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[Hiko]

Good news then. You still can use them optimaly in everything but hard mode raid.

Just a guess, but I think if someone buys the DLC, that kind of means they want to do the hard mode raid.

I think most of this anger and indignation will be forgotten once people start seeing the new exotics, and have less desire to keep their old weapons current.

That said, this information really should have been prefaced with the huge disclaimer: YOU DO NOT NEED TO UPGRADE YOUR EXOTICS UNLESS YOU INTEND TO DO HARD MODE CROTA'S END.

The majority of people's equipment is not exotic. They're legendary. And Bungie has no upgrade path for legendary gear. Their solution is "buy it again". And even if you accepted that, it still doesn't cover the countless legendaries that aren't sold by vendors, or legendaries with unique rolls found from engrams.

 

[Afrocious]

And I would join you in mocking those that moaned about three extra nodes and enjoyed my maxed exotics as they crept up. Your other arguments are variations on 'it could be worse' which is a terrible reply to someone saying 'this should be better'.

I agree.

All due respect to that user and others who echo his thoughts, I think these folks are willingly allowing themselves to be screwed over because the game has the most basic feedback loops without the decency to mask them outside of a halfassed story.

I find it sad personally. I know that sounds condescending and I'm sorry, but Destiny is setting an awful precedent of terrible judgment from entitled developers who are unapologetically padding out their game as opposed to making it better.

The promises Bungie made are now irrelevant and should be ignored. They don't deserve any support until they can produce a game competently and completely as well as drop their ego.

 

[Pandy]

E-mailed Sony for a refund on the expansion pass.

Quite simply, the reward for the gear grind is having gear that is fun to use. Guns that shoot straight, armour buffs the way you like them, and having to grind twice for the same reward is a nonsense. By the time I've got my gear the way I want it, along with a few of the new items from The Dark Below, then The House of Wolves will come along and reset everything again anyway. An eternal cycle of using the same unstable, low ammo, no effect, 'exotic' weapons until they finally work again.

tldr: They should have added an extra power node.

 

[Unknown One]

It takes forever to level exotics. This is extremely offputting.

 

[EL CUCO]

Re-posting this for clarification.

Yes but what makes an exotic "exotic" are their bonuses, which you lose out on if you intend to "upgrade". At that point, they're basically no better than a Legendary weapon.

Exotics take the longest to level up by far. Why should you have to relevel up all it's bonuses again? There's no consideration to the user's initial time spent grinding to level them up.

They should just keep the weapon/armor as is, and add 3 nodes of attack/defense upgrades. Forcing you to re-grind from scratch on something you've already completed is ridiculous.

 

[border]

Just a guess, but I think if someone buys the DLC, that kind of means they want to do the hard mode raid.

Also a guess: someone buying the DLC will want to use new exotics, rather than just keep trudging along with the same set of weapons they've been using for months. And they will have plenty of new exotics by the time hard mode is released.

For the record though I'm buying the expansion, and I don't really care to do hard mode again that much. Perhaps if I had a static group, but pugging it kinda blows.

 

[xplicitone]

Maybe because there are so many exotics I don't know anyone who has more than 4-5 exotic weapons maxed. It takes a heck of a lot more time and there's plenty of exotics on the backlog to max as is, let alone the new exotics. Maybe if bounties can give XP to all your weapons you have on your, it wouldn't be bad but you can only do 1 exotic at a freaking time so it takes forever.

I'm pissed if our Leg Raid weapons are useless. I finally just got the damn VoC I've been forever waiting for and if it's useless next week that would be a damn shame. Granted can still use it in Weekly/Nightfall but need to use it for raiding. Then why would you make Raid Primary Weapons Hard ONLY next month, it'll take a month or 2 to get them all only to be irrelevant in March right when you finally get the weapon again. NO

 

[MADGAME]

I think most of this anger and indignation will be forgotten once people start seeing the new exotics, and have less desire to keep their old weapons current.

That said, this information really should have been prefaced with the huge disclaimer: YOU DO NOT NEED TO UPGRADE YOUR EXOTICS UNLESS YOU INTEND TO DO HARD MODE CROTA'S END.

