I agree with you on the grind for sure. I have three characters, two at 387 and one at 382, so I can't even get into the 390 raids as yet.

Don't be so sure. My wife has done three 390 raids so far (Wrath, Crota, VoG) at light levels between 350-370, and she hasn't even been the Obligatory Liability Player (side-eyes Cyber). At 382, you're good to go, so don't be afraid to use the Fireteam Builder on the right side of the forum page.

That's a HUGE decrease in the drop rate, and it makes it much more difficult to get my characters to a higher light level.

No idea about decreased drop rates, but like I said, you're at the perfect level to do the Weekly Raids, and they have way better drop rates than ever (especially once you use Knuckles of EAO that you get for doing the first part of each Weekly raid).

Also, don't forget that Nightfall can net you up to six higher-light rewards per week on a single character (Completion Drop, 3 Nightfall Bounties, guaranteed Skeleton Key, and 3oC). This week's Nightfall is very easy to Solo/2man, as well, so don't be afraid to hop into it!

I have to say this: not everybody is a God-tier Destiny player. I've been on teams where most people were 400 and no one was under 390, and we couldn't complete the new raid challenges (and I wasn't ALWAYS to blame). I've been on teams with below-level players and it was even harder. Also, I consider Speedracer a God-tier Destiny player and he was not having such an easy time last night soloing Nightfall. I know nothing about Saber's skill level but I wanted to interject a bit of realism in here because it can get depressing to be told how easy everything is over and over when you aren't able to do it.

Oh man, you can basically track my declining interest in Destiny PvP to the nerf of the Messenger. The crucible was never as much fun as it was when I was rolling with that beauty :)

The special ammo changes have ruined the chess game and now your only real options are either teamshoot plink plink or to use either NLB or UR.

I was running Ex Machina and Eirene all evening, and I was able to find ammo pretty consistently. The fact that it spawns very often adds a nice flow to the matches, as you have to fight for ammo locations more often. That said, I enjoy the greater focus on Primaries as well. Less Specials on the field at any given time means that you have a greater chance at primary streaks/multikills than before. Shotgunners can't just rush in Willy-nilly without dying to a hail of fire, and Snipers have less ammo at any given time.

Man, that's not my experience at all. The games I play seem to be full of people who start with NLB or UR and then switch weapons once special ammo spawns, switching back if they die. That much time in menus bugs me, but it's clearly giving an advantage to those willing to jump through the hoop and shuffle their guns.

I feel like maybe it's time for me to just tank 20 games in a row so my MMR becomes lower. Which, again, is super lame and should not be a thing that people can do (or should ever feel the need to do).

Strikes are fine; I haven't found enough friends to run a raid yet so i can't speak to that. But man... That pvp, which has been my bread and butter for years of playing this game, is just abysmal.

Eh, I've enjoyed PvP for the first time since RoI dropped, so different strokes.

IMO the best PvP was during the Suros Regime meta, with TTK launch meta being a close second (despite being very very different). I never liked any of the ROI pvp, which is a big part of why I haven't been playing pvp much since that launched.

I definitely recommend the raids, though. Why not use that Fireteam Builder?

Various excuses. Mostly that I don't know if I'm going to be online on any given evening until I actually am, and second that I like to start the night with a pvp match and those have been so frustrating of late that I just can't play anymore afterwards. Horizon Zero Dawn, I love you.

I do not believe a game like Destiny should make it so difficult to get good equipment. Especially Raid specific equipment. Maybe Raid specific equipment shouldn't even exist.

Destiny's content should be more fun for more people and there should be more of it with more frequent refreshes.

Not to be a complete douche, I like the changes at second bridge of Croata's End.

Just curious: do you feel that activity-specific equipment just shouldn't be a thing in Destiny? Given the way Destiny handles loot, I don't have any problem with the Raids dropping some of the best gear in the game, because they are some of the most challenging activities. If nothing else, I enjoy the idea of gear that fits into the theme of a raid. Weapons and armor that are visually based on the raid itself, and have perks that make them particularly effective in that raid.

Coming at it from a different angle, maybe there just needs to be better loot rewards for other activities? If strike-chests and Nightfall rewards were more exciting, would that help?

I don't mind so much superficial items like pretty armour coming from specific activities. At the same time those activities should be more attainable by the majority. I think I've read, there are huge numbers of Destiny owners who never get to earn Raid weapons, let alone even see the Raid content itself. Shouldn't they get the most that could be had out of this game? They paid the same money.

I love Destiny a lot but that love comes at a price. I get ticked off pretty quick when I realize I can't get stuff or see stuff and it might be because I'm a loner or not skilled enough. That same equipment I can't get now may again stop me from doing something else in the future.

I don't want to come up with a complete redesign for Destiny because it's already very good. I think I'd like to see a system where you grind in fun activities for modules to use on things you like. Earn a Burn module and put it on your favorited automatic. Earn an enemy perk put it on another weapon. In other words, prepare yourself for the activity you hope to succeed at. Maybe less of RNG being such an influencer. I want my activities to reward me with options and not just another roll for useless loot.

Honestly the biggest challenge is finding the time and people. I'm not a great player and I've done all the raids, if you haven't you just need to make time and use lfg or the tools here. Missing out on raids is a choice, and depending on your real life responsibilities, you might not have the time, but that's not the games fault. Get a babysitter lol

IMO the hardest content of the game should reward you with very excellent cosmetic items. The Trials armor tokens were a nice touch, and I think similar high-profile cosmetic items should be all you get. That way the best players can show off, but they don't get a little nudge pushing them even farther ahead of the other players whom they are already better than.

I'd love to see a system like that. I'd like to see cosmetics be completely separate from from stats. Don't make me wear ugly shit to get the stats I want.