ME3: Problems With Platinum

I've been somewhat busy in real life recently, so I haven't been on ME3 for the past few days. That being said, I was thoroughly disappointed when I returned to the Platinum scene today. If you can stomach a (pretty civil and reasonable, imo) rant, then read on.

Though I doubt that the Platinum experience has decayed within the few days that I was gone -- the seeds were already sewn the day the Earth DLC came out, maybe even before -- things only seem to be getting worse. The first several PuGs that I was dumped into generally consisted of randoms under N7 200. Even a few under N7 100 had the audacity to attempt Platinum. Then of course there were the missile glitchers with their Strikers, who are arguably the worst of the bunch. I'll get to that later.

I do believe that N7 doesn't equate with skill. This much is obvious. I've played with N7 120s who have level X URs and can use them correctly, so I get it, some people just don't promote. But these were people whose experience mostly equated with their rank, e.g. N7 60-something with an Avenger II. Granted, the game has changed since the first days of multiplayer. I couldn't beat Bronze my first few games, much less Platinum. Now you have people who can carry the team through Bronze, and even Gold. But what makes these new players think that they can skip to Platinum?

I don't like to make judgements about people, especially those that I don't know. But the only logical conclusion is that these people are freeloaders, piggy-backers, boosters...whatever you want to call them. Unless they are entering into their first match ever, and are therefore unfamiliar with the difficulty settings, there is no reason why inexperienced players should be in a Platinum lobby for more than 10 seconds. They are in it for the credits, and by extension the rare and UR weapons, characters, and equipment that the veterans have.

But...but... there's nothing wrong with that, right? Isn't it better if the new players get better weapons and equipment so that they can contribute?

Here's what's wrong with that: in the meantime (and the meantime is a very long time indeed), these players are not contributing by playing on Platinum. Tagging along doesn't do anyone any good. It just ruins the game for everyone else. In addition, if these boosters do finally end up with a good weapon or character, they likely won't have the actual experience to put it to good use. That is assuming that they have spent their hours performing repetitive, skill-less farming rather than testing their skills legitimately. So what I want to say is that I don't hate new players. We've all been noobs at one point. But please, be honest with yourself when it comes to picking difficulty.

And don't think I forgot about the missile glitchers. I've got a few missiles of my own to launch at these dumb-bombs (forced laughter). Ahem. These are the people who embolden the inexperienced players to venture into Platinum. Without the cheaters, how far would they get? Maybe wave 2. A veteran, and even a intermediate player guided by a veteran, have no need for such cheating. So when cheaters wonder why they have a bad rep, why people report them, or why people vote to kick them, it's because they are ruining the game for everyone else. The End. I understand that Bioware is working on glitches based on priority, and there are a lot of glitches that may not be fixed at all. But this one is possibly the worst glitch of them all. It's absolutely game-breaking. I hope it's at the top of the list.

Edit: Incidentally, today was the day that Bioware rolled out the fix for the missile glitch. How convenient.

What's the solution to the decaying ME3 community? Don't cheat. Play on a difficulty that you can handle legitimately. I thoroughly enjoy playing on Platinum with similarly skilled players, especially when we reach extraction legitimately. There's a sense of accomplishment that you don't get by cheating. And if I promote, I take that character to Bronze. There's no shame in playing on lower difficulties. My personal rule is as follows:
Bronze: 1-8
Silver: 9-16
Gold: 17-20
Platinum: 20

Again, I don't mean to give the impression that I hate new players. If that's what you got out of this post, then you aren't seeing the main point. I just want to see people being honest about their capabilities. Would you play professional sports if you just picked it up a month ago? If you think of Platinum as the "professional" level of ME3, have you sharpened your skills enough?