Maybe I'm out of touch with the community but I sense that most will want to complete Crota's End several times over to collect everything they want. So posting that disclaimer wouldn't really do much to appease said group imo.

 

[Hiko]

Also a guess: someone buying the DLC will want to use new exotics, rather than just keep trudging along with the same set of weapons they've been using for months. And they will have plenty of new exotics by the time hard mode is released.

Is there something better than the Ice Breaker or Gjallarhorn in the new exotics? Why are you assuming people will want to trash their current gear for new gear?

 

[MastorofPuppetz]

I agree.

All due respect to that user and others who echo his thoughts, I think these folks are willingly allowing themselves to be screwed over because the game has the most basic feedback loops without the decency to mask them outside of a halfassed story.

I find it sad personally. I know that sounds condescending and I'm sorry, but Destiny is setting an awful precedent of terrible judgment from entitled developers who are unapologetically padding out their game as opposed to making it better.

The promises Bungie made are now irrelevant and should be ignored. They don't deserve any support until they can produce a game competently and completely as well as drop their ego.

I agree, destiny has seemed arrogant and smug with it as well, not impressed with how they have handled this game. The lack of content is mind blowing to me.

 

[Xamdou]

Well duh the new dlc gear is suppose to be way better than your current gear. Yall should be happy Bungie is even letting you upgrade your current gear a bit further.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Maybe I'm out of touch with the community but I sense that most will want to complete Crota's End several times over to collect everything they want. So posting that disclaimer wouldn't really do much to appease said group imo.

That and you'll be forced to upgrade your weapons by the time House of Winter comes out, because then you're going to start doing less and less effective damage to an enemy because of their health increase.

 

[Cybrwzrd]

What's the point of collecting any new gear if you already have one fully upgraded? Can you help me understand why a new legendary or exotic would be boring at 300, but exciting at 331?

It isn't about being boring or exciting. It is about being useful for the next tier of content.

My point is that if you start out of the gates with fully leveled level 32 gear, whats the point of doing the new content?

 

[Lalalandia]

I think it's worth taking a step back here...my opinion isn't 100% in line with those stating that it'll all be caught up in a week. I've got a job, a commute, two kids and a wife that I like. I don't like to stay up too late (save for weekends). It's going to take longer than a week per weapon, so I think there's a little bit of minimizing the time spent.

That said, it's also not the end of the fucking world. They're NOT deleting my character or the fun that I've put into the game. My legendaries will probably do the job on the level 30 TDB raid, and I'll be doing SOME bounties to get new raid gear, etc.

I do feel like it's a little strange that they're choosing this route, but that's because it's not really optimal for me, that's all. I'm still going to play and have fun.

Very true but are we so punch drunk that when someone only wastes some of our time that is good enough? I'm not asking for a magic +31 atk I'd even be happy grinding 85,000 xp on 3 nodes but to both reset to zero and make me wait an undetermined time to do it (whenever Xur stocks the respec) is god awful. If we don't kick back now what's to stop them just saying 'fuck it let's do all of this again' in June 15?

I find it hard to trust Bungie at this point as I thought with the mat trading they were moving away fromthe grind to allow me to do the stuff that was fun.

 

[border]

Is there something better than the Ice Breaker or Gjallarhorn in the new exotics? Why are you assuming people will want to trash their current gear for new gear?

Well, if they don't release a DLC pack with better and more desirable weapons then they've pretty genuinely fucked up. The desire to re-level Exotics will probably decrease pretty significantly once people start getting Legendary drops that max at 332 with much less of an XP grind.

It seems to me that this is a solution to allow people to keep a few of their very favorite exotics around while adding new ones to their collection. Other people mistakenly view this as "OMG I HAVE TO RE-LEVEL EVERY SINGLE EXOTIC I HAVE ACQUIRED!"

 

[benicillin]

Yes but what makes an exotic "exotic" are their bonuses, which you lose out on if you intend to "upgrade". At that point, they're basically no better than a Legendary weapon.

Exotics take the longest to level up by far. Why should you have to relevel up all it's bonuses again? There's no consideration to the user's initial time spent grinding to level them up.

They should just keep the weapon/armor as is, and add 3 nodes of attack/defense upgrades. Forcing you to re-grind from scratch on something you've already completed is ridiculous.

