Bungie has announced some changes to the Gambit game type which will be implemented at the start of Destiny 2’s Season of the Drifter. A One-Eyed Mask nerf and a change to rapid-fire shotgun behaviour will also shake up the current loadout trends.
The following Gambit changes are described by Bungie as a response to player feedback and will hopefully reduce the most common frustrations. However, it looks like even more changes are in the offing so make sure to check back once the update drops on March 5th.
- Changed the third round of Gambit to a Primeval rush sudden death. This will speed up Gambit matches overall and add a change of pace to the final round.
- Overhauled how we choose the invader spawn location and increased the number of invader spawn points for each map. This should greatly reduce the chances of spawning very near or in direct line of sight of an enemy Guardian.
- Implemented Idle Protection which means that players that remain dormant for too long will not receive end-of-match rewards or Infamy points.
- The Triumph “Light vs. Light” can now be progressed by killing any Guardian using a Super, not just invaders. This makes attaining the Dredgen title a less daunting task.
- Adjustments to Blocker types by deposit tier:
- Small Blocker = Taken Goblin with less health than the previous Phalanx.
- Medium Blocker = Taken Captain with more health than the previous Knight.
- Large Blocker = Taken Knight with more health than the previous Ogre.
The One-Eyed Mask Titan helmet nerf is intended to make it powerful in skilled hands whilst offering more opportunities for others to counter it in PvP:
- The duration of the Mark of Vengeance has been reduced from 15 seconds to 8 seconds
- The way players refill health after a successful kill has changed. Before, it restored all of your health and the overshield refilled over time. Now, the health refills over time alongside the overshield. This should give a leg up when encountering situations where multiple people are fighting one person with the One-Eyed Mask equipped.
- Vengeance will no longer trigger for players in Super. This was making Supers far too potent.
The power of the Full Auto shotgun perk has made it the automatic choice for PvE activities. Bungie is aiming to give players a reason to try other variants by doubling shotgun base damage (except for Legend of Acrius) in PvE while reducing the Full Auto rate-of-fire bonus from 100% to 10%. Some changes to rate-of-fire and ammo reserves will also occur, and Full Auto will no longer increase shotgun pellet spread. Additionally, players using shotguns in the Crucible will have to get closer to their targets to achieve one-shot kills.
Linear fusion rifle accuracy will be reduced at long range, but a 10% damage increase will be applied in PvE to compensate for this. This change should reduce the dominance of Queenbreaker, which currently has more than double the aim-assist that the designers intended.
The Destiny 2 Season of the Drifter begins on March 5th. A Triple Infamy event will take place during the final week of the Season of the Forge beginning on February 26th.