The moment I read "LOYAL" I pretty much dismissed your opinion. Playing a game, especially an mmo, is always about the experience you get when you play with others. Loot collecting is largely secondary, since weapons and gear are constantly replaced by better ones, so collecting weapons are mainly for more dedicated players that are purely collectors. If everybody continues using the same gear and weapons, the result is irrelevancy in new content, such as newer guns. Therefore, it is a logical move for Destiny to take the big step, and stop ascending gear altogether. To think that you, a consumer, has any power over their decisions, is purely conceited. If you don't agree with the basics of progress, then you shouldn't be playing mmos like Destiny since you are so sentimental. Plus, while there hasn't been any news about the actual fate of year one gear yet. So quit being pessimistic, change is coming, whether you like being dragged out of the comfort zone, or not.