Long time lurker and first time poster. Forgive me for the long post, but I couldn't come up with a more concise way to point out the problems with how materials, currency, and reputation work and offer a solution. I'm hoping to hear some intellectual discussion and debate regarding how these resources work and figured DBO would be a good place.

Overview

The current iteration of how resources--materials, currencies, and reputation--are gained, used, and tracked in Destiny is flawed. The system lacks focus, symmetry, or any set of transparent values. At worst, it forces certain experiences that the player may find not fun. This redesign seeks to address those problems.

Problem

Destiny uses a number of resources consisting of materials, currencies, and reputation to gate the acquisition and advancement of gear. However, the system uses some resources that are only found in PVE (Spinmetal, Helium Filaments, Spirit Bloom, and Relic Iron), some resources that are shared across all characters (glimmer), some resources that are class dependent (plasteel plating, sapphire wire, hadronic essence) and some resources that are not class specific (weapon parts, ascendant energy, ascendant shards). In additions, there multiple resources that are that are used in unique ways that may be shared by characters (strange coins, motes of light) and other than cannot (vanguard marks, crucible marks). Some resource are stored in the vault or inventory and others are not. Some resources encourage playing the same character class three times, while other's allow for the same benefit with different character classes. This creates for a confusing system that forces the player have to constantly view details on gear to know what material is needed for upgrades and forces specific play styles, like running circuits to material farm.

Solution

Create a streamlined system for the gaining, sharing, and usage of resources that opens up a wider variety of play styles while forcing more meaningful decisions, based on the following values:

• Resources are tracked as a number, similar to glimmer is.
  
• Materials and currencies are shared between characters.
  
• Materials and currencies are used by all characters.
  
• Materials and currencies are gained in both PVE and PVP.
  
• Materials and currencies follow the standard white, green, blue, purple, yellow progression.
  
• Materials are used to upgrade items.
  
• Currencies are used to purchase items.
  
• Reputation unlocks items for purchase.
  
• Reputation is tracked per faction per character.

To keep balance and generate more interesting decisions for the player, the resources will need to change. Some resource will be consolidated, others expanded.

Materials

Glimmer

Glimmer is the white (common) material. It is found in pretty much everything from enemies, to chests, to dismantling items. It is found in both PVP and PVE. Glimmer doesn't change from how it is currently implemented. It will be used as the basis of upgrading all armor and weapons as it is now.

Armor Parts

Armor parts are a green (uncommon) material. They really only show up when dismantling armor, which makes them uncommon. Armor parts will no longer break down based on class, but instead provide a general armor part. This bring armor parts in-line with weapon parts and creates a parallel with ascendant materials. No longer is it in the player's best interest to play three of the same class for the purpose of having enough armor parts, instead the player may choose to create multiple classes of the same or different classes without a benefit or penalty. Further more since armor is earned in both PVP and PVE this material is found no matter where the player chooses to play.

Weapon Parts

Weapon parts are a green (uncommon) material. They really only show up when dismantling weapons, which makes them uncommon. Weapon parts will remain as implemented. Further more since weapons are earned in both PVP and PVE this material is found no matter where the player chooses to play.

Planet Materials

Planet materials are a blue (rare) material. They need to be harvested from the environment, found in chests, or as a special reward. While armor and weapon parts were expanded, planet materials are consolidated into rare weapon material and rare armor material, let's call them Divergent Energy and Hardened Shards. This brings them in alignment with ascendant materials and the proposed armor and weapon parts. It also makes them universal. A wonderful side effect is that it prevents more resource needing to be added to the game if new planets or locations are added. Spinmetal leaves, helium coils, spirit blooms, relic iron deposits, and any future harvest-able items all extract randomly into a Divergent Energy or Hardened Shards. Like ascendant materials energy is used to upgrade weapons and shards are used for armor. This prevent the player from having to constantly check which material type is needed to upgrade which piece of gear. Instead they just need to know if they have the appropriate weapon or armor material. Planet material will need to be added to the PVP loot tables as a reward. Since planetary material is a blue level item it would show up with the frequency of other blue level items at the end game reward screen.

Ascendant Materials

Ascendant materials are a purple (rare) material. They would operate the same as they do now, since they follow the values of being used by all characters, shared by all characters, and can be gained in PVE and PVP.

Mote of Light

Motes of light are a yellow (exotic) material. This is perhaps the most radical departure and would also remove motes of light from the currency list and making it only a material. Since high level armor already has a light level, motes of light would be used to advance this light level. After fully upgrading a piece of level 20 armor, it could be infused with motes of light. Each mote would increase the light level to a (current) cap of 30 while also increasing the armor value. This has the benefit of opening up more ways to reach level 30 and introduces more armor variance at a high level. It also future proofs armor against higher light level caps, by allowing exotics and raid armor to go beyond +30 light through the infusion of motes of light. Motes of light would still be gained through experience after level 20, but by making it a yellow, it would be a much more rare find in loot tables, meaning the ordinary way of gain them is through plenty of play and spending them is a big deal.

Currency

Glimmer

Glimmer is the white (common) currency. It is one resource that spans both currency and material and it's lore supports that (read the grimoire card). Once again glimmer is kept as is and used to buy a number of items at different vendors.

