year 1 was good because people had a purpose to play and felt rewarded when they did hard activities. In year 2 beating the raid didn't give you anything but max light.

well, true. most of the reason that is all wiped out is because bungie has become more and more rewarding over time. like back when the cryptarch gave you greens for legendaries. getting a legendary was something to relish. But there were people who didn't like to grind for anything, so they wined on the forums and in reviews until bungie did something about it. reaching lvl 30/32 was also a major achievement early on. it meant you had spent time getting there. making the highest level only obtainable to endgame players was what made it satisfying. until raids became more and more mainstream. back then, completing a VoG was a major achievement because everyone was so new to the game. now any typical raid team could blow through these challenges. even when they come back in age of triumph, there will be strategies that make it easy. people have become immune to achievement because rewards have become too mainstream.