Adding 3 nodes isn't a great option at all because then if I find an Icebreaker on the 10th I'll have to do more work to get it up to the level of new exotics than I would to just use a new exotic. This actively discourages people from using older exotics, especially people who are concerned about the "grind."

 

[breakfuss]

Well duh the new dlc gear is suppose to be way better than your current gear. Yall should be happy Bungie is even letting you upgrade your current gear a bit further.

Probably one of the most intense gaming moments I've ever had. But we did it. Now one last trophy (collect 50 ghosts) and I'll be a lord!

 

[Haruko]

Restating for clarity:
1) Because all of the perks have to be ground for again.
2) Because days of effort are being thrown away for completely arbitrary reasons

and

3) Bungie is giving the same reward for trading in a brand new, unlevelled exotic vs. trading in a fully maxxed out one. It's a very unfair deal.

 

[The Lamonster]

and

3) Bungie is giving the same reward for trading in a brand new, unlevelled exotic vs. trading in a fully maxxed out one. It's a very unfair deal.

This right here is a big glaring aspect of sloppy game design.

If they want us to work really hard to upgrade existing exotics, fine, whatever. It sucks. But making it so that a fully leveled exotic matters just as little as an unleveled exotic is totally ridiculous and garbage.

 

[Art Vandilay]

It takes forever to level exotics. This is extremely offputting.

It really isn't that bad.

1. Buy a pack of boosters from Xur

2. Get and complete the maximum amount of bounties (get the bounties that award the most experience)

3. Use a booster right before you turn in the bounties

4. Repeat steps 1-3

 

[benicillin]

and

3) Bungie is giving the same reward for trading in a brand new, unlevelled exotic vs. trading in a fully maxxed out one. It's a very unfair deal.

Why is it unfair, because you had to spend XP and materials to level it? But having a maxed Gjallarhorn to help through hard mode VoG was worthless the entire time you had it so it totally wasn't worthless. And maxed 300 exotics will still help you beat every single piece of new content that isn't hard mode raid, so why is it such a big deal? If they didn't let you trade in a new exotic for a higher level version at the cost of a shard, what use would old exotic drops be to ANYONE who doesn't have them already?

 

[Omegasquash]

Very true but are we so punch drunk that when someone only wastes some of our time that is good enough? I'm not asking for a magic +31 atk I'd even be happy grinding 85,000 xp on 3 nodes but to both reset to zero and make me wait an undetermined time to do it (whenever Xur stocks the respec) is god awful. If we don't kick back now what's to stop them just saying 'fuck it let's do all of this again' in June 15?

I find it hard to trust Bungie at this point as I thought with the mat trading they were moving away fromthe grind to allow me to do the stuff that was fun.

Right, that's why I mention that folks are minimizing the time spent. I'm also not a fan of waiting for Xur to sell random things that make me relevant either, or not having the coin to buy it when he does.

Like I say, they could have done it better, so I think I'll play the game with my current gear as is and just collect new exotics as I go.

 

[Lalalandia]

Adding 3 nodes isn't a great option at all because then if I find an Icebreaker on the 10th I'll have to do more work to get it up to the level of new exotics than I would to just use a new exotic. This actively discourages people from using older exotics, especially people who are concerned about the "grind."

Just tag it as an upgrade, start levelling from the last 3 nodes with the usual 85k XP. It's not hard instead of Xur selling you a vanilla exotic he sells you this weird upgrade that has the same total XP requirement but starts from after the second perk. It's not hard.

 

[Cybrwzrd]

And I would join you in mocking those that moaned about three extra nodes and enjoyed my maxed exotics as they crept up. Your other arguments are variations on 'it could be worse' which is a terrible reply to someone saying 'this should be better'.

I get what you are saying about how it is a terrible reply. But this is Bungie, I don't think they understand the concept of making it better.

In all seriousness, If they wanted to make it better, get rid of the stupid light system, put in a straight up character leveling system and make all gear scale based on your character level and item quality (e.g. item quality dictates max stats). Even with a system like that, there would still need to be a lengthy grind required to gate/pace the content.

