I just hit 30. No idea how many hours I've played, but pretty much daily since launch. PRNG > RNG. Problem (for Bungie) is: they don't really have that much content for the game. So they need to slow down leveling--which, by the way, is what this system seems to be all about. Notice how we don't get mats in the mail guaranteed now? It's all about slowing us down. Same reason they prioritize some bugs over others. The bugs that make it quick for us to progress need to die. Giving us fun guns... there's no incentive there.
Personally, I don't care that much, but it annoys me how Bungie screwed up the communication this bad.
I'd argue that while the content is rather minimal, it isn't to the point in conjunction with the fun gameplay that this much slowdown is necessary. Neither has it been so for the last few 'solutions'.
It takes about 1.5 weeks to get a Vanguard legendary item (weapon since armor is cheaper) from a vendor currently, though every other week I believe you have enough for one other. While that isn't a ton, there's enough of a selection to keep people busy for a while. Crucible marks can take far longer if you're not constantly on a winning team and devoting a good chunk of hours into it every day. Combined with getting rep up to Rank 3 to make meaningful purchases, it already takes a great deal of time to get there that one has to wonder what the benefit is even from their standpoint to slow it down further.
Gathering mats for Legendaries and, until recently, Exotics is another example. Even when focused, it can be weeks or even a month to get one piece of gear fully upgraded in consideration of RNG. All those hours and resources, all gone because Bungie couldn't think of designing one or two more circles in the upgrade tree with a severely bloated XP gauge.
As it stands now, even the most blessed under RNGesus will only have the smallest sampling of gear fully or nearly so upgraded by the time House of Wolves drops. At which point the process will likely happen once again under the assumption that Bungie doesn't find the minds they have lost.
The sad thing is that this only pushes people to engage more in the farming/loop behavior that Bungie has been against. People aren't going to be engaging in missions, Raiding, and all that good stuff if they have to reset themselves back (let's be honest, the perks of many exotics is what makes or breaks them) and can't really engage back in until they grind out the necessary resources and upgrades once again. This is especially true of Glitter, which at the current point has no real good source of accumulation and is best made farming certain patrol areas in conjunction with chest looping.
Not ranting at you Doc. Agreeing with you while venting on how bad Bungie has molded that system thus far.
