you try to walk away from that fact----and away from the reasons why 60% of your player base plays this game-----you make critical errors that rile up the community. A community that thought we had settled this issue with the changes made to the game for "The Taken King"..... ...only to have Destiny 2 take this momumental---and poorly considered---leap backwards. The Masterwork tier of weapons is a potentially good first step to loosening this DPS throttle....but it is only a first step. YOU HAVE TO GO FARTHER. MUCH FARTHER. Even if it means doing the thing you don't want to do. Seperating PVE from PVP. You can't have a balanced shooter and a loot-based RPG sharing the same loot system. The needs of the two are incompatible, and one will wind up destroying the other. ...and right now PVP balance is slowly strangling the loot-based RPG.