 

[Mindlog]

Well, if they don't release a DLC pack with better and more desirable weapons then they've pretty genuinely fucked up. The desire to re-level Exotics will probably decrease pretty significantly once people start getting Legendary drops that max at 332 with much less of an XP grind.

It seems to me that this is a solution to allow people to keep a few of their very favorite exotics around while adding new ones to their collection. Other people mistakenly view this as "OMG I HAVE TO RE-LEVEL EVERY SINGLE EXOTIC I HAVE ACQUIRED!"

You don't have to buy the DLC at all to participate in this new system.
They genuinely fucked up?

It really isn't that bad.

1. Buy a pack of boosters from Xur

2. Get and complete the maximum amount of bounties (get the bounties that award the most experience)

3. Use a booster right before you turn in the bounties

4. Repeat steps 1-3

Alternate solution:
1. Use the Light system already in place.
2. Use your fully leveled and perked weapons as you upgrade your armor.

 

[xplicitone]

There's a difference between:

obtaining an exotic weapon that you have to work so hard to max, and them saying you need to redo this to make it relevant

vs

obtaining an exotic weapon you don't have to work as hard to upgrade (or just a static weapon that is, not upgradable) and getting completely replaced by a higher level weapon.

Loot games, a weapon gets replaced by a higher level, just like in Destiny with white vs green vs blue. But you don't have to work hard at all to upgrade them, so when they're replaced with something of a higher level, it's not a big deal.

 

[Afrocious]

You don't have to buy the DLC at all to participate in this new system.
They genuinely fucked up?

Why the hell would someone not want to do new content in any game? I'm asking this as a general question, not just isolated to Destiny.

 

[EL CUCO]

Adding 3 nodes isn't a great option at all because then if I find an Icebreaker on the 10th I'll have to do more work to get it up to the level of new exotics than I would to just use a new exotic. This actively discourages people from using older exotics, especially people who are concerned about the "grind."

You should do more work to level up an Ice Breaker that you found on the 10th, as opposed to the guy that already did that work previously.

New exotics begin at 302 attack value anyways, same as an older upgraded one.

 

[benicillin]

There's a difference between:

obtaining an exotic weapon that you have to work so hard to max, and them saying you need to redo this to make it relevant

vs

obtaining an exotic weapon you don't have to work as hard to upgrade (or just a static weapon that is, not upgradable) and getting completely replaced by a higher level weapon.

Loot games, a weapon gets replaced by a higher level, just like in Destiny with white vs green vs blue. But you don't have to work hard at all to upgrade them, so when they're replaced with something of a higher level, it's not a big deal.

They aren't saying you have to re-level it to make it relevant. They are still relevant! And if you want to bring it into the hard mode raid because you prefer the Gjallahorn to the new rocket launcher or whatever, then you go through the same leveling process that anyone who gets a new DLC exotic goes through.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Why is it unfair, because you had to spend XP and materials to level it? But having a maxed Gjallarhorn to help through hard mode VoG was worthless the entire time you had it so it totally wasn't worthless. And maxed 300 exotics will still help you beat every single piece of new content that isn't hard mode raid, so why is it such a big deal? If they didn't let you trade in a new exotic for a higher level version at the cost of a shard, what use would old exotic drops be to ANYONE who doesn't have them already?

I already laid out a solution to this a few pages back in reply to this.

Why though?

Solution:

• Pre-DLC exotic requires the upgrade (implemented the same way for the sake of brevity).
• Upgrading pre-DLC exotic carries your unlocked perks over to the upgraded Post-DLC version. If your pre-DLC exotic had no perks unlocked, then you get no perks out of the gate if you upgrade it.
• Post-DLC drops of same exotic already have the upgraded tree/values (that still need to be leveled).

Simple. Done.

 

[Gillian Seed]

Damn I just spent 150 Crucible Marks on the 77 Wizard, and there will be a better one on Tuesday? Crucible Marks take forever to get now!

 

[border]

You don't have to buy the DLC at all to participate in this new system.
They genuinely fucked up?

What? I'm talking about the quality and desirability of The Dark Below's weapons.

