[quote]Update- over 2,000 comments on this thread! Clearly, this is a hot-button issue, but still no acknowledgement from Bungie. Update #2- In the Weekly Update, DeeJ reiterated [i]again[/i] that players should hold off on dismantling gear until after the twitch streams. Does Bungie have a plan for our existing gear after all, or is this just more PR crowd control? They've said our existing weapons won't be upgraded past 365, but they've always worded that very specifically. Is it possible that our gear might be able to transition to the the new Light Level system, altogether? SO MANY QUESTIONS! (TL;DR at the end) Disclaimer! [spoiler]I've rotated my gear pretty substantially with [i]every[/i] DLC. I'm not in love with any particular weapon. I actually think Fatebringer is kind of overrated. I have every exotic weapon aside from the Ciphers (still working on the bounties). I think Ghorn is overpowered, and don't use it very often. I'm very excited to acquire [i]new[/i] gear in TTK, and I'm in no way trying to discourage players from "moving on" to new gear. All I'm trying to argue is that players should have the [i][u]option[/u][/i] to do so, on [i]their[/i] terms. With that said...[/spoiler] I keep seeing arguments in [i]favor[/i] of phasing out Year 1 weapons, based on people's experiences in games of the MMO variety. Now, I understand that from a purely MMO background, players don't see any issue with leaving old gear behind in favor of new, better gear, because that's how MMOs operate. However, Destiny is [i]not[/i] an MMO (at least from a combat perspective, which is what I'm basing my arguments on), and shouldn't be treated as such for a number of reasons. Main point-[quote]1. Weapons in Destiny have a [i]much[/i] more direct impact on player experience. Weapons in MMOs are little more than "stat sticks," with virtually no impact on gameplay other than increasing a player's DPS abilities; point, click, repeat. Destiny, on the other hand, is an FPS, and as such, choosing a weapon is infinitely more personal and important to players. Even if you only like [i]one[/i] class of weapon, there's still a ton of options to sort through; impact, fire rate, stability, perk set- even the [i]aesthetics[/i] of a weapon play a part in the overall [i]feel[/i] of a weapon. As such, it's a pretty shallow argument to tell players like me to "get used to it" when weapons become obsolete because "that's how MMOs work." This isn't an MMO, and my gun of choice is way more important to my experience than any DPS "stat stick" could ever be (sentimental value notwithstanding, of course).[/quote] Secondary point-[quote]2. Destiny's expansions have a bad habbit of [i]replacing[/i] content, not [i]adding[/i]. And they happen MUCH more frequently than any MMO expansion; each new DLC essentially removes old gear from the game, replacing it with better gear [u]across the board[/u], without raising the level requirements for them. Why the hell should I pay for new gear that will be outdated in [i]a few months[/i]?! I payed for it, I grinded for it, I upgraded it, and I [i]kept it[/i]. This game is built on grinding for gear, and I've accepted that! But why would any sane gamer continue to grind if their efforts are [i]consistently[/i] invalidated? What's the point? The only reason this didn't bother me as much up to this point was because my old gear stayed useful, and became special because of its decreased availability; proof that I was here from the beginning. The idea of playing 'Destiny 3,' and still being able to pull out my Vanilla weapons in future battles is an [i]awesome[/i] prospect. It would give weight to all the adventures I've been on, all the awesome feats I've accomplished, and continually validate and distinguish all my efforts to [i]become legend[/i], as they say. :P[/quote] EDIT- I didn't touch on this in my initial post, and I absolutely should have; [quote]3. Most [i]console[/i] games don't go through major overhauls, because new mechanics and balance choices tend to get implemented in [i]sequels[/i]. An "expansion" in WoW is essentially the MMO equivalent of a [i]sequel[/i], not just an add-on. There is no "WoW 2," because Blizzard's "10 year plan" for the game was intended to exist in a single game economy for its entire lifespan. Because of that, it makes more sense for its expansions to overhaul the game in more impactful ways, because they take the place of proper sequels. "Destiny: The Taken King" is [i]not[/i] "Destiny 2." And, if prior interviews and leaked design info are accurate, there [i]will[/i] be an actual, numbered "Destiny 2." As big as TTK might be, it's still an add-on to Destiny "1," as it were, and I think people should view it as such. If Bungie wants to reset the entire game, and start from scratch, [i]so be it[/i], but they should do that [i]in the next game[/i].[/quote] TL;DR: 1. Destiny's weapons are [i]infinitely[/i] more meaningful to players than any MMO weapons could ever hope to be, in that they actually have a direct impact on how they play the game; they're more than just stat-increases. 2. And, seeing as how Bungie choses to remove old gear from the loot table with every DLC, thus shrinking gear options, the [i]only[/i] way to keep any sort of gear diversity in Destiny, as well as validate all the effort player's put into the game, would be to bring old gear forward. Period. 3. "Expansions" in MMORPGs typically take the place of traditional [i]sequels[/i], which makes it more understandable that they would bring major overhauls to the game; TTK is definitely an [i]add-on[/i], not a sequel. Destiny [i]will[/i] have a proper [i]sequel[/i] in the future, and if Bungie is determined to completely level the playing field for gear, that's fine, but they should do that [i]in the sequel[/i]. (And because everyone seems to think I'm just another one of those Fatebringer fanboys; I haven't brought my Fatebringer out of the Vault in literally 4 months. So, stop bringing it up, haha)[/quote] If they nerf my old guns so I'm forced to play new dlc to get new unwanted guns I will flip the f out. I like my guns I've spent time learning to be precice with them! I leveled them since year one! If u hurt them I will hurt your servers bungie be warned!