ARs were the flagship weapon class, I came on last night hoping that they would be a viable option once again, tried one out and literally nothing has changed. I have never seen before a game that launched and steadily got worse in terms of weapon balance...you are at war with your playerbase and I simply do not have the energy to go through it all over again with the inevitable fkfest that D2 will be.
You have been gone a long time.
But you're right. The "sandbox" is not in a really good state right now. Especially in PVP.
Scout rifles dominate play in PVE. Hand cannons dominate in PVP...and power drain afflicts the entire game. The community has been begging Bungie to stop the nerfs and to buff the power levels of weapons and abilities....but the cries are falling on deaf ears at the moment.
Bungie seems hellbent on recreating Halo 3 in The Crucible...and the whole game's sandbox is suffering as a result.
But that's the only real problem area right now. The game's economy and loot system are VASTLY improved from Year One.