TLDR: Extend the New Player Experience into the Expansion stories, trickling in tool tips, hints, and advice on subclass customization, and build crafting that will help in the Endgame. Make Levels Matter Again, Why is Last Wish 1350 but Witch Queen story 1450? It seems arbitrary. Why can a new player jump straight into a RAID but not CAMPAIGN missions? (Make Master modes for all Dungeons/Raids that keeps with the current Endgame Level) Endgame and DCV will ebb and flow, that is inevitable as Bungie has made clear, but utilizing them effectively can make the New Player Experience not awful and perhaps, enlightening. Full Below: Alright I can hear you asking, how are those three related? Well let me ask you something, what major encompassing thing in Destiny is the most fun/important? That's right, the Endgame. Raids, Nightfalls, Comp. PvP/Trials of Osiris., Master/Legend Lost Sectors, and Dungeons. As Veterans that is what we interact with the most and should be some of, if not the most, well produced content in the game. So I can see why Bungie (and us other players when we introduce our friends) want to rush new players through the "boring" and "tedious" leveling tasks and get to the Endgame. But I ask you this, what does 1580 Power Level mean if everyone starts at 1350? What do the dungeon and raid light levels mean when they are set to 1350? Let me answer those simply for you now. Power Level 1580 = Power Level 230. And the Dungeon and Raids are set to minimum difficulty aka Power Level 0. Why? Why is the number arbitrarily large? Why does it continue to increase? Why are the raids and dungeons, the Endgame Content less difficult, power level wise, than the story for Witch Queen, yet grant Pinnacles while Witch Queen story does not? I have taken a break from destiny for a bit for IRL reasons. But I come back and can jump straight into Last Wish and gain pinnacles, but will struggle with Preservation Mission unless I play methodically or have help, simply due to power levels. By no means am I saying "Rah! Make Raids hard again! I want to struggle 80 levels below every time! Rah!" But I question the message its sending to new players. To me I get a "Yeah so the Witch Queen story, which will allow you grow into your abilities more after the Cosmodrome is gonna require some leveling up. Out of powerfuls? Oh go on LFG or grab some friends and LAUNCH A RAID only after ~3-10 hours of play and while you still don't realize the full capabilities of your class or subclass." I'm all for spreading this hobby of ours to new people, but don't you think that's a bit of a leap? Everywhere, All the Time, people say the New Player Experience is bad. But why? It checks the boxes of a tutorial. Shows you how to play the game, shows you the inventory, shows you how to get to different places and what those different places do. But it lacks letting you actually DO something. And this is important when it comes to endgame. In the high end content you must know what you are doing and how your character works. But new players are thrust through this quick tutorial and then told "Welp here's the Tower, Gambit, Strikes, and Crucible...here's 15 quests from vanilla, Oh got the expansion well here's another 4 quests, and oh the season too? You're made of money, check out eververse later, but here's another 5 quests. Have fun good luck and remember this is Destiny, hate the classes you don't play!" And that's it they need to fend for themselves, unless they have help, and are immediately thrust into "Endgame Content Available" status and can launch into older raids, for the most part. Why doesn't the game start players at a level, let them do the tutorial section then increasingly work their way up to the high end content. Maybe that means after the tutorial they go through Beyond Light story, learning how to customize subclasses effectively after learning core mechanics. Then that unlocks Deep Stone Crypt and Prophecy at relevant level for that point. Then, they unlock Witch Queen story and learn more build crafting stuff like mods and subclass working in tandem. Next, unlocks Grasp of Avarice, and Seasonal Content. (see how we're working our way up to the most pinnacle and difficult content?) Now, we unlock Vow of the Disciple, Grandmasters, and Duality Dungeon. This, is a simplified flowchart, I hope that was obvious, but I think I made my point. Slowly trickle in easier endgame as the new player learns the game and its mechanics, and most importantly, their character, this way when they get to the point of The High End Content, they are better equipped (literally and metaphorically they have raid and dungeon weapons now and the experience of getting them), are more knowledgeable, and can help us Grandfather Guardians better. Does that increase the length of the New Player Experience? Oh yeah, a lot. I realize, and I realize that will be a major no no for a lot of people, but it could be what the game needs to capture new, independent players and actually get them invested, without needing guides or friends. Will that mean older Endgame will stay "Easy Power Levels?" Well yes, but, and this where my Destiny 1 side is coming out, Introduce Master Mode retroactively to raids and dungeons that keeps up with the High End Content, makes it difficult, makes it worthy to distribute pinnacles. But All of that will be cycled out via the DCV and levels will remain arbitrary then right? Yep... unfortunately, but as the power floor increases, and new content releases it will be like a treadmill that a new player is placed on. The stuff at the start position moves in and out, and once on the treadmill all the new player needs to do is start walking/running (...like the rest of us...) until they, too, are keeping up with the flow of endgame content moving in and out. But I think by soft locking activities via power levels appropriate for a player to undertake them is a good way to start easing new players into the endgame, versus thrusting them into Last Wish or Shattered Throne right after the tutorial. I have more to say, can more be in-depth with some of these ideas, but I think I've said a lot already and I don't think anyone wants to read a whole novel (A short story is fine though right?....Right?) And if you have feedback fellow veterans or can explain why some of these systems are, please share that information, maybe I am missing something since I've been out of the flow for a bit.