4 Essential Tips to Master the Gambit Mode in ‘Destiny 2’

James Pickard
Games
Games
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Destiny 2: Forsaken is the first big expansion for Bungie’s sci-fi FPS sequel, bringing with it a new weapon type, new Supers for each subclass and a number of new locations to explore among a host of other content. One of the most exciting features, though, is a new hybrid game mode called Gambit that combines both PvE and PvP elements into a single competitive experience.

In Gambit, two groups of opposing fireteams are split into two different arenas where they must defeat waves of enemies in order to collect the motes they drop. These can then be banked at a container in the middle of the map to send tougher enemies to your opponents or open up a portal that allows one member from your fireteam to invade the enemy. Ultimately, your goal is to gather enough motes to summon a Primeval boss, which you must defeat in order to win the match.

Gambit is a fast and frenetic mode that may seem a little overwhelming at first with all the different moving parts you have to keep in mind. However, we’ve put a few tips together to give you a helping hand: whether you’re jumping into this weekend’s free trial of the new mode or looking to get prepared for when it releases with Destiny 2: Forsaken on September 4.

Bank your motes cleverly

Time your mote deposits to get the most out of them.

The most significant PvE element of Gambit is darting across the arena killing waves of enemies that spawn so you can collect the motes they drop. You need to bank these in order to summon the Primeval and win the game, but doing so also goes some way to stall your opponents by sending them blockers that they need to defeat.

Depending on how many motes you deposit affects the difficulty of the blocker that you send over. Five motes will send a piddly small blocker, ten will send a medium blocker and 15 will burden your opponents with a large blocker. Instead of constantly racing back and forth between mote harvesting and depositing, then, it’s often better to save up a good number of motes to cash-in all at once and cause more significant problems for you opponents.

Send your best Crucible player to invade

All those hours in the Crucible have led up to this.

Every time you hit 25 motes deposited, a portal opens up that allows one of your fireteam members to warp to your opponent’s arena and cause havoc. Whoever teleports across only has 30 seconds to cause as much disruption as possible by eliminating enemy guardians. This is an important way of extending your team’s lead as any motes someone is holding when they are killed are lost for good.

So, it may sound a little obvious, but you’ll want to ensure the person sent through when the portal is activated is your best PvP player. You’ll want someone who’s a menace, a master of their chosen subclass and weapons who can take full advantage of that half a minute by picking off targets as they try to gather their own motes. Grab multiple kills and you can set them back significantly, while also returning home to high-fives from your fireteam members for a job well done.

Focus on one task at a time

A buffed up Guardian is a dangerous thing.

Now, as for the inverse of the above when you’re invaded, you might be tempted to continue merrily gathering motes for your team, but it’s usually best to switch focus and take out the interloper. When a guardian invades they gain a temporary buff that gives them an overshield in the other side of the arena, which makes it a lot harder for anyone to take them down in a one-on-one fight.

The best strategy, especially in the early stages of the round, is to call your team to focus down the target before they can tear through your entire squad. Take a few seconds to press pause on the mote gathering and focus your fire on the invader. Once they’re out of the picture you’ll have some breathing room to gather and bank motes again before the next guardian warps in.

Now, this may change during the final stages of a round when you’re trying to burn down the Primeval boss and secure a win. At this point of the match the portal to your side is open permanently, meaning an enemy guardian will constantly be invading your side of the arena. Turning your attention away from the boss to deal with each one can be a big waste of time, so consider using all your heavy ammo and your Supers to burn down the Primeval as fast as possible.

Keep on the move at all times

There are lots of places for you to dash between or hide.

Achieving success in Gambit is all about quickly responding to events as soon as they occur, though juggling all of these in the later stages of a round can be a bit of a head-spinner. Your first priority after a game begins is the look for the waypoint where the first wave of Fallen, Hive, Vex or Cabal will spawn. Be in position early and you can start mote collecting faster. As this force begins to thin out, keep an eye out for the next waypoint and send some of your fireteam to be ready to face the next wave while others clean up the stragglers.

As you bounce back and forth between waypoints and banking motes, the first invader will soon appear and you’ll want to regather the team to focus them down if possible. If you find yourself on your own, there’s no shame in playing defensively by taking cover or straight up fleeing. Being a nuisance all goes towards wasting their time in your arena if they decide to try and chase you down, while allowing your fireteam to continue playing the objective.

That should be enough to get you started. Good luck in there Guardians!