User blog comment:NOhara24/Gearbox. Please stop./@comment-3420061-20121118151352

The new currencies are, I believe, two things: a decision not to repeat the Pearlescent ultra-rare item mecanic, and an acknowledgement that in-game economy is a tricky thing to manage. They want to make the new classes of items purchasable, selectable by the player, rather than have them fall randomly into one's lap the way that a Knoxx Pearlescent would. (Compare this to the BL2 bosses, each farmable for a particular Legendary, thus allowing players to pursue a particular item.) And they don't want players with enormous standard-currency wealth from farming the previous game to steamroller over the DLC content. As the player accrues Seraph Crystals or Torgue Tokens or whatever, they see themselves approaching the goal of receiving the new class of item, instead of hoping that Crawmerax will favor them this time with a never-before-seen Pearlescent drop. I don't know whether this is a good idea or not. I liked the BL1 mechanic of the only predictable loot being Unique drops.