I love Destiny, but the game currently isn’t working. As someone whose time investment puts them in the top 5% of players, I’d like to offer some observations on the Portal and power progression. First, the Portal doesn’t fulfill its intended function. It is an engineering solution to a socialization problem: getting new players oriented to Destiny. The Portal doesn’t accomplish this—in fact it is downright disorienting. It is a vending machine offering up disarticulated snatches of the Destiny universe stripped of all their context and meaning. A new player using the portal is going to be confused, asking what IS Destiny? A bunch of isolated combat encounters? Bits and pieces of unrelated gameplay? How do I actually DO Destiny? For a great example of onboarding see Destiny Rising’s new player introduction. New Light was a step in the right direction but far too cursory. It introduced some, but not enough of the lore, and none of the mechanics or how to engage the universe. Second, the Portal has made power progression articifical, mechanical--not organic. It has taken it out of the universe and placed it in a Petri dish. [i]Progression should occur in world[/i]. Lost sectors, strikes, missions, dungeons, etc. should be customizable in the way the Portal now is and should be how players level up. Power progression should also prepare the player to take on increasingly difficult content which offers unique and powerful rewards. Third, the grind is too long. Although I’m at the upper end of time commitment to the game, I’ll never have the time to earn tier 5 rewards before you reset power—only your content creators and the upper 4% of players might. Think about that for a moment. You should either reset power every 3 seasons, or be more generous in rewards to get people leveled up in time to enjoy their rewards for a season. I don’t understand why you are so stingy to your [b]paying[/b] customers (take Borderlands as an example of loot generosity). Are you afraid that if I make tier 5, I’ll stop playing?? NO!!! I’ll finally be in a position to focus on build-crafting and enjoy the fruits of my labors! Armor 3.0, set bonuses and tiered loot are a fantastic addition to the game and open up worlds of opportunity. Finally, the Portal has made Destiny schizophrenic. There are the expansions and then there is the Portal. Move power progression into world activities so Destiny feels like an organic and evolving universe again. Oh, and fire leadership—they’ve shown time and again that they have all the wrong instincts, and do not understand players at all. [i][/i]