Curious Trinkets

There is no green (uncommon) currency, so I'm making one called Curious Trinkets. There may be an interesting possibility for one in the future, but the current economy doesn't really support having one. However, if cosmetic controls, like transmorgrification or being able to reenter the character customization screen, are added to the game this might be a good place for a green (uncommon) currency to be used. If could also be argued that the Speaker should accept this level of currency instead of the current setup of using motes of light.

Guardian Marks

Marks are the blue (rare) currency. Marks are used to purchase special legendary gear as is implemented today. The main difference is that marks are now shared between all characters. Gone is the distinction between crucible and vanguards marks. This allows for the gaining of marks in both PVP and PVE. Marks can be spent at any faction merchant provided the character has the appropriate reputation level. The weekly mark cap would be raised to 200 and the over all cap would be 500.

[Note: This is probably the hardest change to implement due to the trophies/achievements regarding maxing out marks. In that case, I would suggest a third mark: Faction marks that are gain instead of Vanguard or Crucible marks when wearing faction gear. This would keep the same 100 weekly cap and 200 over all cap.]

Strange Coins

Strange coins are the purple (legendary) currency. This change, from blue to purple, better shows to the player the value that strange coins really are. Strange coins would continue to be used at Xur and the Speaker would also accept them. They would also be used to buy tickets to the Trials of Osiris. The gaining of strange coins would continue as it is currently implemented, especially through weekly strikes, but moving them to the purple level loot tables might make them a bit more rare as a reward when decrypting items. This shrinking of the pool of coins would make Xur purchases more meaningful (especially combined with the move to Mote of Light being only a material, so no more spending Motes for an engram) and may result in players waiting to see what Xur has next week.

Dark Ether

Dark Ether is the yellow (exotic) currency. This is a new addition to the game and is gained only through the most challenging activities: raids, Osiris, and special events and is a bit like the opposite of a mote of light thematically. It is used to purchase special high level gear, provided you have the reputation to do so. See the reputation section for more information.

Reputation

Faction Reputation

The reputation system stays the same as it is now, but with a more gradual curve. The smaller curve allows easier entry into the faction and a place to spend marks early on making the transition from blue to purple gear smoother. By putting the chest piece first, this allows the player to proudly wear the colors of the faction and hopefully add more variety to high level armor worn. From the table below the same amount of total experience is needed to purchase weapons and get random packages in the mail, while to get a helmet there is a slight increase.

Rank    Rank XP    Total XP    Old Total XP    Available to Purchase
0       0          0           0               Class Item
1       1000       1000        3500            Chest
2       1000       2000        3500            Boots
3       1000       3000        3500            Gloves
4       1000       4000        3500            Helmet
5       2000       6000        6000            Weapons
6       2500       8500        8500            Random Package

Raid Reputation

Like how each special event (Queen's Bounties, Iron Banner) and faction tracks reputation, each raid tracks reputation. For players who have bad luck with random loot rolls in the raid they can still gain reputation through reaching raid checkpoints and in conjunction with Dark Ether currency purchase raid armor. Raids will still reward raid gear, but reputation provides a reliable method of seeing achievement. Each raid, when the game eventually has more than one, will track reputation separately. This can open up the game for some fun raid factions. Maybe an order of Titans who want to follow Kabr footsteps for the Vault of Glass who fashion things found in the vault into things to smash the vault, like their father Kabr did with the relic. Maybe Crota's End has an order of Warlocks who have found that the only way to destroy Crota is with weapons of his own making.

Exchanges

An underutilized part of the game is the exchanges; with the current 50 material for a handful of marks and a reputation bump. These would be revised using the following theme: "stuff gets you money, money gets you power." A new exchange vendor would be added to the game. This vendor would give you the currency for the equivalent level of material provided. For example, Ascendant materials (purple) gives you strange coins (purple). Each faction vendor would also have an exchange where turning in currency gets you reputation (you can buy your way to the top!) The more rare the currency the bigger the reputation gain. However, some factions can't be bought off. This may not work for certain special events (Lord Saladin will have nothing to do with this, but Lord Shaxx will take your Strange Coins. This is where the real schism between the two happened.) and for raids where the real reputation is built from completing it.

It would take some playtesting and data analysis to determine the exact ratios for both exchanges. To keep the exchanges from being abused, the exchanges only work with blue or better items so there is a trade-off between upgrading gear, getting new gear, or getting reputation. Also the theme doesn't directly include "power gets you stuff," so you can't trade reputation for material. However, it is there indirectly in that every rank after 5 gets you a package in the mail which you can turn in to material. But since there isn't a closed loop exchange, it prevents someone from finding or the game randomly providing the ultimate trading scenario were they can break the economy with 10 ascendant shards.

Inventory Screen

The inventory screen will have to be revamped to account for these changes. But this opens up an option for a streamlined inventory screen with all the information necessary to make good decisions regarding materials, currency, and reputation. This is a mockup of the proposed screen. It follows the three section motif seen in other places in the game.

http://imgur.com/gLXoo0b

Conclusion

The current resource tracking in Destiny--materials, currency, and reputation--is confusing and leads to funneling players into experiences they may not like. A streamlined system following a set of core values can make the gaining, usage, and tracking of resources more transparent and allow players a wider variety of options.