If somebody wants to grind out the upgrades and NOT purchase The Dark Below, that's on them. Though I can't imagine what sort of player is so dedicated that they would re-level all their gear, but simultaneously is so cheap and uninterested in progression that they wouldn't buy Dark Below.

 

[lt519]

So what happens to my Bad Juju exotic bounty I have finished but not turned in? Wait until Tuesday and I'll get the new one?

 

[border]

Damn I just spent 150 Crucible Marks on the 77 Wizard, and there will be a better one on Tuesday? Crucible Marks take forever to get now!

Legendary items cannot be upgraded.

Crucible Quartermaster will have new weapons to purchase on Tuesday, but will require Crucible Commendations most likely.

So you didn't waste your marks because you couldn't have spent them on better gear anyway. At the same time, there will be better gear available soon - purchasing it will require a currency that you cannot currently own.

 

[Two Words]

Man, I was playing Destiny after a long break to get back into the groove of things by the expansion. All of this stuff just kills my desire to play the expansion if this is how this game is going to be.

 

[xplicitone]

They aren't saying you have to re-level it to make it relevant. They are still relevant! And if you want to bring it into the hard mode raid because you prefer the Gjallahorn to the new rocket launcher or whatever, then you go through the same leveling process that anyone who gets a new DLC exotic goes through.

A 10.33% increase in damage is a fair amount (300 to 331). It takes quite a few DAYS worth to level up an exotic. You're not completely irrelevant, sure, but still not cool to take away all that work to make yourself at your potential that should easily be done by adding 3 more upgrade bubbles to the end. You already have to spend TWO exoShards to upgrade and Max it.

Regardless my point is, when you make the player go through a tremendous amount of work for an item, it better stay relevant with not as much effort as it was the first time. If it was just making "NEW" content that overshadows the old, then sure. But this is a way to re-use the same exact weapons with maximum grind. Not cool by any means.

I have 2 L30s and a 29 shy of 30 by 1 chest and had so much fun throughout most of the game, hardly a complaint other than some typical crap. I never came close to wanting to stop playing but this news infuriates me along with many others. I just hope they make some change to re-please the many they've currently displeased to great extents.

 

[Haruko]

Why is it unfair, because you had to spend XP and materials to level it? But having a maxed Gjallarhorn to help through hard mode VoG was worthless the entire time you had it so it totally wasn't worthless. And maxed 300 exotics will still help you beat every single piece of new content that isn't hard mode raid, so why is it such a big deal? If they didn't let you trade in a new exotic for a higher level version at the cost of a shard, what use would old exotic drops be to ANYONE who doesn't have them already?

A potential resolution that I've seen before is: make it so if you trade in a maxxed exotic, you don't have to add in the additional exotic shard.

It's not hard to come up with reasonable ways to give the player something in return for the hundreds of thousands of XP (plus mats) they've poured into the weapon. I'm not asking for unlevelled exotics to be not upgradeable.

 

[boofa]

What if when you turn in a leveled exotic you get a telemetry package for whatever type of weapon it is. The number of packages you get are determined by how many nodes have been leveled. I haven't read through the whole thread, so maybe this has been suggested already. It isn't a perfect plan by any means, but maybe it would lessen the blow of having to completely re-level your gear.

 

[Afrocious]

Man, I was playing Destiny after a long break to get back into the groove of things by the expansion. All of this stuff just kills my desire to play the expansion if this is how this game is going to be.

This precedent was set in stone with how VOC was patched. Bungie's justification was enough to make me stop playing the game.

Hell, it was there back with the loot cave, but not as blatant as it is now.

 

[Mindlog]

What? I'm talking about the quality and desirability of The Dark Below's weapons.

Why does anyone use more than one exotic if they all have the same Light level or attack rating?

 

[benicillin]

A 10.33% increase in damage is a fair amount (300 to 331). It takes quite a few DAYS worth to level up an exotic. You're not completely irrelevant, sure, but still not cool to take away all that work to make yourself at your potential that should easily be done by adding 3 more upgrade bubbles to the end. You already have to spend TWO exoShards to upgrade and Max it.

Regardless my point is, when you make the player go through a tremendous amount of work for an item, it better stay relevant with not as much effort as it was the first time. If it was just making "NEW" content that overshadows the old, then sure. But this is a way to re-use the same exact weapons with maximum grind. Not cool by any means.

