Hard to say because it's been so long since I've played. I don't know what recent (if any) nerfs have taken place to weapon classes themselves, so even if they did bring back some of those weapons, they still would still likely be a shadow of their former selves.
If you're asking if they straight up copied a yr 1 fatebringer/IB/gjally/vision/BH from yr 1 to yr 2, would I still play; at this point, no, probably not. There's a lot of other issues I have with the game post-ttk that have also kept me from coming back, but if those were available from the start as something to work towards, I definitely wouldn't have dropped the game so quickly. I would prefer, at this point, that they create new gear that is just as powerful as the yr 1 stuff to incentivize the grind as opposed to the 100's of guns/perks that all feel equally weak and dull to use we have now. The gun perks just don't matter anymore for pve content, but beyond that, every weapon class has been neutered many times.
They say guns like black hammer, gjally, and ice breaker were broken and the way they performed was not intended and that it ruined the sandbox. Ok, fair enough. So then your solution is to make sure everything feels equally pitiful when you pull the trigger in the name of balance. I didn't see how that was a better, more entertaining or rewarding result for me so I left. Getting a Fatebringer, IB and Gjally were 3 of my favorite memories of yr 1 Destiny considering how long it took me to get those guns and how much fun it was to use them once I got them (also seeing you guys chase the stuff you wanted so badly and being there when you got them was right up there too). That was the fun for me and was the reason I logged in every night. Will tonight be the night I finally get the Ice Breaker? Will Trance FINALLY get his Fatebringer? Will Thirsty EVER get a Gjallarhorn? It was worth running every activity every week that could drop exotics for the slight chance that those things could happen. There's nothing in yr 2 I would consider spending even 1/10th the time chasing that I did for those things.
The one thing I think they got RIGHT in TTK were the exotics in terms of getting them. Complete reliance on RNG (especially with how stingy it can be) is not a good way to progress a character. For some folks, they can run 3 nightfalls, and 6 raids a week, but for normal people this is a tall order. I MUCH rather prefer a system where there are long (and even boring) quests where at least you KNOW that you are making progress on some level. That you are working towards something.
Yeah, it took away the highs of having G-horn drop, but the lows of not getting one for months is just too much IMO. (And this is coming from someone who had a G-horn drop in Vanilla before The Dark Below).
However, I agree that they nerfed the ever-living snot out of the pve weapons. Nothing feels fun to use. End game raid guns should feel completely OP and laughably awesome. Fatebringer, Black Hammer, Ghorn, Vision, Fang...all were so much fun to use. You felt all your grinding was worth it to get to the end game and raid to be rewarded with being the baddest guardian in the tower. Bungie's "it takes away the sandbox" mentality is silly because they took away the fun.
The race up to the raid can be as sandbox as it wants...we can use those going forward if we want, but damn, don't take away the fun Bungie. And that's what they did with the endgame of TTK...they took away the fun.
(I will say that some of you guys are too focused on the 320 light level...Its just a number). Anything over 312 and you are rocking all of the end game content.
That was the glory of Vanilla. Fatebringer, Vision, Ghorn, Icebreaker, and other weapons actually changed the way you played the game. It actually gave MORE variety than the snooze-fest we have now. The gear chase now is just a number...and I refuse to do that.
