To gauge the Destiny 2 community's opinion of Gambit and explore potential changes to the mode, Bungie community manager Cozmo23 recently started a Reddit thread asking players for Gambit feedback. There isn't a survey to fill out or anything, but it is a formal request for feedback - and it comes just six weeks before the release of Joker's Wild, Destiny 2's next annual pass DLC, which will introduce a "new Gambit experience."
As a hybrid PvPvE mode, Gambit was one of the most exciting additions in Destiny 2: Forsaken. It has a little something for everyone, and between clutch invasions and dead-heat Primeval kills, it can deliver heart-pumping moments. That said, due to various matchmaking and balance issues, it can also be one of the most frustrating activities in all of Destiny 2. Relatedly, this feedback request comes on the heels of the pinnacle weapon Breakthrough, awarded for completing a quest which requires 40 Gambit games. So, as you can imagine, players had plenty of feedback to share.
Reddit user CrownOfGallia nailed down the most common bit of feedback in a comment with nearly 1,500 upvotes: playing Gambit solo sucks. The matchmaking loves to pit groups of solo players against better-coordinated teams of three or four, and at times it feels like Gambit's bounties - which are the only reason many people ever play the mode - are designed to make people play poorly, which only lowers the average player's performance. I mean, come on, a bounty for mid-air sidearm kills? As other commenters pointed out, it's also virtually impossible to carry your teammates in Gambit no matter how well you play, simply because the mode is so team-focused.
In another top-voted comment, Reddit user OceanSquab criticized how quickly the Primeval can be killed provided you coordinate your attacks with teammates. This ties back into the matchmaking issue - a team of three or four can more easily time their assault than a bunch of solo players who aren't communicating - and it illustrates how abruptly and disappointingly many Gambit games end. Killing the Primeval is supposed to be a race to the finish where recurring invasions act as counterplay, so it's boring when one team kills their Primeval before their opponents can do anything about it.
Other suggestions include expanding the mote pickup radius, improving end-of-match and bounty rewards to justify their time investment, buffing the drop rates of triumph-related items like the Gambit Ghost shell, shortening matches with a sudden death tiebreaker in lieu of a full third round, and the expected truckload of weapon balance recommendations. Cozmo23 jokingly(?) called out the Exotic linear fusion rifle Queenbreaker, but it's far from the only problem weapon. With the Sleeper Simulant problem basically solved, One Thousand Voices and machine guns like Thunderlord have become the dominant forces in Gambit. More generally, many players (myself included) have also called for improved ammo economy.
I'm excited to see Gambit expanded upon in Joker's Wild, and I'm happy to see Bungie taking feedback like this on board. Gambit is a quintessentially Destiny game mode in that it's often tons of fun but could be so much better, and I think a lot of these suggestions - or at least modified versions of them - could do some real good. And for players who aren't at all interested in Gambit, it's worth remembering that Joker's Wild will reportedly offer other things to do, like exploring the Drifter's mysterious past, completing new Exotic quests, and taking on some enticing Xur bounties.
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