The ATK value (300 vs 331) doesn't have a huge impact on your actual damage, it only has impacts the percentage of damage you can do to higher level enemies, i.e. if you're doing a raid @ lvl 30 then having a 300ATK means you're doing 100% of the damage you *could* be doing with that weapon. Having an overleveled (i.e. 300 ATK on LVL26 raid) doesn't do that much, certainly nowhere near 10%. The new exotics end at 331 because hard mode raid for crota's end is supposed to be lvl 33.

EDIT:

A potential resolution that I've seen before is: make it so if you trade in a maxxed exotic, you don't have to add in the additional exotic shard.

It's not hard to come up with reasonable ways to give the player something in return for the hundreds of thousands of XP (plus mats) they've poured into the weapon. I'm not asking for unlevelled exotics to be not upgradeable.

This is a good solution that I think addresses the major problem (introducing shards but not telling anyone about the new upgrade system).

 

[GlamFM]

What if when you turn in a leveled exotic you get a telemetry package for whatever type of weapon it is. The number of packages you get are determined by how many nodes have been leveled. I haven't read through the whole thread, so maybe this has been suggested already. It isn't a perfect plan by any means, but maybe it would lessen the blow of having to completely re-level your gear.

I think that´s a pretty good idea.

 

[Izuna]

GUYS, GUYS, GUYS!


Just to be clear because, I´m not sure everybody got it.


The Upgraded Exotics will be more powerful right from the start.

They will start at 302 and you will have to level them to get to 331.

Seems completely logical to me.

I don´t see what the problem is.

Hahahaha

The people complaining know about this. They are pissed off because they put in a lot of time to max out an Exotic and are finding out that was completely worthless. You can upgrade to this value, and lose all perks, regardless if you levelled or not. Last week it took ages to level up Truth and Gjallahorn and this news broke as I just finished several bounties for it. Some people put in Exotic Shards etc.

The point is, their progress is reset. My brother's IB is just as good as the one I farmed mats for to upgrade to 300. What a freaking waste of time that was. The moment I hit LV30 I haven't gotten any new Exotics, and I spent that 20 hours or so levelling up my gear. Now my Legendaries are obsolete, and also my progress in my exotics are obsolete.

Anyway I loaded up my save to find that a new chr has everything in storage. Was curious if that was the case. They should have had trading in this game, at least one where you can trade if you found something in mission or something.

I recognise a couple posters who have never stated anything in any of these patches has been wrong. I spend a couple hours checking. I won't name names but sometimes a patch for an exploit or even things that have been reversed like the Vex being debuffed and buffed have both been praised.

I think it's less strange that people who hate these changes are still playing, than people who defend every damn decision Bungie makes. To clarify, you aren't who I looked at GlamFM.

 

[Hiko]

Legendary items cannot be upgraded.

Crucible Quartermaster will have new weapons to purchase on Tuesday, but will require Crucible Commendations most likely.

So you didn't waste your marks because you couldn't have spent them on better gear anyway. At the same time, there will be better gear available soon - purchasing it will require a currency that you cannot currently own.

Yes he did waste his marks. You need to turn in one commendation to be allowed to buy a single item from the crucible vendor. Gear is still bought using marks.

 

[MrDanger88]

It's quite clear that Bungie has no idea what they are doing and will say anything to keep this mediocre game relevant.

 

[Lalalandia]

Why does anyone use more than one exotic if they all have the same Light level or attack rating?

Because the Exotic armours enable other play styles and the weapons do the same by offering unique benefits. I haven't hit 30 but I've been having a blast since I've gotten a few exotic armours levelled. I have Helm of Saint 14 for blinding bubbles of awesome, Armamentarium for grenade party times, something light helm for free Titan smash perks in PVP, et, etc. The guns especially change play, IB melts NF strikes for fun and is essential for soloing high level content without using reloads every 5 mins, TLW is cowboy pistol fun time, Suros is great for PVP and I've heard Gjallerhorn is a little useful (goddammit Xur sell it again).

 

[Kodros]

Why though?

