I've been following match-making posts on the for a while now, not just this last week. It's these last two weeks, once House of Wolves dropped and we realized that we were excluded from even more of the game, that it really exploded. Those of use without the time for a clan or LFG have found that HoW added a slightly more interested Patrol mode and the lowest level Prison of Elders (with the worst loot). Many of us are too low-level to satisfy LFG. We need a group, though, to increase our level. We are poorly armed, in some cases, and are avoided like lepers because the community, even the "hardcore" gamers, don't want a challenge. They want a cake-walk. One thing I've enjoyed about all the match-making modes is knowing that no matter how we're armed, we can adapt to take on the challenge. In the non-matchmade modes, it should be even easier, due to the necessary mic/verbal communication. Another point I'd make about exclusion is that it's not just about what weapons or level a Guardian is. I've read multiple threads on this very forum from individuals who are somehow disabled. They are deaf, or they stutter. They have physical limitations to the amount of verbal communication they are capable of over a headset. And they get mocked and kicked when they've tried to raid. They've come to these forums to plead for in-game written communication tools, not to seek sympathy, but it still sticks out to me. LFG, and many clans, have no use for those who may need them the most. And I'll just leave this here, as I doubt Bungie will implement matchmaking anytime soon: If you have a situation like this, and you're having trouble finding people to play with, hit me up. I'll play with you. I don't have Ghallarjorn, but I can still kick some alien ass. Gamertag and username are one and the same. Those in the community who fight against optional matchmaking are a very vocal [i]minority[/i]. They're the assholes you'd meet in match-making, if they didn't already have a group of like-minded shitheads to run with. They don't [i]have[/i] a sense of community. They have a sense of their super-secret club (no girls allowed). They don't care that others don't have that. That's not [i]their[/i] problem. And truthfully, they aren't ours, either. They held their petition and garnered a mere 650 replies. Not all of which were "signing" the petition. Bungie knows this. They know what the community wants. They ignore what the community wants. We only have to look at the Weekly Update to see this. They mention the Trials, and the treasure keys. They mention bugs here and there. Not one thing has been said about the complete and utter lack of matchmaking, or the fact that the community has been screaming for it. Well, no direct mention. Just the constant stream of "Community Focus" on third-party resources doing Bungie's job for them. Spotlights on clans that can't be joined, or on LFG websites (whose issues have already been discussed). Or subreddits that "joke" about requiring Gjallarhorn. A subtle backhand to those of us who want a proper game with proper options. You didn't want a war. Bungie refuses to prevent one. I'm here to fight. I'm here to make my voice heard. But I don't know if I'll be here when Bungie finally concedes. It's looking more and more like they've lost my business for good. It breaks my heart, in a way. I jumped in on Halo 2. It was amazing. It was the first game I played online with friends, and I'll never forget that. But it, and Halo 3, look like the last games of Bungie's that I'll ever play again.