Solution:

• Pre-DLC exotic requires the upgrade (implemented the same way for the sake of brevity).
• Upgrading pre-DLC exotic carries your unlocked perks over to the upgraded version. If your pre-DLC exotic had no perks unlocked, then you get no perks out of the gate if you upgrade it.
• Post-DLC drops of said exotic already have the upgraded values (that still need to be leveled).

Simple. Done.

Because you aren't owed these guns from Bungie. They are new guns. Carrying over your progress would just be easy mode to the best level 32 weapons in the game.

It's ridiculous to think that if you turn in your maxxed exotic that you should receive a maxxed 32 exotic back.

 

[Omegasquash]

Because the Exotic armours enable other play styles and the weapons do the same by offering unique benefits. I haven't hit 30 but I've been having a blast since I've gotten a few exotic armours levelled. I have Helm of Saint 14 for blinding bubbles of awesome, Armamentarium for grenade party times, something light helm for free Titan smash perks in PVP, et, etc. The guns especially change play, IB melts NF strikes for fun and is essential for soloing high level content without using reloads every 5 mins, TLW is cowboy pistol fun time, Suros is great for PVP and I've heard Gjallerhorn is a little useful (goddammit Xur sell it again).

This. I've got saint 14, armamentarium, crest of alpha lupi, and no backup plans all experienced up. Haven't put any final mats into 'em because I was hording shards for raid gear (save for Saint 14, that's my shit).

Switching stuff out drastically changes the way I play, and how my crew roles.

Spoiler

We like to wear matching armor shaders though. Bro match or Bro home.

 

[Dart]

Is that Dragon's Breath Xur is selling? Probably selling it on the first week launch of The Dark Below.

 

[Qwell]

ITT .... a bunch of people who didn't realize Destiny is pretty much an FPS MMO

At first I was a little angry, but then I realized ... wait ... this is just like World of Warcraft or any other MMO I played. I never really even expected the exotics to get buffed to begin with, let alone for them to have an upgrade path. I figured it was like other MMO's when an expansion would come out the previous gear either becomes old and not the top tier, or completely outdated.

When WoW would have a content update within an expansion, a new raid was released, or new heroics added that always came with new gear that was better than the previous. It wouldn't completely make the old stuff irrelevant as it was still valid for the upgrade path to a better average item number on that character, but if you wanted the best you had to do the new raid or the new vendor gear.

And when a new actual expansion came out, the best gear in the game would soon be replaced by greens / blues from the starting quests etc. Yes it sucked when that happened, but it was part of the progression. Its kind of funny, when I first started playing Destiny and I was treating it as simply a loot drop game and relying on RNG for everything I really started to hate it. One day I finally started reading up about reputation grinds, vendor gear etc. and it clicked. This is just an FPS MMO and since MMO are like a drug to me I really sank my teeth in and fell in love. This is just another extension of that.

Yes if I want to make my newly acquired (finally) Gjallerhorn the best it can possibly be I need to "upgrade" it and then re-level it and I probably will for that. But at the same time, I could just keep it, or one of my 3x Suros Regimes maxed at 300 and be just fine. I will probably continue to use my Fatebringers, and Vex Mythoclasts and Vision of Confluence just because elemental primaries are so useful, even though they won't be at the new max. That is just how these MMO games are, and yes all that time I invested in maxing out 3x VoC, and 2x Vex Mytho, and 2x Fatebringers etc. took a lot of time, but boy did those weapons come in handy when I was playing the current content.

And honestly, with the bounties (especially since they were increased to 10 slots) the weapon leveling doesn't take that long. I unlocked both perks on Gjallerhorn the day I got it, it helps having 3x characters at max level so I can pass it around, but even if you don't its not terrible to wait 2-3 days and some quick bounties which usually only take about 30-45 minutes total for the vanguard ones.

I admit, I won't be playing Destiny a bunch until the new expansion now that they had laid out the content plans, but I needed a break anyways. And when the expansion does hit I'm sure I'll be diving right back in to start getting more phat lewts. I just wish they would hurry up and increase the Vault size.... that is a VERY much needed thing. Until then I have Far Cry 4 to play... and Smash Bros, and Sunset Overdrive, and GTA 5 and a bunch of other games I have neglected since Destiny came out.